RULE NUMBER FIVE

𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑜

My thoughts were impeded when my phone hummed in my bag, I ransack through my bag and retrieved my phone. I saw Yass calling. I got up and marched up to my room as I responded to the call, I took the paper as well and walked into my room.

"Hello, Yass?"

"Girl, what was that stunt you pulled at the restaurant? Who was that guy? How do you know him? And did something happen between you and Marcus?"

I rubbed my eyes tiredly and plopped my bag and paper on my drawing desk. I don't know where to start replying to her numerous questions. "Yass can I call you back? I was in the middle of something when you called." I ended the call before she could say another word.

I placed my phone on the desk and picked up the paper with the rules. I jogged my eyes one last time on it and let out a sound under my breath, he expects me to follow these weird rules? I pulled out one of my desk drawers and took out a clip. I pinned the paper on a wall.

'No singing, tsk…' I'm going to make living here intolerable for him. He will have no alternative but to relinquish the house, I smirked fumbling through my brain on how to make him give up the house soon. I pushed my thoughts of him to the back of my mind and undressed.

I draped a towel around my body and tied my hair up in a bun before scurrying out of my room. I hummed a song, in order not to defile his one rule. I nudged the bathroom door open and stared into the thick darkness which enveloped the room. Is something wrong with the lights?

I reached out for the switch in the darkness and managed to find it. I switched it on but the lights won't turn on, it was working perfectly this morning when I had my bath. What did he do to my lights? Did he change the switch that connects the lights or the lights?

I can't trust him with my house. First, he changed my sofas and table, claiming the colours weren't his spec.

I groped into the blinding darkness and managed to figure out where the curtains of the tub were. I unwrapped myself and slide into the tub but weird that there was water in it already, foams to be precise. I ignored the questions in my head and relaxed in the water. Fear took over me when my legs came in contact with something hard and something skin. It grazed my legs that my pulse quickened at the touch.

I dipped my hands in the water, rejecting the negative thoughts of what that might be. He can't be in there in total darkness, my fingers plundered in the water until they touched a skin hard surface. At first, I thought it was an insect….you know, you never can tell. Suddenly the lights came on. I quickly retrieved my fingers as my eyes locked with his detached eyes. I let my tongue loose and screamed.

I wanted to sprint out of the tub but the realisation dawned on me that I was completely unclad. I shut my eyes in embarrassment, afraid to meet his eyes. Why was he in darkness? Is darkness sort of his thing?

Why does he take me unawares?

"Do you want to shower with me that desperately?" His unapologetic voice came. "I get I have a great body but are you that desperate to explore it?"

I flung my eyes open at his stupid comment. Where does he get his thinking from? Who told him I want what just he said. Yes, I can't deny the fact he has a nice shape and physique but accusing me like I did this deliberately is so uncalled for. "Excuse me, Mister, what are you implying?"

"I got to admit you are some wild woman," I saw his lips curved upwards in what seemed like a smirk but he obscured it immediately and instead gave me a stiff stare. He scampers close to me which got my heart pounding harshly against my chest. I could hear the sound. I tried to back off but came to a stop when my back hit the wet surface of the tub. His body imprisoned me as he placed his hands on my sides.

I looked away. 'Cause his eyes were inducing more damage to my body than my brain. He smelled so∆ divine and of that soap. I willed myself not to get carried away by his scent and resist whatever he was trying to do. My heart whacked the more when he lifted a finger and turns me to face him. "𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑇𝑜𝑟𝑜?"

I managed to force out the question though it came out more like a 𝑤𝑖𝑚𝑝. I shut my eyes cause I can't handle the look in his eyes anymore. I wonder what must go on in his head. His precinct sent hot blood down my spine and it got my heart reeling.

"I knew from the start you can't resist this body. The first day in the kitchen you saw me shirtless, the second time you crashed into me after my bathing and now here," I shot my eyes open. Death glared at him.

"Wait a sec?" I resisted the effect of his proximity and touch and assert in a calm tone even though I found it hard to focus on the fact his face was 2 inches away from mine. "I don't care whatever that goes on in that skull of yours but I tell you to stop taking me unawares or sneaking up on me?"

My breath hitched when he lifted a finger and tucked back a strand of my hair behind my ear. His fingers grazed lightly on my ear and it shot fire through my whole body, I tried to steady my racing nerves but I can seem to do that with his eyes fixed on me. Staring deep in my soul. I found myself getting lost in his hazel eyes, I saw something glint in his eyes…not sure what that is but I can't seem to look away.

I was drawn by his eyes and even when I tried to avert my eyes from his. I can't find the strength to do so, his eyes drank me in and they left me wanting to do crazy things with him.

'𝐺𝑒𝑡 𝑎 𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑝 𝑜𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓, 𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑜!' I scolded myself inwardly '𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟'𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑐ℎ.' I managed to look away and reached out for my towel where I placed it. I reached out more but why do I have to hang it so high?

"I believed you came to stay, why are you in a hurry to flee?"

I returned my eyes to him and adrenaline surged through me at how close his face was to mine. His face was an inch away I could trace the lines of his face, the kinda rough edge of his jaws. His minty breath fell on the bridge of my nose that prickled every sensitive part of my body. I ignored how he was making me feel and mustered the energy to fight this sensitivity. I can't possibly make out with a man I don't even know and from the way, his lips were curved upwards, I could tell he was enjoying this.

"If I had known you would here…."

I stiffed when he trailed a lazy finger down the length of my neckline, my whole body throbbed at his touch on my bare skin. Whatever this man is doing is getting to me. I shut my eyes momentarily, shoving off the illicit thoughts in my head. I can't let my body control me. I opened my eyes and gave him a brief look.

I caught his finger, halting him on his mission. But I stiffed when he traced his eyes on my lips and leans in closer. I shut my eyes and prayed silently for him not to do anything funny to me.

I can't escape even if I wanted to, not only was his body trapping me but I'm naked. Why is he doing this to me? I almost stifled out a moan when his leg grazed between my thighs beneath. My whole body was on fire at what he was doing. I waited for the worst to happen or better still, I waited for something to happen.

But nothing was happening. I opened my eyes and saw him out of the tub, a towel bandaged around his waist. Water dripped down his hair to his chiselled chest to his outlined tummy. What was I thinking? That he would kiss me?

His sullen eyes penetrated through my skin but I saw myself dissolving under his gaze when he spoke up.

"Rule number five, don't use the bathroom when I'm using you." He turned to leave but spins again and added. "And change the lights and the switch. They've started to malfunction."

I watched his figure disappear out of the door and immediately let go of the breath I was holding all the while he was in here. I cupped my face- soothing out the heat as my mind revved back to what happened some minute ago. I facepalm as embarrassment gush through me. '𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑜, ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟?' I hit my forehead several times and slide beneath the water.

Letting the humiliation wash over me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

𝑇𝑜𝑟𝑜

I heaved a relief sigh the moment I walked out of the bathroom. But the question that left me asking is why I did all that to her? Even her presence irks me but what sort of magnetic force pulls me to her? Okay, I might've done that to send her out of the tub but at the same thing, I didn't want her to leave.

My thoughts trailed back to the bathroom. I saw the resistance and the desire both in her eyes and I was enjoying the mixed feelings in her eyes. But I was the one having difficulty controlling myself, it felt like a being took over my body because my sanity self won't do that. I wiggled the thoughts out of my head and walk to my room. I fell on my bed with a thud and gaped into thin air.