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Shuffling nervously from foot to foot, I note the walk-in closet to the left of me, and a moment later Malik himself appears from the doorway, tossing clothes at me before he turns back around.
I look down in confusion at the t-shirt and boxer shorts in my hand. “What are these for?”
“You.” Irritation claws at my chest at his short, blunt, one-word answers, but before I can call him on it, he continues. “I thought you might want some different clothes to sleep in.”
His words hold me hostage, my gaze snapping to his, only to find him looking over his shoulder at me. I gulp, nodding my head ever so slightly in response as I watch him sit at the end of his bed and kick his shoes off.
“Are you going to give me some warmer sheets too? It’s cold as shit down there.” Malik instantly frowns as he turns to face me head on. I know I just grumbled about not going back down there, but shit, I feel nervous as hell right now.
“You’re sleeping here,” he states, pointing at the bed as he rises, moving his boots into the walk-in closet before returning a moment later. I haven’t moved an inch, surprise and confusion warring on my face as I try to wrap my head around what he’s saying.
“This is your room,” I finally blurt, clutching the clothes to my chest as I nibble on my bottom lip. Without missing a beat, he cuts the distance between us, tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear as he rakes his eyes over me.
“I can’t tell if that excites you or scares you, Mona,” he breathes, goosebumps rippling over my skin at the sound of his old nickname for me. I can’t do anything but gape at him, speechless at the worst of times as he lets out a rare chuckle before stepping back. “Don’t worry, I’ll be on the floor. Now change.”
He snaps his fingers and it’s like a breeze washes over me. I look down at myself to find the black t-shirt covering my top half, hitting me mid-thigh, and the clothes I had on moments ago are now in my hands.
I’m so out of my depth here it’s not even funny, but I’ll forever be a moth to the flame with these three. My heart, my body, and my mind are in a constant battle over them. That hasn’t changed.
Wordlessly, Malik moves toward the door, slumping to the ground in front of it as he leans back against it. I see what he’s doing, he’s blocking me in, silently letting me know that I can’t leave.
With a sigh, I place my clothes in a pile at the foot of the bed before tentatively climbing under the sheets. The mattress is divine and the sheets are so soft against my skin, yet it somehow feels… cold.
I look over to my somewhat-savior for the night, only to find his eyes closed and his arms banded over his chest, marking him off-limits as I force myself to lie down.
The tension in the room is thick, my heart racing uncontrollably as I take in my new surroundings. I have no idea what they expect of me here and I have no idea what tomorrow looks like, but one thing is for sure… I refuse to be anything other than me. They can change my circumstances and they can rip me away from my closest friends, but I’m not here at their will.
I refuse to be.
