Chapter twenty four

Crystal woke up from her dream. Her chest heaving as a result of her laboured breathing. She dug one hand into her hair and looked around.
So that's all it was.
A dream.
She had been dreaming of him again. And she was honestly starting to get worried because it was happening more frequently now. The worst part being when she woke up to find herself alone in bed.
She reached for her bedside table to pour herself a glass of water. Only to find the pitcher empty. She laid on her back and stared at the ceiling. Then her stomach growled and she found herself craving ice cream.
She would have ignored it and gone back to sleep but she wasn't sleepy anymore. The erotic dream having taken away every last bit of her drowsiness. Now all she wanted was to eat ice cream. So she sat up and after stretching, she put her slippers on.
Nothing was better than a late night kitchen raid.
She searched for the robe that went with her nightdress before recalling having left it in the washroom. And she didn't feel like making that short trip so she left her room as she was. It wasn't that cold. And she was sure that everyone was asleep by then.
Otherwise she would not have even dreamed of walking around dressed in the short silk nightdress. Especially because the top part was made of lace. It was more of a descent-ish lingerie.
She took the few steps that led down the hallway. Subconsciously stopping in front of Nick's door. And she couldn't help but wonder if he was sleeping. The things she would do just to see him sleep. To see how peaceful he looked while dreaming. To listen to his steady breathing and to watch the calm rise and fall of his chest. She took a step until she was leaning against the door. Then she tried to listen in.
But she heard nothing. And she was sure she looked like a deranged stalker standing there. What would she do if someone saw her? What explanation would she give?
She stepped away and continued with her trip downstairs. Making sure not to make any noise with fear of spooking everyone that was currently asleep. She slowly walked towards the kitchen and as soon as she got to the doorway, she stopped.
The light was on.
That was odd. The staff always made sure to turn off all the lights before they went to bed. And it was past midnight already. She leaned against the side of the doorway and peeped in.
Then her eyes widened and her heart sped up a very significant amount.
Nick was in there. Dressed in a pair of his normal pants and a dress shirt. But the shirt was completely unbuttoned and she could see the outline of his perfectly sculpted chest. Her lips parted and she peeped in a little more, weary of being seeing.
His hair, unlike every other time she'd seen it, was all ruffed up. And she keenly watched as a few locks fell to his forehead and he absentmindedly pushed them back.
She couldn't breathe. He was too beautiful to look at.
She observed as he took the little basket of fruits kept on the kitchen island and begun to search through it. Then he picked out some from the bunch and placed the others aside before proceeding to the sink to wash the ones he'd chosen.
After that he picked a knife and went to a bowl which he had already set out on the surface of the island and begun unpeeling and cutting the fruits.
It was a normal action.
But he did it with such precision and grace she couldn't help but enjoy looking at him. How quickly he diced an apple or how astonishingly careful he was when unpeeling a mango. He was doing something normal and all she could think of was no-one else would be able to do the same thing with such simple expertise.
He was a phenomenal sight to look at.
He washed the knife and returned it to its place before picking a fork. Then he took a whole strawberry from the basket and bit into it. Crystal placed her hand in her chest as she watched him chew. As she watched him silently marvel at its taste. Then he simply stood there, staring at his bowl for a while before he started eating.
Fruits.
She would never have guessed. He looked more like the type to eat steak. Proof of just how little she actually knew about him.
She knew she couldn't just stay there and watch him eat. It was both weird and questionable, but she didn't want to move away. She didn't want to stop looking at him. At how he would frown to himself each time the stubborn lock of hair would fall to his forehead. Or how how he seemed to wonder about which type of fruit to pick with his fork after each bite.
She could not see his eyes but she noticed the long and thick lashes that fringed them. And in the light they seemed to cast shadows on his cheek bones. He looked like a dark angel. She was scared of blinking because that was a second spent not looking at him. And looking at him was all she wanted to do.
He was like a drug and she had unconsciously become addicted to him.
She wanted to go over there and wrap her arms around him. She wanted to bury her face in his chest and breathe in that dark spicy scent she could smell even from where she was. And that scent drove her crazy.
Feeling her head with thoughts that would do her no good at the moment. Making her recall the dream she'd just had. And just like that she was no longer in control of her mind.
She thought about him. About all the different ways she wanted to touch him . And all the ways she wanted to be touched. She thought of his hands on the most private and sensitive parts of her and she had to lean back against the wall beside the doorway and close her eyes.
Then she peeped at him again. It was all she could do because going in there wasn't an option. Not when she was dressed like that. And not when she was feeling how she was currently feeling.
Besides. She had called a truce and now they were nothing more but friends. And that was how it was supposed to be.
But God he was hot!!!
And even though he was calm he looked so... dangerously attractive. She honestly felt like dying just from looking at him.
She silently breathed out and decided to head back to her room. Guess the ice-cream would have to wait. She looked away from the kitchen and was about to head back when she heard him speak.
" Thought you said it isn't polite to stare. "
His husky voice invaded her very pores and made her blood warm up.
He said the words loud enough for her to hear. And only one thought came to Crystal's head when she heard them.
'Oh......shit!! '