Chapter 49: Cupboard Drama

< Shirley >
To not make the situation awkward after Dylan licked the corner of my lips, which I quite enjoyed and loved the blast of dragonflies in my belly, I blurted, "Flour isn't so tasty so I don't want to taste it."
Dylan chuckled and licked the other corner of my lips. "But chocolates are." He smirked devilishly.
"Naughty," I teased and kissed the tip of his nose. I didn't know why I was doing this but I just wanted to enjoy this moment, knowing he didn't reciprocate my feelings.
"Now am I?" he asked and inched closer to my lips. My breath got hitched in my throat and my heartbeat went wild. I gulped.
"Yes, you are," I managed to say. With that, I got up. Not now. I wasn't ready for it, neither did I want it to be in the heat of the moment. It needed to be special where both of us would be in our sane minds.
Dylan sat up and mumbled, "Tease."
I lent him a hand and he grabbed it before standing up. He ran a hand through his hair to shake off the flour. He dusted his tee and jeans to get rid of the flour.
"You should take a shower. I will take one when I get home," he suggested before walking out of the kitchen to clean his chocolate and flour smeared face.
I abided by him and went to take a shower. When I came back, Dylan already had the pancakes ready, which was supposed to be made by me.
"I already made them since I had nothing else to do anyway. Eat them quickly. Then start getting ready. I will come to pick you up after an hour."
I hummed and sat on the kitchen stool beside him. The pancakes looked delicious and perfect. There were no burns, either. It tasted even more delicious than it looked. The flavors were perfect. He also added chocolate chips to it.
Undoubtedly, the best pancakes I ever had in my life.
I looked at the person, who made it, with loving eyes. Dylan was scrolling in his phone while chewing the food in his mouth. He would be the perfect husband for me, wouldn't he?
"Quit staring and eat." I snapped out of my thoughts and started stuffing my face quickly as he was already done eating.
Just then the calling bell rang.
"Did you invite someone else?" Dylan asked, looking up from his phone.
"No?" Or did I?
I went to open the door. I peeked from the hole in the door and gasped. I rushed to the kitchen.
"Who is it?" Dylan asked casually.
"It's my brother," I rambled.
"Oh."
"Are you deaf? It is my brother. Don't you remember? You said my family members can't know about you. So my brother can't know either. So you need to hide."
"I don't need to hide from Ad—"
"Shut up." I harshly cut him and took a hold of his wrist. I dragged him to my bedroom and pushed him inside my cupboard. "Stay there." I locked the cupboard door from outside and ran to open the door, despite the continuous banging on the door from Dylan.
I opened the front door, welcoming Adrian.
"Why are you here?" I glared at him.
"To help you. You wanted help, right?"
"But you had rejected it."
"Yeah, because I thought I was going to be busy, but my boss didn't show up as he canceled the meeting," he said casually, letting himself in.
"For God's sake, Ady, you are the boss in your office." Adrian always acted like he had a superior when he didn't, which was an excuse obviously.
"Same shit," he replied, making me roll my eyes. He suddenly gasped. "Holy shit!" he cursed out.
"What?" I peeked from his shoulder in case Dylan came out of his hiding. I saw nothing unusual.
"That can't be your work. Who helped you?" he shrieked dramatically, looking at my living room.
"A friend of mine," I lied. If I said I did it myself, he would never buy that lie. He has known me for twenty-three years after all.
"But you said they were all busy." He raised an eyebrow.
"Ady, you aren't a detective, so shut it," I hissed.
"What's that aroma? Smells like pancakes." He followed the aroma and walked into the kitchen. "What's with this flour and chocolate syrup on the floor?"
"It happened while cooking."
"Good grief. I thought I would make you the dinner since you can't cook, even if your life depended on it," Adrian let out.
I laughed at his words. My eyes softened, knowing no matter how he acted, my brother still cared for me. I didn't talk to him properly after I left the house that day.
"Since I have nothing else to do. Let's help you clean up this mess."
I chuckled and nodded my head, almost forgetting about the grumpy human being in my cupboard.
< Dylan >
Was that girl nuts? Why would I hide from Adrian when he already knew everything?
This sucked.
It was dark inside the cupboard. The cherry on the cake, I was surrounded by Shirley's dresses. Her fragrance was all over the place, and it was tempting. It was hard to move as well in this small place. I ran a hand through my sticky, greasy hair.
This cupboard drama reminded me of the times when I used to play hide and seek with my sister, Cordelia. She and I used to hide in our cupboards while Xavier and Riley tried to find us. I also recalled the times when I was locked up for eight months in a small room with no lights. The memories suffocated me.
I closed my eyes when the sound of whip echoed in my mind. My hands started shaking as if the door would open any moment and the whip would hit me.
I wasn't scared of darkness, but of the memories that never stopped haunting me. Darkness was a friend of mine, whereas my past was the foundation of my being—yet, it was terrifying. I banged the door but got no reply.
I wanted the door to open right now, but back then all I ever wanted was for the door to remain close. "Stop…" I murmured.
I tried to take rapid breaths when the screams and cries of agony started ringing in my ears. I tried searching for my personal phone with my trembling hands but I couldn't find it. I looked for my work phone which I used for my Mafia work.
Thankfully, I found it. I phoned someone immediately. After the fifth ring, a voice responded from the other side of the phone. "Hello, boss."
"Get the hell out of your sister's apartment," I breathed out.
"Excuse me? What?" Adrian asked, being dumbfounded.
"Your sister locked me inside her cupboard so that you can't find me. Unless you leave, she won't let me out," I explained.
"Is she nuts or what?"
I didn't have to explain to him from the start as Adrian already knew everything. He was the one who suggested that I should help his sister in becoming a racer.
At first, I rejected his idea but after meeting her, I had no option. Adrian was a calm and collected person, he knew that I was really busy helping his sister, so he never insisted twice. But his sister was another creature. Shirley didn't know the meaning of 'giving up'. She bothered me for one month by stalking and was still bothering me.
"You should know that better," I rebuked.
"Okay, okay, I am leaving. Though I don't know how you ended up in her apartment, it's Shirley we are talking about. She can do anything." He hung up the call.
After five minutes or so, the door of the cupboard opened. She stood in front of me with a nervous smile on her lips. Her slightly damp, beautiful dark brown hair was tucked at one side of her shoulder, making her look more innocent than she was.
I shot her a death glare. Only if looks could kill...
"I am so—" I smoothly cut her off.
"If I don't find you ready by ten, I swear this is going to be the last night of your life," I threatened before leaving her apartment.
That woman was crazy. She did stupid things. She asked for a kiss on the cheek, lured me into temptation, made me cook for her, locked me in a closet, and whatnot.
"May I ask, what you were doing in my sister's apartment, Dylan?" Adrian's dangerous voice entered my ears when I walked past him in the parking lot. He was leaning against a pillar, nearby my car.
"Oh, I was making out with her," I responded sarcastically.
"Don't use your sarcasm with me." The brunette rolled his eyes.
"I have never been more serious in my life." I was so pissed off due to the flashbacks I had inside the cupboard.
"If you are trying to fool me, I am not falling for it." He gave me a stern look.
"What do you think I did?"
"Helped her arrange the stuff and cook?" he guessed and I nodded.
"If you are so smart then why bother asking?" I frowned. I groaned, wanting the earth to swallow me. Why did Adrian have to be Shirley's brother out of all the people on the earth, someone with whom I shared a mutual dislike?
Adrian smirked, with clearly no intention of letting me loose, and demanded, "Still, you have a lot of explaining to do, my dear boss."