Chapter three

The sun shone through the gaps in the blinds, causing me to rouse in my sleep. I turned over and checked the time on my phone. 7:17 a.m. I scowled when I realised it was Monday, my least favourite day of the week. Normally I'd have a lie-in and go to sixth form in the afternoon, but today was the first day of my new job in retail, so I had to get up.

I sat up scratching my head, letting out a yawn. I don't remember what time I fell asleep. All I could recall was spending the evening with Leon, watching movies and talking for a good while. We managed to resolve everything and I promised him that I wouldn't jump to conclusions anymore. After that ... it's a blur. I sighed and got out of bed, reluctant to start my day.

I grabbed my towel and headed for the bathroom. The door was locked and I raised a brow at the sound of the shower running. Someone had already beat me to it. I banged the door once.

"What?" Kieran's hollow voice came from the other side.

"Hurry up, I've got work."

"Shush man, I'll be out soon."

I kicked the door. "Dickhead," I called to him.

He yelled back an insult that got drained out by the sounds of rushing water. I padded downstairs to the kitchen and stood by the tap, peeping at the time on my phone again. 7:24 a.m. I slowly counted down from ten before turning the cold faucet on the tap, letting the water run. Then I listened.

Kieran screamed from upstairs. I smiled.

*

Brixton high street was surprisingly quiet for a Monday morning. I walked past the McDonald's and felt my stomach rumble. Kieran had made me run late for work after trying to fight me for making his shower cold, so I had to skip out on breakfast. I checked my watch and picked up my pace. Today I would start my job in Footlocker, right in the heart of Brixton. The commute to work was literally a 15-minute walk from my house, yet somehow I was rushing. It made no sense.

I crossed the road and found myself looking back at McDonald's, feeling jealous of the people walking in. I tore my gaze away and continued my journey. Maybe afterward I could treat myself to a Big Mac. Although, I could really go for some breakfast right now...

I felt a vibration in my pocket and retrieved my phone. I had two messages; both of them made me smile instantly.

— Hey girl! Good luck on ur first day,

I beg u sneak me a pair of those Huaraches I wanted. Size 4 pls

Thanks! xxx

Shanay

I laughed at her stupidity. There was no way in hell I'd ever sneak a pair out on my first day. And if I ever did, it would be for me. I opened the next message.

— Have fun on ur first day Becc's

Wishing u luck, God bless u! xx

Brooklyn

I laughed at the contrast in messages. Brooklyn was another friend of mine; she was the closest thing I had to a pastor. I've never known someone to be as religious as her, but her strong faith was admirable. I made a mental note to tell her about the whole Leon fiasco. Maybe she could give a different perspective on the whole ordeal.

I was rattled out of my thoughts when I bumped into something stiff. Thinking it was a pole, I looked up startled, but I saw it was a guy and released a sigh.

"My bad," I mumbled, about to walk around him. A strong hand grabbed my arm gently, causing me to still. I glanced back and saw that the hand belong to the same tall black boy who happened to be wearing a Footlocker shirt identical to mine.

"The doors are still closed," he informed.

I looked at him, then glanced down at his clutch on my arm, before looking at him again.

He noticed the gesture and released my arm, sticking his hands in his pockets instead and chuckling. "Sorry."

I turned to the door and looked through the windows, peering inside. The lights were still off and there were no signs of life in the building. I huffed and dug into my handbag.

"I didn't see you at the induction," the boy spoke. His voice was fairly deep, and it was distracting me from my task.

"I missed it," I muttered, fishing out the letter from the company. I scanned the words on the sheet, looking for the time slot.

The boy nodded, peering at me quizzically. "What are you doing?"

"It says 9 a.m. on my letter. Someone should be here." I rolled my eyes and folded the letter again, stuffing it back in my handbag.

He looked through the window once more. "I've been waiting for 10 minutes now."

"Then..." I checked the time on my watch. It was 9:04. That gave me enough time. I turned on my heel and started heading back down the road. I heard heavy footsteps and felt the guys figure behind me. Ugh, what does he want?

"Why are you following me?"

"Seeing where you're going."

I tutted and began crossing the road, the boy following closely behind.

"My name's Kayden, by the way."

I watched him blankly, not bothered in the slightest. "Nice," I muttered. My eyes lit up when they fell on the McDonald's sign. There was no way I was going to stand outside like a prick when this place was calling my name. The manager couldn't say a damn thing, I was on time and no one was around to greet me, so I might as well get some breakfast.

The guy was still following, and he ended up in the queue behind me. I scanned the brightly-lit menu, pondering on what to have this time. McDonald's breakfast is really where it's at.

"So what you saying?" he asked close to my ear.

"I never knew my lips were moving."

He laughed, a deep rumble in his throat that intrigued me a little. "What's your name?"

"Classified information."

"Alright then..." he peered down at my name tag. "...Rebecca," he finished off.

Fucking hell.

I sighed. "Happy?"

"Very." He smiled at me and I scoffed. We only just met and he was getting on my nerves. Do I really have to work with this guy?

I took the time to analyse him when he looked at his phone. Annoyingly enough, he was very good looking, with a presence and charm about him that broke my guard down a little bit. Any other guy would receive a ruder treatment from me, but there was something about this one...

"What are you having?" he asked, looking up at me. Our eyes connected for a solid three seconds before I cleared my throat and looked away.

"Double sausage and egg McMuffin," I answered, avoiding his gaze.

"Cool." Suddenly his tall frame pushed in front of mine, just as I was about to order. Kayden leaned on the counter, greeting the worker with an amiable smile. The black woman looked grumpy until her eyes fell on him. Now she was full of energy.

"What will you have?" she beamed.

"Can I get a double sausage and egg McMuffin and a breakfast wrap?" he asked.

My eyes bugged. I grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?"

"Don't worry. I got you this time." Then he turned back to me with a small smirk. "You owe me, though."

My chest tightened a little and I quickly let go of him as if I'd been struck with electricity. "You're annoying."

He chuckled and the woman's eyes shifted between us two before flashing a forced smile. "Drinks?"

Kayden glanced at me and I sighed in defeat. "I'll just have water," I muttered.

He faced the woman again. "Two bottles of water, please."

She gave a curt nod before walking off. Was she actually jealous? Shame.

Eventually, we got our food and sat at the table closest to the window. I would never have imagined I'd be sharing breakfast with a stranger. A handsome stranger, no less. Didn't stop him from being annoying, though. I bit into my muffin and had to steel myself from groaning in pleasure. That first bite was sexy, especially since I was so hungry. I noticed Kayden was looking at me instead of eating. Usually, I didn't care if anyone saw me eating, but his gaze was intense and unwavering. I couldn't work out his expression. I gradually stopped chewing and stared back. What the hell is happening here?

"Why are you watching me?"

A smirk graced his lips and he finally looked down at his wrap, taking a massive bite. He chewed for a few seconds, swallowed, then glanced at me once more. "You look cute when you eat."

My stomach flipped. I breathed deeply and shook my head. Such a simple compliment shouldn't faze me. Why was my body reacting?

"Whatever, man. You don't need to stare."

"My bad." Yet his eyes never left mine as he took another bite of his wrap. I watched the movement of his mouth and strong jaw as he chewed. Then he licked some of the sauce off his thick bottom lip.

What is this? Am I watching an Old Spice advert? Why was this so interesting to me?

I decided to distract my eyes by looking out the window instead, watching the busy streets full of pedestrians in the rush hour.

"You reckon they gave us the wrong time?" Kayden asked, turning my attention to him again.

I shrugged and peered at him properly now. I just couldn't help myself. He was of caramel complexion with smooth skin and a light mustache. His hair was in medium-sized cornrows that rested on his broad back by his shoulder blades. My eyes dragged back to his cushioned lips and how moist they were every time he licked them. Then I took in his medium build that filled up the chair. Through his jacket, I could see the shape of his arms, and the fine muscles within them. He sported an Adidas cap, fitted black jeans, and black Adidas originals, all of which matched his striped Footlocker shirt.

I peered at his clear face again, taking in his russet brown eyes, thick brows, and long lashes. Then I spotted the little dimple on his chin, which became prominent whenever he chewed and licked his lips. I honestly didn't know what this boy was about, but there was no doubt that he was sexy. Annoyingly sexy. I finally looked away.

"Thanks for the food," I mumbled.

His eyes were on me. I could feel them penetrating, analysing, decoding. Then I witnessed him smile in my peripheral vision.

"You're welcome."

We headed back to Footlocker after our meal, and I was relieved to see the store was open with the shutters up. We entered the quiet store and was greeted by our manager, Craig Herman. He was Caucasian; a short, stubby man who I could only assume was middle aged judging by the bald patch in the middle of his head. Herman showed us to the back and we put our possessions in our respective lockers.

"There must have been a slight mix up with the times," he lamented while shaking his head. He apologised profusely and allowed us to get settled in. He wasted no time with the health and saftey regulations, showing us the fire exits, the first aid kit, and making us sign our contracts. After an hour, we were introduced to someone else in the team who we were working with this morning, a supervisor called Mohammed. He barely said anything before slinking away to the stock room.

After an hour and a half, we were given our first task: delivery. Kayden and I were left to unload the boxes of delivery and replenish the shelves in the stock room and shop floor.

"This is gonna take ages," I grumbled, heaving a large box full of junior trainers.

"Here." Kayden took the box off me and nodded his head in the other direction. "You do the clothes and I'll carry on the trainers."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not some damsel in distress, y'know, but fine." I went to the other end of the room and grabbed the lighter box instead.

Kayden chuckled. "Never said you were. I see that you can hold your own."

I glared at him but he simply smiled back. My chest did that stupid tightening thing again. I huffed and continued with the task at hand. The more we worked together, the more comfortable I became. Only just. He was nice to talk to (in a work environment, anyway) and he hadn't tried to move to me, which I was thankful for.

Soon it was our break time and we chilled in the staff room. I retrieved my container of food from the fridge and dug in straight away. Once again, Kayden sat opposite me, casually watching me eat.

"Don't do this again," I practically growled with my mouth full.

His delicious smirk was haunting me. "Then stop being cute."

I gave him a blank look. "I'm literally stuffing my face."

He glanced at my container. "Did you cook that?"

"Nope. Leftovers from my dad's dinner yesterday."

"Looks nice."

"It's so buff." I noticed he wasn't eating anything. All he had in his hand was a bottle of Dr. Pepper. "Where's your food?"

He shrugged. "Not hungry."

I rolled my eyes, not bothering to question him any further. If he wanted to starve himself, it was none of my business. I barely know the guy.

As we conversed, I found out that this was Kayden's second job. He worked with his dad before as a junior engineer in BT. I blinked in astonishment.

"How can you go from engineering to this?"

He shrugged his broad shoulders once again. "It just wasn't for me. I actually prefer retail for the time being. Doing call-outs and electronic work was too stressful."

I nodded slowly, completely understanding his point. Still, it was cute that he and his dad worked together. "Wait, how old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Same as me, then. Are you an only child?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Nah, I have a little brother."

I imagined him to be an older sibling, somehow. "How old is he?"

"Ten." He finished his bottle and threw it in the bin before leaning forward on the table. I instantly pulled back, suddenly aware that we were still the only ones in the staff room. "So what you saying, Becca? Let me have your number."

"Don't call me that," I warned firmly. He paused at my tone. No way in hell can he call me that. I never allow people I had just met to shorten my name, especially to 'Becca'. Only Dad and Leon called me that.

"Call you what?" he asked with an arched brow.

"Becca. I don't like people I don't know to abbreviate my name. Just call me Rebecca."

He nodded slowly, not quite understanding my sudden harshness. "Alright. Rebecca, can I have your number?"

"No."

He gave me a stern look. My heart clenched at such a dominant expression. I sighed in defeat and held my hand out. His face softened as he put his phone in my palm, already with the 'New Contact' page up. Once I entered my details, I slid his phone across the table and he caught it.

So much for not moving to me, then.

I noticed he was smirking again, so I looked away. Unfortunately, I really liked his smile; it was slanted, resting slightly towards the left side of his face, revealing a straight row of perfect white teeth. This accentuated the dimple in his chin. It was ... sexy.

"Thanks, b."

"Whatever," I quickly snapped, hating my thoughts.

He laughed. "I'll call you tonight, yeah?"

"Go ahead, see if I answer." I stood up from the table before I had the chance to stare at his handsome face again and went to put my things away. Hopefully, Kayden doesn't become another D'Andre. I could just tell he wanted to get into my knickers, but he had no idea who he was dealing with.

"Why are you all the way over there?" Kayden asked. I had opted to sit on the sofa on the other side to peer on the phone. Sighing deeply, I glanced at him.

"Is there a problem?"

"I was chatting to you."

"I'm done talking." Then I went back to my phone.

Kayden gave me a wistful look but I refused to catch his eye. Every time we shared eye contact, my mind runs rampant. I can't afford to think of him in any kind of way when I have Leon.

Oh shit, Leon! I forgot about him ... and I just gave Kayden my number...

I shrugged at my thoughts. It's not like I had any interest in Kayden, anyway. What does it matter?

Just then, a petite white girl with a button nose and long brunette hair stepped into the room. She went to the locker to put her stuff away, then she approached me with a smile. She was around my age but looked quite timid, despite being a regular worker here.

"You must be Rebecca." She held out her hand.

I smiled back, giving her hand a firm shake. "Yeah. And you are?"

She tugged on her name badge. "Stacey. Nice to meet you."

"Same to you. Are you a supervisor?"

She shook her head. "Just a sales assistant like you," she laughed. "Anyway, I'll be on the shop floor. Enjoy your break." As she headed for the door, she waved at Kayden, who gave a wink back.

"You alright, Stace?"

"Yeah. Were you early again?"

"Just a bit."

She smiled and left the room. I raised a brow at the familiarity and stared at Kayden as he went back to his phone.

"You two best friends, or?"

He glanced up at my question. "I met her on my induction."

"Hmm." I continued looking through my Facebook feed, decidedly uninterested. As I scrolled through Leon's page, I saw that he had added me as his partner again. A small tingle of victory shot through me.

Suck on that Olivia. Bitch.

*

I stretched and inhaled the fresh(?) air as I left Footlocker. Finally, my first shift was over, and I was free to do whatever the hell I wanted. Luckily I didn't have to go sixth form today. I already made plans to go home, get in bed, and watch some shows.

Herman was pleased with my work today, so it looks like my shift was a success. I just had to make sure I perform even better tomorrow and get there early as well. Shouldn't be a hard task for a female don like myself.

I plugged my earphones in and immediately started up my playlist. Soulful R&B soothed my ears as I crossed the road. The air was becoming chilly, so I zipped my jacket up and shivered. Thank God I lived so near.

Moments later, I felt a soft bump to my hip. causing me to stumble a bit. Kayden had used his hips to push mine just to get my attention.

What an annoying prick.

I pulled out one earphone, glaring at him coldly. "Not funny. I could've fallen in the road."

"Then I would've caught you, and you'd owe me twice."

I growled and stuck my earphone back in, not wanting a conversation right now. Kayden pulled it back out my ear.

"I'm walking you home. Show some respect."

I watched him with narrow eyes. "Are you sick? Don't ever touch my headphones again. I don't need you to walk me home, either. You don't even know where I live."

"Just down the road, I swear? You told me you live in Brixton."

I wanted to scream. "Oh my God, you have an answer for everything!" I picked up my pace, wanting nothing more than to escape the annoying entity that is Kayden Brooks.

He simply took longer strides to keep up with me. For some reason, I forgot that he was 6 ft 1, and was able to keep up with my average height of 5 ft 7. Outpacing him would not be an option.

He plopped a toned arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer to him as we walked. I'd never been so close to him until now. His scent clouded my nose and my heart thumped when I realised it was the same Joop cologne that Leon used.

"Fuck," I mumbled, feeling incredibly tortured right now.

Kayden brought his mouth closer to my ear. "Where about's do you live?"

"Up my ass," I answered through gritted teeth.

"Mind if I come in, then?"

I swung my handbag at him but he dodged, giving me a teasing smile.

"That was close, Ree. Better be careful."

Ree? My heart clenched. No-one's ever given me that nickname before...

I liked it.

He pulled me close once again. "Tell me where you live."

"So you can stalk me? Piss off."

His soft lips formed a slight snarl. "You know I wouldn't do that. I wanna see how far you are from me."

"Tell me where you live first and I might consider it."

"Just on Streatham high street, by Sports Direct."

"Cool. You're not that near, thank God."

He chuckled. "Fuckin' rude. Your turn, now."

"Nah. I don't give my address out to strangers."

He squeezed my shoulder. "I'm not much of a stranger."

"Yeah, you are."

He hummed in thought and we turned a corner. Now we were on my road.

"How did you find the first day?" he questioned.

I shrugged, still buzzing from his delectable scent. "It was alright, I guess."

"You did well for someone who's never worked in retail."

"Hm. Same to you."

We were approaching my door: number 23. I began to slow down, and so did he.

He glanced at the door before turning back to me. "This it?"

"Nope. This is my friend's house." I gave him a placid smile, hoping he'd believe me.

"Oh, seen. I'll walk you home another time then." He gave me a hug. I was close to clutching onto him, but he quickly pulled away. "See you tomorrow yeah?" I nodded and he walked off with his hands in his pockets. Even his walk was attractive.

I tutted and used my keys to enter the house. I went straight upstairs without greeting anyone. It's been a long day; I was physically and mentally drained. I kicked off my Airforces and fell back on the bed, releasing a heavy sigh. I stared up at the ceiling, but for some reason I could picture Kayden's smirk, with those supple lips and perfect teeth...

I threw my pillow down in irritation. Why is he in my head?! I couldn't wait to get rid of him but now he's clouding my thoughts? What a demon.

Suddenly my phone vibrated.

— Hope ur not missing me too much

Save my number.

I screwed my face up. Speak of the devil.

Seeing such a confident text angered every fiber in my being. Like I would ever miss him. How dare he be so charming when I already showed disinterest. Just because he was good-looking, he expected me to lust after him? He'll soon realise that I'm not the one. There was no need for me to be thirsty when I was the owner of the waterfall.

I changed into my pyjamas and headed downstairs for a drink. Dad was in the kitchen cooking, as per usual.

"Hey Dad," I greeted as I beelined to the fridge.

"Good first day?"

"It was alright, actually."

"Oh?" He rested the tea-towel on his shoulder and arched a brow in surprise. "I thought you'd get in trouble with your manager by now."

I grabbed the bottle of water and a glass from the fridge, smiling at the implication. "On my first day? I'm not that bad."

"Unuh nuh like tek orders from nobody."

I laughed at how bad he made me sound. "Obviously in a work environment, I'd listen to my manager, though." I rolled my eyes. I actually had no problems with anyone at work so far. Except for Kayden, that annoying prick. I poured the water in the glass and placed the bottle back in the fridge. That first gulp of fresh, cold water was heaven.

Dad was focused on the dutch pot again. "You want some dinner?"

"No thanks, I ate quite late today. I'm gonna lie down."

"Work drained you?"

"Yeah man." I left the kitchen and headed up the stairs.

"WORKAH, DON'T STOP AT ALL!"

I cringed at Dad's deep voice as he called after me in a sing-song voice.

"That's not even the lyrics!" I yelled back, running up the stairs and ignoring his laughter.

Once I got in bed I grabbed my laptop and went to my favourite streaming website to watch my shows. I clicked on the next episode of Criminal Minds and decided to drop Leon a quick text to tell him about my day.

— Lol sounds like u had a good day b

I'll call u tomorrow yh?

I gave a quick response and threw my phone down, quickly becoming engrossed in the episode...

Before I knew it, the sky had darkened and the house fell silent as everyone went to bed. I had just gotten off the phone to Brooklyn, telling her about my first day at work and updating her on the Leon and Olivia fiasco, not to mention this new idiot on my case. She had many unholy words to say about Leon, but she found my situation with Kayden funny. I was beginning to doze off when my phone vibrated. I peeked an eye open and felt my entire soul plummet at the flashing name.

I answered regardless. "What?"

"I said I'd call you tonight."

The deep, raspy voice caught my off guard. I huffed and looked at the time. "Kayden, it's almost midnight."

"Still early, b."

"What do you want?"

"To talk."

"We spoke enough today, and I'm seeing you tomorrow. What's the point of this?"

"I can't get enough of talking to you. Is that a problem?"

His challenging tone, coupled with his sensual way of speaking, really affected me. I breathed deeply and turned on my side, putting him on loudspeaker instead so that it didn't seem like he was right beside me whispering in my ear. "Talk then."

"You sound tired."

"Because I am. I was falling asleep just now."

"Sorry for waking you, Ree."

Why was his voice so gravelly and thick? I sighed inwardly. "Apology accepted. I can't stay long, though."

"You gonna fall asleep on me?"

"Maybe."

I could literally hear him smirk. "Should I tell you a bedtime story?"

I swallowed hard. "No. Fuck off."

"Why, what's wrong?"

"Your voice-..." I slapped a hand over my mouth to stop embarrassing myself further, but it was already too late.

Kayden chuckled, the throaty sound rumbling my eardrums despite being on loudspeaker. "Is it doing something for you?"

"No, man. I'm going to sleep now."

"What are you sleeping in?"

I raised a brow. "My bed?"

"Nah, what are you wearing?"

I rolled my eyes. "Bye, Kayden."

I hung up and turned my phone off before putting it to charge. Stupid Kayden and his stupid sexy pillow-talking voice! He was getting on my last nerve.

Shifting positions, I lay on my back, eventually drifting off into a peaceful slumber.