Chapter Four

The warm rays of sunlight burn my eyes as I walk down the street. No, I'm not a vampire, but 'I shouldn't dink anymore' does circulate through my mind. Reaching for my sunglasses, I slip them on.  At least I'm not running late this time. I can cruise down the road before pulling myself together for work.

Despite the glow of the warm sun, there's a slight chill in the fresh morning air. A shiver crawls up my spine as I think about my jumper sitting on the end of my bed. I should have grabbed it just in case but due to the short trip, I didn't think it would be necessary. It's always warm standing beside the coffee machine and the morning breeze never finds the entrance of the café.

I cross my arms over my chest as I rub my arms for warmth. Quickening my pace, I walk around the corner and down to the shop.

As I walk through the doors, I shuffle past the bench as Natalie hands me a coffee. As I grab the moderately hot takeaway cup, it brings an instant sense of warmth radiating through my body.

However, when the store manager is finished serving the customer at the till, she looks at me and it sends a whole new round of chills coursing through my system. It's the kind that can't be cured by a toasty cup of coffee.

Darla's choppy black hair brushes over her shoulder as she turns to look at me. Her overuse of black eyeliner sharpens her cold gaze which has me half smiling back at her. When Darla crosses her arms over her chest, my smile widens with nerves.

I place my coffee on the bench and take off the sunglasses. Her half smile turns into a troubled frown which makes me panic. She takes a step towards me and frowns down her nose.

"Please don't come into work hungover again," she warns.

"Sorry, won't happen again." I sharply nod.

"Good." Darla sternly nods her head, sending more displeasure through my system.

Darla takes off her apron and tosses it under the bench before walking further down the narrow strip behind the bench. At the end of the shop, there's a door that leads into a small office space that's used for the shop's accounting. I think Darla just sits around and plays music all day, I've never seen her do paper work before.

When she's out of sight, I grab my apron from under the bench and put it on. I look around for a new customer before I grab my coffee and take a sip. I cringe as the hot milk slides down my throat and burns my inside. But the idea of caffeine now coursing through my system is enough for a second sip.

"Today is going to be a great day," I mutter to Natalie, rolling my eyes with annoyance.

"Cheer up, Lola, it can only get better." With her words of wisdom in mind, I hope she's right.

The day rolls over slower than a walking turtle. In between customers I drink the coffee's Natalie passes to me but none of them cure the tiredness consuming my body. The only thing I want is my bed and perhaps Kol with me.

I serve the last customer before leaving at the end of my shift for the day. The feeling of fresh air on my face is enough to make me want to run down the road screaming with happiness. However, the thought of returning to an empty apartment has me reaching for my mobile phone.

Tapping on the app and request a booking for Kol. Since last time was fun and awkward, I want to see what will happen this time around. When the order goes through, I pocket my phone and walk inside the building.

When I get inside my apartment, I go straight to the shower to freshen up. I wash away the smell of sweat and replace it with sentence soap that leaves me smiling with relief. I change into a pair of black yoga pants and an oversized t-shirt for comfort.

As I make it into the kitchen to start dinner, the doorbell rings. Halting in my tracks, I spin around and walk towards the front door. Excitement builds in my stomach when I realise it's probably Kol.

I open the door and find Kol standing in front of me. He's dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a black polo top with the company logo printed in the top corner.

"Hi," he says.

"Hey." I smile.

When Kol frowns, I remember to step aside and let him in. I close the door behind Kol and walk to the kitchen to start dinner. I head to the fridge and grab a selection of vegetables left over from Annalise's visit. Placing them on the bench, I smile up at Kol.

"I'm just making dinner, hope that's okay?"

"Sure." He nods his head.

Kol takes a seat at the stool by the kitchen bench while I continue to prep the vegetables.

"Would you like some?" I offer.

"No, thank you." As he replies, his stomach grumbles.

"It's no problem," I add.

"Thank you then." I chop up more vegetables before I start cooking the food. I add the vegetables into a large wok along with some sauce to add flavouring. As I turn away from Kol, I hear the stool moving as he gets up. I glance over my shoulder to see Kol walking around the kitchen peering at the items on the bench.

"Anything I can help you with?" I notice him intently staring at the window above the sink.

"What's with the post-it notes?" he asks, pointing to the arrangement of bright coloured post-it notes stuck a long the window.

"I don't like forgetting things." I casually shrug my shoulders.

Kol nods his head and laughs.

"What?"

"It's interesting." He smiles, his eyes lighting up in the process.

"Hardly." I shake my head, a small grin spreading to my lips.

"What else do you write on your notes?" he asks. "Remembering to complete your washing seems tedious."

"Well." I frown. "A lot of things."

"For example?"

"Lyrics for a song, moments I don't want to forget," I reply.

"A diary in a form of post-it notes. Before you said you weren't interesting, Lola," he teases, a cheeky look consuming his face. "I think you're completely wrong."

"Says the man who is a mystery." This comment catches Kol off guard. His cheeky attitude softens to a confide guard which has me back peddling. That wasn't the best response for the situation. His posture stiffens as he puts up the walls to keep me out.

"Tough blow," he murmurs.

"You know so much about my by standing in my house, Kol. But you? I know nothing about you," I say.

I know it's not his job to confess his life to me or any little detail about himself. But I would like to know something about the man I'm paying to cuddle me. I know a troubled past would be an alarm to the service, so I'm not worried about that.

I'm just utterly curious, and I know that's wrong of me. I shouldn't be curious but that doesn't stop me from being curious. In fact, it flames the desire to uncover more about him.

"Can you truly know a person?" he shoots back, a quizzical expression consuming his features.

"You only get a glimpse of people, only what you want them to see," I say.

"Interesting." The word sends a pang of annoyance coursing through my system, interesting as always. I don't like how he can be interested in me and show a great deal of curiosity but he won't allow me the same exception.

"What glimpse are you going to show me today?" I laugh.

"The one you're paying for."

Kol crosses the kitchen floor and lightly wraps his arms around my waist. He gently squeezes me body before resting his head on my shoulder. Without thinking, I press my body back and enjoy the comfort and warmth being in Kol's arms provide.

"The food smells lovely, Lola," he compliments.

A part of me wants to believe it's a genuine compliment, but the previous comment has me second guessing everything he's saying. Kol must succeed at his job because he can turn the charm like a switch – he knows how to keep people at bay and away from letting them hurt him.

Me on the other hand, I find it hard not letting anyone in despite the continuous amount of times I've been hurt. I want to believe things will be different, that people are different.

I don't want to be the person who walks around with walls that stop me from experiencing life. Walking through life is always going to mean you get hurt, that you crack and that you get scars from other people. Sitting pretty and perfect seems like a waste.

Nobody likes hearing a story about the girl with no scars, but the one who was brave enough to make scars, to make memories worth a legendary tale people live by. But that's just me, I guess. I never make sense on a good day let alone a day I'm spending with Kol.

I know I shouldn't be interested in a man who isn't interested in himself, but there's something alluring about a man with no past.

What makes you curious? (when people say 'never mind' my detective instincts kick in and I need to solve the case!)