Voyeur Extraordinaire(25)

I was sad when I ended the call eventually and decided to pay my parents a visit this month. I'd just have to be careful not to meet Chris.

Bruno was lying on his back next to my feet, snoring loudly. I patted his tummy gently and he purred like a cat. Sometimes I wondered if Bruno was a dog. I smiled to myself as I rose from the kitchen chair and headed toward my wardrobe. I grabbed sweatpants from the top drawer and walked into my bathroom. I took my time showering before changing into the clothes that I'd taken with me.

Bruno was waiting in the bedroom for me, sitting expectantly in front of my window. We'd spent most of the evenings sitting on the windowsill, watching Adrian, and apparently Bruno thought we should continue to do so, but I knew we needed to stop. After what I'd said to Adrian today, I couldn't keep spying on him. That would be kind of hypocritical of me.

“I'm sorry, Bruno,” I said as I walked toward him. He waggled his tail, his little pink tongue poking out of his mouth.

I was about to grab the curtains to pull them shut when my eyes flickered toward Adrian's window and the air left my lungs in a whoosh. His window was illuminated and he stood behind it, gazing up toward the night-sky absent-mindedly. He was dressed in black trousers and a white shirt, the upper buttons open, revealing his muscled chest. I wanted to run my hands over it and unbutton his shirt completely. I shook my head. Why couldn’t I stop swooning over him?

I grabbed the curtains, determined to forget about Adrian, but then he looked in my direction and as soon as he caught sight of me, he held up a sheet of paper. I frowned in confusion. I couldn’t make out the words but he kept the message up. I grabbed my binoculars and directed them at his window, expecting to see an insult on the poster, but I was surprised when I read the words written in bold letters.

Your dog isn't ugly.

I stared at the sheet of paper, fighting a smile that was tugging at my lips. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I wanted to be angry at Adrian, but it was impossible when I looked at him.

Adrian turned the sheet and revealed more words.

Am I forgiven?

He was looking at me expectantly, eyebrows raised, smiling charmingly.

I turned my head and looked around in my bedroom for something to write on. I hurried toward my desk and grabbed a few sheets of paper and a black marker. My heart was pounding in my chest. I took a few calming breaths, then returned to the window and wrote on the paper hastily, my hand trembling a little. I was glad that Adrian was too far away to see how nervous I was.

I wrote the word as fat as possible, so it'd be visible even from the neighbor house. I held the paper up. A grin spread on my face when I saw Adrian holding up binoculars to his face. He wiggled them with a teasing smile before lifting them to his eyes. I nervously showed him what I’d written, waiting for him to read it. Suddenly I regretted my choice of clothing. I looked like a slob. I should have worn a sexy negligee or a babydoll.

It didn’t take Adrian long to read the one word I’d written:

Maybe

Adrian cocked his head, grinning slightly. He looked incredibly handsome and his hair was beautifully disheveled. He lowered his head and scribbled on the paper again.

My heart pounded even faster. I waited excitedly, curious about his next words. After a moment he lifted the sheet of paper.

Go out with me?

At least this time it was posed as a question, though I'd wished for a bit more pleading. I tilted my head to the side and chewed on the back of the marker, thinking about how I should reply. Should I go out with him? Amy would probably say no, but she wasn't seeing him now. He was charming and cute and absolutely irresistible. And if I was desperate enough to call my parents and visit them, then I really needed some action in my life.

Adrian was smiling his crooked grin at me, which made thinking straight quite difficult.

I didn't know what to say. I scribbled down a single word on a new sheet.

Hm...

Adrian read my uncertain reply and started writing after another moment.

Your dog can come too.

He grinned at me and winked, causing my heart to skip a beat. I couldn't help but chuckle and rolled my eyes at him, though I wasn't sure if he could see it from the distance.

Say yes?

I bit my lip nervously, my eyes scanning his body, how he was leaning against the windowsill. How could he look so relaxed when I felt like I was going to faint any moment?

Taking a deep breath, I quickly wrote my reply before I could change my mind.

Okay

He smiled at me brightly and started scribbling again. I waited excitedly, shifting from one foot to the other.

Tomorrow. 6pm?

I bobbed my head up and down simply because I wasn't sure if I could write properly right now. My pulse throbbed in my veins as if I’d run a marathon, and my cheeks felt so hot, it was a miracle I hadn’t burst into flames yet.