Forbidden Devotion

07.

~ Bryson's POV ~

I got to my Dad's house. I was told he was released from the hospital and is now at home with my Aunt.

I waited outside in my car for a bit. I was having second thoughts on if I should go in. I already know what he's going to say but I wanted to make peace with him. Every time we see each other, we always argue. It was never ending. So, I just decided to leave.

I drive back to my apartment. I see Dana's friend Kiana coming out of the apartment.

"Hey, Kiana?" I say her name and she stops.

"Oh... Bryson? You live here?" She asks.

"Yeah, I do. Do you know Dana's apartment room?"

She doesn't answer me for a bit but gave me a confused face. "How do you know she lives here?"

"We've seen each other. Can you just tell me?"

"Uh, I live with her and it's 202..."

"Thank you," I said and walk up to the apartment.

I go up to the second floor and looked at the doors until I saw 202.

I knocked on the door and a few seconds later I hear her say, "Did you forget your—" while opening the door.

She was in a robe, with her hair up and she had, I think it's called a face mask on.

She had a shocked look on her face. And then, she closed the door on me.

I was kind of taken aback but I thought it was more so, funny.

~ Dana's POV ~

Why is he here? I should go back and change. No, he'd think I did it for him. I should just open the door.

I open the door back up and I see a smile on his face? I don't think I've ever seen him smile or laugh. He covers his smile with him clearing his throat.

"My hoodie?" He asks.

My eyes went wide. "Oh!" Right, that's what he's here for. How did he know where I lived?

"If you're wondering how I found your apartment number, I saw Kiana and asked her," he tells me. Wow, he read my mind.

"Oh, that makes sense..." I said. "I'll...get your hoodie. You can come in."

He comes in and closes the door as I went in my room. I took off my face mask and washed my face before I looked through my closet to find his hoodie. Shit. I can't remember where I put it. Ever since my Mom found it, I tried to hide it in case she came over again and saw that I still had it. She'll question me like crazy. My Mom is not dumb.

I couldn't seem to find it in my closet so I checked my hamper. I heard Bryson come in my room but I wasn't focused on him. I kept digging in my hamper to see if it was in there. I checked under my bed also in case it got slid under there or something.

"Uhm... it seems like I can't find..." I tell him and I bite my lip. Fuck.

"Did you really lose it or you just wanted to continue keeping it?" He says, looking at the picture of my family on my desk.

"What?"

He walks over to my vanity and looks at the pictures of my friends and I that were hanging across my mirror.

"It's okay if you want to keep it. I have plenty of black hoodies," he says. "But..."

"But what?" I ask.

He looks at my jewelry stand which had my favorite necklace with my initial on it, 2 other necklaces, 2 rings, a few random earrings that I never wear, and a bracelet.

"I have to take something of yours in exchange for my hoodie," he says and takes off my favorite necklace off the stand.

"Like what?"

"I'll keep this until then," he raises my necklace up and then puts it in his jeans pocket.

"What? No! That's my favorite necklace!"

"Exactly why I'm keeping it until my hoodie is given back."

"But— it's just a hoodie! You even said you have plenty of black hoodies!"

"That one's different."

I scoff. "Oh I'm sure you have the same brand of it somewhere in your closet."

"In a different color, yes."

I walk up to him and put my hands on my hips. "Give me my necklace back."

"Nope."

I look at him and down at his jeans pocket where my necklace was.

"Why couldn't you just take a different one? Why that one?" I ask.

"Because I like this one."

"But it has my initial on it."

"Exactly. So I can remember that it's yours, Dana."

I sigh. "Fine. Whatever, keep it for as long as you want."

"Okay, just as long as you return my hoodie," he says and he turns around to leave my room.

I quickly walk behind him and reached for it in his pockets but he beat me to it but I fought back.

"Give...it...back!" I said. He was fighting with me on this and I had it in my hand but he was trying to get it back and then, it broke.

"Dana, I'm so sorry—" I snatched the other piece from his hand.

I didn't say anything but just looked at the two separate pieces in my hand.

"I can fix it, I know someone who—"

"Just leave," I tell him.

"No, let me make it up to you," he says and I look up at him.

"Haven't you done enough? You broke my favorite necklace! And the thing is, I don't even like jewelry that much but the only one I like, you broke it!" I snap at him. I was pissed.

He looked back at me and then, I saw a smile forming then he bursted into laughter. What the fuck?

"Why are you laughing?" I ask him, still pissed.

"I don't know, I've never seen you pissed," he shrugs.

"Well, I've never seen you smile let alone laugh," I said.

"You don't even know me."

"You don't know me!"

"I know," he says. "But you're always awkward whenever we encounter."

"I'm not awkward!"

"Sure..." he says.

I roll my eyes and scoff. "Well, now you owe me big time." I grab his hand and placed my broken necklace in his palm.

"You're actually trusting me with your necklace?" He asks, sarcastically. I can hear it in his voice.

"You broke it, so fix it," I tell him.

"No problem," he says and puts it in his jeans pocket. "Should've just left it in there instead of trying to take it." He pats his pocket.

Gosh, he's so cocky. I hate it.

"It's my necklace."

"Well, I should get going then," he says. "Don't worry, your necklace will be safe with me. It's going to look brand new the next time you see it." He heads out of my room and I follow.

"See ya," he says then leaves my apartment. The door closes and I'm left here dumbfounded. Did he actually say something to me before he left? He said bye? Well, he said "see ya" but still, I couldn't believe it.

This is only getting more interesting... He's only starting to interest me more. Who am I kidding? What is up with him?

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