Chapter 4 - Colliding Hearts by Delaila Adams
Chapter 4
I woke with my face pressed against something firm and warm, the steady rise and fall beneath me strangely comforting. A soft breath against the back of my neck sent a shiver down my spine. Slowly, I cracked open my eyes and lifted my head a little, catching a glimpse of bare skin. Tilting my head, I saw Gavin sleeping soundly beneath me, his arm wrapped snugly around my waist, keeping me close. How did I end up like this? I wondered, feeling my cheeks warm with surprise.
Watching him, I couldn’t help but marvel at how relaxed and even endearing he looked in sleep. His hair was a tousled mess, his mouth slightly open, yet somehow, he still managed to look effortlessly attractive. His arm, heavy but secure, held me firmly in place. Part of me wanted to run my fingers through his hair, but I resisted, afraid I’d wake him and shatter this oddly tender moment. I could only imagine his reaction if he opened his eyes to see me staring at him like this, draped across him as if we’d known each other forever.
As I attempted a small smile, a sharp pain in my cheek reminded me of last night’s bruises, and I winced. Praying he wouldn’t wake up, I carefully lifted his arm and eased myself out of his hold. Thankfully, he didn’t stir, allowing me to slip out of bed undetected. Glancing at the clock, I groaned quietly. Eight o’clock. I had to be at work in two hours—a job I couldn’t stand, but it paid the bills, and that was all that mattered for now. Casting a final, wistful look at Gavin, I sighed and headed toward the door.
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Moving as silently as possible, I crept down the stairs and into the living room. I grabbed my dress and heels before retracing my steps to the bathroom. Changing quickly, I decided to keep the heels off, holding them along with the clothes Gavin had lent me. Taking one last glance around his apartment, I opened the front door, slipped out, and closed it quietly behind me. As I stepped toward the elevator, I couldn’t stop my mind from wandering back to the whirlwind of the last twenty-four hours.
When the elevator arrived, I stepped inside and took a deep breath. Just before the doors slid shut, I glanced back at Gavin’s door, a small pang tugging at me. Somehow, it felt like closing this door would make everything that happened disappear, slipping into a haze of memory. As the elevator descended, I couldn’t shake the strange sense that I was leaving behind something important, like a fleeting connection that had somehow left its mark.
I walked through the lobby, ignoring the curious glances of passersby. I could only imagine how I looked—my hair probably a mess from sleeping, a bruised cheek, and an evening dress at eight in the morning. Ignoring the stares, I reached the front door, where the doorman kindly opened it for me.
“Miss, would you like me to call a cab for you?” he asked politely.
“That would be wonderful, thank you,” I replied gratefully. He gave me a nod and stepped outside, waving down a taxi.
“Here you go, miss,” he said, opening the door as the cab pulled up.
“Thank you so much,” I said with a smile, sliding into the back seat. I quickly gave the driver my address, settling back as the cab pulled away.
The entire drive, I kept my eyes on the route, half-paranoid after last night’s mishap. Lost in thought, I didn’t realize until I arrived home that I’d left my phone at Gavin’s place. I sighed, frustrated, but relieved that I’d stashed a few bills in my dress. You know how it is—a girl’s gotta have her essentials handy.
Once I reached my apartment building, I climbed the steps to the door I shared with Sadie. As soon as I opened it, I was met with a shout, followed by something hard hitting me, causing me to stumble back against the door.
"Where have you been?" a voice shouted, cutting through the fog of my tired mind. Peeking up through the strands of hair that had fallen across my face, I saw Sadie standing before me, hands firmly on her hips and wearing a fierce glare that could practically knock me over.
“I—”
“—You had me worried sick, Eden! I thought you’d been mugged or kidnapped or something! What happened to your ‘I’m heading home, see you soon’ message?”
“Sorry, I—”
“—And here you are, still in last night’s clothes at eight in the morning, who knows where you’ve been, doing who knows what, while I was here losing my mind! Did it ever cross your mind to call? To let me know you were okay?”
“Sadie—” She wasn’t letting up, her words pouring out in a frustrated torrent. She was pacing now, stopping occasionally to point an accusing finger in my direction.
“Eden, wait... What the HELL happened to your face?” Her eyes widened as she finally noticed my bruised cheek. She froze for a split second, then stormed over, grabbing my chin to inspect the damage.
“Ow, Sadie, enough!” I finally yelled, pulling away from her grip. Managing to slip past her, I collapsed onto the couch with a sigh.
“First, I’m really sorry for making you worry. I didn’t intend for things to get so out of control. After I left the club… well, things took an unexpected turn, and I’ll explain everything. As for my face, and why I look like this, I’ll fill you in once I’ve had a shower and put on something clean. Can we talk after that?” I took a deep breath, standing up again.
Not waiting for a response, I pushed past her and hurried to my bedroom. Thankfully, Sadie followed without saying a word, helping me out of the dress without pressing me further. She seemed to sense I needed a moment to gather my thoughts. I gave her a grateful smile and headed into the bathroom to shower. I knew I was lucky to have Sadie as my best friend—someone who instinctively knew when to give advice, when to offer support, and when to just be there. I made a mental note to give her a big hug and tell her everything once I was out of the shower.
Gavin
I woke up to an empty bed, blinking away the sleep as I sat up and looked around. No Eden. Odd, considering that girls rarely left on their own. Normally, I was the one doing the leaving—or, when necessary, encouraging them to. Shaking my head at the memory of the night, I got up, stretched, and decided to get on with my day. Even though it was Saturday, I had a business meeting at one and some loose ends to wrap up for work. A glance at the clock told me it was 8:30, giving me plenty of time to get a workout in.
I headed to the kitchen, pressing the button to start brewing my coffee. As the machine hummed to life, I reached into the cabinet for a mug and set it on the counter. Soon enough, the coffee was ready, and I poured myself a cup, taking it black as usual. I leaned against the counter, sipping slowly, but my mind kept drifting back to Eden. For some reason, her face seemed to linger in my thoughts, along with the memory of her body nestled against mine.
Last night, when I pulled away from her soft lips, I’d felt a strange pang, an unfamiliar ache. Rationality had kicked in, warning me to draw a line, to keep her at a distance. I didn’t want to lead her on or make her believe there was more to this than just a fleeting moment.
There was something inexplicably captivating about her, even though she wasn’t my usual type. I typically went for tall, leggy women with curves to spare, but Eden was… different, striking in a way I hadn’t anticipated. Shaking off the thought, I downed the rest of my coffee and made my way to my gym. The apartment had four bedrooms, though I only used two: my own and the office where I worked from home. I’d converted one spare room into a gym and reserved the other for Nick, who often stayed over, or as a guest room for occasional company. It was my rule never to let women stay in my personal bedroom.
Already in my basketball shorts and still shirtless, I stepped onto the treadmill, determined to clear my mind with a run.
Eden
I sat on my bed, feeling a strange mix of relief and disbelief as I finished telling Sadie everything that had happened. For the past five minutes, she had been frozen, her mouth hanging wide open. I was beginning to worry that if she didn’t snap out of it soon, her mouth might dry up—or worse, attract a bug. Running my fingers through my freshly washed hair, I leaned back, wondering if I’d somehow managed to stun her into silence.
“Sadie?” I asked, trying to gauge if she was still with me. I waved a hand in front of her face, but she didn’t even blink. Losing patience, I pinched her cheek just hard enough to snap her out of it, rewarded by a yelp and a slap to my hand. I grinned at her.
“Feeling better?”
“Honestly... I just... Wow.” She finally managed, her wide-eyed stare locking on me.
“I know, right?” I let out a sigh, sinking back into my pillows. Everything from last night felt surreal. Never in a million years would I have imagined dancing with someone as gorgeous as him, let alone ending up at his place. Well, technically, nothing really happened, a voice in my mind reminded me. Sure, that was true, but a tiny part of me relished the idea that I, Eden Clarke, had spent the night at an insanely attractive guy’s apartment. Of course, I also knew the likely truth—he’d probably already forgotten about me, and the funny thing was, I didn’t even know his full name.
“What did you say his name was again?” Sadie’s question brought me back from my thoughts.
“Um, Gavin... Gavin something. He never mentioned his last name,” I admitted, realizing that neither of us had shared full names. Great. Even if I wanted to find him, I wouldn’t have the slightest clue where to start.
“That name rings a bell,” she mused, her eyebrows knitting together.
“Yeah, because probably a thousand guys are named Gavin,” I pointed out, shrugging.
“No, that’s not it. Wait a second!” She jumped up suddenly and bolted out of my room, leaving me puzzled. Moments later, she burst back in, holding her laptop. She plopped down on my bed, powering it up with an eager gleam in her eyes.
“Mind explaining why you’re practically bouncing?” I asked, watching her fingers drum impatiently as her laptop loaded.
“Because that name sounds too familiar, and I need to look it up!”
“On what? Facebook?” I scoffed, arching an eyebrow.
“Yes, and Google,” she said in an exasperated tone, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I watched as she quickly typed “Gavin” into the Google search bar. An endless list of results appeared, too many to make sense of.
“How about images? If we see his face, maybe we’ll find out who he is, or at least learn a little more about him,” I suggested, trying to hide my curiosity.
“Good idea,” she agreed, switching over to images.
As pictures of various men filled the screen, one stood out instantly. My breath caught—it was him. Gavin. Sadie noticed my expression and clicked on the photo, pulling up a website. My eyes widened as I scanned the page, each line making me feel like I’d fallen into a completely different world.
Gavin Hayes—the Gavin Hayes. A multimillionaire, notorious playboy, and New York’s most eligible bachelor.
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