One Night Stand With Alexander Blackwood-Chapter 103: Awkward Romance

Cody fell into deep thoughts.

What did Maya mean to him? He couldn’t place a finger on it.

"Lad," Miles started. "You need to find your true feelings before it’s too late."

Cody ran a hand through his hair, exhaling, "grandpa, how do I do this? It feels like I’m stuck in the middle of two blocks, having nowhere to go."

Elias placed a hand on his shoulder and said to him. "You’ll understand your feelings in due time. That’s a promise."

He then sighed and turned around, saying, "I guess it’s time for me to head home."

"Hey old friend." Miles called out to him, and Elias turned to him. "I can’t let you leave this house this late. I’ll have the maids prepare a room for you. You’re staying here... just like old times."

Elias chuckled and nodded.

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The next day>

The sunlight forced its way into the room through the blinds, casting a warm, golden glow in the room.

Maya’s lashes fluttered as she stirred. She squinted tightly as she forced her eyes open.

When her eyes were finally open, she took in her environment. It was larger than her room. Possibly five times larger than it.

Then the memories from the previous night came rushing back into her head.

She held her head, biting down on her lips to prevent a scream from sounding..

She took a deep breath once she sorted out her memories.

She remembered Oyster coming into her apartment with a few men which she recognized. She trained with them, after all.

She remembered Oyster throwing her to the sofa when she tried running away. She recalled him tying her hands behind her back to prevent her from escaping.

She sniffed and shook her head to get rid of horrible thoughts. Oyster was her past now, and she’d make sure it stays that way.

Suddenly, there was a knock on her door which jolted her out of her thoughts.

"Come in," she said with a low voice.

A few seconds later, Serena walked in with a huge smile on her face.

Maya’s expression softened seeing her. "You’re here," and Serena nodded.

"Did you sleep well?" Serena asked, taking a seat on the bed.

Maya nodded. "Contrary to what I face when sleeping in a new environment, this place actually gave me the best comfort."

Serena grinned. "I’m glad you feel that way." Then she continued, "come on. It’s time to freshen up so you can have breakfast. You didn’t really have dinner last night."

Maya looked down at her clothes which were tattered and she looked at Serena, expecting her to have a solution. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Serena understood her gaze instantly. "Don’t worry, I got you. I had no idea my grandfather was preparing for my return. He had a whole wardrobe ready for me."

While Serena spoke about Miles, she had a rare smile on her face which she didn’t even notice.

"We are the same size. It’d fit. I’ll get the dress." She said excitedly, and left the bed. "You just freshen up and I’ll have the dress ready in minutes."

Before Maya could answer, Serena was already out of the room.

Maya sighed and finally exited the bed before walking straight into the shower.

About ten minutes later, the door creaked open, revealing Cody.

Maya who just stepped out of the bathroom stiffened instantly.

Steam lingered in the air, curling lazily around her skin as she stood against the bathroom’s door, a towel clutched tightly against her chest.

Water droplets slid down her shoulders, tracing slow paths she was suddenly very aware of.

Her eyes widened. "Cody? What are you doing here?" She demanded, clutching the towel tightly, afraid that it’d fall.

He froze for half a heartbeat. He hadn’t expected her to be standing in the room... worse, half-naked.

He had imagined handing the dress over, murmuring something awkward, then leaving. Instead, the sight of her—unguarded, vulnerable, real—hit him harder than anything the night before.

His gaze snapped up immediately, settling on her face, but the heat still crawled up his neck.

"I—" He cleared his throat, gripping the neatly folded dress in his hands. "Serena sent me."

Maya’s brows knit together. "She did?" She clearly didn’t believe his words.

"She was going to come," he admitted, voice lower than usual. "But I stopped her." Then with a slightly lower voice, he added, "I just wanted to see you."

Silence stretched between them, heavy but not uncomfortable. The only sound was the faint drip of water somewhere behind her.

"You shouldn’t be here," Maya finally said, her voice soft, though there was no bite to it.

"I know." His jaw tightened. "But I wanted to make sure you were okay... properly okay."

Her grip on the towel loosened just a fraction.

She studied him then, like really studied him. The tension in his shoulders. The faint shadows beneath his eyes. The way his fingers flexed, betraying nerves he clearly didn’t understand.

"You saved me last night," she said quietly, finally able to speak alone.

Cody scratched his head. "I didn’t do it alone."

"But you came, that’s enough."

That made his body turn still..

For a moment, neither of them moved. The air between them felt charged, fragile, like one wrong breath would shatter it.

Cody stepped forward just enough to extend the dress toward her, careful not to cross the threshold. "I brought you something to wear."

Maya hesitated, then reached out, her fingers brushing his as she took the dress from him.

The contact was brief, but it was charged.

It felt like it was... too much.

Her breath caught in her throat before she could stop it.

Cody noticed. His hand stilled mid-air before slowly dropping to his side. "I should go." He murmured.

Maya nodded, though disappointment flickered through her eyes before she masked it. She even wondered why she had this feeling of disappointment. "Yeah."

He walked away, and stopped just right by the door. "Maya."

She looked up, a forced smile still on her lips.

"I don’t know what this is," he confessed honestly. "But I know I couldn’t stay away."

Her lips curved into a faint smile as she said before she could stop herself. "Then maybe you don’t need to know yet. You can always take your time to find out what it is."

Cody nodded once, as if committing the words to memory, and stepped out, pulling the door shut behind him.

Maya leaned against it, heart racing.

Outside, Cody exhaled slowly, realizing too late that his hands were trembling.

This encounter marked the strange change in their lives.

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Breakfast felt different today. It was a full house, and Miles was in a good mood seeing this.

The long dining table was already set when they arrived. Miles took the head of the table without ceremony, Elias settling comfortably beside him like this was routine. Alexander followed, calm as ever, pulling out a chair and sitting opposite them.

Serena guided Maya to a seat beside her.

Which, unfortunately—or perhaps inevitably—placed Maya directly across from Cody.

She noticed at the same time he did.

Their eyes met for barely a second before both of them looked away, almost too quickly. Maya focused on the tablecloth. Cody suddenly found the cutlery far more interesting than it needed to be.

Serena noticed it.

Alexander noticed it as well.

Even the two Grandfathers noticed it, and Elias gave a meaningful smile.

"So," Miles began casually, lifting his cup of tea, "we all slept peacefully, didn’t we?"

"Barely," Cody muttered under his breath.

Maya’s lips twitched before she could stop herself.

Cody suddenly looked up, and their eyes met again—this time longer.

Alexander cleared his throat pointedly. "I trust you slept well, Maya?"

She nodded, shifting her gaze away from Cody. "Yes. Very well."

Cody stiffened slightly at that, though he didn’t know why.

Serena leaned back in her chair, arms folded, eyes flicking between the two of them with open curiosity.

"Funny," he said lightly. "It feels like a particular person didn’t sleep."

Cody shot her a look. "I slept." He didn’t even know if Serena was referring to him or not. Or perhaps, he was acting based on the guilt of being caught.

"Sure you did," Elias chimed in smoothly, buttering his toast. "You look exactly how a man who slept looks."

Maya lowered her gaze, trying not to smile, but failing woefully.

Miles chuckled. "Young people these days," he said, shaking his head. "So restless and they are always thinking."

Cody frowned. "Grandfather, what’s that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Elias said calmly, glancing at him, "that you’ve been staring at your plate like it personally offended you."

Cody opened his mouth to argue, then closed it again.

Maya lifted her head just in time to see it.

Their eyes met once more.

This time, neither of them looked away immediately.

The air between them felt... tight. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it felt different.

Maya swallowed. She could see the look in Cody’s eyes and it seemed he wasn’t aware of it. The desire in his eyes as he stared at her was... palpable.

She felt that something was about to change between both of them.