Seared with Scars

Seriously? Again? It the was the middle of the night and they were partying for the third night in a row. Correction, third morning in a row. It was two thirty-five to be exact. And that god awful music wasn't even the worst part. It was the constant giggling and moaning. You'd think the music was loud enough to drown it out but there it was clear as day.

Of course they were partying. That was just your luck to have a new neighbor who happened to enjoy staying up at all odd hours of the night blaring his music. And damn it, you had to go to work in the morning. How were you supposed to get any work done tomorrow without getting an ounce of sleep?

You could just imagine the angry glower Haytham would give you across the meeting table. He always had that look of disdain when one of his employees showed any sign of distraction. Who could blame him? Abstergo was a very well known and respected company. It couldn't have slackers, or worse, half-awake employees who yawned during important marketing meetings... like the one from this morning. Actually, it was yesterday morning!

That was it! The nerve of that asshole! Some people actually had real jobs, real occupations, real lives to maintain.

You kicked off the covers in frustration, finding that somehow they had become tangled around your legs during your aggravated tossing and turning. Which caused your anger to flare even more. You threw open your bedroom door, stomped through the halls of your small apartment, and jerked open the front door.

You'd never felt this furious before. But then again, you were somewhat sleep deprived for the third night. You pounded the side of your fist into the door, rattling its hinges. When no one answered the first time, the music no doubt muffling it, you beat against it even harder than before until the hell of your hand was burning with pain.

Finally the door swung open, his body leaning somewhat hidden behind the doorframe and the music blasting in the background. His gaze roved across your form, the edge of his lips quirking ever the slightest. "Yeah? What is it?" His sultry voice held an accent, Middle Eastern, you considered while trying to keep your attention on his face and not the taut muscles of his shirtless chest. Good lord, it was difficult because even his face was an appealing sight. His eyes were a deep brown and the dark stubble along his tan skin...

You snapped out of your daze with a pounding heart, remembering the real reason you'd marched out of the comforts of your warm bed in the first place. You grappled hold of your anger, using it to fuel your words, "Do you have any idea what time it is? Aren't you even the slightest bit tired by now?" Your brows drew together and it took everything in you not to take an intimidating step forward.

"I have... a lot of stamina." He did another along explorative look across your figure and it made you nervous enough to look down at your clothes. You weren't naked but you weren't exactly modest either. And it wasn't like you dressed with the expectation of having to leave your apartment in the middle of the night.

"Some people have work in the morning." You met his returning gaze with anger, ignoring the heat of your blush. "Can't you keep your music down?"

He gave a breathy laugh. A smile almost burst free but he pushed it away a few times until it was a wavering cocky smirk. He rubbed his hand up along the door in a motion that he obviously made to draw your attention to it, the gesture somehow seemingly intimate. "You have work in the morning. I do not."

You gasped, hardly believing the abrupt rudeness. Your nails bit into the softness of your palm as you growled out each word, "Keep it down in there."

"Tonight." He rolled his bottom lip into his mouth, wetting it, and leaving them parted. "Tomorrow night I can't promise you anything."

You turned sharply on your heel and hurried back into your room. Once the door was closed you released a heavy sigh. You hadn't realized how shaky you had become, the surge of adrenaline and perhaps even a bit of lust. Damn that man for looking the way he did. And damn him for keeping you up all night. In four more hours you had to get up for work and face the harsh scrutiny of Haytham Kenway.

You sighed in relief when the music went silent, shuffling your way back beneath the warm covers. You groaned when there was a bout of giggling but then a door creaked open and shut, the whole apartment falling silent. Maybe they left for the night?

Good. Now you could really get some proper sleep. Only four hours of proper sleep if you could even call it that. You clenched your eyes closed, clutching the covers, but all you could think about was that tan bare chest. You groaned and threw your pillow harshly into the wall across from you.

Four hours into sleep and both your phone and your alarm went off. You smashed the snooze button and fumbled to answer the early morning call. You groggily muttered, "Elise."

"Morning!" The cheer in her voice faded. "Oh no, that guy kept you up late again? I told you to go over there and give him a piece of your mind. If I need to come over--"

"No, no." You sat up and shoved your hair around. "I handled it. He stopped."

Elise smiled like a triumphant and proud mother. She'd been coaxing you into standing up for yourself since the whole mess started. "Finally." She was pinning up her hair in the bathroom, already dressed in her work clothes. She always got up earlier than you with the determination to dress extravagantly. And of course she did. There was someone at the office she wanted to impress, someone she'd worked with for years.

You went through your routine, hauling the phone around with you while Elise talked about her family in France, mentioning this and that until she found herself on the topic of Arno Victor Dorian. He was cute, you had to admit that much.

"Speaking of Arno..." Elise was lounging out on her couch, flitting through a magazine. "I asked him out on a date yesterday."

"What?" You were putting in your last ear ring and gave a final look of approval to your appearance. You looked like you were well rested and eager for work. "Well?"

Elise threw the magazine aside and carried the phone back into her bedroom, the excitement in her words telling you the conversation with him went well. "We're going out for dinner tonight." She gave a pouty face. "But I need help with my outfit."

"Fine, fine." Your smile widened across your face as you headed into the living room. You made sure everything was in your purse such as keys and wallet.

"Okay, I have the outfit picked out... it's just, I can't decide on the shirt." She propped the phone before the classy skinny dress pants and vest. "Tell me which one you like best." She moved two shirts back and forth in front of the outfit, allowing you to decide for yourself. "I should wear the pink one, shouldn't I?" She held up the frilly pink shirt, comparing it against the rest of the outfit on the hanger.

"Elise, listen to me." You gave a slight chuckle while walking into the kitchen. "Arno doesn't care about what you're wearing. The only thing he thinks about is the body underneath those clothes."

Elise rolled her eyes but she smiled all the same. "Fine. Definitely the other one then."

You were just about to make yourself a warm drink to take with you when their was a soft knock on the front door. "Someone's at the door. I'll see you at work in a few minutes?"

"I'll grab doughnuts on the way." She winked before ending the call.

You walked by the couch and tossed your phone with your purse. Through the peephole you could clearly see the face of the guy from next door. You groaned mentally. He was shirtless, again, and you didn't want to allow yourself to admire him so you left the chain securely hooked. You pried the door open ever so slightly, barely peeking at him.

"Morning." He dipped his chin away, peering up through his dark lashes. "Could I borrow a bag of sugar?" He lifted a palm in surrender, a toothy smile unwavering as he leaned into the door frame.

You shamefully snorted, eyes fluttering with disbelief. "Are you kidding me? And do you ever put on a shirt?"

He gave a nonchalant shrug of his shoulder as he admired himself, his hand moving downwards along his abs. "Does my naked body elicit certain feelings?"

"No." You slammed the door closed and turned away but you felt a slight pain of guilt. You'd never slammed a door in someone's face before. Then again, you'd never marched to someone's apartment and yelled at them.

He knocked again, softer this time. "I would like to apologise."

You took a calming deep breath, unhooked the chain, and threw open the door. You barely gave him a glance while moving through the living room and into the kitchen. The nerve of this guy. Asking you for some sugar after all of the trouble he put you through. Elise would be fuming if she knew how compliant you were being with him.

He always seemed to speak with a hint of humor on his tongue and then there was that sexy accent of his. "I was in the process of making brownies when I realized I was out of sugar."

You carried the bag of sugar, focused on how nearly empty it was. "Take the whole bag." You were just about to shove it roughly into his chest when you gasped and jolted away. You lowered your head and hugged the bag of sugar, embarrassed at how you reacted. "I'm so sorry." He was missing his left arm. How did you not notice that? It's a whole arm!

He chuckled a little. "Car accident."

"Here's... the sugar." You held it out to him, your anger from before having softened. "You can keep the whole thing since there isn't much left in there."

He took the bottom of the bag into the palm of his hand, judging its weight. "It should be enough, thank you." He shifted his stance a little, drawing your attention back to his exposed abdomen, the faded blue jeans, and bare feet. "Listen, about the partying... I'd like to make it up to you."

You crossed your arms over your chest. You focused on his expression, on the smokey topaz in his eyes, the bursts of mahogany and chestnut. God, they were alluring. "Keep your partying to a minimum. That's all I ask."

"That is not enough." He lifted his shoulder, that smile ever the stronger. "Let me make you dinner. Tonight."

You huffed, knowing all too well where this was going to go. "I don't even know you're name."

"Malik." The name rolled off of his tongue, peppered by his accent. "Al-Sayf." Even his name was sexy. "Just dinner." He gave the bag of sugar a little shake. "There will be dessert, of course."

Brownies, you reveled, hardly wanting to pass up the chance at that... or a free dinner for that matter. With Elise busy on her date with Arno, you'd be bored out of your mind sitting at home without anyone to talk to. Besides, if things took a turn for the worse, Elise could always call with some excuse for you to leave.

You rolled your eyes closed and gave a nod of your head. "Alright. Tonight, then."

"I'll see you then." He took a few steps back, making sure he took another long look at you before leaving the apartment. And that stare alone left you trembling and warm. You weren't sure if you were going to regret agreeing to dine with him but you didn't have time to dwell on it. You were going to be late for work and never in your life had you ever been late.