WITHOUT YOU

CHAPTER 2

“You really love her, don’t you?” Justin asks me as he pulls into the highway and I nod.

I really love Grams, she is my all-time favorite human and I will miss her so much.

A small smile curves on my lips as the best memories I have had with her come flooding my mind and tears start to well in my eyes again.

I can feel Justin's eyes on me as I wipe a single teardrop that manages to escape and I remind myself that Grams will be just a few miles away.

“We are really close," I say after a long silence. "And I hate that I have left her all alone." I can practically hear my voice breaking as I say this and my heart is literally aching.

I hate goodbyes.

"Hey," Justin says and I tense when he places his hand on mine over my lap. “We can always visit her during the weekends." He tells me in a very gentle voice and I turn towards him.

“We?” I ask rhetorically and he nods.

“I wouldn’t mind being your personal chauffeur as long as I get to eat those delicious samosas every weekend.” He tells me and I chuckle lightly.

"Thanks." I smile at him and then I briefly glance at his hand on mine.

"Anytime." He smiles right back as he lets go of my hand and then he takes his eyes back to the road.

I take my time to discreetly check him out and oh boy!

Have you ever met someone who has everything in the right place?

Well, that’s Justin for you.

He is really handsome.

He has short dark hair that is styled in a classic pompadour, a pair of sexy stormy gray eyes, sharp facial features, a sexy fit body...

“Are you checking me out, Emmy?” He asks laughing lightly and I quickly look away shyly.

Good job feeding his ego, Emmy.

"You wish," I say, glancing at him from the corner of my eyes and I catch a smug smirk on his lips.

Damn, that smile though.

"Liar," he says chuckling and a smile tugs at the corner of my lips.

"I wasn't checking you out, Justin." I defend myself as I take a novel that's placed on the console.

"You can call me Jus."

"Jus? I like it better," I say as I quickly read the blurb and then I start to flip through the pages.

I am not that much of a reader, actually, I am not a reader at all but I need to keep myself busy for the next two hours.

“You love novels?” He asks after a long silence and I quickly shake my head. I don't even remember the last time I read a novel.

“Just trying to keep myself busy." Or rather, trying to keep my eyes away from his handsome face.

“Am I really that boring?" He asks, giving me a sad face and I quickly shake my head.

"No you are not boring, I just-" I start to explain, feeling a little guilty and he laughs lightly.

“Okay, I get it. Just keep the book away and tell me something about yourself." He tells me and I exhale sharply as I place the book back on the console and I adjust my position so that I can face him.

"So what do you want to know?" I ask, trying so hard not to look at his face.

"How about everything?"

"That’s a lot to tell," I say and he shrugs.

"We've got two f*****g hours."

"Oh, he cusses?" I tease him and I break down laughing when he rolls his eyes at me.

"Can you do that again?" I ask him between laughter and he makes a face at me. "Come on?"

"No way in hell," he tells me and then he assumes a serious expression but the tiny smile on his lips is giving him away. "So?"

"Well, I am Emily Hale, eighteen years old," I start and he shakes his head at me.

"Okay, Miss Hale, but what do you like? What is your hobby..."

"Music," I say cheerfully. "I like music more than anything in the universe." He turns towards me with raised eyebrows and a huge grin.

"Really?" He asks as he leans to put on some music and I smile, I freaking love music. "At least we have something in common."

"What's your genre?" I ask just as 'Stay' by Rihanna starts to play softly and I am so tempted to increase the volume and to sing along.

"I don't have a specific, as long as I can play the guitar."

"You play the guitar?" I ask, totally intrigued and he nods. "Wow, that's really cool." I shriek and he chuckles.

"Thanks, actually, I play all the instruments." My mouth hangs open and my eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"You and I are going to be best of friends," I say and we both laugh.

"You can teach me how to play the guitar, right?"

"If you promise to be a good girl-"

"Oh, dude, I am a good girl."

"Really?" He asks, narrowing eyes at me skeptically.

"I promise."

"Well, we can start our lessons as soon as you settle in then." He tells me and a huge grin pulls on my face.

I am so happy, I could hug him right now. I have always wanted to learn how to play the guitar and the piano and I am so glad that I have finally found someone willing to teach me.

"Thank you." He glances at me and I quickly look away when our eyes meet.

"Shy much?"

"No, never." I say and he chuckles, looking me in the eyes and I stare into his stormy gray eyes for a fleeting second just to prove a point and then I look away.

"Can I increase the volume, please?" I ask in an attempt to break the tension that's hanging in the air.

"But not too loud though.” He tells me and I can still feel his eyes on my face as I increase the volume.

I lean on the backrest and I start to hum along.

“So? Carry on?” He tells me after what seems like hours and I look at him totally lost. "You were telling me something about you remember."

“Oh, I don’t think there is anything else,” I say and I shrug when he narrows his eyes at me.

There is a lot I could tell him, but I don’t think he will find anything interesting. I mean, Justin and I are from two different worlds, plus I don't want to give out too much information about myself.

“That is all? Just your name, age, and hobby?” He asks me with a raised eyebrow and I nod. “Come on Emmy, what’s your second name? Tell me something about your boyfriend, what’s his name-“ I cut him in.

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” he glances at me, surprised.

“You guys broke up?”

“Nope, like I have never had a boyfriend,” I say and he raises his eyebrows in a very exaggerated manner.

“You are eighteen and you’ve never had a boyfriend?” He asks me and I just nod. “How? I mean, you are very pretty and it’s kinda hard to believe that you’ve never had a boyfriend.”

Did he just call me pretty? Like very pretty?

I'll be lying if I say that doesn't make my heart melt a little.

Justin freaking Anderson thinks that I am pretty.

“Well, it’s the truth,” I say, trying so hard to mask my excitement.

“We should get you a boyfriend then.” He tells me and I break down laughing.

“You are insane.”

“I am f*****g serious, you need to live a little.” He says pulling outside Mc Donald's and I just shake my head laughing.

"And you think you can get me a boyfriend?"

"Yeah, I only need a month."

“Well, all the best in that, Justin."

Hey, loves. I will start updating the chapters officially on 1st of Feb. Happy reading.