CHAPTER FOUR
1162 Words
Emilia’s POV
“I’m really sorry once again, Mr. De Luca. She didn’t…”
“I’ll rather not talk about it, Miss Ashley.” It was the lowest voice I had ever heard, yet for some reason, I felt it thrum in the pit of my stomach. One hand on the wheel and the other on his chin, Mr. De Luca navigated the dense traffic back to campus.
I wondered what his first name was, and then decided altogether that I didn’t want to know. Sitting at the back with Adrien, we passed each other uncertain glances, the same question lingering on our minds.
How had he known our car stopped in the middle of the road, and how was he there so fast?
We dropped Aiden off first because he lived just close to the campus gates. As he alighted, I moved towards the window, fast enough to catch the words, “Be careful.”
I arched my brows, wondering what he meant by that, but he had moved to the driver’s window. “Thank you once again, Mr. De Luca.”
“Goodnight, Adrien.”
I watched from the mirror as Adrien looked at us until he became just a tiny dot in the distance. Settling back in the comfortable leather, I retrieved my phone, scrolling mindlessly through it. It was better than being present in this car, when it seemed like the heater had been turned up a notch.
He hadn’t looked at me since we got into his car, and right now, it felt like I didn’t exist. But that was the problem. He didn’t matter. He shouldn’t matter.
Ashley came down next. She gave me this look before stalking away, as if reminding me not to mess up the chances of the arts club. Her lips might have communicated that it was all forgiven, but she was just waiting for me to mess up again.
And I thought that Ashley was the coolest female friend I could ever have. We just lived in different realities.
“Come to the front,” he muttered, the first words he’d said to me since we left Adrien’s car. Nodding, I pushed the door open and climbed out, sliding into the passenger’s seat. I worked on my seatbelt as he pulled back onto the road.
“Where is your dorm?”
“Just over there,” I whispered, pointing to a row of buildings in front of us. I tried to keep my gaze ahead as he drove, careful not to look at his bulging biceps as they moved with every turn he made. When he pulled up in my drive, I was prepared to race out of his car and never look back.
The silence was deafening. It felt like there was an elephant in the room that both of us were avoiding.
“Thank you.” My voice came out in a whisper as the car came to a halt. It was quiet, both inside and out. A single line shone on the first floor of the building, but that was it. The rest space was covered in darkness, hollow, peaceful.
He said nothing, and I moved to get the door open. But after a second, I paused, turning back to look at him. This was probably the wrong decision, but I couldn’t stop myself.
“How did you know we needed your help?” My voice came out in a whisper, and he arched his brows in my direction. I tried again, clearing my throat noisily. But I never got a word out as he leaned across the seats.
I needed to find my speech, but my brain had absconded again. So, I just sat there, praying I didn’t breathe too loud as he reached over. The click sound of the seatbelt followed, and I swallowed. That scent was back again, and this time, it filled me with so much insistence.
With so much need.
His forearm grazed mine as he pulled back. But not all the way through. I could feel his warm breath tingling my skin.
“I have to go!” I said in a high-pitched tone, with too much force, before pushing out of the door and rushing into my dorm.
***
I smoothened my hand over my dress for the umpteenth time, and I stared out of the window of the moving bus. Adrian had sent the address over for the interview, and even if I wasn’t particularly feeling optimistic, I glossed over the number and the name of the street.
It felt familiar.
The bus didn’t get to that area, so I had to do the rest on foot. The closer I got, the more familiar it got. The trees, I had seen them before. There was a slight difference, but I was sure about it.
15.
Bringing my feet to a halt, I reached for my phone and checked Adrian’s message again. I was right. I had been here before.
Shit.
“What were you thinking?” I said harshly into the phone the second my best friend picked up. “It is his house.”
“Whoa! Woah! Slow down!” He sounded like he had just gotten out of bed. “Whose house? Aren’t you supposed to be at the interview?”’
“I am here, Adrian,” I muttered, standing in front of the imposing building. “And that is the f*****g problem.”
“You are not making any sense, Emilia.”
“It is the same house from last night! Mr. De Luca.”
I heard a slight rustle in the background. He was sitting up. “You’ve got to be f*****g kidding me!”
I remembered the little girl from that night. She was the one…
The door cracked open in the distance, and I ducked behind the trees at once. But he’d already seen me, because I heard the crunch of gravel underneath his boots as he drew forward.
“What are you doing here?”
I felt stupid, all huddled there in front of him. Red patches appeared on my cheeks as I got on my feet, clutching my purse.
“I…”
He angled his head, his eyes scanning the folder I had in my hands. Was he always shirtless?
“Emilia Hart,” he muttered, my name falling off his lips like a line of prayer. I wanted him to say it again.
God! I needed to stop doing that. What the hell was wrong with me?
“You are here for the interview.”
“Yeah,” I chuckled awkwardly. “But I’ll totally understand why you don’t want to hire me. I mean, I do not listen to…”
The rest of my speech died on my tongue when he reached for his phone, dialled a number, and pressed it against his ear.
“Alfred, see the applicants out of my house. I already found a nanny.”
- Writer
