Chapter 23
916 Words
Drake froze, not at her cheesy lines, but at the way she said his name. He had never heard her use it like that. Something stirred deep in him, tugging a secret, reluctant smile to his lips. Why now? It felt like the old Drake, the one he had worked so hard to bury, was sneaking back, uninvited, inch by inch.
“Why so quiet, huh? It’s okay to feel thrilled,” she teased, leaning closer, eyes glimmering with mischief.
Drake stiffened instantly, forcing his stoic mask back into place. No. He couldn’t let her rattle him. He needed boundaries, a fence around his heart, a line she could never cross. Another distraction, another complication, and he couldn’t afford it, not when he had spent years keeping his emotions in check, keeping the world and everyone else at a distance.
So he stayed silent. She, naturally, did not.
“You know, Boss Drakey, feeling this flutter… it’s normal. Especially when it’s someone special making you feel it. Just let it out. Fight it too hard, and you might release some bad vibes from the cave,” she said, relentless.
Ignore her. Block it out, he told himself.
But her words were impossible to block. They wormed into his mind, teasing him, challenging him, daring him to slip.
“Sometimes, even farts are fine, just like my love for you. I just can’t hold it in,” she added, her grin widening, completely fearless.
Damn it. Why did she have this pull over him? Slowly, despite himself, the corners of his mouth betrayed him, lifting into a reluctant smile. No, not now, he scolded internally.
The elevator doors opened just in time, saving him from laughing outright. He stepped out first, putting as much distance as he could, though her voice followed like a teasing echo. Stay calm. Act like nothing happened.
He slipped into his car and locked the door, taking a deep, steadying breath. When she knocked on the window, he exhaled slowly before unlocking it. She climbed in, radiant, undeterred by his attempt to assert control.
“Why did you lock me out?” she asked playfully.
“Nothing. Let’s just get this done. Let’s go,” he said curtly, starting the engine.
The ride began in silence, punctuated only by the hum of the tires on the asphalt. But he couldn’t help noticing her occasional glances from the corner of his eye, the way she watched him, teasing, mischievous, like a predator savoring the chase. His pulse quickened. He wasn’t supposed to feel this.
“Stop staring. Why so quiet all of a sudden?” he asked finally.
She smiled sweetly, leaning back in her seat. “Sometimes, we have to let people miss us. Couldn’t resist me, huh?”
He narrowed his eyes. She laughed, and it was a sound that dug under his skin. Damn it. She’s playing me.
“You’re crazy,” he muttered. “Remind me later to put you in the nearest mental hospital.”
“They don’t take patients there anymore,” she quipped.
“Then I’ll put you in rehab,” he shot back, exasperated.
“Even then, my addiction to you won’t change,” she said with that impossible grin.
Damn it. He clenched the steering wheel, knuckles white.
“You know,” she continued, leaning just slightly closer, “loving someone whose only vice is you… it’s kind of amazing. I’m sweet to love because you’re my only habit.”
His chest tightened, heart betraying him. Why did her words make him feel like this? He wasn’t supposed to feel… this.
Pull it together, Drake. Don’t give in.
“Stop that. It’s not pleasant to hear,” he said harshly, though the tremor in his voice betrayed him.
“You know,” she said, suddenly serious, her tone softening, “I fell in love with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time. When I first met you, I never imagined you’d become this important to me.”
Drake slammed on the brakes instinctively, heart hammering. Why was she doing this? Showing him how much he mattered… making him face what he had buried for so long.
“Stop it. I don’t want to hear that. I’m not someone you should love. You’re saying this because I’m a challenge. But trust me, I’m hard to love. I’ll only hurt you. I don’t care about commitment. I don’t need anyone’s love. Don’t fall for me,” he blurted, almost desperately, hands gripping the wheel tight enough to hurt.
Her eyes locked onto his, steady and unflinching. “Drake… it doesn’t matter how hard it is to love someone. What matters is that you do. Life is about finding happiness in loving others and being loved in return. Take my heart, and I’ll build a whole world of love for you, a castle strong enough to keep out all the pain. Don’t let the mistakes of the past close you off. Give me the chance, and I’ll come back to you… because I’ve loved you far too long to let you go.”
Her words struck him like lightning. He admitted quietly, reluctantly, that he was drawn to her. Her laughter, her boldness, the way she made him feel alive… it was intoxicating. But it wasn’t enough. Not yet.
He couldn’t let himself fall again, not until the guilt, the nightmares, the regrets of the past four years were finally laid to rest.
Not again…
- Writer
