Chapter 7
919 Words
Mia
I sit in the chair opposite Noah, but my attention is focused exclusively on the man who is now standing in the doorway.
Jaxon Vance.
The last person I wanted to see.
And yet it is here. Tall, imposing, his face shaded by that inscrutable calm that has always got on my nerves. His hands tucked into the pockets of his dark trousers, his white shirt rolled up to his elbows, his chest rising and falling with slow, controlled breathing.
I hate it.
I hate it with every fiber of my being.
Yet, my body doesn't seem to agree with my mind. Because just seeing him there, so sure of himself, gives rise to a tangle of emotions inside me that I don't want to analyze. I feel every fiber of my body go up in flames in a way that has never happened to me, despite the slew of men I have shared the bed with, none of them has ever managed to give me even a minimum of the same effect that Jaxon gave me and still gives me.
And I hate him for this, I hate him but above all I hate me, because I shouldn't react like this and yet I can't control him.
"Perfect, you're both here now," Noah says, his voice sharp as he gets up from his chair and adjusts his jacket. "We can go."
"Go where?" I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
Noah gives me an impatient look. "I'll accompany you to the car. You're under Jaxon's responsibility now."
My blood freezes in my veins. Not that it was a surprise, I already knew that. But hearing it said so naturally hurts me, as if Noah were putting the final seal on my sentence. As if he couldn't wait to get rid of me, as if I was just a burden for his bubble of happiness.
The silence that follows is dense, heavy. Jaxon says nothing. He doesn't bother to reassure me or provoke me, he doesn't even deign to look at me. And that annoys me more than anything else.
I slowly stand up, letting the chair crawl noisily against the floor. I know I'm just taking my time, looking for a way to delay the inevitable.
"Come on, Mia," Noah sighs, impatiently. "Don't waste my time any longer."
I glare at him, but in the end I move. I pass by Jaxon, barely touching him with my shoulder. He does not move, he does not stiffen, he does not react in any way.
And this drives me crazy.
He follows me in silence as we cross the corridor, our steps the only sounds that fill the air. Irina is standing near the front door, her face tense, her lips tightened in a thin line.
"Do I really have to let you go like this?" he asks me softly, his eyes shining as he looks at me as if he doesn't want to let me go.
My throat tightens. I know that if I try to speak, the voice will betray me; So, I just shake her hand tightly. She returns the squeeze, the warmth of her fingers an ephemeral comfort.
Then I let her go.
I turn around and without saying a word I go outside, feeling the cold evening air prick my skin.
Jaxon is behind me, his step measured, controlled.
We don't talk to each other.
We don't look at each other.
But the tension between us is almost tangible.
I know that he is studying me, that he is analyzing my every move. And it annoys me. Because I don't want Jaxon Vance to watch me. I don't want you to think you can understand me.
Exterior lights illuminate the driveway, casting long shadows on the ground. A black car is waiting for us with the engines running, ready to take us away.
Away from this house.
Away from my old life.
My mind is invaded like a river in flood by a series of memories, memories of my life, of the joy that accompanied me, of all the dreams and hopes I reserved for myself, for my life, for my future. Every step of the day all hope vanishes, everything I wanted fades away as if it were burned by an overpowering and destructive fire and again I can't blame anyone but myself. My eyes are burning, I feel like I'm about to collapse and tears are about to run down my face and I can't afford it.
I freeze for a moment, my heart pounding in my chest. Because once I get into that car, there will be no return.
A shiver runs down my spine, but I force myself to straighten up. I won't give Jaxon the satisfaction of seeing me weak. I'll not allowed to him to see me as weak, never, he'll pay too for all of this, I'll make sure of it. Never again.
Without waiting for him, I head to the car and open the door myself. I don't want him to do it for me.
I sit in the cold leather seat and look straight ahead, ignoring his reflection in the window as he slips past me with the same maddening calm as always.
The door closes with a dull thud.
And as the car starts and leaves my house behind us, I know I'm heading towards something I can't control.
And the most absurd thing?
A part of me is frighteningly attracted to it.
- Writer
