A moment like this (soldier romance)

Chapter 5. Loosen Up

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Picture of Ella alias Lily Collins.
Enjoy. (-:
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Last chapter:
He let out another sight.
"What's your name, girl?"
"Ella Mao Turner."
"Nice name ... Ella, my name is Jackson Ray Blackwood."

Well looks someone's bipolar...
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
After he had spoken, there was a moment of silence. It was totally awkward, at least for me. I mean what should I answer to his statement?!
A simple thanks just doesn't seem right.
My gaze traveled over the asphalt, searching for nothing in particular.
A small strand of hair was falling into my sight, so I carefully tugged it behind my ear.

Another sigh let me look up again into these beautiful piercing blue, greyish eyes. It seems like the time would stop, every time my eyes were captured with his.
"So... let's go." He said.
"W-what?", I stumbled out.
"I said, let's go. I don't have the whole day, time to talk with you."
Ouch, I thought. Someone definitely doesn't know how to talk with a girl.

"Even if I do enjoy your company.", he added shortly after.
Good safe...
"Where are we going to?" I asked, still confused. Without answering, he sighed again -I'm seriously, what's with this men and sighing?!- and started to walk along with me, having my elbow sharply tugged in his large hand.
"I'm very impatient Ella, but to answer your question: We are going to drive you home."

His gaze dropped down to my confused face as he talked. Jackson was so tall, that I had to lift my head up to see his face. I must look like a little girl right next to him.
You are, remember? He called you girl instead of woman., said the little voice in my head. And there it was again. The little voice, who always had to destroy the little hope I had.
Why I had hope?
Hope, that somehow this very hot and sexy guy, right next to me, found me attractive. -I know, it was pathetic, but hey I can't change it.-
But anyway, I zoomed out again.

We arrived a big black Range Rover, before I fully realised, what Jackson had said to me.
"Drive ?... I mean... y-you don't ha-ave to... I can jus-st take ... a taxi.
If yo-ou...", I rambled on. Sitting with him together in a car, didn't sounded to good.
But before I could even finish my sentences, Jackson cut me off.
"Ella, loosen up, ok? I'm not going to discuss this with you. I'm going to drive you home and that's final. So stop making a scene and just get into the car."

He opened harshly the passenger door.
"I'm not making a scene.", I mumbled when I climbed into the monstrous car.
"Sure you don't!", answered Jackson, who of course heard me.
Does he always have to have the last word?, I asked myself.
I saw how Jackson jogged around the car, once I was safety in the passenger seat, and put himself behind the steering wheel.
"But aren't you supposed to do a job together with Ryan?" I asked, remembering the guy from minutes ago.
"Well, I'm sure he can handle it alone.", he answered with a light smirk on his face.

After I had told him, where my apartment was, it was again completely quiet. I turned my gaze outside the window, watching all this different people flying by.
Sometimes I wondered how it would be, to be someone else. If I would have the same past or the same problems right now. How it would feel to see a different face every morning in the mirror, to hear a different voice every time when you speak.

"So... How comes that you are here?", asked Jackson after another minutes of silence.
I turned my gaze back to his features. His eyes were glued to the streets, his jaw tightly shut and his hands firmly pressed on the steering wheel.
How can he be so beautiful?
"Wh-hat do... you-u ... me-ean?"
"How comes that you are here, here in Thailand?" He corrected himself. Shortly his eyes glanced over to me, before they focused again on the road.
"Oh, ... I'm he-ere becaus-se of m-my job."
Come on Ella, stop stuttering!, I thought to myself angrily. Why can't I just easily loosen up, like he said?

"Hey, calm down.", he softly answered. His right hand softly laid on top of my left knee. The strange, but good feelings, which shot through my whole leg, surprised me.
"What are you working for?"
"I'm a pho-togra-apher."
My stuttering wasn't to bad anymore.
"A photographer? For a magazine?"
I nodded as an answer, unsure, why he was so interesting in talking to me.
After a few seconds of silence, probably because he didn't know what to say next, I decided to talk a little more.
"Yeah. I ... work fo-or "Britain".
Jackson seemed actually surprised.
"So what are you working on here?"
His eyes again looked shortly into my face.

"I'm ta-aking photos of the-e landscape." I was surprised about myself. Slowly my stuttering started to stop and I could feel my shoulders relaxing.
What's happening with me? How is it possible, that I'm loosen up to a guy, I know for only a day, but I can't even stop stuttering around our postmen? I thought confused to myself.

"Do you have a partner here with you?"
Quickly I shook my head.
Jacksons face immediately darkened. His hands were now gripping the steering wheel, so that you could already see the white knuckles. Also were his veins on his neck visible.
Did I upset him somehow?
"Why aren't you having a partner with you? Who is your boss? I wanna know his name. He can't just send a little girl into a trouble country. It's dangerous! Are you even 18 yet?" Jackson got with every word he spoke louder and louder.

"Yes, I am over 18, to be exact I am 20 years old and I don't want a partner. I like working alone. And why do you even care? I don't know you, so stop acting like you were my dad. You are not!" I snapped back. This guy is seriously making me crazy.
Who does he think he is? I am not a little kid who needs protection all the time. I'm an independent woman -yeah now I use the word, but he just insulted me, so let it go!- who doesn't need any help.

Jackson pulled in front of my beautiful apartment and turned of the engine. His whole body then turned towards me and with a dead-seriously voice he angrily answered "I do not care about you. It is my job to look after people like you and to make sure everything is staying fine. So I wanna know now when and what you are planing on doing, because, rather you like it or not sweetheart, I'm going to join your trip."

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Chapter 5. is here!
What do you guys think?
Do you think Jackson really doesn't care? And how do you like there chemistry together?
Please leave me a comment or a like here. (-:

See you the next time,
Your Wiebke Seeleib

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-