Marriage Merger

Chapter 20

The rest of the lunch went by in a blur. There was minimal verbal exchange, so they ate pretty quickly. As in Dunkin' Donuts, Adriano payed the bill with a crisp hundred dollar bill this time and he told the waitress to keep the change even though their meal cost way less than that. She was dumbfounded to say this least.

They walked back to the car and got in. Once the car started, the clock on the dashboard indicated that it was a little over 3 o'clock. When the Bugatti moved out of the parking lot, Ximena switched her phone back on since she'd left it in the car. Surprisingly, there were no more missed called from her father but she had some messages from Andrea and Chelsea. She decided to forget about them and answer them when she got home.

She faced Adriano. "Hey, you never told me how old you are."

He smirked and threw her a quick glance. "How old do you think I am?" he teased, his voice deep and laced with mirth.

Ximena scratched her head. "I think 25," she guessed. He nodded his head and the hint of a grin came to his lips.

"Correct."

"So where are you taking me now?" she asked.

"Home."

"Already?" she pouted and then leaned back in her seat. "And here I was thinking you were enjoying my company," she sniffed mockingly.

He laughed. "I do actually enjoy your company believe it or not," he replied honestly. I enjoy it a little too much, he wanted to say further but then bit his tongue. "I think I should get you back home before your dad starts thinking you've run away again. When you left he looked like he was going to come after you," he said and she groaned.

"Just like dad to embarass me like that," she muttered to herself. "Okay then."

Once again, she turned on the radio and melodic tunes filled the space around them. This time around Ximena danced and sang along to the songs as best as she could on her seat. Adriano found himself smiling to himself. Having her in his company was just so liberating.

Half an hour later, the gates to the Dos Ramos mansion came into view. The guards opened the gate almost immediately. Seconds later, Adriano brought the car to a halt in front of the large archway that stood in front of the house. Ximena unbuckled her belt and then positioned her body so that her upper body was facing him. He turned to face her too.

"Thank you for-uh taking me out," she said shyly and blushed. The words had come out as a struggle and she'd just insinuated they'd gone on a date. It definitely wasn't a date, was it?

"You're welcome," he replied cooly and then smirked. "Give me your phone."

The words didn't register immediately in her head. Had she heard correctly? When he held his hand out to her, she slowly placed her red iPhone in his large hand. He unlocked it since it didn't have a passcode and then began to type something in it. He handed it back to her afterwards. She looked at the screen and then saw that he had put his number in it.

"That's my number. Feel free to hit me up whenever," he breathed but she noted something in his tone. Something eerily close to flirtation...

She nodded her head a bit too enthusiastically, to which he chuckled. "I should get inside," she said.

"You probably should."

Before she knew what she was doing, she leaned over towards him and then pressed her lips on his cheek. As soon as they touched it, she quickly retracted and then she opened the passenger door. "Bye," she said over her shoulder, got out and then closed the door. She then ran to the giant oak door leading inside the house, opened it. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it, a goofy grin on her face. Her hand touched her lips.