Craving For Her

Warm Welcome

Zoe's POV
The windows were up but the air conditioner was working its magic. Despite Louis being beside me, driving, I relaxed. After the nurse had administered to me some painkillers, given me an ice pack for my leg and covered up the cuts on my face with bandaids. Louis appeared again and offered to take me home. After a little back and forth, I agreed.
If I wanted to be completely honest with myself, I was glad that he had offered because I could not even begin to imagine walking or at least limping back to class after the elite's classroom fiasco. But again, there was tomorrow and Andrew that I had to face when I got home. Our relationship could never be the same after today. And then there was Sandra. To think that I was willing to put myself in harm's way for her sister just to be stabbed in the back was jarring.
"Is everything alright?" Louis' voice pulled me out of my reverie. "You are crying."
I touched my face to find that in fact, I was. I guess it hurt more than I was willing to admit but my body had to let it out. "What do you think?" I asked sarcastically. I wiped my face with my hands even though more was still falling through.
Louis opened his glove compartment and pulled out a box of tissue and handed me one all the while he was still driving. I took it from him and used it. I pulled myself together and looked out the through the window. Sometimes I just couldn't believe that this was the same guy that gave me that pauper's initiation. If not for our parents' relationship maybe we could have been friends. Or something more...
What about our social and financial status? Would it have mattered to him? I wondered.
"I have been thinking of what you said." He said. "And guess you are right."
I looked at him, confused. "What was that?"
He gave me a look and looked back at the road. "You really don't remember? The one at the nurse's office?"
I racked my brain but everything that happened before I slept was a blur. "I don't."
"Um..."
"What did I say?" I inquired.
He gave me a sideways glance before turning his attention back to the road, the gesture filling my stomach with butterflies. "Nothing," He replied.
"Oh..." I said, disappointed.
There was silence for a little while before he spoke again. "We are almost at your house." He informed.
"Oh... okay..." I said. Andrew would never be able to go back to school in that condition so he must be at home by now. I was not ready to face him.
Louis seemed to have caught on to my discomfort. "What's wrong?" He asked.
I looked up directly at him. "I don't wanna go home yet," I told him.
"Do you have anywhere else I can drop you off?"
"I don't."
Silence reigned. "Should I take you somewhere?" He asked out of nowhere.
Somewhere was better than nowhere, I convinced myself. "Yeah, sure..."
"Alright then," He said. "Buckle up," He floored the car.
*****
He drove through streets I had never treaded before which made me nervous. Had I made a mistake? Maybe I was too trusting of him. My fear reached a higher level when he made a turn into the woods.
"Louis?"
"It's okay," He reassured me as he placed his right over my hand. I felt the place he touched tingle. There was a slightly clear path which he followed. He still had not let go of my hand. It kept me distracted until he finally stopped the car. He finally let go of my hand and got out of the car. Meanwhile, I just sat there looking at the cosy-looking cabin that we had just packed in front of.
He opened my side of the door and offered me his hand which I took. I stepped out of the car and we bent down to take the ice pack which I had dropped on the floor of the car before closing the car door.
I looked around at the scenery where I found myself. The sun shone through the trees and it looked like a few birds were flying overhead, but none of them came close to us. A breeze blew across the place and further ruffled up my hair.
"Will you keep looking around or come in?" Louis drew me back into reality. He assisted me to the cabin and unlocked the door and ushered me in.
The interior of the cabin looked like it had not been inhabited for a while but it was not dusty and everything looked like it was in its place. It felt homely despite being a bit cold but Louis went to work fixing that. After he sat me down on one of the couches, he started a fire in the fireplace. Immediately he was done and one could hear the subtle crackling of the firewood in the fire, warmth and illumination filled the living room.
Louis dusted his palms off and went to what looked like the kitchen. He came back with a glass of water and handed it to me. He walked away again and this time he did not come so soon. I got bored of waiting and went to look for him.
Indeed he was in the kitchen and to my surprise chopping up vegetables. He sensed my presence and turned to me. "Aren't supposed to be resting?"
"You cook?" I asked, ignoring his question.
He clenched his jaw.
"Sorry then," I gave up. "I'll go," I turned to leave, acting like a puppy who just got its tail stepped on.
"Sit," He said.
I looked at him. "What?"
"If you are so keen on staying then sit so you don't stress yourself."
He pushed a chair towards me and I did as he said. He studied me for a second before proceeding with what he was doing before.
"What are you making?" I inquired.
"Veggie soup," he said after a long comfortable moment of silence. "For you."
"Thanks," I mumbled.
He said nothing and again an awkward silence bath the atmosphere. "Why are you helping me so much?" I blurted. As though I did not say anything, I watched as he poured the chopped vegetable into a small pot of boiling water. I watched as he seasoned it and washed his hands under a tap of running water. He cleaned up his work area and dried his hands afterwards. Still, he did not answer my question.
"Just because you don't answer, doesn't mean that..."
"Doesn't mean that what, Zoe?" He looked squarely at me. "doesn't that mean that bringing you here was not a mistake?" He ran his hands through his midnight curls in obvious frustration. He was the one confusing me so what could be bugging him?
"Why the hell do you keep doing this?" He murmured, more to himself than to me.
"Doing what?"
"Getting into trouble all the time."
"I might be getting into trouble but I never for once asked for your help." Gosh, I was doing it again.
"Cause you know damn well that I can't help myself," He was not just looking at me, he was staring into my soul. It had been a mistake to have even asked him in the first place. I felt exposed that I had to push my skirt further down my thigh. His eyes went there but he quickly looked away to tend to what was on the cooker. He took a fairly large spoon and stirred it before turning off the gas. He grabbed a small bowl and poured a potion of soup into
He got a towel and knelt in front of me. I looked away as he laid the towel on my lap. "Take it," He said. I looked at him and collected the soup from him. I blew a bit on a spoonful of the soup, took a sip and was surprised by the taste. He did cook. Well for that matter. I took more spoons of the delicious concoction.
He must have noticed my pleasure and surprise because I heard him chuckle. It was deep and sonorous in my ears. I was so distracted that the bowl slipped and its contents poured all over the towel. Louis jumped into action but the hot soup penetrated the towel and scalded my skin. I let out a yelp.

A/N
Sorry for the late update. I hope the new chapters made up for it.