Love At First Crash

Chapter 3

"Oh my god," I stammered, my face turning crimson. "I'm so, so sorry. I swear I didn't know you were sleeping here."

"Sure," Donnie replied, smirking and giving me a teasing look.

The embarrassment overwhelmed me. How could I have missed the fact that he was already in bed?

"I-I need to go get a tow," I managed to say, my face still flushed.

Anxious thoughts flooded my mind as I cautiously peeked under the covers, making sure nothing untoward had happened during the night. 'What if he drugged me? No, that's ridiculous. Why would he do that?' I reassured myself. To my relief, I noticed that my denim shorts were still on. Phew. A surge of relief washed over me as I climbed out of bed, hurrying to retrieve my phone from the nightstand. However, I quickly realized that my phone was still dead.

"Damn," I muttered under my breath. "Um, Donnie, do you have an Apple phone charger?"

"Yeah, I think it's in the drawer," he pointed towards the dresser.

Walking over to the old-fashioned wooden dresser, I opened each drawer one by one, only to find an abundance of boxers and a journal. 'Goodness, how many boxers does this guy need?' I thought to myself. Finally, in the last drawer, I discovered the charger. I swiftly took it out and hurried to the kitchen, plugging it into an outlet and placing my phone on the charger. I felt an odd excitement as I eagerly prepared to text Lina about my unexpected encounter with this millionaire. A few minutes later, my phone powered on, revealing ten texts from Lina saying "good morning" repeatedly.

Just then, Donnie walked into the kitchen, donning a pair of flamingo-print swimming trunks.

"Morning, babe," he playfully remarked.

"Don't call me that," I pouted, slightly annoyed.

"Sorry, babe," he responded teasingly. "Want some coffee?" he offered.

"Sure," I nodded, trying to focus on my conversation with Lina.

I messaged Lina, "Girl, you missed SO much!!"

Her reply came almost instantly. "OMG what?"

I proceeded to narrate the entire story, and she bombarded me with questions like, "Who is this guy? Do you like him? OMG YOU DO, DON'T YOU?" accompanied by a shocked emoji.

I looked up from my phone, meeting Donnie's gaze.

"So, what's with the swimming trunks?" I asked, curious.

"I'm taking you to the beach," he replied.

I stared at him in disbelief. "What do you mean?"

"I mean we're going to the beach today," he said, giving me an incredulous look.

"I need to get my car--" I started, but he interrupted me.

"Yeah, I know, but it's going to take a long time to get it repaired," he interjected. "Besides, I already called for a tow, so you're good." 

"Right," I responded, still trying to process everything.

Lina's question lingered in my mind. Did I like him? No, that couldn't be possible. I had only just met him less than 24 hours ago. That would be absurd.

"I want you to meet my friends," he informed me.

"But I literally have nothing to wear for the beach," I protested.

"You do now," he said, motioning toward his staff.

I watched as they carried an array of clothing to a room.

"That's your new room, you know, the one that isn't mine," he teased.

"Shut up," I playfully retorted.

The girl, Abigail, from the previous night, approached me.

"Miss Bella, your room is ready," she announced, gracefully curtsying.

"Go ahead," Donnie encouraged. "Try on the clothes."

I relented and made my way to the room. The sight of numerous neatly arranged clothes hanging in the closet and placed in the dressers caught my attention. A blue bikini immediately stood out, and I decided to try it on. It felt slightly snug but still wearable. I chose a black beach cover-up, slipped on a pair of white sandals, and grabbed a pair of sunglasses.

"Miss, please allow me to style your hair," Abigail offered.

I nodded, allowing her to work her magic as she skillfully curled my hair. As I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I couldn't help but feel stunning. Confidence surged through me as I embraced my appearance.

"He likes you," she suddenly said, catching me off guard.

"I'm sorry?" I responded, perplexed by her statement.

"Mr. Fontes," she said with a smile, "he likes you. I can tell."

A wave of skepticism washed over me. "How much is he paying you to say that to every girl he brings here?"

"Nothing," she replied, maintaining her smile. "And just so you know, you're the only girl he has ever brought here."

Her words hung in the air, leaving me with a mix of curiosity and uncertainty about Donnie's intentions.

Just as if on cue, Donnie knocked on the door, his voice carrying through.

"How much longer, princess?" he called out.

"She's ready," Abigail responded.

I rose from the vanity chair, turning to face him. His gaze lingered on me, causing a blush to warm my cheeks.

"Hot," he remarked, running his fingers through his hair.

Donnie sported a white tourist shirt and those captivating flamingo-print swimming trunks that accentuated his appearance. He motioned for me to join him.

"Let's go," he said, taking the lead as we stepped outside.

Curiosity nagged at me, and I couldn't help but voice my question. "Why are you insisting on introducing me to your friends? We barely know each other."

"Because, Bella," he answered, his voice lowering. "I like you."