Eternal Adoration [ON PAUSE]

22. Kiss It Away

A/N: Two longer chapters! Excuse any errors please, I'll be back for the last round of edits a little later! ❤️

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SERAPHINA

I don't know how to deal with angry, infuriated men.

That's my one flaw, Moses always said when his father would come home irritated and turn piping mad after I'd open my mouth to simply ask him how his day went. It was a perfunctory question, one I asked simply to give the illusion of care. It was pointless though. Both of us knew I didn't give a damn about him.

Still, according to my stepbrother, it was somehow my fault that he'd end up yelling at me and making a mess out of the living room. It was my fault because I didn't know how to deal with men with their panties in a twist. I love Moses, and I know he was trying to keep me safe, but seriously, his logic was flawed and steeped in heavy misogyny.

Maybe angry, infuriated men should just get over themselves and behave like big boys.

"I didn't mean to leave without saying anything," I explain calmly as we slow down behind a car. We're stuck in traffic, moving a little only to slow down a second later. It would honestly take less time for us to walk home, but something tells me we aren't going to the apartment. "I just didn't want to disturb you guys in light of the . . . situation."

His hands tighten on the steering wheel, but he says nothing, keeping his gaze trained ahead on traffic. I know he senses me looking at him and I know that he wants me to shut up, but tension and I are nemesis. I can't let it linger in the air without attempting to extinguish it.

"I'm sorry, Aristide," I blurt out earnestly, "I should have said something before leaving but you were busy and clearly dealing with a lot and I just wanted to go out and figure out how I feel about everything and where to go next." I take a deep breath. "So I just left and figured I'd text you, but then I forgot bec-"

"Why were you with him?"

I blink, surprised that he's talking. "What?"

"That kid. Tomas Greenfield." He glances at me, his eyes narrowed in focus. Or maybe it's annoyance.

"Oh. We just ran into each other." I frown. "Wait. How do you know his name?"

"You just ran into each other?"

"So you're just going to ignore my question?"

"Yes. Now tell me how exactly you managed to run into each other."

I huff out a breath and roll my eyes. "He was going to the arcade with his brother, I was walking down the sidewalk. We almost collided. I decided to tag along. We played arcade games apparently for several hours. Ate some surprisingly good burgers. End of story."

He's quiet for a moment, seemingly absorbing my story, looking for any holes. When he doesn't find any, he grunts and cuts me a look. "We need to get you a car. No more walking."

My eyes grow so large that it's a miracle they don't fall out of my eyes. "Woah, woah, woah. Let's calm down there, buddy. We don't need to 'get me a car.' I'm perfectly fine walking or taking the bus if needed. Plus, I don't know how to drive."

"I'll teach you," he says like it's a no-brainer.

"No, you won't."

"You need to drive, Seraphina. You can't walk everywhere. Or take the fucking bus."

"Hey! Not too much on the bus, man. And walking is safer than driving."

We're held up at a red light, so he turns to me and gives me a look. "Let me teach you how to drive, mia cara. Please. For my peace of mind."