Love & Cigarettes

Chapter 9- Red Lipstick and Cigarettes

The drive back home is quiet and awkward, this is not how I want it to be.

I wanted us to talk, laugh and be each others good company. Dean does steal a few quick glances at me but doesn't say a thing.

I want to reach out and just touch him, grab his hand- maybe let him explain himself but his is driving. A part of me feels guilty for overreacting.

I did expect him to have a girlfriend but now that I know he actually does,it just feels like he betrayed me and that I've just discovered that he is cheating on me which is really not the case right now.

I am being silly.

I don't want to step out of this car with this tension between us. I don't even know why I was upset in the first place but then here we are. Diarn would've broken this silence and started a conversation by now- we'd be driving home in a cheerful mood not this.

But this is Dean not Diarn, Amber. I correct myself.

I wish I was in my car right now, driving myself back home- I should've accepted my Dad's offer to drive me back home, then I suddenly remember that Dean never told me what happened to my car.

I never even thought about it up until now.

"What happened to my car?", I break the deafening silence, still facing forward not daring to look at him.

"It was towed, it's currently at the mechanic. It's expected to be back to normal after 2 working days. I was going to fetch it myself and drop it off at your house", he says

I nod my head and look at him for a second then proceed to ask,

" Which mechanic?"

He turns to quickly glance at me before adding,

" My uncle's workshop, where he fixes cars. It's only an hour from where I live. I already paid for it- so you won't have to worry about that or paying me back "

I let out a deep sigh and start nodding my head very slowly. I want to say thank you and ask him how much did it cost him so that I can pay him back but I don't.

I can see he wants to add something too but he's trying so hard to stop himself. I want to break away from starring at him but I can't help but admire how hot he looks driving and how considerate he is.

My dad had asked about the car during his hospital visits but I pretended to be sleepy because I knew he would flip if he knew that the car might possibly been taken by Dean.

" Are you mad at me?" he asks.

" No", I tell him as he makes a turn on the road and we drive by a small park, with large trees and he decides to park there.

The park is empty because of the cold and the wet weather.

He removes his hands from the steering wheel and then rubs his face with both of his hands and places them back on the steering wheel, he let's out a deep sigh before quickly turning his face to look at me.

" Well, why the silent treatment then?", he asks and I can sense the frustration in his voice.

I shift in my seat, wanting to snap at him in the rudest way possible but when I face him- he overpowers me with his dead eyes so I just decide to take the other route of approach,

" You...you have a girlfriend" I say firmly, starring right into his beautiful brown eyes.

" Who said she's my girlfriend?" he shoots back and I battle in my mind if I should answer him or not- I don't.