Beautiful Sin [ ON HOLD ]

Chapter 34.

I could see her smiling to herself from my peripheral vision as I drove her to the convent. Those lips, full and pink curved in a close mouthed smile , her head resting against the cold window beside her.

" What's the reason behind your smile , Tess?" I probed , darting curious glances at her while multitasking on facing the dark snake ahead of me with tired eyes.

She straightened up , her head leaving the window but the smile remained unbothered as she faced me. In a fleeting moment, I offered her my gaze , her blue eyes drowning me with their beauty , I felt my stomach flip involuntarily. Soon I was reaping my eyes away from her and back on the road as I patiently waited for her to answer my question.

" Tess?" I detected a hint of amusement dancing inside her sonorous voice and I sly smirk found its way on to my lips.

" Is there a problem?" I asked , still smirking at the newly found nickname. I was certain that I had called her that once but back then , I didn't think it would germinate into naughty habit. But seating here ,inside my car, basking under the euphoric feeling provided by her presence , I decided to resurrect the nickname I made for her.

Shifting against the leathery seat , Tess chuckled a bit loud this time.

" So now I'm Tess?" A question posed in form of a playful banter.

" Would you prefer Tessa ?" I took a left turn down Oak street and from a distance , I could already make out the dirt road that tunneled all the way to her residence.

" I don't know," she let out a breathy laugh. " what's so preference? which one do you like best? Tess or Tessa?"

" Tess sounds good , so does Tessa," I nodded after pondering on the suitability of both nicknames.

" You have to pick one," I felt her poke against my shoulder.

Having thought it through in a span of five seconds , I settled on the right answer.

" I'll tell you when we get to the convent," I promised , sending her a reassuring smile before facing back to the road that would soon split into a dirt road , bejeweled with fine rocks and gravel.

" So?" I asked , diving back into the previously asked question.

The tires underneath my car crunched against the gravelly road as it rolled along its length , a sense of satisfaction pooling my nerves at the sound. Teresa sighed loudly , readjusting her seatbelt that hugged her torso before chuckling quietly at her source of amusement , be it the pleasant thoughts that oscillated inside her brain or the nicknames I birthed her with.

" A penny for your thoughts ?"

Humming thoughtfully to herself, she gave a finalized response," No."

" What, why not?" I exclaimed , the grip around my steering wheel increasing significantly once I saw a small squirrel dash across the road or so I thought.

" Unless you call me by my nickname,"

Ah, so she did like the playful teasing between our mended yet fragile friendship. That mischief that would occasionally rear its head inside her bedazzled sapphire eyes revealing the naughty side of her being. The cunning version of her peaking behind the veil of her righteous self image. I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth as I savored this moment.

" And if I don't?"

" Then I won't tell you anything, not a single thing at all," she huffed in a pretentious scowl , crossing her arms over her chest as she gazed fixatedly on the stretch of road ahead. That seemed to humor me as I laughed at her playfulness. And so I decided to play along. To set the ball rolling.