Teach Me Something // LH44

Chapter Thirty-Two

*BEEEEP*

The screech of a long drawn out car horn comes from my right and makes me jump out of my skin as my attention snaps towards the sound. A moment of adjustment is all I need before I see a grinning Kaiden leaning over Lewis and holding his palm on the steering wheel to get my attention. The sight allows relief to flood my chest as I smile brightly at them, my eyes finding Lewis's and I know that he instantly knows my decision as his eyes light up and he grins about as widely as I saw him do on the top step at Silverstone. That was a special feeling.

"I'm sorry I'm late... I lost track of the time," I tell them as I reach the car and lean down through the window of the old school Mercedes saloon car. One that I was yet to have seen from his collection in London but probably should have expected.

"It's okay, we enjoyed watching you run," he teases me and I grin, unable to care about that as I hear a click of the boot opening so that I am able to put my bags away. I'm still walking on air from the relief that he's there and it's when I break my cardinal rule of this to date, closing the space between us as I give him a quick kiss on the lips. The kind of kiss that's routine, that's every day... that shows you that the person who is there is part of your reality. It's not a fantasy... it's real. "Wow... thank you." It's as much of a surprise to Lewis as it is to me when I pull away and his cheeks go pink.

"Er... no problem," I tell him, a shy smile on my face as I stand up and go to put my bags in the car boot before slipping into the backseat where I find Willow already sitting. "Hi... erm, thanks..." I say, filling the now awkward silence as both of the kids in the car are staring at me like I'm a zoo animal.

"I'd normally ask how the kid's days are but I don't think it's fair on Kaiden to do that while you're in the car... or fair on you... so either way - Willow, how was football?" Lewis helps me, trying to fill the silence as he reverses out of the parking lot and uses his other hand to turn Kaiden's head to face forward as Willow begins to slowly talk about her day and practice. All the while, both the kids keep on looking at me with so much curiosity I know from years of experience that there is no way to dodge the question with them, especially when Willow finishes her story and looks at me squarely in the face.

"Where do you live Miss Hart?" she says, so upfront and bluntly in the way that only kids can get away with talking. It's not a harsh question, just a surprise as I try to stay calm, having expected a response like that while I hear Lewis splutter in the front seat.

"I'm in between places right now," I say evasively but without missing a beat.

"Do you live in the same building as my Uncle?" She asks, following up quickly as Kaiden turns to look around the side of his seat at us.

"I might do soon," I say with a nod and she looks unconvinced by my answers, as I knew she would be but I didn't want to overstep any lines. This was Lewis's family and I knew that along with racing, they meant everything to him. It wasn't for me to say right now.

"I asked Miss Hart if she would move in with me. She's currently deciding if she's going to say yes because she has a really nice flat with one of her best friends... so I'm asking her to do a big thing," Lewis interrupts for me, his hand back on Kaiden's head as he turns him to look forward once more and I catch his eye in the rearview mirror to see him smiling, clearly comfortable with his answer which makes me melt into my seat a little more.

"Is Miss Hart your girlfriend Uncle Lew?" Kaiden asks and my eyes don't waiver from Lewis's in the rearview mirror as his smile increases.

"Yes, yes she is," he says proudly and although I know I should care because we haven't spoken about this let alone agreed on that fact, I don't. I just feel my cheeks return to their previously pink cheeks as I stop feeling like a zoo attraction and instead feel a rush of emotion, as though there's a stampede of animals in my chest. It does the trick because at the end of the day, kids only care about the unknown, as soon as they get answers a previously interesting situation becomes mundane and they move on fast.