A Game of Ordeal

Chapter two

Robert was driving down the darkened road much faster than usual. Since Elizabeth's car was slightly more powerful than his, he allowed himself to press down on the gas pedal, especially now that she was asleep. The curly-haired girl had dozed off, leaning against the window, letting fatigue wrap her in its embrace. The sandwich wrapper was tossed into the cup holder, and in her hands, she still held the milk chocolate given to her by Alex. Robert noticed this and took one hand off the steering wheel to place the sweet treat in the car's glove compartment.

"What happened to her?" Courtney broke the grave silence among the group as she noticed Robert's innocent gesture. He glanced at the rearview mirror for a second before taking a breath and saying:

"She didn't eat much today, and she's been on her laptop all day working on orders. She's overworking herself, and I'm starting to get angry."

"You know she loves what she does, and you know she likes to handle things on her own. We know her."

"Money isn't more important to me than my sister's health. You get that, right?"

"There's no need to be rude," the dark-haired girl muttered irritably. The boy rolled his eyes and sighed bitterly—he had noticed how irritated Elizabeth had become after her conversation with Courtney.

At that moment, Elizabeth's phone started ringing insistently, instantly waking her up. She was an incredibly light sleeper, and even the smallest noise could pull her out of her dreams. The girl quickly sat up and began searching for her phone, as she hated ignoring calls—she never knew if it was for an order, something urgent, or just a pleasant conversation. The combination of being easily awakened and receiving constant phone calls sometimes played tricks on her, but she had grown used to it. The curly-haired girl found her phone lying at her feet and quickly grabbed it with her hands. Her eyes focused on the bright screen, and she squinted slightly to see who was calling.

"N-Naomi?" her sleepy voice echoed in the car, and Robert instinctively turned down the music so as not to disturb their conversation.

"Hello, Liz? Why do you sound like that?"

"I dozed off in the car. Have you guys arrived?"

"Y-yeah. We're just waiting for you. The guys are at the barbecue. Where are you, is there any traffic?"

"We're in Frisco. We'll be there in half an hour. If Robert keeps driving the way he is now, we might be there in twenty minutes."

The brunette pursed his lips in irritation and reluctantly eased off the gas pedal. Elizabeth had been waiting for this and laughed brightly, now visibly more awake and relaxed. She reached out with her free hand and began scratching his head—something he really enjoyed.

"You're so annoying."

"And I love you too," she replied before turning her attention back to the phone conversation with Naomi. "Everything's fine, we're on our way, don't worry."

"Okay. We're expecting you."

Naomi ended the call, bringing their conversation to a close. At that moment, she felt two muscular arms wrapping around her delicate body, and for a moment, her stomach filled with warmth as butterflies began to dance inside her. Michael buried his head in her neck, inhaling deeply, letting the scent of her perfume fill his senses. The boy brushed his warm lips against her ear, allowing her diamond earring to gently graze them.

"Where have you been hiding, sweetheart?" he whispered, his voice caressing her ear, and she laughed softly. Her smile lit up her face like the sun—her feelings for him made her heart race. Naomi looked up at him—broadly smiling, handsome, and happy. With a single motion, he turned her towards him, their faces just a centimeter apart. Michael pressed his lips to hers, wrapped his arms around her slender waist, and lifted her up.