This Love | ✓

Part 20

"Nice day, isn't it?" Jason asked, holding the passenger side door open for me. 

I thanked him and climbed in, shuffling until my backpack was comfortably resting on my lap. The cloudy sky was painted in a shade of grey as I gazed at it through the tinted car window.

"Yeah," I agreed after he strapped himself to the driver's seat. 

Jason placed his arm on the headrest of my seat as he pulled out of Claire's driveway. My vision was glued to his fingers, my thoughts wandering back to the kiss that we had shared two days earlier.

"Let's roll down the windows," I suggested. 

He obliged with a smile, pressing a button next to the gear console. All four windows slid down, allowing the cool early evening air to flood the car's interiors.

It was a relief to go out after having spent two days cooped up in Claire's house, incapacitated by a cold. I had spent my time watching TV, exchanging casual emails with Chris, and sleeping. Itching to see Jason again, I called him and made plans to go out the moment I felt better.

A refreshing breeze caressed my skin as I observed the luxurious homes that populated Claire's neighbourhood. When we drove into the city, the air turned warmer, the smell of the ocean mingling with the stifling odour of automobiles. The horde of cars reminded me of the hectic traffic jams that paralysed London regularly.

I should call Dad and see how he's doing, I thought to myself.

Suddenly, my phone chimed from within my backpack, breaking the silence. I dug around for it and found a message from Claire: I'm going to stay at the office a little longer today. Did Jason pick you up?

I sent a quick response: Yeah, we just left. I'll call you when I'm back.

Her reply came instantly: Okay. Have fun, Lee!

"Oh, I almost forgot," I exclaimed, grabbing the pouch of candies after dropping my phone into my backpack.

I picked two round sweets, their white centres imprinted with the picture of a muffin, and held one out to Jason. He turned slightly, careful not to take his eyes off the road. 

"Both hands on the wheel," I reminded him with a laugh when Jason moved his hand away from the steering wheel to take the candy. "Here, let me."

The tips of my fingers brushed against his lower lip as I dropped the sweet into his mouth. I momentarily forgot how to breathe when Jason's eyes flitted to mine.

"Eyes on the road," I whispered, my fingers still lingering on his lips.

"Right," he murmured, sounding obviously flustered. 

I withdrew my hand, the previously comfortable silence turning tense and heavy. Sinking back into my seat, I swallowed the other piece of candy, my mind inevitably wandering to the unforgettable kiss.

I stole a glance at Jason and found him staring straight ahead, his cheeks tinged red.

Is he thinking about it, too?

***

"Wow," I breathed, surveying the most exquisite, varied range of roses I had ever seen.

Nestled in between the Science Centre and the Natural History Museum, the sunken garden was home to rows and rows of stunning roses laid out on neatly manicured lawns. The cloudy sky and the sound of water gushing in a fountain nearby gave the place a surreal, heavenly ambience. Although the garden was set in between two famous tourist attractions, it exuded a detachment from its surroundings, like a lone tree in a concrete jungle.