Guarded

Chapter 16

The sound of the bell ringing was music to my ears and I didn't hesitate to walk out of the building. The day seemed longer than it should have been and much more tiring.

As I ran down the steps just ahead of everyone else I could see the car come into view and I was suddenly filled with a different kind of embarrassment to the one I was suppressing all day.

I could guess what my friends would think about my recent actions but Luca was different. I didn't know him very well in fact I'd only just started calling him by his name but I knew I didn't want him thinking I was as humiliating as I knew I was and though I knew my crush wouldn't go far I doubted vomit was a turn on.

I slowed down just a bit, no longer feeling eager to leave, till I was only a few feet away from the large figure. I tried to look him in his eyes but I settled for his hair and forehead smiling when I saw the ungelled strands.

He opened my door  for me and I frowned at his silence. He slid into the drivers side soon after and my frown deepened as he silently started the car.

"You owe me a plane ticket to France" he said suddenly after fourteen noiseless minutes.

"I do?" I said scrambling to the front of the car desperate to have him speak to me.

"Don't you remember" I shook my head "Well you were pretty drunk. We made a bet the other night. I said you would puke the next day but you were so sure"

"I don't remember that" I said drawing me eyebrows together.

"Like I said, you were pretty drunk"

I thought hard back to that night and was sure I was fine after I had my drink but of course it could have kicked in later.

"Well just be grateful I didn't puke on you" I laughed awkwardly "seems to be all I do nowadays"

"Yeah, I saw the release"

I groaned internally and muttered "Of course you did"

"I found it very entertaining" a smirk breaking out over his face.

"Don't laugh at me. I hate those"

"Why would you do one of those TV things if you hate it so much anyway"

"I was being punished" I smiled.

"What did you do?" He said turning his attention from the road to me. The traffic was moving slow today.

"I gave away a lot of money to an orphanage"

"Most people your age are being punished for taking drugs or contracting an STD. You on the other hand are punished for donating money"

"Yup"

"You are one weird kid" he said and I hit his arm not caring that he was driving "What!"

"Don't say that!" I shouted.

"Don't say what?"

"Kid"

"What's wrong with that?"

"My parents already treat me enough like a child. Do you know what its like to be nineteen and still at school? to not be able to leave the house when I want to?"

"No but you are kind of young" he shrugged and I raised my hand to hit him again "okay okay" he laughed "maybe not 'young' just naive"

I thought for a moment and decided naive was no better than young "Is that what you think of me?"

He thought for a moment before answering "when I first met you I thought you were just another rich ungrateful little girl who thought you could buy your way out of everything"

"Then?" I probed unsatisfied with his answer.

"Then I just thought you were desperate for attention or batshit crazy. You would scream in my ear and try to run off and even scratched the car to get a reaction out of me. When you tried to stab me that's when I was sure of it"

"And, now?"

"Now I'm not sure. You seem sweet. You want to be treated like the adult you think you are but you are naive and too kind for your own good. You throw around this attitude sometimes to get your own way and because you don't want people walking over you but in actuality I think you're innocent. You sneak out and argue with your parents but you're a good girl"

"I'm not"

"I'm ready to be proven wrong" he said lowly making me fidget.

A moment passed before I remembered a question I had been meaning to ask him "Luca?"

"Yes"

"Do you live in the Maison? Because most of the bodyguards have their own places"

"No I have an apartment close by"

"Well you have a car in the garage and the other day when you were in the shower..."

"My apartment doesn't have space for my Camaro so I've been spending some time here"

"You have a Camaro?"

"1970. She's a beaut but she needs some work done. I'm trying to fix her up myself but I messed up with the transmission and was covered in oil so I took a shower"

"Oh"

"Why? Did you like what you saw?" He said and I was suddenly very hot.

"Is the traffic moving along?" I said, my voice up an octave, ignoring his quiet laughs "I'm kind of expecting a guest back at the house"

"It isn't that Anya girl is it? She's got a real starring problem" he said making me laugh in my seat.

"No its just Jacob, a different friend of mine"

"Jacob... Collins?"

"Yeah. Do you know him?"

"Not really" he said gripping the steering wheel slightly.

The rest of the journey was quick. Luca teased me about my inability to hold my liquor and I sat there just happy that we had decided to break the rules.