Black Rose

Four

"When did you learn how to cook?" I asked, washing the last of the dishes we used. "You couldn't even cook water in school."

He threw his head back and laughed. "Come on. Give me more credit than that."

I shook my head no. "I can't. You were a horrible cook dude."

"Ok, I'll give you that. And to answer your question, a girl I dated taught me the ins and outs of cooking. She's a chef."

"She did something that I couldn't do. Kudos to her." I replied feeling slightly envious of this ex-girlfriend. Wiping the countertops down, Raine fetched the broom and began sweeping the floor. Although, being in his presence after yearning for it for so long, it was time for me to head home and get back to my regularly scheduled life. I have clients expecting their paintings to be done this week and I haven't even started yet. I washed the dish rag out and placed it neatly on the rack before going into the bedroom. Raine was thoughtful enough to go out and buy me an outfit while I was sleeping and that's what I'm wearing now. Gathering my dirty clothes together, as well as my wallet and keys, I walked down to the kitchen again. "Hey, I really need to get home, so can you take me to my gallery?"

"Are you sure you don't want to stay another night?" He queried hopefully.

"No, I have a heap of paintings to get done and I have yet to do one."

"Ok, let me go put on some clothes and I'll take you back." Disappearing up the stairs, I ran my fingers through my untamed hair. I've let myself down already by staying here last night. I had no intentions of getting close to Raine again and I've let my guard down more than I should've. He's probably assuming all is well between us when it's not. He came jogging down the stairs fully clothed with his keys in hand. I opened the front door, letting myself out first and he wasn't far behind.

"Thank you." I said after he opened the car door for me.

"Just being a gentleman." He smirked, walking around to the driver's side. Starting the car, he was just about to pull out of the driveway until I stopped him. "What?"

"You need to put your seatbelt on before you move this car." I stated seriously.

Furrowing his brows, he shook his head no. "They make me uncomfortable Suri."

"Melrose" I pointed out. "And you either put it on or I'll call a cab to pick me up."

"Are you serious?" He asked in disbelief.

I nodded. "Very serious. Arabella's death really opened my eyes and has me wearing my seatbelt every time I'm in a vehicle."

Tucking his lips, he nodded his head slowly and proceeded to put his seatbelt on. No more words were exchanged the entire time we rode to my gallery, but I wasn't stressing it. I'm not sure if I hit a nerve when I corrected him or when Arabella was brought up. Every so often, I'd look at him, wanting to say something, but I don't know what to say. He kept clenching and unclenching his jaw, making me believe something was on his mind.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked quietly.

"No." He glanced at me then back at the road. "There isn't anything to talk about."

Leaving it at that, I looked out of the window for the duration of the ride. My eyes grew heavy and I started to doze off until he pulled up behind my building, stopping next to my car. Unbuckling myself, I reached on the floor and scooped my bag up. "Thank you, Raine, for everything you've done for me. You didn't have to, but you did and I'm appreciative of it."

"How am I supposed to spend the rest of my life being indebted to you if aren't here?" He smirked teasingly. Rolling my eyes playfully, his smirk left as quick as it came. "Seriously, you don't have to thank me for doing what was right. If I see anyone dangling from a building, I'll do the same for them."