Manual of The Forbidden ➡ Irwin

Chapter 10.

"In my car." he said like it was so obvious, pointing at the vehicle next to him.

It was a black Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid.

"In your car..." I muttered felling really dumb.

He opened the passenger seat's door for me.

"Go in." he suggested me.

I reached the car, and he held my hand to help me in, I felt something really weird in my stomach moving, but I was really sure that wasn't the Shrew, she was sleeping right now.

"Thanks,"I mumbled feeling the blush creeping on my cheeks. I really hated it.

"Your welcome." he said in such a soft voice, that intensified the redness on my cheeks.

I started thinking he did that on purpose.

I set the camera on my legs.

He hopped in the car turning it on.

"Nice car," I complemented him.

"Thanks, but I like my brother's better," he laughed frankly, "Oh! An by the way he said he'd like to meet you!"

"What?" I frowned.

"Sharon's idea!" he clarified me.

"Oh.. It's great then."

"You're gonna like him, he's a really nice guy," he said while driving through Venice's streets.

"You're trying to do the same thing Sharon's trying to do, aren't you?" I looked at him.

"What?" somehow his tone didn't sound fake.

"Setting me up with someone."

He took off his sunglasses giving me the freeway to admire his beautiful eyes.

"Sharon is really into that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I grumbled shifting my weight in the car seat for a more comfortable

position.

He laughed again, filling the car with it's sound.

"Well, I swear I'm not doing it with that intention," he stopped at a red light.

"I don't believe you," I raised an eyebrow.

"I swore it, isn't it enough?" he said laughing.

"No it isn't." I replied serious.

He kept driving when the light turned green.

"It's just that I thought you already had a boyfriend," he kept his gaze on the road.

"And what made you think that?"

"Because you're really beautiful," he shrugged "so why not?..."

I froze in my seat, not letting my mind create any coherent thoughts.

The blush was again on my cheeks making me look as red as a tomato.

"Thank you..." I mumbled quietly.

"You believe me now?"

"Maybe."

"Why are you so stubborn?" he laughed staring blankly at me for a second.

"I wouldn't say stubborn, it's more like I'm hard to convince, that's all." I shrugged confidently.

"I know, and that is one of the reasons which I decided not to set you up with my brother, the other one is that Luke is in love with a mysterious woman."

"A mysterious woman?"

"I know him to well to tell when he is in love and when he is not, the only problem is that he doesn't want to tell me who that girl is." he sighed.

"We all have the right of privacy," I shrugged and he looked at me.

"It's just that I want to know who she is so bad!" he snorted frustrated.

"You're so nosy."

"Indeed ma'am."

He turned down a street and I could admire all through the polarised window of his car, the buildings, old houses, the canals, everything was magnificent.

"This is so pretty," I sighed resting my face in my right hand.

"What's pretty?" he asked still focused on driving.

"The city, the people, everything..."

He laughed.

"The first time you visit Venice you feel so overwhelmed by it's beauty,"

"For how long have you been living here?" I asked curious.

"2 years," he said like it was no big deal.

"2 years!" I opened my eyes like soup plates.

"Well... A year and a half really,"

"Woah! Then why...?" I stopped myself in the middle of the sentence remembering what Sharon had told me about him being from Sydney and that he left his hometown for the same reason she did: to forget a love from the past, and he hasn't even told her yet what was that all about.

"Why what?"

"So... you're from Sydney?" I tried to avoid the question I was formulating, erasing it from the conversation or something close to that, sounding as casual as I could.

"I am, but, why what?" he asked again.

"I just said the wrong words," I laughed nervously.

He looked at me with an I- don't-believe-you face, but then focused on the object placed on my legs.

"What's that?" he said pointing at it.

"My camera,"

"So you're a photographer?" I nodded.

"I am, and I love being it."

"And you like art," he concluded.

"Obviously,"

"Y'know, I like music!"

"Do you play any instruments?" I asked noticing how he tapped his fingers to an unknown rhythm.

"Mostly drums, but I also play guitar and I sing a bit."

"How talented." I clapped.

He smiled flattered at my comment.

"Thanks."

He kept driving, and every move he made left me overwhelmed, and I just kept replaying that question Sharon asked me the day I arrived here "Isn't he perfect?" and in the back of my mind I repeated "HE IS!!!!"

After a few minutes of silence a voice I knew perfectly interrupted my thoughts.

"We're here!" he cheered.

I looked in front of me, then to my left and I was amazed.

I hopped out of the car, feeling the gelid wind touch my covered arm and messing a few

strands of hair protruding from the beanie.

"C'mon I want to get in a gondola," he gestured me with his hand to follow him and I did it.

I was now closer to the canal seeing 3 more people sit in the wooden system of transportation, but when I was about to get in I stopped myself.

"what's wrong?" Ashton asked me with a confused face.

"I've heard that Venice's canals are deep," I bit my bottom lip indecisive of getting in or not.

He laughed.

"Are you afraid?"

------/////------

Like it so far????

Comment an like it please.