The Crew | On Hold

Chapter 15

"Andrew, you don't have to..." I start to say, completely caught off guard by his kindness. I feel embarrassment slowly crawl in my thoughts and my cheeks turn a shade pinker, but I try to conceal those feelings with better ones - like thankfulness for the people around me.

"Don't worry about it, Emma." He repeats, complete calmness and confidence taking over his voice, and convincing me to stop worrying. His eyes bore in mine, like saying 'come on', and I manage a small smile both as a token of happiness and a way of saying 'thanks'. 

I hug Anna, tell goodbye to Alex and Matilda, who are whining that I'm not joining them for shots and now they're gonna get drunk, and even exchange glances with Mila, who is on the dance floor with Alice and the whole group she arrived, plus a few men that I've never seen, who are obviously trying so hard to get into Alice or Mila's panties.

Outside, the cold breeze blows straight into my face, and a small shiver runs across my body, making me tremble slightly. Andrew notices that, and immediately moves closer to me, to put his arm around my shoulders.  

"Cold?" he smiles a half-smile. "I bet there are a few taxis on the street around the corner. They like to lurk around the club, hoping to take someone home for good money." 

My eyes widen slightly. For good money? How will I repay the money to Andrew? Maybe I should better ditch while I'm ahead and try to walk home? I could walk for a few hours, until the first metro starts going.

We turn around the corner, and, just like Andrew said, there is a line of taxi's standing there. Some of the drivers are standing outside their vehicles, while others can be seen through the windows, sleeping inside their cars.  

Andrew opens the door for me, smiling ear to ear. I almost stop, when I see his beautiful smile, but  Andrew turns to look at someone walking by, so my trance breaks and I quickly hop in the cab, feeling awkward and like I'm returning to my childhood.

I expect Andrew to just close the door and wave me goodbye, but, instead, he gets in and sits right next to me, his body too close to feel comfortable without feeling like we have a fling, so I scoot further to the left side, leaving him on the right side.

"What are you doing?" I choke out, surprise squeezing my throat shut uncomfortably.

He turns his head, looks me in the eyes for a long second, and, with a small smile, he asks me what the address is. With a little delay, I respond, and he tells the address to the driver, since I said it so quietly that I'm surprised he even heard it.

The first five minutes we drive in silence, both looking out the window. I don't really know what to say, since I'm now in the dark as in why he's driving with me, and why did he even volunteer to pay for my cab. Of course, I appreciate it more than anything, but, still, I'm not used to people being so nice. The people I've come in contact with in the past haven't been the nicest ones.

The driver is wearing a massive winter jacket, so he is probably very warm, but the rest of the car is freezing cold. The air warmers are turned off and he is sitting there, all toast warm, making me envious of his warmth. 

I rub my hands together, so they'd get at least a little bit of warmth. The act doesn't go unnoticed by Andrew, of course. Is there ever something that he doesn't notice? He reaches over to take my hands and covers them with his warm and big hands. They easily cover every spot on my hands, so after a second my hands are also warm and toasty.

We ride in silence. A few times my mind wanders off to thoughts about the possible conversations we could have, or how I'd tell him why exactly I am poor, but, thankfully, he doesn't ask anything. A few times I feel his eyes on me, but I don't want him to start asking questions, so I pretend that I don't notice him watching me. Instead, I look out the window, starting to recognise the familiar surroundings of my neighbourhood.

The street that I live on is silent and dark, just like in a horror movie. The street light isn't working properly and the light is flickering on-and-off. A small, barely noticeable shiver runs over my spine, but Andrew, as usual, catches every tiny detail. His big, grey eyes bore into mine, searching for the reason of my shivers. 

The car stops at my house and embarrassment crawls in my stomach, turning it badly in shame, as Andrew takes a look at my old house. It's been like this ever since dad left us. We wanted to colour it over and make it look at least presentable, but we never had the proper funds and time. So, the house stands here, sad and coloured in a faded yellow colour. The flowers on the porch are starting to dry out, so I make a mental note to water them as soon as Andrew is out of the sight.

Andrew climbs out of the car and holds the door open for me. For a second I wonder if he's gonna ask me to invite him inside, but, when he leans inside the cab to tell the taxi driver to wait for him, I am sure that he's not staying. Thankfully. Wouldn't want to make a mistake. Or give mom a false hope that I've finally found myself a boyfriend. 

"So..." Andrew begins, hesitating to say something. I can see it in his eyes that he would want to ask me about the house or why I'm so poor, but he's holding back like a true gentleman. "I've delivered you home safe and sound. I guess this is my cue to leave." He smiles a half-hearted smile.

"Yeah, um, thank you for getting me home. I really appreciate it." I look at my worn converse sneakers awkwardly, not sure if I'm saying it good enough. This isn't the first time someone's ever shown me kindness, but, for some reason, I feel the most embarrassed and awkward, when it's Andrew, who's being the kind one.

I'm starting to have a crush on him, and it makes it all worse. I try, and try, and try, but I cannot avoid noticing the way he looks so beautiful and heartbroken when he's filming. I can't look past the fact that he is one of the most charming men I've ever met. Not to mention that he's very kind to everyone on the set. Geez, why am I such an affectionate person? Why do I get attracted so easily? 

I hate, hate, hate, that, even though I try to think of something else, somehow Andrew has just creeped his way into my thoughts and heart. 

Hello, my dear reader! Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, that you'll vote for it, and, most importantly, that you'll continue reading the story. :)

Ps. My book disappeared for a few days, and it was totally the scariest feeling ever! It was an error, thank God, so it came back, safe and sound (: