EMILY

The Ride

Justin's POV

It was my fifth drink of the night but I didn't feel drunk, not drunk enough to forget about her. At my side, a brunette was busy flirting with Noah and he was not-so-subtly rejecting her. The scene would have been pretty funny if I wasn't drowning in my sorrows right now.

"Enough for a night buddy." he said when he noticed me ordering one more drink. "You have to stay sober if you want to drive back to your house."

"Whatever." I groaned and ordered water this time.

The same brunette girl passed him her room keys and whispered something in his ears. After she swayed towards the stair in a seductive manner, Noah tossed the keys away and ordered one drink for himself.

"You're rejecting her offer? Man your brother's girl has had you whipped." I teased him and he rolled his eyes.

"It isn't about Alicia by the way. I'm just over girls." he said and I started laughing out loud. "Fuck off. I didn't mean it like that. I just want to focus on my career for the next few years."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." I said and stood up to leave, picking up my car keys from the counter. "Don't drink too much."

On my way to the outside, I watched many girls eyeing me up and down seductively. Everybody in this club knew I was Asher Reed's son and that made them interested in me. They didn't want Justin, they just wanted the rich, billionaire's son. There was a time when I liked that I had ability to make a girl weak but now it didn't matter. There was only one girl I wanted.

And she hates me.

She hates me so much that she is afraid of being near me.

Damn. This shit hurts like hell.

I drove the car past the club. My vision felt blurred as I drove towards my house, passing by our school in my way. My head had started aching and I couldn't wait to fall on my bed and sleep all night.

I was on my way when I drove by a girl standing by her car. I would have ignored it if it was not for the familiar blonde tresses blowing in the wind. I halted the car to a stop and exited the car.

"What happened?" I asked. She was wearing white ripped jeans, a white T-shirt and a dark green blazer, her hair was pulled into a messy bun over her head. By the look of it, she was probably returning from a dinner or something.

"I was just returning from Sophia's house when my car broke down." she told me.

"Come on, I'll give you a ride." I said and walked towards her but stumbled on my way.

A frown appeared on her face as she probably realized my drunken state. "I don't think you should drive."

"I'm fine." I told her.

"No, you're not. You're drunk." she put her hands on her hips and said. My eyes followed her movement and rested on her curves.

"Geez. Loosen up miss." I rolled my eyes and said. She scowled at my words and turned her face aside. "I can drive. Come on." I sighed.

"I'll find another ride." she dismissed.

"For God's sake Em!" I almost shouted in irritation at her stubbornness. "Fine. You can drive the car and I'll just sit silently on the passenger seat."

Her eyes widened at my proposal and her frows burrowed. "You'll let me drive your Mercedes?" she asked and I nodded. "You pushed me on the ground when I mistakenly leaned against your car once."

I immediately felt guilty when I heard her words. I remember that day, I was angry at her because I found her laughing with a guy that day. I don't know what came over me when I pushed her.

"What I did was wrong and I have no justification for it." I wearied. "But please, don't be alone on this deserted road. Come with me."

She looked like she was contemplating the options. At last, she sighed and walked towards my car, with I silently following. I passed her the keys and closed the door once she was on the driver seat. This car was very dear to me because it was my first car among many others, but so was Emily, even more than the car. I seated myself on the passenger seat and she revved the engine. Soon, it was on its way to her house.

She tried to act really confident but I could see her hand shivering a little under my gaze. She looked beautiful in the dim light, her hair was like a mixture of melted caramel and honey and I wanted to smell them. I remember the scent, it was like strawberries. Her skin was just as good as her hair. Flawless. Without any imperfection. So was her neck, soft, pale, creamy.

Before my eyes could wander any lower than her neck, I turned my face away and rested my head back against the seat. My lids felt heavy and it was getting harder to keep them open. So before I could stop it, I found myself giving in to sleep.

...

Emily's POV

Throughout the drive, I kept praying for his car's safety because I didn't want to face his wrath. Stopping the car in front of my house, I turned to Justin and found him sleeping with his mouth slightly parted. It was a rare sight, him looking like a cute puppy with a small pout. Bringing my fingers to his face, I caressed his cheeks, a hint of a smile appeared on his face and he snuggled deeper into the seat.

I didn't know what to do. He was too drunk to drive and I didn't know his address well. I nudged his shoulder gently at first and then hard but when he didn't open his eyes, I poked his cheeks with my pointed fingernails. His eyes opened to narrowed slits and he looked around in his disoriented state.

"Come on, let's come inside. I'll call Noah and ask him to pick you up." I told him.

"I can d.. drive." his speech slurred.

"Of course you can." I rolled my eyes and said sarcastically. "Come on." I walked around the car and opened the door of his side. He stepped outside and gripped my wrist for support. His touch made my skin shiver but I gathered some courage and kept my face straight.

Once he was inside the living room, he collapsed on the couch and in no time, he was once again asleep. Smiling at the cute sight of him, I walked back to my room and called Noah to pick him up. After which I went into the bathroom to take a warm shower.

Wearing my pajamas, I made my way to the kitchen, silently so I don't wake him up. There was some leftover pasta in the fridge. I put it inside the microwave and warmed some milk for me. I was busy searching for chocolate powder in the cupboard when I felt his presence behind me.

Immediately I turned around and found Justin standing few steps away from me. I immediately regretted my decision of wearing my pink kitten pajamas. He always made fun of my love for pink and I knew he was going to do the same.

"Thanks." he said.

I looked away from his beautiful face and fixated my eyes at a far point. "It's fine." I whispered.

His eyes traveled down my body from head to toe as a smirk appeared on the corner of his lips. "You look cute in pink." he said and I instantly flushed red. He was complimenting me and my awkward self wasn't used to hear this.

"You too." I blurted out and then almost slapped my forehead at my response. "I mean you look.. Not pink.. Like other colors.. When you wear.."

"Ssshhh." he stepped closer to me. His proximity forced me to focus my gaze on his face. His pupil was dilated and there was a strange emotion on his face. "Emily." he whispered and I swear a shiver ran down my spine.

My breaths turned hard and I fought the urge to lean towards him. "I.. I.. I.." he started to say something but the bell of my house rang at the exact moment. I came back to my senses and pushed him away, walking past him to the door to open it.

"Hey." Noah greeted me on the other side of the door. "Where's Justin?"

"I'm here." he said and walked past me, out of the house. "Let's go." he said.

His eyes once again found mine and I turned my face away, because of the deep blush that was crawling up my neck.

"Bye." he smiled at me before turning around.

"Bye." I managed to say.

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