CREATURE

・chapter 33・

Some two hours later Asya was staggering after Roman through the lobby of their building, desperately trying to keep up with his long legs without breaking into an undignified jog. For every stride he took she needed about three, and she was almost certain she looked completely ridiculous.

As they made their way through the reception area Beth bid them a cheerful goodbye, although the receptionist did seem a little surprised that they were heading out together. Truthfully, Asya hadn't quite let the magnitude of her recent impulsive decision-making sink in either.

Over the past two days she'd been in his apartment twice, both times she went up there of her own accord, and both outings were pretty severe transgressions as far as she was concerned. But who knows, maybe she would have figured out a way to justify those two mistakes to herself. But this on the other hand, watching her designer leather duffel bag hanging over his shoulder with three days of clothing inside, this wasn't even remotely excusable.

That was what survival mode did to her. It made her short-sighted and stupid, always searching for escape routes from reality. Survival mode had been keeping her sane these past two weeks, but now it was leading her down a truly inappropriate path to get her out of a Christmas party. But maybe, just maybe, survival mode was on to something. Maybe him and his ghastly reputation was a better alternative to three days of binging and purging for hours on end to try and feel anything besides loneliness. Maybe, just maybe.

She followed him through a nondescript-looking door at the far end of the lobby into a narrow, downward winding stairwell. She was half-hoping he had something in one of the storage units, or knew of some shortcut to the tube, or anything, literally anything besides-

He pulled a set of keys out of his coat pocket, and lights in the corner of the underground parkade flashed. Oh dear god.

She had not thought this through.

'You can drive?' she squeaked, trotting after him over the concrete floor.

He flashed her that infuriating smirk as he hauled their bags into the back of a deadly-looking black sports car. She swallowed.

'You have a license?' she asked. An extraordinarily dumb question, but that was quite literally all her teeny tiny little survival mode brain could come up with.

'I do have a license.' he grinned back, resting his elbows on the roof of his car.

She shifted anxiously on her feet, surveying her options. Back upstairs, to boredom and insanity, or him and a car that looked like it could get a speeding ticket while it was standing still.

'Would you like to drive?' he asked, tossing her the car keys.

She stumbled to catch it. Of course, she had no idea how to fucking drive, and judging by the sarcasm in his voice, he knew that. Bastard.

She narrowed her eyes to slits, shooting him a glare that would have reduced most men to a pile of ash, before she flung the keys back at him and lowered herself into the passenger seat. She tried telling herself that maybe this was better than taking public transport and being seen with him, but still if he drove like he danced she might be getting peeled off the motorway's tarmac.

He got in next to her and started his death trap, lights on the dashboard coming on as the car grumbled to life beneath her. She double and then triple-checked her seatbelt, wishing the strip of polyester could somehow anchor them to the parking lot. She'd swear on her life that she heard him laugh.

He drove them out of the underground and onto the cobble street, before heading toward Trafalgar Square. While they were weaved through a swarm of holiday-season traffic in London's busy intersection she conceded that he did actually know how to drive. And, despite looking like a health hazard, the car was quite nice. Comfortably luxurious, low to the ground, with a black and silver interior to match the exterior. Not that she knew anything about cars, she was a London girl and aside from a few rentals she'd seen Julian drive, she hadn't been in all that many. But just as soon as she was warming up to the car they got onto the motorway, her eyes widening with each gear shift.