Green Hearts

Chapter 20

"Do you listen to Kendrick Lamar?" I ask him, turning my eyes from out the car window to watch his graceful movement behind the wheel

I'm still muttering lyrics that probably aren't correct to myself

"Yup" he comments, his gaze flickers to the rearview mirror then back on the road

I shrug. His answer is good enough for me since he's actually replying me now instead of being an angry dragon

His hand is holding mine and is sitting on my thigh, thumb drawing things on my skin. I smile at him even if he's glancing at me from the corner of his eye like I'm a crazy person

"Stop staring at me, you creep" he says and I see the smile his lips are pulled into by the illuminated light of the headlamp of an oncoming car

I laugh quietly to myself "You better enjoy it while you can, you don't know how many people beg me to smile on a daily basis" I retort

"That's because you have this grumpy bitchy face on every single time. It's scary" he gives a slight shudder of his shoulders like it's chilling memory

My mouth falls out, looking at him. He glances sideways at my expression and let's out a hearty laugh

"Take it back" I demand, mildly affected but needing him to apologize

"I can't take back the truth, babe. That's not how life works" he shrugs. He nods off at the road and I point my parent's house out to him

"Jace Archer, apologize to me right now" I demand, turning my body to face him as he pulls into the driveway. He parks the car and turns off the engine before turning his body also in his seat to look at me

"No" he kisses the corner of my mouth and steps out of the car

I won't be deterred from my purpose of getting an apology from him by some silly kisses that happen to make me flutter inside, I'll get my apology!

I see my dad standing on the porch, watching me with a large grin on his face as I run up to him after I get out of the car. Jace follows behind me

"Is that my baby girl?" Dad's voice booms loudly and I jump into his arms for a bear hug

His arms lift me off the ground and I laugh happily when he when he kisses my head repeatedly while I hang in the air

"Dad!" I squel "Put me down"

He laughs before dropping me down to my natural height but he doesn't disengage the hug, his arms crushing my body

"Dadddddd!!" I groan in his ear, trying to detangle myself from him. He kisses my hair one more time and turns to face Jace

His smile falters a bit as his eyes narrow at the poor boy. Jace on his part doesn't look the least affected by it; he still how on a pretty smile on his calm face

"Hi, I'm Jace" he says and extends a hand to my dad who takes it while still eyeing him stealthily like he'd stolen something from him in the past

"Dad" I bump his shoulder and give him a 'give up the act' look. He shrugs with a toothy grin before he laughs and pulls Jace into the house along with us

"Oh look, the ugly people are here" Muna's face appears out of thin air and I shoot her a glare which she deflects with an innocent smile and slight flutter of her long lashes

She had blabbered on and on how Jace and I were too much of a stress for her and are reducing her mental capability with our presence so she'd rather arrive here on her own

Yeah, that's certainly not the truth. She just wanted to come here and talk forever about Jace to my dads before we arrive and from the way Bruce sized him up from the porch, she's done her job just fine