61

Ivan

I rearranged the rear-view mirror to be able to keep an eye on Jewel as she sat in the back alone. Our eyes often net when I looked up from the road and at the mirror.

"You can come to the front now," I turned to tell her after Konstantin got down from the front seat of my car. Jewel had fallen asleep in the back. I sighed when I discovered that because I wanted her to join me in the front so we could talk and she could help elevate my mood.

Seeing that she was asleep, I started on the road to my house in silence. It was the first time I was having her in the car with me and not going to hear her voice, it felt so unusual.

I got home and parked the car. She was still asleep. I don't know if it's the drug or if she is just really tired. I went and opened the door to the backseat. I was going to get her out of the car carefully so I didn't wake her up. I was going to handle her gently. I remember she said her head hurt, maybe that's why she had fallen asleep.

I balanced her head on my shoulder after picking her from the car and closed the door using my left foot. It made a noise when it closed despite my trying to be careful; I almost cursed but she squirmed her body so I kept mute so she could go back to sleep.

I felt her legs go round my waist as she circled them on me and her arms went around my neck too, like she was hugging me while she slept. I felt the tip of her nose against my neck and swallowed because it made me feel uncanny when she breathed so near to my skin.

I tried to ignore it and walked on towards the door while carrying her still. She readjusted the position of her head and now her lips, not just her nose was touching my neck. I knew I should have worn the turtle neck I wanted to wear earlier, maybe my neck wouldn't be so sensitive to her touch.

I decided to carry her in a different way to stop her face from being so close to my neck. I was going to unwrap her legs from my waist and carry her like a bride, that should be less sensitive for me. I did just that, I unwrapped her legs but she held me tight and when I looked, her eyes were popping out. Did she think I was going to let her fall? It seemed so with the way she held me.

"What are you doing?" She eased her tight hold on my cloth.

"Taking you inside?" I continued on my way to the door.

"Drop me, I can walk myself, I'm awake now." She said but I did like I didn't hear her and continued in my steps with her.

"Ivan, drop me. Didn't you hear me?" She said again and I stopped walking.

"Why? I will just carry you inside. I was already doing that, wasn't I?"

"But I'm awake now."

"So?" I insisted and carried her all the way to the door before letting her down like she wanted. I put in the password and she went inside before me.

"You should have just taken me back to the car earlier instead of making me pass out," she waited till I got inside to say that.

"I remember asking you to go back to the car and you were stubborn about it." I reminded her. Did she forget so soon?

"Well, you should have forced me." She folded her arms.

"Why? So you can add that to the list of mean things I've done to you?"

"No." Her voice wavered."If I'm being stubborn about something that is not good for me, I permit you to be strict with me."

"What?" Was she serious? She permits me? Me? Does she no longer know that I'm her abductor?

"I said I permit you to be strict with me if I am being stubborn with something concerning my well-being." She repeated herself to my surprise.

"..." I opened my mouth to speak but no words came so I just sighed and smiled after because now that I thought of it, it was funny."Yes ma'am." I decided on what to reply her."Is there anything you would like to permit me to do or not, ma'am?"

"No." She smiled for a while but a serious face tool over."Are you being sarcastic?"

"Yes ma'am, I am." I laughed after I replied her.

"Stop that," she joined me in laughing."I didn't get to taste any of the snacks there at the park. I didn't enjoy any of the rides and I lost the teddy bear you won."

"I will get you a new one." That was my way of trying to get her to forgive me for ruining her day.

"And what I asked? You said we would talk about it when we got home."

"What is that? What did you ask for?"

"A phone or a laptop, I need to do my school assignment and it has to be submitted tomorrow."

"Jewel, I can't give you a phone...or a laptop either."

"It's important. I'm just going to do my assignment, you can sit and watch me do it if you want. It's obvious you don't trust me. You must think I'm a criminal or something. Who am I even going to call if I wanted to, I have no one here to call."

"How long will the research take?" I asked her and her smile returned.

"I don't know yet." She shrugged.

"Alright, you can use your phone." I told her and she clapped happily.

"Really?" I nodded when she asked."Thank you." She said and wanted to go to her room but returned to me."Should I wait here for you to get the phone?"

"Yeah. Let me go get it." I left her there in the living room and went to search for where I left her phone in my room. I found it and was about to leave my room but I had a rethink.

I wanted to make her happy and do all she wanted but was giving her the phone really wise? She could call someone with it. She could call her father. I sighed in wonder of why it was so hard for me to trust. It's Jewel we are talking about after all, she is pretty innocent and she was right with what she said earlier; who would she possibly call? Calling her father would be fruitless.