Chapter sixty one

Chapter sixty one
Chapter sixty one

Arielle

I tapped the steering wheel in a frantic rhythm. My chest felt tight, every breath shallow, like my lungs were refusing to cooperate. I tried grounding myself, but the panic was already crawling in my chest, threatening to explode.

Not right now. Especially not here. I was just one block away from Penny's house. I couldn't fall apart on the streets like this.

But I also couldn’t go inside. Because going inside meant facing my mother. And facing her meant explaining the sudden reappearance of my car. And explaining the car… meant explaining everything.

How do you tell your mother that you caught your father cheating on her?

The answer is, you don't.

Because he didn't just cheat on her, he did it with his brother's ex wife. The same woman we had lunch with every Sunday after church. The same woman whose daughter I was once best friends with.

I wasn’t ready to replay what I had seen. Maybe if I kept it to myself, it would hurt less. Maybe it would stop feeling so real.

But it was real. It happened.

My father might have been a horrible man, but Marrietta contributed highly to ruining my parent’s marriage. She tore my family apart with a smile on her face.

Actually no, the both of them were selfish bastards. They deserve each other.

My hands clenched tighter around the steering wheel as images of the both of them replayed in my mind like a broken tape. Their affair had definitely been going on for a very long time. There were so many signs, but somehow, we all missed them.

The moments when both of them had to attend to ‘work’ at the same time. The lingering gazes. The flirty comments. They've been having an affair right under everyone's noses.

Another tear slipped from the corner of my eye. I wiped it away angrily. I wouldn’t cry for them. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. I made a decision not to tell my mother about to tonight.

But that still left one problem. How the hell would I explain the car?

I closed my eyes and let my head fall against the headrest.

Think, Arielle. Just think.

But the only thing louder than my thoughts was the silence.

A sharp knock on the car window made me flinch. My head snapped towards the sound and my heart skipped when I saw who it was.

He didn't wait for my response or even a full breath from me before yanking the car door open and sliding into the passenger's seat like he owned the damn car.

I really need to remember locking my car doors to avoid situations like this.

“I see ‘Frozen and her Lambo’ are back.” Drayton said with a wide smile on his face.

It took me a minute to realize he used the nickname he'd branded me with since junior year.

Right. I asked him to be just friends few hours ago. And he was reminding me of how our relationship used to be like.

“Still doesn't beat a Ferrari though.” He added.

“Dude, you almost gave me a heart attack.” I snapped. “Why are you in my car?”

He opened his mouth, probably to toss another annoying comment, but stopped mid sentence. His eyes narrowed and his jaws clenched tightly. The teasing glint in his eyes was gone replaced by something darker.

My brows furrowed in confusion. I couldn't figure out what caused the sudden change in his mood.

“Who did that to you?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

It took me a minute to realize he was talking about the red marks on my cheeks, courtesy of dear old dad.

I turned my face away and stared out the window.

“Arielle.” Drayton called calmly, but his calm tone didn't hide the anger in it. I knew the anger wasn't directed at me.

“It’s nothing. Leave it alone.” I said sharply.

“It's not nothing to me. Your face is red with fingerprints marks. What mother fucker dared to lay his hand on you?” he groaned.

His rage escalated from a zero to about a fifty. He didn't have the right to be mad. Not when he had hurt me more than the slap embedded on my cheeks.

“Don't go pretending like you care about me when it's clear you don't.” I scoffed.

Silence.

“I do care about you.” He said, quieter this time. “And it still didn't answer my question. Who was it?”

“And here I was thinking Drayton King only ‘cared’ about girls who were skilled in bed, not inexperienced virgins.” I said sarcastically.

The words slipped out before I could stop them. The silence that followed my statement was deafening. I hadn't meant to say that. Not like this. But it was the truth clawing in my chest.

“I'm fine. I just slipped and these are bruises from the fall.” I lied.

Drayton was silent for a suspiciously long time. I glanced at him from the corner of my eyes and saw him watching me. I contemplated changing the subject to break the tension.

Just when I thought he wouldn't say anything, he finally spoke,
“Is that what you really think about me?”

My head went blank for a second. That wasn't entirely what I thought of him. But he'd pulled away the second he realized I was a virgin. And if Penny hadn't interrupted us, he would have stopped.

“I mean…you did stop when you realized I haven't…done it yet…”

Thinking about that day and fuming inwardly was fine, but saying it out loud made my skin crawl with embarassment. I kept my face forward and hoped he wouldn't notice how red I had gotten.

“I understand you didn't want me like that. The kiss just happened in the heat of the moment. I get it. But I… what I'm trying to say is…”

The rest of the words died in my mouth as Drayton grabbed my chin and slammed his lips on mine. I parted my lips for him and he slid his tongue in. He kissed me so hungrily like I was his lifeline. Or maybe I was just reading too much into things again.

My initial doubts start to vanish and I kissed him back with the same intensity. There was nothing gentle about this kiss. It was raw. Charged. The kind of kiss that says everything words can't.

I hadn't imagined the connection between us last night. It was alive and buzzing electric. I felt it now more than ever.

When we finally broke apart, he rested his forehead on mine, his eyes searched mine like he was trying to memorize me.

“Do you still think I don't want you?” he asked, his voice husky and breathless.

I couldn't answer. Not coherently. My heart was pounding too hard in my chest, and my thoughts were a blur.

“I'm gonna need you to take your phone and text your mother that you won't be coming home tonight. Tell her you're spending the night at a friend's place. Then we'll get in my car or take your car, whichever one is fine by you, and go on a little road trip.”

“At this hour?” I said. “We can't just leave our cars here–”

“I'll take care of that.” He cut in. “Right now, all I can think about is getting you out of that little skirt.”

My pulse spiked at the promise of danger in his tone. I really am a sucker for pain.

“So what do you say, Frozen?” he asked, that familiar smirk tugging at his lips. “Your car or mine?”

There was only one answer at this point. I knew it with utmost certainty. After the shitty day I've had, there was nothing I wanted more.

“Yours.” I breathed.