Chapter 51 Peck on the forehead.

Chapter 51 Peck on the forehead.


JAXON'S POV:

I pulled Laura from the studio and in minutes we were in the garage, I grabbed the car door and held it open for her.

She stood back hesitantly, giving me that same surprised look like the night before.

“Are you coming in or not?” I asked.

She nodded and climbed into the car. I slammed the door shut behind her and made for the driver's seat. I entered in as she was fastening her seatbelt in place, I grinded the key smoothly in the ignition, while staring at her. She kept her head stiffly staring ahead at nothing, determined not to look at me or was it to ignore me. Whatever.

I started the car and fastened my seatbelt in place.

“It's a bit hot do you mind if I turn down the window?”

“Uh, uhm.” She grunted, still not looking at me. Let's see how long she'd keep this up then! 

I eased the two windows down, the stale air from the garage slipped in immediately. I had to push back the handbrake and step on the gas pedal to get the car moving out. It lurched forward and sailed smoothly into the now empty and lonely street. Cool night breeze blew into the car, easing the awkward atmosphere a bit.

I glanced at Laura, she was staring through the window at something I couldn't make out. She looked exhausted but even her exhaustion could not beat her determination to shut me out.

I chuckled softly and turned back to my driving. For what seemed like hours of driving, no one spoke— making the whole place uncomfortable and tensed up.

I stole another glance at her, she was now on her phone and somehow still sitting up straight not lulled into the deep leather seat like I was.

“So what are you doing tomorrow?” I asked suddenly trying to make conversation. She lifted her head up and stared at me for the first time, since we started out.

“I should be working with the band, I think. We have a lot of tracks to record.”

I nodded. That…didn't sound bad. But I was asking a different question and she knew I was, but it was cool anyway. 
I swerved round a bend before throwing out the next question.

“Would you care for a drink with me sometime tomorrow?” I changed tack, glancing at her to see her expression.

She dropped the hand holding her phone in her lap and tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips into a frown. “What did you just say?”

“I was asking if you could join me for a drink tomorrow?” I repeated.

“Are you asking me to a date now, Mr. Jaxon?” She asked slowly.

Huh? Did she have to put it that way.

“Not like a date, just a casual drink.”

“No, thank you.” She said firmly and snatched her phone from the folds of her skirt and held it in front of her face, her knuckles white around it, the death grip wasn't even enough to hide the shaking of her hand.

I frowned as I watched her. 

Did I say something wrong?

She was really unpredictable, so much so.

“I'm sorry.” I said after a tensed silence, painfully aware that I was being stupid not just for apologizing without knowing what I was apologizing for but for even harbouring the thought of having this ICE Queen Laura join me for a drink. It was just wishful thinking.

“That was uncalled for..” I said then hesitated unable to find the next words to say. I turned back to the road, leaving the rest of the statement hanging loose in the air..

We rode on in silence, although I kept shooting glances at her— her shoulders had returned back to normal coming down from around her ears, but she still remained focused on her phone, looking so much more exhausted than when we first started out.

The silence in the car was reaching a suffocative breaking point. I bit my lower lip, in an attempt to resist the urge to say something but I couldn't finally hold it back after my fourth glance at her and she was still sulky. Because I suggested having her for a drink?

What the hell!

“Christ, Laura— I'm an asshole for asking you out for a drink alright?” I glared at her. “But I think you are getting too worked up over something as simple as that.”

I could just barely make out a hum of her phone vibrating over the sound of the tires on the pavement and the purr of the engine.

Her mouth twitched, once. But she kept doing whatever she was so focused on, on the phone. And acted as though I hadn't spoken at all.

“Alright then, I wouldn't try to bother you anymore. Okay?”

She blinked, her lips pursed briefly— then she looked up at me. “You can do just that, please.”

I swallowed hard, feeling my cheek reddening. “Okay.”

There was a slight movement beneath her gown and a stocking-clad toe peeked out. And I could guess why, my feet were also fucking killing me and I wasn't even wearing a heel?

I turned my attention back to the steering wheel but my head was still bubbling with questions.

Why was she wearing a heel and a long gown covering her whole body when she was just going to record an album?

Women sure were strange! The whole lot of them were too troublesome and hard to understand. But I wanted to understand this one woman, and if though she was trying to push away, I wanted to understand her.

To know her. To own her.
I turned the car round a corner into her street, the night here was more lively— well, that was normal for Hollywood folks. 
Couples were seen in pairs walking on the sidewalks, party returnees were laughing and chattering, sharing their jokes to themselves.

I stared at them with distaste as I rolled the car to a stop in front of her gate.
She shuffled her legs back into her heels and smiled gratefully at me.

“Thank you for the ride, sir.”

I nodded, “Yeah..” 

She didn't even wait to hear that, her hands had pushed the car door open immediately she had finished thanking me and the next minute she was climbing out of the car. Walking slowly towards her gate.

I sat back against the leather seat and watched her. Smiling at her slender figure walking up to the gate.

She was barely inches from it when the gate swung open and a little girl sauntered out. She squealed excitedly as she caught sight of Laura and cried. “Mommy.”

And ran into her arms.

I blinked. What was going on?

Another figure strolled out of the gate, a tall man— I could barely make out his physique from where I sat but that unmistakably was a man.

My heart was thumping so loudly.

Laura was preoccupied with the little girl whom she had scooped up in the air and was telling her whatever it was that was making her squirm in excitement.

I sat behind the wheel watching with laboured breath, something feral stirring in me.

The man walked up to Laura, momentarily stopping her chat with the child.

She lowered her to the floor and hugged the man and—what the hell!

Did he just peck her on the forehead?

I stared at them in horror.