Chapter 30

There! Let's see if this Casanova is willing to let a casualty go, even when that casualty is in pain. To test her theory, Amy took out her uncharged phone and feigned calling a taxi.

"Hello. I would like to order—"

"Give me that phone," Justin snapped, grabbing it from Amy and stashing it in his jeans. He shifted his azure eyes to meet her round black ones, his irritation palpable as he clicked his tongue in frustration. "I'm confiscating this for now. Until you're well again."

Who did she think she was playing with? Did she believe he was foolish enough to let her summon a taxi? Over his dead body. He'd rather take her to that hotel himself. At least that way, he could lay eyes on this mysterious old man.

"I'm not sick," Amy protested, her voice raised. Why was she yelling so much?

"You look unwell to me. I'm not going to argue with a child trapped in an adult's body. Let's go."

"Justin! Arrrggghhhhh." Amy screamed as Justin lifted her again. "What are you doing?" she yelled, her hands clutching his neck for dear life. "Put me down right now. I'm scared of heights."

"Oh, really?" Justin's sky-blue eyes sparkled with mischief. "You might want to hold on tight, or my hands might accidentally slip." He pretended to loosen his grip, causing Amy to shriek in fright and cling to his neck even tighter, her body pressing closer to his chest. Justin couldn't help but laugh at the delightful reaction he had provoked.

"You... you…" Amy struggled to find the right words to curse him with, but nothing came to mind, so she settled for shooting him a searing death glare, which only seemed to amuse him further.

"What? Trying to come up with the perfect insult?" Justin grinned, a happiness radiating from him that had been absent for the past two weeks. This joy transformed his face, making it nearly impossible for him to stop smiling. He turned to face the woman in his arms, and then it happened.

Justin froze. Good Lord, she looked absolutely stunning. He found it hard to catch his breath.

Amy, too, felt her breath stolen away. Justin's smile was enchanting, making her heart race just as it had in the elevator when she had pretended to be a frail old woman.

Both of them swallowed hard, trying to moisten their parched throats. Their eyes remained locked in a silent battle to see who would break the gaze first. There was undoubtedly a spark, an electric current crackling between them as they continued to stare. Until a passing car whooshed by, breaking the spell.

Justin was the first to recover. He cleared his throat, attempting to regain some composure.

That felt like an eternity, he mused, though it had only been a few seconds.

"Let me seat you in the front," he suggested, moving to the other door. He helped her out and returned to his own seat.

In an effort to lighten the mood, he resumed teasing her. "My goodness, Avocado, you're so heavy," he remarked playfully. "My arms almost gave out. Did you have roast pork for breakfast?"

"I had rice porridge, thank you very much," Amy replied, shifting uncomfortably in her seat, clearly not keen on discussing her weight.

Amy had been reluctant to divulge her morning ailment to Justin. She had settled for a bowl of rice porridge because the thought of consuming her usual cereal made her gag. She suspected it was due to the nervous anticipation of seeing Kyle today and confronting their uncertain future together. Plus, there was the nagging fear that he might not remember their passionate night in Queenstown. Nevertheless, for this conversation with Justin, her pride still held sway, prompting her to retort, "I'm not overweight. I'm well within the range of my ideal body mass index."

"Fine, if you say so," Justin replied, grinning at her. He then noticed that she hadn't fastened her seatbelt. "Aren't you going to buckle up?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in question. "Or do you want to experience the thrill of your stomach contents jumping around inside you?"

Amy was momentarily speechless. She had been careless again. Seatbelts were crucial. Of course, she needed to fasten hers before Justin started the car. She had never driven without her seatbelt securely fastened; it was far too dangerous. She realized that this situation was hazardous, and she needed to check her state of mind. This was undoubtedly unhealthy.

"God, Avocado, why are you making this so difficult?" Justin sighed and shook his head when he saw Amy struggling to pull the seatbelt from the side.

"It's too tight. I can't extend it. Your seatbelts clearly need fixing; they're not functioning properly," she explained, tugging on the belt once more, but it refused to budge.

"Let me do it for you," Justin offered. He leaned over her, his body pressing into Amy's small frame until they were practically molded together.

Amy tried to press back into her seat as much as possible to avoid contact with Justin, but his proximity was suffocating, like a tightly packed sandwich. She could feel his chiseled abs and noticed that his heart was racing. Was he unwell?

Amy wasn't sure what Justin's ailment was, but she was keenly aware of her own. His face was so close that it made it difficult to breathe. She had to turn and face the steering wheel to prevent her face from touching his.

"Why is this taking so long?" she asked, wriggling back into her seat. "It's really tight, Avocado. I seriously need to have this belt checked."

After a few more attempts, Justin managed to get it working and secured it around her. However, his nose brushed against her cheek accidentally when she turned toward his voice.

Justin took a sharp breath, and their lips accidentally met once more. "You... you kissed me again," Amy touched her cheek.

"That's not a kiss; it was an accident," Justin said, tempted to caress her soft cheek again and savor her sweet orange blossom scent.

"Get off me, then," Amy shouted, pushing him away. She crossed her arms and turned to face the window.

"Fine," Justin replied, back in his own seat. "It's not that impressive, anyway."

"If it's not impressive, then stop kissing me," Amy yelled, giving him another death glare. It was meant to look intimidating, but it had the opposite effect on Justin, who couldn't help but smile.