37

[|]

When I got back, I felt more comfortable because I was alone, so I raced to the kitchen and grabbed a bag of chips and Coke. I dropped my snacks in the living room and changed into an oversized cartoon print shirt and loose pants. I sat down on the couch facing the TV and picked up my snacks with a smile on my face.

As I turned on the television, the front door opened, scaring me. Lucas walked in, taking off his jacket. I glanced at the door, expecting Andrea to walk in but when I saw no one, I looked at him as he approached me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as he sat down beside me on the couch.

"This is my house. I live here," he retorted, and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm serious, Lucas. What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be on a date with Andrea?"

Lucas grabbed the bag of chips from my hand and tore it open. He popped some of the chips into his mouth and pointed at the Coke. I hugged the bottle to my chest, giving him signs that he wasn't going to get it.

"Answer me."

"First, it wasn't a date. Secondly, she was a loudmouth. She talks too much. Andrea is beautiful and is my type but fuck, she's too loud for my liking. She talks about how good-looking I am, she even talks about how I might be loaded with money, she talks about how she wants us to go out more often and how we'll make a great couple. I got bored and lied that someone needed me at work," Lucas said, waving his hand animatedly.

I bit my lip so I would not laugh because the situation was funny. It was funny seeing Lucas complain about a girl even though I haven't seen him around the girls he claims were his type.

"So, what is wrong with what she said? A girl can dream, ya know," I teased and opened my bottle of Coke. I took a sip out of it and gasped when Lucas grabbed the bottle from my hand and drank a quarter out of it.

It didn't bother me that he snatched my drink from me, what bothered me was the fact that he shared a bottle with me. He placed his lips directly on the lid, not even away from his lips.

"Why are you staring at my face like that?" He asked and drank more.

I realized my mouth was open and shut it. I readjusted on the couch and laced my fingers together.

"You just drank out of the bottle," I said, and he shrugged.

"So? I was thirsty?" 

"No, silly. My lips already touched the lid and you just put your mouth on the same lid," I explained and saw how he stared at the bottle before glancing at my face, particularly my lips.

I gulped and shifted on the couch. His gaze on my lips was too intense that I looked at my lap. 

"We've kissed before."

Flashes of the two times we kissed filled my memory. The first time we kissed had been at his party and the second after the day we last saw each other. Thinking about it made my lips tingle from the memories. I almost felt the urge to rub my lips but folded my fingers.

"We've kissed before so it shouldn't bother you if I drink out of the same bottle, or cup or use the same spoon you've used," Lucas whispered and I looked at him from my side vision. He was still staring at me. 

"That was a long," I said and rose from the couch. As I was about to walk past him, Lucas grabbed my wrist and pulled me back, effectively making me fall very close to his body. 

I gasped at the impact and scurried away from him.

"Sorry about that... Uh, what are you doing now?"

"Nothing," I replied.

Lucas stood up and I followed his movements. He searched his pockets and took out his car key. 

"I want us to go somewhere," he said.

"Where?"

"It's a surprise. I won't tell you yet," Lucas said and started walking to the front door.

I stood up from the couch and walked after him. I waited for him to finish putting on his denim jacket before speaking up.

"Lucas, tell me," I whined, pouting because I hated suspense.

Lucas bit his lip while looking at me. He stared at my face for some seconds before smiling with one side of his mouth, showing his perfect teeth.

"No... Now, come on," Lucas said and opened the door.

I pouted more as I slipped my feet into one of his house slides that were bigger than me. I didn't have any outdoor slides or flip-flops, so I had no choice but to wear his even though they were a bit bigger than my tiny feet. I wiggled my toes while smiling at how big they looked then raised my head. I saw him looking down at my feet with a soft look on his face before he met my eyes.

We stared at each other for five seconds before he motioned for me to walk out. I rolled my eyes and walked out of the house.

"I hope you aren't planning on selling me off or something," I said, and he chuckled behind me.

[|]

"A parking lot?" I asked in surprise as I took in the empty and wide-open outdoor parking space. 

After scanning the whole place surrounded by trees on one side and a slightly busy road on the other, I looked at him.

"What are we doing here?" I asked and he removed his seatbelt and then got out of the car. I quickly followed suit and almost tripped over the slides I was wearing. 

I circled the car and met him leaning on the side of the car, arms crossed. 

"Why are we at a parking lot?" I asked and he pushed himself off the car and took my hand in his.

My body tingled at his warm hand wrapped around mine. I glanced at his hand then at his face, still confused until he placed his car key on my palm.

"You're going to drive," he said. 

I was stunned to my bones that I didn't speak for up to three seconds.

"Huh?! Are you crazy! I told you that I can't drive!"

Lucas smirked. "I know. That is why we are here because I'm going to teach you how to drive."

My heart skipped a beat at his words. I silently stared up at Lucas, trying to see through his smirking face if he was joking or not. 

"Why?" I whispered.

Lucas squeezed my hand, and I felt a flutter in my stomach. 

"I don't normally use my car to go out and you came home late on Monday. I don't want you wasting money on taxis when you could drive yourself home and to work," he replied in a soft voice.

Who was this person standing before me and where did the jerk face Lucas Hamilton go? Because this was not someone I was used to. From everything I heard in high school about Lucas, he was bad news. He was an example of a bad influence and a bad boy. Bad boys weren't good to people like me. 

There must be something he was looking for in exchange. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"What are you looking for, Lucas?"

"Excuse me?"

"You're teaching me how to drive, you act so worriedly about me, etcetera. What exactly are you looking for in exchange?"

Lucas released my hand and laughed aloud. I scowled at how he saw it to be humorous when I was genuinely serious with my questions. It took him almost ten seconds to laugh and when he was done, he was wiping his eye.

"That was a funny question," he said. "I'm only doing this because I don't want my name being tarnished because I let a little innocent girl like you get hurt while living with me. I'm tired of the cops seeing my face all the time, you know."

That hurt a little, but it was what was I looking for. The jerkiness in Lucas. I scoffed and jiggled the key.

"Fine. Well, are you going to begin teaching me or not?"

"Tsk, you are so sassy."

"I might be picking it up from someone I know."

"Hope it ain't me."

[|]

Three hours later, I was still not so good at driving. I could barely move without swerving out of the line I was supposed to follow or moving too fast that we almost went onto the road. I had almost cried because I wanted to be so good at driving and I suspected Lucas was frustrated; I was a bad student.

"Alright, that's it for tonight," Lucas said when I got out of the car to stand beside him.

"I am so bad at this," I whined, and he sighed.

"Driving isn't easy for everyone but I'm sure you'll ace it soon," he said and boarded the car.

My stomach rumbled and I blushed when he glanced at me in shock. I looked at my feet and wiggled my toes.

"Come on, let's go find somewhere to eat."

I beamed. "Alright!"

After I got into the car, Lucas drove to a burger place. The place had a short line which was a relief because I was so hungry. We stood in line; me in front and Lucas behind me. Ten minutes after, it got to our turn, and we took our order. 

We left the line and waited for our order at a table. A minute later, Lucas left the table and returned with two cups of ice cream.

"Here," he said while handing over one of the cups to me.

"Thanks," I said and scooped some of the ice creams with the small spoon.

Lucas left his on the table and started to use his phone. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration and his bottom lip was between his teeth as he went through his phone. He was sitting in front of me, so I had no choice but to eat my ice cream while looking at him.

As I stared, I realized how Lucas had been the one spending since I started living with him. I had barely brought out my money— which I didn't have— to support the house. There was food, all types of food in the house but it was uncomfortable how he had been spending. The food we ordered was too much and I noticed Lucas ate a lot.

I made a mental check to pay for the next food we ate or anything at home. Most importantly, I need to have a conversation about it with Lucas.

"Order number 12," a feminine voice over the speaker said.

"That's us. I'll go get it," Lucas said and left the table. 

I took that as my cue to stand. I spotted his ice cream and took it since he seemed to have forgotten it existed. I waited close to the entrance of the restaurant and continued to eat the rest of my ice cream. By the time Lucas was done, my ice cream was finished, and I began to eye his.

When he approached me with the bag of goods, he chuckled and came closer to me. He had a smoldering look in his eyes as he towered over me. I gulped when he glanced at my lip and then raised his long fingers close to my cheek, making me stiffen. 

My eyes fluttered when I felt his fingers graze my cheek then the side of my lips. My body felt fuzzy when the pad of his thumb rubbed my bottom lip. I tried to move back but my body refused.

When he pulled his hand away, he stuck out his thumb and on it was a small blob of ice cream. I felt embarrassed instantly. 

"You had this on your face," he whispered, but still kept his eyes on my lips.

"Oh... Thanks," I said, blushing hard.

"Come on. Let's go home," he said and opened the door for me.

I cursed myself for thinking it was something else and I cursed myself again for feeling this way. The feelings were confusing as I should not be reacting to Lucas in such a way.