Helpless (Book 1)

Chapter Thirty-Two

JOHN PULLS UP to his apartment complex around six in the evening. Well, if you want the exact time, it's currently six fifteen. John parks his Taurus and grips the steering wheel with one hand while he grips mine with the other, our fingers threaded through each other's. I smile a little at our size difference in our hands. His is slightly larger than mine and feels warm against my palm. I brush the back of his knuckles with the pad of my thumb comfortingly in small circles. John stares intently at the apartment complex in front of us, worrying his lower lip as he squeezes both the steering wheel and my hand. He lets out a breath and glances at me with a small smile on his face. 

 "You look beautiful, Alexander," John whispers, squeezing my hand once more. I press my lips together into a firm line but feel them quirk upward slightly at the comment. I feel a warm blush creep over my cheeks. 

 "Thank you, Jack," I say, pecking his cheek. "You look very handsome." 

 John scoffs mixed with a laugh. "Thank you, Alexander." 

 John brings our intertwined hands up to his lips and presses a kiss to the back of my knuckles, letting his soft yet rough lips linger on my knuckles for a moment, closing his beautiful sky-blue eyes gently. He opens his eyes again and lowers our hands down. 

 "We should get going," John breathes, staring back anxiously at the apartment buildings in front of him. He swallows. "My father should be here in about an hour or so. Which gives me enough time to prep for dinner." 

 I grin slyly, teasingly. "I didn't know you cooked..." 

 John smirks a little. "My mother taught me everything I need to know." 

 John leans across to press a firm kiss to my lips. He unlocks the doors and kicks the driver side door open. He turns off the vehicle, grabbing his keys and phone from the console and shuts the driver side door. My eyes follow him around the hood of the car as he walks towards my side. I smile kindly as he swings my door open, extending out his hand. I rest mine in his and he helps me up and out of the car, grabbing Eliza's white-golden shawl she let me borrow for tonight in case it got chilly, wrapping it around my shoulders before closing the door behind him. John opens his arm out to me and I link mine through his as we begin walking towards his apartment. 

 We enter through the front doors and head towards the elevator, a couple of people nod at us in greeting, smiling kindly as they exit the building. John presses the elevator button with the arrow going up. After a few minutes of waiting, the bell dings as the metal doors slide open. We step inside, the door closes and I can see my reflection faintly in the metal door in front of us. I watch the number 5 glow white and we start to ascend upwards. 

 John's wearing something simple tonight. Nothing too fancy like he wore on our first dinner night with Henry Laurens. Just a simple white dress shirt and black dress pants and shoes. His cufflinks are rolled back a little to reveal his watch. His honey blonde hair is pulled back in its usual loose ponytail, draping over the back of his neck, a few strands of blonde hair falling in front of his ears. He starts to whistle a tune as we continue going up, tapping the bar behind us. He glances at me over his shoulder and smiles once more. A cheeky smile.

 I, however, am dressed as Alexandrea Hamilton once more. My auburn hair in a low bun Eliza had done. Peggy had helped me with the dress for tonight, an emerald green long-sleeved dress. Nothing too fancy like a ballgown or something like that. Just a simple evening dinner dress, long and thin, smooth and flowy, shaping out my small waist and hips beautifully. It touches the floor, hiding my feet. I wear little makeup: just simple eyeshadow and a light pink blush and pink lipstick. I wear Uncle Lawrence's watch on my wrist.