The Bucket List (A REVERSE HAREM ROMANCE)

8. ALBANY

My eyes darted around the cab of the truck as I clutched my bag tightly on my lap. It was embarrassingly clean—something I couldn't say about my car. Colour flooded my cheeks as I thought of the sweets wrappers pushed underneath my seat.

He'd think of me as a snob.

"You don't have to go to dinner with us," Steven muttered. "I'm sure we can work something out."

I swallowed. "I honestly c-can't afford to have it fixed now."

He shifted gears, drawing my eyes to him. What caught my attention first was his hand resting on the gearshift. My eyes slowly trailed up his arm to his shoulder and then down the rest of his body.

He was tall, tanned and slim but not overly so. Smooth skin peeked out from his shirt where the first two buttons had been undone. Dress shirt and black slacks with shiny black dress shoes and neatly combed hair. All that was missing was a pair of black-rimmed glasses.

"Do you like what you see?"

"Excuse me?" I gasped.

Steven chuckled. "You're staring at me. I asked if you like what you're seeing."

For a few seconds, our eyes locked before he focused on the road. It was on the tip of the tongue to deny it, but then I decided to tell him the truth instead.

"Yes," I said softly. "I like what I'm seeing but you're only missing the glasses to pull off the Clark Kent look."

To my surprise, he started laughing. Slowing the truck at a stop at the signal, he leaned over and opened the glovebox. My mouth dropped open when he pulled out a case and dropped it onto the seat between us. I hesitated for a moment before I picked it up and opened it.

Inside rested a pair of dark blue glasses.

An unexpected laugh fell from my lips. Picking up the glasses, I put them on and blinked down at my lap.

"Blurry?"

I shook my head and then looked at him. I could see him even clearer than I had before which surprised me. There was nothing wrong with my vision so how the hell was it possible for my vision to change so much?

"I can see clearer."

"Try reading something," he said.

I pulled my phone out of my purse and unlocked it. Pulling up a message, I read it without any difficulties. With my brows furrowed, I locked my phone again before I looked at him. Steven was focused on the road, however, which drew my attention towards it too.

There was nothing out of the ordinary at first but then I noticed the slight jerk of the truck. I turned slightly to look out the back window at my car that was being towed.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Steven glanced at me. "You should think about getting your eyes tested."

I scoffed and reached up to take the glasses off. Folding it, I placed it back in the case and then leaned forward to put it back in the glovebox. My eyes darted over to him as a thought hit me.

"Aren't you supposed to be wearing your glasses?"

His lips tilted up into a smile. "I can see perfectly fine without my glasses."

I frowned at him. "Then why do you have glasses if you don't need them?"

Steven slowed the truck and then turned off onto a quiet street. A few seconds later we pulled into one side of a driveway and stopped in front of a red metal gate.