Piece by Piece

Chapter 13

Sebastian (last August)

"Dude, stop speeding just because you can afford the fine. I don't know about the others but I'm too pretty to die and we're not even in a hurry. Slow the fuck down," Mattheo whines from the backseat, earning himself another one of those laughs from Aliena.

My fingers tighten on the steering wheel enough to turn my knuckles white, and without my brain's command, my foot presses down harder on the gas pedal. Mattheo might not be in a hurry but I need nothing more than to get out of the car and distance myself from the girl laughing in my backseat.

We just picked her up at her place since we're going to a club tonight and her as soon as she got into the car, her scent invaded my nose. It's like she put a fucking spell on me and now all I can think about is her. The way she looked as she walked to my car in her tight, short black dress. The way the hem of said dress rode up further on the back of her thighs when she hugged fucking Mattheo hello. Or how her revealed, slender back flexed when she squeezed him tightly.

My eyes flick back up to the rearview mirror and instantly find the golden-haired menace. Of course, her gaze is trained on my friend on her left side. The friend whose hand, I now notice, is placed on her naked thigh as he smiles at her.

I hate their relationship. Two fucking flirts in their natural habitat. It's like they can't help but be obnoxiously teasing whenever they're together. Not even when there are three other people in the car, who absolutely don't want to witness this shit again.

Well, I don't know about Andrew and Lily, but I sure as hell don't want to see this. Of course, the other two are unlikely to even notice what is going on in the car with how lovestruck they are. Even now, my friend is giving his girlfriend moon eyes from where he's sitting in the back. She's no better, always turning around in the passenger seat to meet his eyes.

And then there's me. The driver. I speed up further, enough to get Mattheo's attention again.

"Dude, I wasn't joking."

"Dude, I don't care," I finally mock him. And again, my treacherous eyes find Aliena in the backseat. Only that this time, she's looking at me too and our gazes lock. There's a challenge behind those honey eyes, a silent question, and an understanding I absolutely despise.

The girl smirks and my gaze drops to those full lips. Fuck, I hate how fucking beautiful is. I force myself to look back at the street so I don't crash the car. Whether I like it or not, all my friends are in this vehicle and I don't need that number to go down any further by killing one of them.

Even though at the moment, I'm not sure I would mind if it was Mattheo. I mean, I know I would mourn him since we grew up together and all but right now, I'm just not feeling it.

I take a deep breath and ease the pressure on the accelerator. My friends all visibly relax, though some of the tension my outburst created lingers. That's why I force myself to loosen my fingers around the steering wheel and throw a lazy smile back at Mattheo.

"There you go, princess. Any other demands?" I tease him, attempting to sound a lot more at ease than I feel. Meanwhile, Aliena's eyes are burning into the side of my face but I don't indulge in meeting her gaze. It's not worth the satisfaction she would get out of it. No matter how exceptional the view may be.

When we reach the club, I park my car and finally leave the torture vehicle. I walk ahead until we reach the entry, greet the bouncers with a nod, and thank them as they let my friends and me inside. Then I fall back a few steps and let the others go ahead right before we reach the main hall.

As expected, Aliena stops in her tracks at the railing looking down on the dancefloor, her eyes wide and her body eerily still as she marvels at the sight. The others move on toward the VIP section, oblivious, but I linger, watching her watch the people below.

She's so predictable. Every time we take her to a new location that I've long since gotten used to, she takes a minute to take it all in. I noticed it the first time she entered my upstairs lounge and have been paying attention to it ever since. I think it's good for me, the reminder that what I have isn't as natural as it sometimes feels. She makes me look at the beautiful places we go to, really look at them like a newcomer might and I can't deny the gratitude it elicits inside me for all that I have.

After some time, Aliena comes back to herself and notices me standing behind her. She looks at me over her shoulder, then turns fully so her back is turned to the railing. It's then that I notice how close we are. Close enough for me to see the faint freckles on her face. And the dark specks in those brown eyes that really, when the sun hits them right, are golden.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this," she says, her voice breathy and low as if she was scared to ruin the moment. I feel it too, the fragile spell that ties us together right now and grants us another one of these rare moments of peace. Those of which we might have had more of if only I hadn't met her at the nursing home first.

I keep watching her, unsure of what to say. All I know is that the spell between us is calling me closer, making me step forward to erase some of the distance between us. So much so that she's now looking up at me through her lashes, smiling softly. Fuck, she's beautiful. It's moments like this when I really understand why Mattheo calls her seductress. When she looks at me like this, in a moment as such, I'm not sure there's a thing I wouldn't do if she only asked.

"Thank you for taking me here," she whispers, reaching out to touch my arm gently. My breath hitches at the electric current that comes to live inside me at the skin-to-skin contact. Is this the first time she has touched me? I can't remember but I know she hasn't done it enough. Why does she, of all people, have to be the one that makes me feel this way?

She starts tracing my tattoo and her eyes drop to the ink on my right biceps. I use that momentary lack of attention to take a deep breath and close my eyes. In a second, we'll join the others and the spell will be broken. I know that. That's why I'm allowing myself to just soak it up now.

"How many do you have?" she asks. I reopen my eyes to find her still gazing at the sun on my arm, tracing each fine line.

"Eighteen," I reply. Her eyes meet mine and for a second, I could swear she wants me to kiss her. Before I can decide if I'm reading her right and if I should just give in and lean down, she looks back at the sun.

"What does this mean?" she asks.

"Argentina. It's where my mother is from," I tell her, surprised by how easy it is to tell her something private about me. As if she didn't know enough already. Yeah, it's time for me to pull myself together now, the moment has lasted for long enough. Better to just get back to reality before I lose all my will to do so.

I take a step back with a deep breath and some regret in my chest. In the end, I can't deny myself the small pleasure of brushing the palm of my hand against her arm to lead her in the direction of our friends, saying, "Come on, it's time we join the others."

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Another flashbacks...

Have an awesome day<3