Scarred Hearts

30 | Not again

A smile crept onto Valeria's lips as she observed the key chain, shaped like the word "Master," dangling from the keys in the ignition. Seated in the passenger seat of Nicholas's car, she watched him behind the wheel, the windows rolled down, the first button of his crisp white shirt undone, allowing the collar to dance in the wind.

"You can drop me off here," Valeria said when they were a little less than a mile away from the Palacio.

"Here?" Nicholas asked, unable to conceal his surprise.

They were close enough to civilization, but if Valeria decided to walk to the Palacio, she would have to do it for a while until she saw something other than towering, dense trees, asphalt, and the occasional passing vehicle.

Nicholas gestured briefly towards the tree-lined landscape outside as he remarked, "So Jason comes out of the woods chasing you with a bloody machete? I don't think so."

"Oh, you're so sweet for caring. But Jason will be nothing compared to my mom if she so much as dreams we're together, so if you don't mind..."

"What if I do mind?" Playful mischief danced in his eyes, but the look he received from Valeria was far from amused.

With a resigned sigh and a subtle roll of his eyes, he finally pulled over to the side of the road.

"Thank you," she said, unbuckling her seatbelt and leaning in to plant a gentle kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you in a bit."

"You call that a kiss?" he teased, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

She responded by kissing her palm and then lightly brushing it against his face. "Is this better?"

But before Valeria could exit the car, Nicholas swiftly reached out, grasping the back of her neck and drawing her towards him, capturing her lips in a spontaneous kiss that stole her breath away and sent a rush of warmth coursing through her body.

"You always have to get what you want," she whispered against his lips.

"And I always do," Nicholas replied with a grin.

Valeria hoisted her backpack over her shoulder, feeling a silly smile tug at her lips as she stepped out of the car. She made a mental note to wipe that smile away before she reached the Palacio.

Instead of driving off at a normal pace, Nicholas proceeded at the speed of a turtle on morphine by her side. With the windows still rolled down, his arm rested on the window ledge.

"Um... What are you doing?" she asked, a puzzled expression crossing her face as Nicholas maintained the leisurely pace even after a few strides.

"Going home, cariño," he replied casually, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'm sure the Master can go faster than that."

"You're right about that," Nicholas acknowledged with a smirk, deliberately slowing down the car even more."

"Come on, Nick. What are you doing?" Valeria's voice held a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"Cariño, if you think I'm going to leave you alone in the middle of nowhere, you're very much mistaken," Nicholas replied, his tone firm but laced with affection. "You want to walk, walk. But I'm driving like this the rest of the way."

"Middle of nowhere? We're practically at your house."

"Plenty of time to get chased by that machete guy."

Valeria stopped and rested her hands on her hips. "You could be kinda cute, you know? If only you weren't so annoying."

"I know," Nicholas admitted with a smirk, gesturing with his head for her to get back inside the car. "Come on, I'll leave you outside, then I'll get in, and you'll just wait five minutes."