Before Take Off

15. not nearly done

"Do you ever realize how badly you're going to miss a person when she's gone, while you're just in the middle of a conversation? Do you ever want to stop the time right at that brief moment and keep looking into her eyes for the rest of your life?"

*

I drew my hand away from Lewis's arm immediately after his cocky statement, grimacing noticeably. He just grinned cheekily before studying me with his sleepy eyes. "We should have gotten up earlier. You look like a mess."

Well, that was blunt. I couldn't keep myself from beaming up at his face despite his unpleasant frankness. "Are you feeling better?"

He just sighed desperately as he squeezed the bony part of his nose and shut his eyes tightly. "Nope. I think that I need to rest all day and consume a lot of water." He darted his eyes open and peeped towards kitchen door, where Jaime was standing with a plate of pancakes in his hand and a threatening glare in his eyes. He just shook his head no and gave Lewis the finger before mouthing, "No way".

I chuckled slightly, having Lewis to shot me an annoyed stare. His lips curled up into a teasing smirk as he leaned in closer and tucked my hair to the back of my ear. "You're enjoying my distress, yeah?" He asked, before lightly biting his lower lip as he outlined my jawline with his fingertips, taking his time and sending shivers down my spine.

I couldn't help myself but let him touch my face as I watched him with wide opened eyes, slightly parted lips and a rising heart beat. He chuckled lightly, with the alluring husky voice of his and I felt completely isolated from the outer world, the background noises of the coffee shop vanishing from my ears. We were stuck in our own bubble, which was formed by intense, inscrutable emotions until Lewis burst it in a flash.

He abruptly leaned back and shot me a wicked grin. "Two can play at this game, birdie."

I grunted audibly before placing my hand on his chest and shoving him to the armrest of the couch. "I don't like you. You're annoying."

"I doubt that," Lewis snapped back, probably referring to our first night in London. I remembered confessing him that I liked him, up on the rooftop as we treated ourselves to red wine. I was never drinking with him, ever again.

"Anyway," I brushed off the subject as I stood up on my feet, getting support from the striped cushion of the couch. I glanced down at his smug face, extending one hand out expectantly. "I need your car keys. I can't seem to find my phone anywhere in the café."

He gave me the once-over with his amusedly gleaming hazel eyes before speaking up. "I've changed my mind. You don't look like a mess, you look cute."

Why was he being such a tease? Didn't he refuse me when I asked him whether I could kiss him, making such a fool of myself? I sighed exasperatedly. "Keys, Lewis."

He dipped his fingers in the front pocket of his jeans and fished out the keys for his Volvo. He didn't place it in my palm but grabbed my hand instead, pulling himself up.  I raised my eyebrows questioningly. "I'll come with you then head home for a quick shower." He clarified. "Wanna join in?"

I just stared at him with a straight face as he smiled down at me, innocently. Deciding on ignoring him, I started off walking towards the door. He easily caught up with me in one large step and draped one arm across my shoulders leisurely. I didn't protest as I was actually enjoying our weird way of bonding. He was messing with me all the time but it wasn't as much bothering as I would have expected it to be.

*

After an extensive search throughout Lewis's car, I plopped down onto to pavement in exasperation. Lewis was already sitting cross-legged on the ground, massaging his temples with both of his middle fingers, trying to cope with his unbearable headache. Noticing that I had joined him on the concrete pavement, he half-opened one of his eyes and stared at me.