𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐧

xi. close

c h a p t e r e l e v e n
___________________

Ava began to drive after I got settled in the passenger seat. The huge raindrops thwacked heavily on the windshield and the roof of the car. Even the sound of the music coming from the radio couldn't be heard that much. I assumed the rain wasn't going to die down soon.

"Ms. Huntington, mind if I turn the volume up?"

She quickly glanced at the radio on the car's dashboard before answering, "Sure." I reached out to the volume switch and turned it clockwise, the song currently playing became more audible.

"Chace, you can call me Ava when we're alone."

"Okay."

'Cause she walk like a boss
Talk like a boss
Manicure nails just sent the pedicure off
She's fly effortlessly

I immediately recognized the song and sang along in a low voice. The song Miss Independent by Ne-yo could never go out of style. Truth be told, it was still a bop.

I swayed my upper body to the beat as car halted into a stop signal. Ava turned her head to look at me in amusement. She had a smile on her face. It was a genuine smile that made my insides leap. When I did some funny moves, she started to chuckle.

Grinning from ear to ear, I bobbed my head, coaxing her, "C'mon, Ava, sing along with me."

She rolled her eyes and turned back to the road when the signal light turned green. She tapped on the steering wheel together with the beat.

She got her own thing
That's why I love her
Miss independent
Won't you come and spend a little time

I saw her lips curl into a smile as she began to hum and sing the song along with me. Her voice was pretty. Prettier than mine. It was like putting a crying baby to sleep akin to the calm sea after the storm had passed. And for some reason, the song itself fits perfectly with her character. Like it was specifically made for women like her. Strong. Confident. Fierce. A woman who doesn't need rescuing. She was the type of woman who saves someone else's ass. The thought of Ava saving me from my nightmares made me feel different. It made me feel safe.

When we neared to another stoplight, I told her my place was three streets away. On the spur of the moment, I felt like I was on borrowed time because the minutes with Ava in her car was almost coming to an end.

"Ava, where do you live?" And there goes my saying-without-thinking-of-the-consequences again. In the back of my head, I sounded like a creepy stalker. But somewhere in my mind, I wanted to fill the fading minutes by asking her where she lived. Was she close to St. Gallen? Were we only a few streets apart?

She paused for a moment, as if hesitating, "Bellinzona."

The imaginary dramatic fireworks exploded in my head. That was only two streets off.

As we got nearer to my place, I told her to take a left. The rain was gradually slowing down into a soft drizzle, letting us hear the murmuring of the rainwater through the windows. When we approached to my flat, she diluted the gas pedal and eventually pulled over.

I spoke, "This is it."

"Chace, do you live alone?"

"Yeah. Have been since I couldn't remember," I responded truthfully, although I mumbled the last part. She opened her mouth like she was about to ask me something when she closed it and didn't say anything anymore. I held my bag on my lap and smiled at her, "Thanks for the ride, Ava. Really."

"No worries. I hope I won't see you needing a ride again," she quipped which made me chuckle.

"Yes, ma'am. There won't be a next time." I was trying to unhook the seatbelt strapped on me and when I tried another attempt, it didn't budge.