She looks at me blankly. “I hate surprises.”
“Doesn’t everybody?”
She pulls down her sunglasses just to roll her eyes at me. “I hate you.”
“You hate that you love me?”
“I’ll make you crash this car, and I’ll jump out the door before the impact.”
She’s adorable. She makes me want to laugh at her silliness.
“Where are we going?” she whines and taps my knee.
“Shut up,” I joke as a smile lifts my face.
And she does.
* * *
“We’ve been driving for two hours, and you bring me here?” she asks while looking out the window.
Seeing disappointment on her face makes me feel slightly bad. However, she still doesn’t understand why she’s in the middle of nowhere. People can’t be around us today. I can’t let anyone recognize me and ruin the surprise. So, I drove her to a deserted, abandoned town. I’m shocked that I don’t see ghosts since it’s a ghost town here.
My gift has two parts. A big part of it needs a vacant parking garage.
Pulling into the garage, I park my car in one of the many empty spots. My hands sweat from the nerves I feel as she glances at me in confusion.
“I know life has hit you pretty hard lately, and I want to apologize for how I treated you when we first met.” I pause and let out a chuckle. “I saw a confident girl who didn’t put up with my shit, and it bothered me that you didn’t want me. But now, I realize that you’re more than a pretty face. You make me feel things I’ve never felt before.”
Her hand pulls mine into her lap, squeezing it as she smiles at me.
“I know we just started getting along with each other. But what’s the point of waiting when you only live once and we know life can be taken away too quickly?” I nod my head to the door, telling her to open hers.
She meets me at the hood of my car, and I take a deep breath before walking forward.
I hear her lighter footsteps behind me as she follows. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. I’ve stood onstage in front of thousands of people, yet I’m more nervous with her than I ever have been before.
Because she matters more.
Nothing matters more than this moment.
My eyes spot her gift, and my heart skips a beat. I suddenly stop, making her bump into my back.
“Leonidas,” she mutters. Halting beside me, she waits for me to continue with an eyebrow raised.
Digging into my pocket, I pull out a pair of keys and a key chain that reads …
Will you be my girlfriend?
TWENTY-ONE
TRINITY
Iknow he didn’t take me here to kill me. But I’m puzzled. What are we doing in the middle of nowhere? This part of town is empty. Not a single soul lingers in these streets.
Leonidas seems confident as he hands me a set of keys. Car keys. To my dream car. I told Amelia once over the phone when we were talking. I didn’t think she would remember and tell Leonidas.
As the keys sit in the middle of my palm, all I can seem to do is stare. What the hell? This must be a joke. My heartbeat unhealthily pounds in my chest as I look up at him in confusion. He stares back at me. Biting his lip, he leans his head to the side and gives me a slow smile.
