My head tilted in a sarcastic surprise, “Wait, hold up.Youhave friends? Well, I never.”
She raised her head from the pillow, shooting me a deathly glare as my smile widened.
“She's more like a sister if you must know,” she muttered under her breath. “You insufferable ass.” I nodded, crossing my arms across my chest.
“So what, you just bailed on this so-called sister of yours. Why didn’t you go home with her?”
She paused, draping her arm over her face, leaving me unaware if she had even heard me at all or had drifted back offto sleep. The cigarette lazily perched between her fingers as her arm hung off the side of the bed. A moment passed, walking to the edge of the bed as I tapped the side of her foot with my hand. “Oi, don’t ignore me.”
Giving an agitated groan, she shrugged. “I don’t know, what do you want from me?”
“Where do you live anyway? You haven’t mentioned it once. Seems only fair that I know, seeing as you abuse my hospitality on the regular.” She paused, almost like my question took her off guard. Pulling herself up to lean on her elbows, clocking my gaze.
“It’s fucking miles away. Hence, the impromptu sleepover. Might take you some day if you’re nice to me.”
I grinned, holding out my arms, “Aren’t I always?” She smirked, brushing me off with a shake of her head. Reaching into her jacket pocket, she lazily pulled out her phone, eyes flicking upon the screen.
“Well, I need to go.” Pulling herself from the bed.
“Is everything ok?” Straightening up, my brow furrowing in confusion, had I said something wrong? Did I push it too far by asking where she lived?
“Uh, yeah. Just somewhere I need to be.” She slipped on her jacket and boots as she looked up at me.
“I think I’ve got everything, so I’m gonna head out”
“Oh. Okay.” An unwanted disappointment sounded in my tone. I shifted myself so she could pass, heading for the front door.
“Where are you going?” Slipping out, casual and breezy, holding some curiosity about what she was up to. She kind of just turned up here and there. Like a bad penny, you can’t shake.
She gave me that flat, unreadable tone, “I just need to pick something up from the other side of the city.” That would have been a good hour's walk from here, and from my glance to thewindow, it didn’t look like the rain was planning on letting up any time soon. A part of me didn’t want her to leave. The offer blurted from my mouth, not thinking of the consequences it would hold.
“I can give you a ride, if you want.” I saw her hand hesitate on the door handle as I appeared from the bedroom. She turned back, brows drawn low in confusion.
“You have a car?” I hesitated for half a second too long.
“Yeah. Bought it,” I said, trying to keep the lie wrapped in that unconvincing nonchalant tone. If she were to bring up Selene again, I wouldn’t know how long I could hold up the lie. But I could feel her eyes on me, slicing into the cracks of that statement.
She didn’t press, thankfully. Just gave a long, drawn-out sigh like she was at war with herself. Then, finally, that quiet reluctance. “Fine.”
It felt like a win—a weird one. But I’d take it.
Her reaction when we got to the car was predictable. I didn’t even have to look at her to know she was glaring holes through the bodywork.
“This is not your fucking car.” I bit down on a grin and leaned against the bonnet, casually tossing the keys in one hand, before jingling them to wind her up. She stood there, arms crossed like she was ready to slap the truth out of me.
“You have not bought this car. I thought you meant you had some shitty Vauxhall Corsa or something, not this.” God, I could listen to that scepticism in her voice all day. That bite. It was growing on me. I raised an eyebrow in response,
“Well, it is. Are you getting in or not?” Her eyes narrowed, zeroing in on my face.
“Depends. Am I gonna get dragged out of it when the real owner catches up with it?” I couldn’t help the slow, devilishsmile that crept up, stretching wider as I caught the flicker of a memory behind her eyes.
“You should be used to that happening, right?” The second the words left my mouth, I saw the fire in her eyes.
“Fuck off.” I just smirked.
She slammed the passenger door behind her and settled into the seat. Her eyes drifted over the interior, still very much settled on the notion that it wasn’t mine. I slid into the driver’s side, the engine humming beneath us.
“Where to then?”
