I’d returned my gaze to him as he studied my gift. He’d touched the jar, and his fingers lingered on it before his dark brown eyes flickered towards me. “Thank you, Sophie.” He’d bent down and kissed the top of my head. My heart had nearly burst from my chest—especially when he told me, “It was the most beautiful gift I received tonight.”
And the keychain I’d made was dangling from his new car keys. Earlier, when I was in his room, the number of stars in the jar had dwindled—proof that he was opening one daily.
Pestering him, I tugged at his arm with my best puppy-dog eyes, begging him to let me drive. Honestly, I had been acting like this for fifteen minutes! But Zioh, being Zioh, he gave me a gentle smile and shook his head.
I pouted, and he stroked my cheek with the calmest look, unaffected. “Baby, just sit tight and let the grown-up drive.”
Well, that was really annoying. He said it with a sly grin, and I knew he was teasing me. I pulled my hands to my hips and glared at him. “Stop calling me a baby! I’ll be seventeen soon as well, Zioh!” I snapped.
He raised a brow, glanced at his watch for a second, and bent until his eyes met mine. “You mean in seven months, fourteen days, seven hours, and forty-three minutes?”
I gaped and let my shoulders slump, letting out an exasperated sigh. Zioh was immovable. Sometimes it seemed he and Tsabinu were the real twins—always bound by rules, always disciplined and proper. “Come on, Zi,” I pleaded again. “You’ve been teaching me for a month now. Don’t you think it’s time for a proper lesson?” I tried with my most convincing tone.
He paused for a moment, then shook his head. “Inside the housing complex, fine. But not on the main road, Sophie.” His tone was firm. That was it. Once Zioh made up his mind, it was set in stone.
Giving up, I walked to the passenger seat. As I was about to open the door, he called out, his voice softer now. “Hey.”
I looked up at him with my lips pulled into a sulky pout, and he let out a slow breath. “Cross with me?”
Wasn’t that obvious?
His question only made me huff harder.
I shrugged, sighing.
He watched me in silence for a few seconds, then walked over. Gently, he turned me towards him, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. I lifted my eyes to him and saw a smile spread across his face, the soft, tender one he seemed to reserve only for me.
It wasn’t the same smile he gave anyone else. This one felt warm, glowing, perfectly in tune with his deep brown eyes. He cleared his throat and murmured. “Besides, you ought to be grateful.” He raised a brow. “You’ve got yourself a personal chauffeur, haven’t you?”
Well, yes, Zioh had always offered to drive me anywhere since he got his licence and his own car. I hadn’t needed the driver since, and we even have our own carpool karaoke routine now.
Seeing me remain silent, he added. “Not just giving you a lift anywhere you like, but teaching you how to drive as well, right?” He lowered his voice, leaning in as if confiding. “I even skipped a few lessons just to teach you.” He brushed my cheek again, coaxing.
I still didn’t answer, so he went on. “Tell you what, once you’ve got your licence, I’ll be your first passenger… and I’ll treat you, how’s that?”
I found myself smiling back. I nodded. “Okay… but promise?” I raised my little finger.
Warmly, Zioh hooked his with mine. “Yes, Sophie. Promise.”
Not long after, the lift dinged open. Zeraiah and Tsabinu came out, lugging several oversized tote bags.
“Right, let’s go. I’ve got Uncle Prabu’s shopping list here,” Zeraiah announced, sliding into the car first.
Tsabinu took the back seat beside him, glancing at Zioh and me before settling in. “Mum also wants some beetroot, apparently. Let’s head out before it gets too late,” he added.
Zioh and I climbed in as well, me sitting in front beside him. As soon as I buckled up, my eyes went straight to the iDrive system in his BMW. I fiddled with the control knob, scrolling to multimedia and selecting the jukebox where we’d already imported our playlists.
It was not just me; Zeraiah joined in, too. The first thing we did with Zioh’s new high-tech car was cram the hard drive with our favourite songs.
Mine: One Direction.
Zeraiah’s: rock, rock, and more rock.
I was about to click on one of my 1D tracks when Zeraiah suddenly lunged forward from the backseat, his hand blocking mine. I raised my brows at him, and he mirrored me with a narrow-eyed glare. Zioh and Tsabinu both sighed.
“Here we go again,” Zioh muttered under his breath.
“Do we really need to do this every time we drive?” Tsabinu added, already weary of us.
