Babysitting at the Rockstars

Chapter 4

Dedicated to the first person who has ever 'liked' my work. Thanks.

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Dan Storm:

I leaned back and stretched in my chair, glancing at the clock.

Two whole hours of studying?! I deserve the whole afternoon off.

There was laughter outside. Soft, musical.

I went to brush the curtains aside. Stevie and the new girl were playing  with Frisky. The dog barked with delight. 

She was wearing a beige dress today and her shoulder length hair gleamed in the afternoon sun as she ran, laughing along with Stevie. I debated whether I should go outside and join them. Frisky was afterall my dog and I was spending less and less time with him these past days. Stevie will not mind. Wynn on the other hand...

She had barely said a word to me since the incident in the pool and pretty much did not seem to notice me at all. I frowned at that. If she was intimidated by me, I would have found that amusing( Fun to see them stutter sometimes. Ah, I have an odd sense of humour I guess), but she just seemed to look past me all the time. And that was unacceptable. If Nate could read my thoughts, he would surely have commented on how big my head was.

I smiled. Well when you got it, flaunt it.

Just then I heard my mother call Stevie inside for supper. Stevie complained and whined, wiping sweat from his eyebrow. Wynn politely declined my mother's offer for supper and went to stand near the outdoor garage to seek refuge from the sun.  Stevie asked Wynn to wait for him and not go anywhere, claiming that he will be done in two minutes. 

Frisky had been holding a red Frisbee but then lost interest in it. He looked back and forth between Stevie and Wynn and then trotted alongside Wynn. Wynn gazed at the vast garden for a while then turned to study the fleet of cars parked.

 We did not collect cars or anything. Atleast not intentionally. It was just that when we liked one, we bought it. Most came from our music video shootings. The recent car to be 'collected' was my one month old, silver gray Porsche, a Cayman model with a top track speed of 172 mph.

Wynn and Frisky were out of sight now. 

Let's she if I can give her a scare. I thought, smiling as I flew down the stairs and walked towards the garage.

I paused at the door. Frisky looked at me and decided to ignore me as he sniffed the floor on the trail of something. Wynn was still out of sight.

I frowned.The cars we owned were mostly convertibles. I should be able to spot Wynn. There was only one door to the garage.

About twenty cars were parked, Nate's Mustang was missing and so was Travis's Mercedes benz. I decided to walk around the cars to look for her, prefering not to call out for her. I did not realise that I was bending a little, as if I was spying in her. Just then I spotted her looking under a car, grinning and then silently rushing around another car. Frisky soon followed, sniffing her trail. 

I grinned myself. She was playing hide and seek with Frisky.

It would probably have looked childish to someone else, but after five minutes of watching her weave carefully around the cars, trying to run away from Frisky, I wanted to join her too. All the time I was crouched behind a red Audi Coupee parked in the opposing row of cars. 

 Wynn was in trouble now though. She was running out of cars to hide behind. She will have to run to this side, but Frisky may catch her before she made it. 

I observed her, still hiding silently. She decided to take the chance. She straightened and ran towards me, all the while looking behind her to see if Frisky was on her trail. I could have easily darted out of her way. Instead, I straightened up, catching her in an embrace as she ran into me. I saw her shocked expression and she even gave out a surprised cry as we fell to the floor. She was on top of me and I felt her chin dig in my chest. My arms were still around her as she raised her head and gaped at me, shocked. I grinned at her. Her expression changed to fury quickly though. I loosened my hold as she attempted to get off me. 

Just then Frisky came, yapping and bounding, jumping on top of Wynn's back so that she pushed on my chest again. Her expression turned panicky as she looked back at me, her face a centimetre away.

I grinned at her, breathing the same air as her. My eyes kept darting to her panicky eyes and trembling lips, and I felt a thrill go through me,''Nice job, b-''

I was cut off by her sudden scream. Frisky jumped off her and she pushed herself off me as I released her completely. She stood up and started dusting her dress, her expression a combination of confusion and anger. I, on the other hand, took all my time to get up, not bothering to dust my jeans. I looked at her with amusement. She finally raised her head to look at me.

''You're alright?'' I asked.

''Yes.'' She replied, in a curt tone, already turning to walk past me.

''Aren't you gonna ask me?'' I grabbed her wrist as she walked past. At her touch, I felt that thrill again, a small voltage of electricity, prickly, pleasant... She looked up at me, her expression shocked, and I explained ''Ask if I'm alright?''

She frowned at my hand around her wrist. ''Are you alright?'' She asked, with a hint of impatience.

I grinned at her, ''Well, my heart is throbbing, now that you've stabbed it...''

Her mouth dropped open and then snatched her hand, her red lips pursed. I held a hand up defensively and the other over my heart as if I was in actual pain, nodding ''...You stabbed it with your pointed chin.''

She did not laugh at the joke, but her expression of anger was gone. She just gave a half-hearted chuckle, though her guarded expression did not fade away -  just in case I did something unexpected again. I smiled devilishly at her in response.

''I don't believe we've officially been introduced. I am Dan Storm. Daniel Art Storm, that is.'' I said, giving her my trademark chocolate-boy-next-door grin.

''Wynn Albright.'' She replied, shaking my hand and taking it back quickly. Her hand was incredibly soft. Her fingers carressed my hand as it slipped away. She gave me a half smile, ''Art, huh? That's pretty uncommon.''

I chuckled,''My parents probably knew I will be a great artist.''

"Okay..." She chuckled too but raised her hand in a wave and turned to leave.

''You never thanked me.'' I said, again cutting her off in midstrife. 

''For what?''

''For saving you the other day...in the pool.'' I reminded her, the devilish smile playing on my lips again.

For a second she looked like she was about to argue but then thought better of it. ''Thanks.''

She turned to leave again.

''So that's all? I thought you were going to invite me for Tacos or something at-least.'' I said.

She studied me for a moment, her expression torn ''You like Tacos?''

''Tacos or ice cream, whatever!'' I shrugged, still smiling.

''Ok, I'm sure Stevie will love to come along too.'' She said, her expression thoughtful.

I was the one surprised then, ''...Or we could go... just the two of us.'' I pressed.

She frowned, looking slightly confused ''I'm sorry, I don't -  I don't date.''

I gaped at her for a split second, disappointed, but mostly shocked.  It was the first time since 4th grade a girl had refused to go out with me.

''I didn't mean it as a date! More like a -a-'' I said, trying to find the right word and salvage my reputation, but it was like I had zero vocabulary for a second.

''I'll get you the Tacos.'' She stated, smiled a goodbye and went out of the garage, leaving me, gaping at her.