To Know More

35 | i'm sorry

I knew he was Noah Carter, and I knew that I placed much, much beneath him when it came to wealth and power. But I for sure needed no reminder of that, and I definitely hadn't signed up to assist him for it to end in humiliation.

Minutes passed before I heard him sigh. "I didn't mean it like that, you know-"

"It's okay."

I cut him off, not wanting to hear any more of it - at least for now. I decided to stay silent - absolutely silent - until we reached his place, and then be on my own way. I had had enough eye twitching for the day.

But glancing at him, my attention was once again drawn involuntarily to the bruises on his skin and the red on his shirt.

I bit my lip, something twisting in my gut against my best efforts to shut him out. Stupid, stupid, stupid- "Are you sure you don't want me to take you to the hospital?"

"Yes." He answered immediately, his tone emanating finality. There was no room for discussion.

But my persistent self just couldn't keep quiet. "I'm just saying, it might be better-"

"Look, this isn't my first time." His tone was harsh, and I knew then that I should've shut up when I had the chance. "If it wasn't for Chase, I would be doing all this by myself right now, no big deal."

Here we go again. "Fine."

My hold tightened on the steering wheel - admittedly, to piss him off just a tiny bit - and I drove faster, wanting to finish this as soon as possible. What was I thinking, trying to offer him help when he clearly didn't want it?

Surprisingly, he stayed silent the remainder of the ride till we reached the front of his mansion, one that I knew quite well by now. Being extremely careful (I never was quite the expert at parallel parking), I brought the car to a halt and sighed. "We're he-"

"I'm sorry."

A low, almost inaudible mumble - so low, I thought I had imagined it for a second. But when I turned my head in astonishment, he averted his eyes and ruffled his hair.

"I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

My traitorous heart clenched inside my chest as I settled myself back into my seat without even realising it.

I didn't quite know what to say. This was the first time - ever - that Noah had uttered the word 'sorry' to me, and now that I'd heard it, I truly didn't know how to respond.Suddenly nervous, I lowered my head and began playing with my fingertips.

What now?

"Amelia?" 

There was something so sonorous, so pleasing about the way he said my name, that I couldn't help but raise my head and look at him.

As soon as our eyes met, I knew I wouldn't dare to avert them until he did his.

"Look, I..." A chill ran down my spine when I felt him hold my fiddly fingers gently, completely stopping their anxious movements. He noticed? "I'm just angry at everything right now."

Subconsciously, I felt myself lean closer to the gear stick between us, as did he.

The distance between us suddenly insignificant, I watched his eyes go lower, down my face till he reached the end of it, and then slowly back up again.

I imagined his hold on my fingers tightening.

"But I shouldn't be snapping at you..."

"I..." I was stumped. I didn't know what to say, or what to do, except stare. And the longer I did that, the more the turmoil inside me made itself dominant. This was new, uncharted territory - and I knew better than to traverse it.