Paper Rings - (J.F.)

Chapter 11

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Chapter 11

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In spite of everything that Jeremiah had said, he had ultimately agreed to teach Delilah how to drive that day. Delilah felt that now, as they were both seated in his Jeep enjoying a muffin breakfast, was the best time to bring up the promise.

"Jere." She took a bite out of her carrot muffin, chewing a little. "I've been waiting for so long. When are you gonna take me driving?"

"The day you actually pass your learners."

She huffed, crossing her arms. "Words and pictures on a screen are very different from the real thing."

Jeremiah cast a sidelong glance at Delilah, later sighing in defeat at the doe-eyed look she was giving him. Every time she gave him those eyes, he was powerless to resist, and she was well aware of this. The two friends then quickly got out of the vehicle, swapping seats so that she was in the driver's seat and he was in the passenger side.

Delilah eventually realized, however, that this appeared much more difficult than she had anticipated. Nervousness set in as he focused on the dashboard's controls and then down at the steering wheel. She was completely clueless about where to begin.

Jeremiah's subtle smirk that he flashed her in awareness of her confusion didn't do anything to help. "Well? What's the first step?"

She blinked owlishly. "Driving requires a lot of focus, so, um . . . Give me a second to figure things out."

Jeremiah couldn't help but laugh at this and she turned to face him.

"Who are you laughing at?"

"There's nobody else in the car except for me and you, so obviously at you."

This caused Delilah to cross her arms in irritation. When he leaned across the space, she felt her throat constrict at his unexpected proximity. She was taken aback when he suddenly grabbed her seatbelt and fastened it around her.

He remained close to her, his warm, minty breath caressing her face as her ears flushed a vivid scarlet color. "Step one: Put on your seat belt."

Then he leaned away casually and buckled in his own seat belt, as if he hadn't just purposefully made her into a flustered mess.

"Step two," she added once she regained her composure, gripping the key in her hand and turning on the engine. "Turn on the ignition."

"Step three?" he asked, examining her with wondering eyes, curious to know whether she remembered what to do next. Susannah was the person who taught Delilah to drive the last time she had a driving lesson. This happened more than a year ago.

"Clutch."

Using her left foot, Delilah depressed the clutch all the way to the floor.

"Good girl," he whispered mindlessly, attention on the wheel and just as focused as her.

Delilah admired the side of Jeremiah's face and grinned to herself. He appeared to be paying close attention to her hands, or perhaps her driving; either assumption left her excited on the inside. She fleetingly appreciated his particularly appealing face. He certainly noticed her observing, but she didn't even notice until he struck up a conversation with her again. Only after hearing her name spoken once more did she recover from her stupor.

"Hm?"

He gave her a knowing smirk. "Now I know how breathtakingly handsome I am, but that or anything else shouldn't be distracting you from the wheel." He became a little more serious, not very much, but just enough to show that what he said after that was firm. "Got it?"