Tinder, Love and Care

3. Painting

*There will be a 🎧 emoji for when you should play the song.

EDITED

Justice had magnetism. I could feel it pulling me in from the second I entered into his space.

He didn't feel the need to fill the silence of the car ride with random chatter, but somehow, I just knew he was one of the most charismatic people I'd ever met.

"You good?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow and a smile hidden in the corner of his lips.

"Yeah. Sorry, I zoned out."

"No need to apologize. You paint before?" Justice's arm slid over to the center console, and he appeared relaxed in his reclined seat. What looked like specs of white paint ran up his forearms.

"A little." I mumbled, turning to look out the window.

Now that I was closed in a car with him, I was beginning to realize how dumb it was to meet up with a random stranger when I could barely start a conversation with people that sat next to me in class.

In the corner of my eye, I could see his head turn as he looked me over. He must've come to some conclusion because he rolled up his window and pushed the button for the sun roof.

The sky was clear, and I could catch glimpses of the stars in between the passing yellowed streetlights.

"Recline your seat." Justice stated, eyes never straying from the road and one hand still steady on the wheel. The other reached for the volume and turned it up.

How that simple action was attractive, I'll never know, but he pulled it off effortlessly.

Deciding that there was no harm in reclining the seat, I obeyed. My eyes were instantly fixed on the sky, and phone in hand, I poised to catch what I was seeing.

Only Justice's hand moved to block my camera, and I glanced at him in question.

"Just feel it." The warmth from his hand seeped into mine, reminding me that I had become a stranger to physical touch in the past months.

He released me as I set my phone back in my lap and watched me from the corners of his eyes as I stared up at the sky.

🦋

We pulled up slowly to what looked like an abandoned warehouse. Quickly, I sat up and called Divine back while I got as close to the door as possible.

"My friends have my location, and I have pepper spray!" I shouted, fumbling for my pepper spray out the small bag I brought without taking my eyes off him.

"Okay...?" Justice raised an eyebrow before killing the ignition. I could hear a low rumble of amusement as he opened the door and got out. "You coming?" He asked once he came around and opened the door again.

Justice relaxed easily on the door, elbows rested on its edges. I hadn't noticed quite how tall he was before, but now I could tell that he could easily be 6'3".

I scrutinized him wearily, not really listening to Divine's questioning on the other end of the line.

Maybe I was watching too much Criminal Minds.

"Hyacinthe Jasmine Claiborne, you betta answer me." Divine demanded, her voice echoing slightly in the cool night.

"I'm fine. False alarm." I responded before hanging up abruptly and taking a step out the car. He smiled eagerly as he shut the door behind me. "Don't get too big for your britches. If I don't see any paint, you're in for an ass whooping."