Twisted Paradise

Chapter 23

Lily snuck a look at her watch as they finished off their lunch. Her lunch break was over; she needed to head back to her company for a meeting.

As she informed Blaise of that, he calmly guided her to his car, insisting on driving her there.

She quirked an eyebrow at his rare moment of assertiveness - directed at her, that is - but otherwise went along with it. She wasn't losing out on anything. She had ridden a cab here. Waiting for another one would be time-consuming.

He opened the car door, letting her take a seat, before closing it and walking around to the driver's position beside her.

The last time she was in a car with him, she was too preoccupied with... shopping. This time, though, she turned her gaze to him; his side profile.

He was focusing on the road in front. His callous eyes had an edge of concentration. Yet, the expression on his face was relaxed and calm, with a half-smile tugging at his seemingly soft lips.

His hair was messier than it looked on normal days - to be fair, even that was quite messy - like he had been running his hands through it since morning. A stray strand rested on his left eyebrow, just above his eye.

That aforementioned eye glanced at her for a split second before re-focusing on the road ahead. It was so sudden that she didn't have the time to look away and pretend she hadn't been staring at him like all the mysteries of the universe were written all over his face.

Well... she probably wouldn't pay him that much attention if this was the case.

"What's wrong?" His voice came as a murmur.

"Huh?"

"You were staring at me. Do I have something on my face?"

"If I say 'mysteries of the universe', will you believe me?" she asked with good humour.

"I have been pegged as 'mysterious' before so, maybe partially?" His eyes had that amused glint she was used to.

"Oh? By who?"

"Many people," he softly said. "But most meant to be mean-spirited."

"I can't imagine calling someone 'mysterious' maliciously! If I wanted to be cruel, I'd call them... but that's not the point. Mysterious? That's really not..." She trailed off as he let out a deep chuckle.

"Not my vibe?"

"You generally give off an air of... geniality, so to speak. Like you're very friendly and expressive."

"But when they keep spending time with me, Lily, they realize I hide a lot." His eyes flitted to hers again for a moment before focusing back. "Except, that realization always comes a little too late and by that time, I'm already done with them. They outlive their usefulness."

His eyes were clouded with a smidgeon of coldness.

Lily noted it while asking him playfully, "And me? When do you think I'll outlive my usefulness?"

Some of that coldness dissipated. "Let me think... not anytime in the next few decades."

"Decades?" Green eyes, blinking constantly, were staring at him.

The car decelerated, gradually coming to a stop in front of a tall skyscraper. He was silent the entire time, not addressing her bewildered inquiry.

His head turned towards her then. His features arranged in a casual facade. "Why? You don't think we'll be in touch that long?" he raised an elegant brow. "I'm definitely not letting you go."