The rest of the lunch went by in a blur. There was minimal verbal exchange, so they ate pretty quickly. As in Dunkin' Donuts, Adriano payed the bill with a crisp hundred dollar bill this time and he told the waitress to keep the change even though their meal cost way less than that. She was dumbfounded to say this least.
They walked back to the car and got in. Once the car started, the clock on the dashboard indicated that it was a little over 3 o'clock. When the Bugatti moved out of the parking lot, Ximena switched her phone back on since she'd left it in the car. Surprisingly, there were no more missed called from her father but she had some messages from Andrea and Chelsea. She decided to forget about them and answer them when she got home.
She faced Adriano. "Hey, you never told me how old you are."
He smirked and threw her a quick glance. "How old do you think I am?" he teased, his voice deep and laced with mirth.
Ximena scratched her head. "I think 25," she guessed. He nodded his head and the hint of a grin came to his lips.
"Correct."
"So where are you taking me now?" she asked.
"Home."
"Already?" she pouted and then leaned back in her seat. "And here I was thinking you were enjoying my company," she sniffed mockingly.
He laughed. "I do actually enjoy your company believe it or not," he replied honestly. I enjoy it a little too much, he wanted to say further but then bit his tongue. "I think I should get you back home before your dad starts thinking you've run away again. When you left he looked like he was going to come after you," he said and she groaned.
"Just like dad to embarass me like that," she muttered to herself. "Okay then."
Once again, she turned on the radio and melodic tunes filled the space around them. This time around Ximena danced and sang along to the songs as best as she could on her seat. Adriano found himself smiling to himself. Having her in his company was just so liberating.
Half an hour later, the gates to the Dos Ramos mansion came into view. The guards opened the gate almost immediately. Seconds later, Adriano brought the car to a halt in front of the large archway that stood in front of the house. Ximena unbuckled her belt and then positioned her body so that her upper body was facing him. He turned to face her too.
"Thank you for-uh taking me out," she said shyly and blushed. The words had come out as a struggle and she'd just insinuated they'd gone on a date. It definitely wasn't a date, was it?
"You're welcome," he replied cooly and then smirked. "Give me your phone."
The words didn't register immediately in her head. Had she heard correctly? When he held his hand out to her, she slowly placed her red iPhone in his large hand. He unlocked it since it didn't have a passcode and then began to type something in it. He handed it back to her afterwards. She looked at the screen and then saw that he had put his number in it.
"That's my number. Feel free to hit me up whenever," he breathed but she noted something in his tone. Something eerily close to flirtation...
She nodded her head a bit too enthusiastically, to which he chuckled. "I should get inside," she said.
"You probably should."
Before she knew what she was doing, she leaned over towards him and then pressed her lips on his cheek. As soon as they touched it, she quickly retracted and then she opened the passenger door. "Bye," she said over her shoulder, got out and then closed the door. She then ran to the giant oak door leading inside the house, opened it. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it, a goofy grin on her face. Her hand touched her lips.
Did I just kiss him on the cheek? she asked herself. It felt surreal, like an illusion. Her eyes had flicked over to his face for just a second but she saw the shock on his face, along with another emotion she didn't quite recognise.
"What's with the look on your face?" asked a voice and she was brought out of her thoughts instantly. It was Salvador coming down the stairs still clad in the pompous outfit from earlier. He jumped down the last stair and crossed his arms. "Well?" he pressed on further.
She ignored his question. "Where's everybody?" she smoothly steered the conversation away from the incident that had just occured. A look of annoyance wiped across her younger brother's handsome face.
"Dad's in his office as always, Mum is in the garden planting some flowers and Andrea left to go hang out with her friends a couple of hours ago," he replied curtly. Ximena rolled her eyes at his impoliteness.
She took steps forward so that she was standing right in front of him. He was taller than her but not as much as Adriano. Salvador looked just like Emilio, except his eyes were brown just like their mother's.
"Salvador, what have I done to you for you to treat me like this?" she asked, genuinely concerned. Their feud had gone on for far too long and and was starting to get to her. There was no need for there to be any bad blood between them. They are family and that's all that matters.
Salvador scoffed and then made a move to leave but she stood in his path, blocking him. His eyes shot her a glare, blazed with nothing but anger. "You have no right to ask me that," he snarled. He took a menacing step forward. "Everything's always been about you. Ximena this, Ximena that. From papa to mama, then Andrea. It's like I don't even exist. You've got almost everyone wrapped around your little finger but guess what? Not me. I will not be stupid enough to do that," he spat acidly and then brushed past her rudely, bumping her shoulder in the process.
Ximena shook her head in defeat and then took to the stairs. The rest of the day went by quite fast. Dinner time was not as quiet as it usually was. There was amicable chatter between her father, mother, Andrea and herself. Salvador remained silent, posture stiff and face drawn into a scowl. Everyone noticed his dark demeanor but decided to not poke the bear. He was known to be the one person in the family who never bothered to bite his tongue.
"So where did you with Adriano?" asked Dolores, with a small smile. She had grown quite fond of the young man and she couldn't figure out why. There was something about him that touched her heart, something that made her feel he didn't know what mother's love was. If only she knew how right she was...
Ximena cleared her throat, a blush playing at her cheeks. "He, uh...t-took me to the mall. We walked around for a bit and then we had lunch..." she trailed off and then took a bite of her fruit salad trying to mask her shame. Gosh, why was it so difficult for her to talk about him?
Andrea gave Ximena a look. "Is that so? Well, some of my friends where at that mall too and they say they saw you two being all lovey dovey, P.D.A and all," she teased and wiggled her eyebrows. Ximena groaned loudly.
"How interesting," Salavdor commented, the ghost of a sinster smirk playing at his lips. This was very out of character for him so the rest were quite shocked by this. "Here I was thinking you two would never get along," he added and Dolores laughed.
"Stop mocking your hermana Chava. It's okay if you're falling in love with him, mi amor. That's actually better if you somehow find a way around the contract," Dolores reasoned with a cheeky grin, making Ximena sink down into her seat. Salvador scrapped his chair backwards unceremoniously and then stood.
"I'm full now. Thank you for the food mom and dad. I'll be upstairs," he said lowly and then left the dining area. Ximena sighed and then Andrea spoke.
"That boy has some serious issues," she muttered to herself but everyone heard it anyway.
"You need to start planning your birthday gala and wedding," Emilio said, his toning immediately switching to a serious one. Ximena's eyebrows furrowed.
"Birthday gala?" she echoed, very much confused. Never before had she ever been thrown a 'birthday gala'. What on earth was that anyway?
"What your father meant," Dolores intervened. "Was that we're throwing you a huge birthday party which will double as your engagement party. You'll announce your upcoming nuptials to Adriano there, in front of a our friends and various associates."
Sounds like a lot of work, she wanted to say but just settled for a simple nod. They finished the rest of the supper with small talk about other things and then they retired to their quarters. On her way to her room, Andrea stopped her in the hallway.
"I'll expect you to tell me about your date with that hottie," she said teasingly, once again wiggling her eyebrows.
Ximena rolled her eyes. "It wasn't a date." Was it?
"That's not what I heard," Andrea said in a sing song voice before she disappeared behind her door. Ximena clicked her tongue at her sister's antics and then made her way over to her room. She took the next hour to shower and then get ready for bed.
Once in her sheets, she laid there with her body faced upwards. The kiss rushed back to her mind. It might have been quick and not on the lips, but it made her feel uneasy. What was it about Adriano that made her question herself and her feelings towards him? Wait, was she starting to have feelings for him?
She reached for her right night stand and took her phone off the charger. She unlokced it and went to her contact list and scrolled through it until she landed on one particular number. Tapping it, it took her to her messaging. Buenas noches, she typed and then her finger hovered over the send button. Should she send it? Her hand was already ahead of her mind and pressed the button. Regret washed over her immediately but that quickly changed when he replied almost a minute later.
Buenas noches, mi pequeño brasco mimado.
Her heart soared and butterflies invaded her tummy without notice.
Yeah, she definitely was beginning to feel something for him and she couldn't quite put a finger on it.
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Over two weeks of silence...sorry guys. I am having a bit of trouble throwing these chapters together but no worries, I managed to get this one down. I hope you are enjoying the story. I know some of you want them to kiss but a kiss on the cheek is what you get for now.
However, these two stubborn mules might be locking lips in the next couple of chapters...🤫🤫🤫🤫
Stay tuned!
~Deetronite