Lia
Elijah normally drives like a maniac but I've never seen him so utterly careless with how fast and dangerously he drove to get me back to Bellevue. All throughout the drive, my heart was in my mouth as I watched the video of Xavier's crash. It looks like the car behind him purposely drove close to his which caused Xavier to tailspin and slam into the railings. His car went up in flames almost immediately and then he jumped out and got dragged away by medical personnel.
I don't know the extent of his injuries or what this means for his racing career but all I'm worried about is if he's okay. The fact that Blair told me he's at home gives me a little reassurance that maybe his injuries aren't that serious.
The moment I step through his apartment, I'm holding up my lehenga and rushing towards him with tears rimming my eyes.
"Lia." Xavier is surprised but doesn't hesitate to smile at me but the moment he sees my tears, his smile drops.
"Are you okay? Please, tell me you're okay, Xavier." I quietly sob with shaky breaths. My hands are trembling as I touch his arms and his cuts and bruises. There aren't many but the few that he has look stomach-churning. And his left wrist is bandaged.
How the hell did he get out of that crash with so little injuries?
"Baby, I'm okay. I promise. Please stop crying." He's so tender as he cradles my face to wipe away my tears.
I'm overcome with so much relief that I feel exhausted. And it's after I calm down that I notice that everyone is here.
And I mean everyone.
Our friends. Blair's grandma. Xavier's mom. My mom.
Awkward.
"What happened? How the fuck did you crash?" Elijah blurts out but I catch the concern in his voice.
"Cheating." Viini starts talking about what went down.
Xavier sits down but my legs feel so weak from exhaustion so I just sit down on my knees by his legs on the floor. My eyes never stray away from him. I'm scared that if I look away, this all might be a dream and that Xavier is in a hospital bed fighting for his life.
But then his eyes capture mine and harden. He frowns and grabs my wrist to tug me up to sit beside him.
"Don't kneel in front of me," he scolds me but then he's leaning in to whisper into my ear, "Only when I want you to."
This idiot has the nerve to be sly when he nearly freaking died. My blush makes him grin and makes me hide my face in the croak of his neck. Wrapping my arms around him, keeping my face away from everyone, I hug him tight. Xavier slings his arm around my waist and molds me to his side. The feel of his fingers on my bare skin and the sound of his heartbeat are comforting.
I'm so thankful he's okay.
I could get on my knees and thank the Lord for protecting him from such a horrific crash. It's a miracle he came out of that alive.
"What do you mean cheating?" Elijah asks, completely sucked into this.
Viini leans back against the wall and crosses his arms.
"Number 68, Zion Hawkins has been the number one racer at the track. But ever since X has started racing, he's become second best," Viini irritatedly sighs, "And what does that idiot do instead of improving his skills, he cheats. Out of jealousy. My dad found out his team had been coming up with this elaborate plan on making Xavier lose a race just so Zion can become number one again. They planned on making him crash deliberately. But it's all good. Zion is kicked out and so is his team and we're filing a lawsuit against them on behalf of Xavier."
Those lowlifes didn't think for one second that someone's life could end because of their greedy need to be the best. My fingers curl around my skirt in anger.
I chance a look at Rhea and she looks distraught. I don't blame her. Her son almost lost his life today. How she's staying so strong without breaking down is admirable. Mom is pale as she stares at Xavier, at his wounds.
Xavier's crash brings back horrible memories. Memories that shatter my heart. Mom is seeing what happened to dad and me that night. I hate how the memories of that night break her. She lost the love of her life. I never understood in depth why—I was young and he was my dad, that was a different kind of pain—she was so heartbroken but now I know.
She got her heart ripped away from her. Her happiness. Her soulmate. Her love.
Knowing that I almost lost Xavier today, makes me understand her better. But it aches me to know she lost the one she loves so dearly.
Mom finds my eyes and I shake my head, telepathically telling her to not go into that heartbreak. She smiles so lovingly at me and I watch as she relaxes. Elijah picks up on it too and slings his arm around her, comforting her in his playful nature. I'm still hugging Xavier when he flicks his gaze to me and caresses my cheek.
"I'm so glad you're okay." I whisper with a heavy heart.
He smiles and presses a soft kiss to my hair.
"I believe we haven't met," Rhea breaks the tense atmosphere, "You must be Lia's mother."
Rhea kindly smiles at my mom. Xavier and I share a quiet look of apprehension. This is the first time our parents are meeting each other.
Mom shakes off her distress and plasters on a gentle smile.
"I'm Liana."
"I'm Rhea. Xavier's mother."
And just like that, the two of them fall into a conversation. Grandma Célestia joins them and the three women cuddle around one sofa, losing themselves in talks.
"Lia, you got married?" Hudson playfully teases me with a boyish grin as he eyes my attire.
I roll my eyes in amusement.
"Shut up."
My girls laugh but then start gushing over my outfit. I give all the credit to Blair because she's the one who made my vision come to life. She's so freaking talented, it's overwhelming sometimes. Now that Blair and I are alone in our apartment, we spend time studying and working on our projects together. Both of us have creative backgrounds so we like to bounce ideas off of each other. I love her. I love that she's so animated. I love that she creates the prettiest clothing I've ever seen. I love that she's my best friend.
But we both miss Nolee terribly. There doesn't go a day where we're not on videophone to her or hanging out with her. Just because she's Zack's fiancé doesn't mean the big goof gets to steal her away from us. She's ours first.
After a while, Hudson, Blair, and her Grandma are first to leave with Blair giving me her car keys since she will be staying the night at Hudson's. Zack, Nolee, and Viini leave after lecturing Xavier to take his meds. Mom kisses me and tells Xavier to get better soon so she can come to his race before she leaves with Elijah. Rhea doesn't leave until she makes sure her son has taken his meds and is feeling somewhat comfortable with his injuries. She kisses his cheek and fawns over him with so much worry that I, for a moment, stare at her in awe. She'd been alone after what happened to her and Xavier. She went through so much. Yet there is not a single atom of malice in her demeanor.
Rhea kisses my temple when she leaves. And when it's just Xavier and me, I get flooded with protectiveness. How he came out with some bruises and a sprained wrist, only God knows. But I'm thankful for him to be in one piece, healthy, and in front of me.
"Are you okay?" I ask him as I walk barefoot through his bedroom door. I hope he isn't feeling discouraged or distressed because of what happened. Xavier is strong-willed but he's human.
I fight hard to contain my squeal of giddiness upon seeing his ruggedness. He's in his racing uniform which is black, the upper half tugged off and the arms wrapped around his waist, his black t-shirt molding against his muscles. His black hair is disheveled and falling over his eyes. His tattoos and veins are mouthwatering. And call me a psycho but his injuries elevate his hotness.
Xavier drops his phone on his bedside table and walks towards me, nodding. His eyes rake down my body with yearning, his tongue sneaking out to wet his bottom lip.
"Yeah, now that you're here."
I sigh.
"You don't know how scared I was."
Xavier stops when he's towering above me.
"I'm sorry for worrying you."
"No. I'm just glad you're okay. That you're here." I mumble softly as I hold his injured wrist in my hand, biting on my bottom lip. He could've gotten hurt so bad.
The pain of losing my father...is too cruel to bear. I don't know what I would've done if he...
No.
He's okay.
He's here.
He didn't leave.
"I'm never leaving you, Lia." Xavier assures me as if reading my thoughts.
Wrapping my arms around him, I hug him. So tightly as if I'm afraid to let him go. Xavier sighs contentedly before wrapping one arm around me and cradling the back of my head with his injured hand. Closing my eyes, I soak in his warmth. His familiarity. I love hugging him because he makes me feel so safe, like nothing in this world can hurt me.
I lift my head, keeping my arms around him, and like being pulled into a vortex, my eyes find his. And he's staring at me with so much love, so much hunger as if he's bewitched. His pupils are blown out and I always find that so freaking attractive.
"You look breathtaking." With a sensuous rasp, he speaks.
And my stomach flutters with butterflies. It's the first time he's seeing me in traditional clothes. I always wondered what he would think if he ever saw me in them. And now, I think I like it. His reaction.
"I better because I cried like a baby out there for you." Playfully, I mumble. Walking past him to turn on the bedside lamp to cast the room in a warm ambiance. It's dark outside except for the bright full moon.
Xavier chuckles and it's deep and gravelly and so hot.
"So when we get married, you gonna wear that?" He doesn't even look like he's playing around.
And that makes me so nervous and shy.
"Shut up."
I hate him. He can't tease me about stuff like that.
Then I catch something on his desk. Amusement and surprise make me laugh as I grab the paperback.
"You're reading A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime?" I'm so, so freaking curious as to why he's reading a fluffy yet spicy romance.
Xavier doesn't even blush.
"Finished it last night. And I understand why women are crazy over that book."
"Crazy about him giving her the entire selection of Chanel lipsticks, not that chapter. That chapter was traumatizing." And it would've been better if the author set the book in college instead of high school. Nevertheless, the book was cute and hot.
Xavier laughs as he steps closer to me. My heart is racing when he stops a breath away from me and leans down to feather his lips along my neck.
"A million kisses wouldn't be enough to express how much I love you."
Aww.
I exhale a shaky breath from his words. Then he's right there, his lips are right there. His eyes pour his love for me into mine, capturing my soul as his. He lightly kisses me before standing at his fullest height. Eyes hooded and heavy with want, he brings his hand up and traces his fingers over the bare skin of my shoulder. My hands curl into my skirt as I watch his eyes follow his touch. He looks immersed. Completely spellbound.
I nibble on my bottom lip when he slides the thin strap of my top down, then the other. My chest rises and falls when he lifts my wrists, my pink bangles slipping down my forearm, and kissing my inner wrist. His eyes roam over the mehndi on my hands, softening with something sweet like adoration. Xavier kisses my palms and my heart swells with warmth.
Then he's kissing me.
Deep, intense strokes that leave me thoughtless and breathless. My bangles chime when I move my arms to circle his neck. He holds me with his hands on my lower back, caressing and kneading my body as he wishes. Tilting my head, I slide my tongue inside his mouth earning a shaky groan from him that makes my stomach flutter.
With one arm around my waist, Xavier lifts me and drops to sit on his bed with my top on of him. My billowy skirt clouds our lower halves and the stark difference between our colors—black and pink—is hot. My hips sway against his hardness underneath me and he lowly groans in our kiss.
Cradling my neck with his injured hand, with the other, he unhooks the strap of my top. I break the kiss with a gasp. He looks amused when I hold my top up with my hands.
"We're not having sex." Breathlessly, I tell him.
Xavier's smile drops.
He slides his fingers into my hair and tugs. I airily gasp, my eyes round as heat unfurls in my stomach at his sudden roughness.
"I haven't been fucked for four months, Lia," Xavier maliciously sneers, his ache ever-present in his voice, "I want inside you. Bad. I want you creaming my dick. I need to fuck you."
My whole body ignites with a scorching hot flame. Breathing down the urge to succumb to his temptation, I climb off his lap with my hands still holding my top up and trying to tame my blushing cheeks.
"No. We promised we're going to work this out without sex. And you're injured, Xavier." This dude just survived a freaking crash and wants to have sex? He's insane.
Xavier sits there on his bed looking like a devilish fallen angel not understanding how badly I want to fall on my knees for him and bring him to euphoria.
He watches me for a moment with a hard, blank expression but there's the tiniest tug of a smirk on his lips that make him look so...dangerous.
Then, he nods. Gets up to his full height and crashes his lips on mine. I squeal in the kiss, my eyes wide with awe that stare right into his which are clouded with hungry mischievousness.
Fucking jerk hasn't closed his eyes. He knows what he's doing messing with my want like this.
He breaks the kiss when I push him away and he chuckles so deeply with a rasp that it turns my insides into a fluttery mess.
"You're mad." I huff out, glaring at him.
He grins and places his palm on the top of my head to kiss my forehead.
"Yeah," he walks away from me but I hear the smile in his voice and I see it when he stops near his bedroom door to turn back around, "Madly in love."