Maya Hayes' POV:
I sat on the backseat of the car with my head pressed against the window. By the way it felt, I was almost sure my brain would pop out anytime.
The whole ride, I tried to fall asleep so the pounding in my head could leave but instead I stayed wide awake listening to Louis while watching the French countryside fly by outside the window.
I couldn't focus on what he had to say as my mind kept wandering back, trying to mentally prepare myself for the upcoming meeting I was going to Annecy for in the first place.
Right now we were stopped at some place where Louis and the driver were stood out, taking a break from the long hours.
My thoughts are interrupted when Louis suddenly opens the door and pops his head through with a smile. "I got you cookies from that shop" he points somewhere but just shrugs, handing them to me.
"Thank You" I couldn't help but smile.
"Louis" I call out as he's about to turn away. "Hmm?"
"Can you just check the bag for my medicines? They must be in the back".
His face suddenly changes into one of worry. "Are you alright, what happened?" He questions with furrowed brows and gets in, placing the back of his hand on my forehead and neck.
"Shit- Maya You're burning up" he mumbles in a hurry and I let go of the fact he called me by my first name when he gets out to check for my medicines.
"I'm fine" I say to myself just as Louis comes back with stuff in his hand.
"These are the ones, right?" He asks and I nod, taking them from him before he hands me a water bottle and settles in beside me, shutting the door.
I couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement at the prospect of spending the next few days with him alone.
Get out of your head Maya.
I couldn't help it, no matter how much I try to act cool about it, I found myself drawn to him in a way I couldn't quite understand. Maybe It's cause I'm dying.
I know I can't just make it my whole personality trait and blame everything on this but I mean it made me feel better about myself in a way.
As the driver settles in with a nod if the head, Louis looks over at me.
"Should we stop at some clinic on the way?" He asks hopefully and I just shake my head. "I'm alright" I say and go back to looking outside the window.
"Is it fine if I try something" he looks hesitant but grins when I nod.
He gets closer, sitting up straight and holds my hand in his and I felt my dumb fucking heart skip a beat at the touch of his hand on mine.
He bends my elbow slowly but looks at confused before finally scratching the back of his neck in a cute way.
"Can you take off your hoodie?" He asks and I do as he says.
Once again, he bends my elbow, this time seeming more confident. He presses against the end of the crease on the outside with a hooked thumb.
He asks me to breathe deeply and I do so for about a minute or two before repeating the process on my other arm in complete silence.
He goes on to tell me about the pressure points and I listen while pressing my fingertips against each other like he tells me to.
I'm not even sure if this is making a difference but having his close is definitely working.
"There are also pressure points at the back of your head" he mumbles and I take off my shoes, turning around to face the window with my back towards Louis.
"Go on" I say and his fingers brush against my neck sending shivers down my spine.
"Where did you learn all this?" I finally ask and he lets go of me and I suddenly regret asking him as I feel something missing from me.
"My mom is a nurse" he tells me happily before his touch appears again, this time on the lower back of my head, brushing his fingers through my hair like he was looking for something specific.
Something about people's hand in my hair just gets me every time and I feel my eyes drooping. I hear a small chuckle before he speaks up.
"You can lay down, you know" and I do so immediately with my head in his lap and my legs in a weird position.
I know I shouldn't let down my guard, I don't even know him for fuck sakes but for some reason it feels safe. I feel safe.
***
I flutter my eyes open and the first thing that comes into view is Louis' sleeping face with his head against the window and one of his arms placed over me protectively.
I slowly take his hand off and get up while rubbing my eyes, feeling better than what I felt before the much needed nap.
Louis wakes up at the state of me moving and looks at me in question. "Are you feeling alright" I nod.
"Just woke-up" he finally adjusts his eyes while aggressively blinking and looks outside the window with a yawn.
"Are we not there yet?" He questions with a yawn and the driver speaks up from the front.
"An hour, monsieur"
"Are you feeling nervous?" He asks and I look at him dumbfounded.
"The meeting, with the investor" he tells me slowly like I was a kid and I shrug.
"A little, I just want everything to go smoothly" I admit.
Louis reaches over and places a reassuring hand on my shoulder that sends sparks flying everywhere within me. "Don't worry Ms. Hayes" I liked him calling me Maya better. "I'm here if the people will need convincing, I'm a pretty convincing guy if I say so myself" he brags a little making me raise a brow in question. "You hired me, didn't you? I'm not even good at the job" he does have a point.
"Wait, no you weren't supposed to agree with the last part. You were supposed to be like oh, Louis, you're the best bodyguard I could ever ask for. You are incredible at your job and-" A snort escapes my mouth before I glance at him and it turns into a full on laugh. God, does he really think he's good at his job.
He smiles but it fades when he realizes that me laughing was an insult to him. He rolls his eyes, crossing his arms and looking out the window.
I steal a look at him as he busies himself with the view outside. It's no doubt he is very attractive, with his chiseled features and grey eyes that had just a hint of green in them. His nose pierced perfectly to suit his features and don't get me started on his platinum blonde hair. I found myself drawn to him in ways that I didn't quite understand.
As we rode towards the hotel, I couldn't help but feel a little bit overwhelmed by the beauty of Annecy. It was nestled in the French Alps, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and shimmering blue waters. Everywhere I looked, there was something beautiful to behold.
Louis, for his part, forgot about the insult and was suddenly excited to show me around his hometown. He pointed out landmarks and places of interest as we rode towards the hotel, seeming eager to show me everything that he loved about this place.
A/N:
First of all thank you all so much for the support I've been getting on this book, it's unbelievable. Like you're telling me we're already almost at 65K READERS??? I'm beyond grateful for each and everyone of you.
Like always, don't be a stranger and leave your thoughts throughout the chapters and also constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated.
I literally cannot thank you all enough.
Omg also I NEED to know who your favorite couple is so far or like your favorite friendship/relationship is.
And I'm still looking for ship names😩 OMG AND If any of you are any good at writing blurbs or synopsis please text me I beg, I really need a better blurb cause it doesn't do the book any justice. (You can text me anywhere but most preferably on insta)
Also like I mentioned in the last chapter, I finally read the monster trilogy and oh. my. god. That's all I have to say.
This trilogy literally git me out of my months old reading slump and I finished it in 2 days and immediately went into a slump right after because I couldn't get over it.
Anyways, thats it for this week's rant, do let me know who you want to read more about in the future chapters.
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