"Give me your car keys", I raise my hand.
"You are not driving my car", he claims firmly.
"Yes, I am. You can't say no to me today"
He stares at me for a few minutes. "You are not driving my car Ayla"
"Just give me the keys already Xander", I drawl. "Or else we'll be standing here all day"
Reluctantly, he places his keys on my palm. I smile victoriously and put my glasses on. Glad to know that he realizes I am not bullshitting. I can make him stand here all day for real.
"Be careful", he says when I turn the keys in the ignition. The machine comes to life with a throaty purr.
"Hold on tight Xander", I say and press my foot down on the accelerator pedal.
"Slow down!"
I ignore him and pull outside the underground parking.
"Careful Ayla!"
"I am being careful", I laugh. "Relax"
"Where are we going?", he demands.
"You'll see"
"What are we doing at the Car agency?", he asks when I finally stop the car.
"Isn't it obvious?", I get down. "I am getting my own car. With your money"
A few minutes later....
"You are not getting three cars Ayla", Xander scolds me.
"Yes I am", I watch the Range Rover, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and Porche 911 with literal heart eyes. "I need all of them in black"
"Come on Xander, you can't say no to me today", I say and find him admiring the Camaro ZL1. He's in love too.
Minutes later, we leave and I have the biggest smile on my face. These cars were my dreams and now I have them. By the grace of his money of course.
"Office now"
"Nope. We are not returning back"
"You got your cars. What do you want now?"
"You are mine to order around until midnight", I hold his arm.
"I'm over this Ayla", he remains still.
"Well, I'm not", I utter and try to make him walk again. "I just know if the situation was reversed, you would have a blast ordering me around. So don't be a hypocrite and walk"
"Where are we going now?", he demands.
"To a carnival", I reply. "It's nearby. I saw it on the internet earlier"
"I am not going there"
"Too bad because we are going"
With a little more fight, we finally reach there. When I complain that I am really thirsty, he points at a bubble tea shop.
"Do you want a sip?", I ask him when he buys one for me.
"No thanks", he mumbles while scrolling through his emails.
"No phone as well", I take his mobile and shove it in my back pocket.
He is about to scold me but I place my straw between his lips. "Drink. It will cool you down"
He tries not to grimace as he chews the pearls. I wish I could have taken a picture of his face. It's picture perfect.
"For a health freak like you, you do consume this sugary stuff a lot", he claims.
"I am not a health freak", I state while we walk.
"So, if I buy you that giant plate of chocolate, will you eat it?"
"Pass. That will make me feel sick"
"You can eat anything you want Ayla", he adds softly after a while.
My heart actually misses a beat nervously. Does he know? I do eat everything now but I still restrict my self at times. It's a bad habit, I know. But I am trying to break free from it.
"Let's try that", I point towards the ring toss.
The man behind the stall smiles when he sees us. "Both of you will play?"
"Only me", I say.
"Think I can't beat you?"
"I know you can't beat me", I say confidently.
"For two please", he tells the man and rolls his sleeves up.
"Competition huh?", the older man laughs. "You two will get three rings each. The one who gets more point can choose a stuff animal"
"Ready to lose?", I ask.
"Focus if you want to win", he states with a grin.
Oh, he will be surprise. I am excellent at aiming. I have a lot of practice thanks to my old friends.
I aim the first ring and it settles easily around a bottle. Xander wins this round as well. I throw the second ring and win again.
He wins the second round too. Now, for the last one. I focus and aim again. It falls perfectly around a bottle.
"Come on Xander"
I watch as his piercing gaze aims for the bottle and he finally throws the last ring but ends up missing it.
"I won!", I claim happily.
"You are really good", the older man says. "Choose your gift"
I look at the countless stuffed bears. I want to give it to Xander. Well, I hope he takes it. A particular brown bear stands out and I point at it.
"Give me that one please"
He offers me the bear and it feels so soft in my hand. "Here, for you"
"Why?"
"Because right now you are pretending to me a woman and I am a man", I point out. "And you just bought me three cars so I am being kind enough to give you a bear"
"Are we on a date?", he asks suddenly.
"Do you usually buy your dates three car at once?", I ask instead.
"I have never bought a car for any of my dates", he replies.
"And I have never gave anyone a bear, so it's technically not a date", I point out. "You are doing all this because I am telling you too. Now, hold Lola"
"Lola?"
"I just named her", I clarify.
"This is a waste of time", I hear him mumbling but ignore him.
"By the way, when are you going to get back with Grace?", I ask.
"What?"
"She's your lover right?"
"I never said that."
"I heard you speaking on the phone"
"So you just assumed that she's my girlfriend", he quirks one of his perfect eyebrow up.
"Well, you were speaking softly with her", I explain. "And you only do that with people close to you"
"So, you have been observing me", he concludes, staring intently at me.
"Not exactly", I try not to blush for whatever reason. "You always speak coldly with everyone. Even with me. And your tone was different with Grace. That means she's really close to you. Just like Emma"
He remains silent but his gaze remains on me the whole time. When the silence starts getting awkward, I look away.
"You didn't say thanks", I blurt.
"For what?"
"For Lola", I touch the soft teddy which he is still holding in his big hands.
"What's next?", he sighs.
We spend the rest of our day, doing everything I want. I even insist on going on several rides to which he initially disapproved but eventually listens when I keep telling him that he can't say no to me.
"You are enjoying this too much, aren't you?", he asks when we are high in the air.
"A lot", I nod, admiring the bright lights from above. It's already dark and it's lit up everywhere. "I always wanted to come to a fair like this"
"This is your first time?"
"Yes"
"Why now?"
"Oh, I was not allowed to even leave the house", I blurt without thinking and stare ahead when I feel his continuous gaze on my profile.
"Xander, look", I point at the circus tent. "Your original house"
"I believe that's your house", he pinches the tip of my nose not to hard. "There's the resemblance"
"Hey", I swat his hand away. "You are not funny but did you just make a joke? That's a first"
The ferris wheel finally comes down and we get down. Xander helps me to stand up while still holding Lola. I almost laugh out loud. He looks cute. A giant man is holding a cute little bear.
A few girls walk past us and giggle. I don't blame them. Xander looks gorgeous. His white shirt's sleeves are rolled up till his elbows and his tattoos are out. I can see the lines of his ink up his neck as well.
"Excuse me", a woman approches him. "Where did you buy this?"
"At the Ring Toss", he replies politely.
The lady blushes. Can't she see his wedding ring? I don't like the way she is looking at him.
"He's not interested in women", I blurt. "Don't waste your time"
The woman's face reddens as she walks away.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!", Xander exclaims with a clenched jaw. "Why did you lie to her?"
"Technically I did not lie", I explain.
"Do I look gay to you?!"
"Xander, I told you that you're pretending to be a woman right now", I add and try not to laugh. "So if a woman approaches you, that makes you gay right? You are supposed to look at men right now. See, look at him. Look at his ass. Definitely bigger than yours"
Damn, I wish I had a bigger butt.
Techinally, if he looks at men, it's still consider gay but I don't tell him that as much as I want to.
"This is pure nonsense", he snaps.
"Come on babygirl", I wink at him and smack his ass. "Don't be a spoilsport"
I can't believe that I have just smacked his ass.
"As a man you're a pervert", he declares.
"Of course, I'm you right now. You liked Nina's boobs", I try not grimace as her name leaves a bitter aftertaste in my mouth.
Messing with him is so much fun. I start laughing when I glance at him. All at once, he lifts his hand and places it on the back of my head. Pulling me closer, he leans down until his lips graze my ear.
"Enjoy this as much as you can", he claims in a low tone. "When it's my turn, you won't be able to run, little clown"
"I am not a clown", I start arguing and shriek when he bites my ear. "Hey! What was that for?"
"I am clearly you right now", he clarifies, amused. "It makes sense to bite."
"That was because you were not listening to me", I claim when I remember biting his bicep yesterday. "Besides, you know what they say, eat the rich"
He checks his watch with a little smirk suddenly.
"Why are you grinning?"
"I think I'm going to enjoy myself until midnight"
Later, we have a quick dinner and I decide to have a walk. Xander agrees too easily so I decide to mess with him again. But before I can blurt anything, he speaks.
"Who's motorcycle was that Ayla?", he asks.
"Mine, duh"
"Who taught you how to ride one?", he probes.
"Kai", I reply easily. "Actually my motorcyle always remains at his place because he thinks I am too reckless with it. He came to drop it off this morning"
"You met him this morning?!"
"Yes", I look at him. He sounds jealous.
"Did he buy it for you?", his question almost sounds strain.
"No, I won it", I shrug.
"How?", he asks, curious.
"In a race"
"You participated in illegal racing?", he sounds appalled. "And your friend Kale allowed it"
"First of all, his name is not Kale, it's Kai", I point out. "Secondly, it was fun and thrilling."
"It's dangerous Ayla", he claims firmly, looking mad.
"Kai was not aware of it", I ignore him and keep talking. "He actually scolded me a lot when I told him how I won my bike. That's why it always remains at his place. I could only ride when he was with me. We would go together. It was so fun"
"Is Ethan aware of all this?", he demands.
"As you have already seen, my brother does not really give a fuck about me", I say, deadpan.
"Why?", he asks softly.
Because I killed our mother.
"It does not matter", I mumble. "I often see Father's reflection in him. They have their valid reason for hating me"
"Has he ever hit you?"
"No. Now stop talking about me", I say and keep walking. "You are supposed to be listening to my orders only until midnight"
"You are not willing to go home until midnight, are you?"
"No. Xander, don't you think a wig will look on you. You are a woman right now."
"Don't you dare Ayla", he growls.
"Oh watch me", I try not to laugh evilly. "I did saw someone selling...."
I never get to finish my sentence because he lifts my hand, rolls up the sleeve and bites my arms. "Ouch. Why are you biting me?"
"You are not listening to me", he declares and bites me again.
"Stop it", I try to free my hand from his grip.
"You are suppose to listen to me", I persist. "And you will wear....Oh my God Xander! Stop biting me!"
"You said you bit me because I was not listening to you", he smirks. "Now that I am you, I am going to bite you everytime you don't listen to me"
"That's not fair!"
"Blame yourself for that", he claims looking absolutely delighted.
I tug my hand away from him and pull my sleeve down. "Idiot"
"Did you just called me an idiot?", he demands.
"Yes, what are you going to do about it?", I challenge him.
"You keep provoking me Ayla", he says. "You're lucky it's your day today"
I ignore him and we walk silently to his car. I am already tired. We sure did a lot of stuff today. Ordering him around was fun.
"Give me the keys", he says when I yawn.
"No", I refuse. "I am driving"
"You are tired Ayla", he adds. "It's dangerous for you to drive in this state"
"I am not that tired", I try to convince him.
He leans down suddenly and bites the side of my neck. I gasp and try to push him away.
"Xander"
"You are not listening to me", he murmurs against my skin and grazes his teeth against my skin again.
I feel a shiver going through my body.
"But I can drive..."
"Again, you are not listening to me", he inches his lips higher and sinks his teeth into my jaw. "Keep denying me. I'm having a blast eating the rich"
"You can't just bite me", my voice is breathy and his lips inch closer to mine.
"Give me the keys Ayla", he says, huskily.
I look at him with wide eyes, my breath deepening and my heart is raging crazily in my chest.
His lips turn into a small smile and leaning closer, he sinks his teeth into my lower lip.
"You were saying?", he asks against my mouth.
All of a sudden, my mobile starts ringing and removing my phone from my pocket, I pick it up.
"Ayla", Emma's frantic voice is loud on the other side. "Where's Xander? I need my brother please"
And just like that, everything goes downhill.