Gordon or G as he told me to call him was very happy that I decided to help them. John was grinning and Jesse and Jake had been surprised but were warm and welcoming. Lily was glowing the whole time. I was weirdly happy. AJ was standing far from everyone cooly spectating us.
I could feel his eyes on me, and all I wanted to do was look into them. He did something to me. I wasn't sure what, but something indeed. Gordan told me that tomorrow, they'd go fetch the C-4 after some arrangements and begin fitting the explosives.
My job was to learn and observe. For right now at least. Of course AJ and I had another plan. And I was well prepared for that.
That afternoon, everyone was by the pool discussing how they were going to work out the heist. I was sitting not far away, observing as I was told to. Gordan and AJ were going through different possibilities. And John was occasionally intercepting. Jesse was paying complete attention and Jake seemed tense. Ghost arrived not much later. And was surprised to see me. I could see AJ tense and John kept looking at me.
They told Ghost that I was part of the crew and that I was family. He just winked at me. And I had to try hard to not strangle him. The plan was to infiltrate and rob or take $12 million from two trucks carrying the money. They would be coming from a particular path and the takers had information that all the money was to be kept in only one truck.
They were going to dress as construction workers and hide out underground. While Ghost poses as a police officer, so he can keep an eye out for the trucks and inform the others when to blast the trucks. After they reached a certain spot that the crew would prep before hand with explosives. Causing the truck to fall down and be easily robbed.
It was a slick plan. But a lot of things could go wrong. Especially with Ghost involved. After a thorough discussion Ghost, G and John went somewhere. Jake and Lily were standing together talking and Jesse was still checking routes and seeing possibilities for mistakes.
AJ came over to where I was and sat down by the pool.
"You're staying here tonight," he said.
"What? No I need to go back. I can't stay here, whose house is it anyways," I said.
"It's the crews house, well I usually stay here with Jake and Jesse. You need to stay Lilah, please for sometime, we'll take care of your clothes and stuff. Just stay and work with me. It'll be safer for you and your friends," he said with big eyes.
I gulped, he was sitting too close to me. I could smell mint and Vanilla from him. I could see scars on his face, miniscule scars and calluses. I could see the gold in his green eyes so very clearly. And I yearned to touch his face. What was happening to me?
"Delilah? Will you stay?" He asked again.
"Did you just call me Lilah?" I asked ignoring his question.
"Yes, I did. Should I not?" he was smirking now.
"No it's fine. My friends call me Leila, that's all," I said swallowing hard.
"Well your name is Delilah, De-L-i-l-a-h" he said, enunciating each letter. His fedora was casting shadows across his face, now that the sun was setting. I itched to draw him in. I wondered whether I'd be able too. He had so many scars. Yet they all just made him more beautiful.
"It's fine call me Lilah. Call me whatever you want," I said finally. Barely breathing.
"Lilah, will you stay?" He asked again, patiently.
I smiled and looked straight into the worlds most dazzling gold-green eyes.
"Yes, I will."
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AJ offered to take me back to my dorm to pick up clothes and tell Willi and Rene, that I'd had to stay elsewhere. The skies were twilight purples and pinks now. And the trees and mountains were dark and still. AJ lent me a jacket of his for the ride. It was black and soft. And smelled of AJ. I honestly didn't want to give it back.
He told me about his family the ride to my uni. How he was very young when they passed. And how G and John took him in. How he learned to be street smart and ruthless. How he came to be AJ.
"Have you ever missed them?" I asked.
"Not really, I didn't even know them," he answered.
"I've only ever known the crew as anything like family, they are good people Delilah. With unfair pasts."
I thought of myself.
I had a family, a lovely loving family. Yet I was so drawn to the world of the takers.
"How does it feel? After you succeed on a heist?"
"It's a Ride or Die situation Lilah. Up till now we've been lucky. I feel alive, like every sensation of mine has been saturated."
"Aren't you afraid of getting caught?" I asked.
"I've got nothing to lose. Not right now anyway. This is the only way I know how to live." He said.
His arms were bare and I could see the trail of his tattoos. His muscles were smooth and strong. I had an urge to touch those tattoos. To trace my fingers over them and ask him how they came to be. How their story started. I wanted to understand all of it.
"Those tattoos? How many do you have?" I mustered up the courage to ask.
"I've got one too many," he said and smiled. "You want to see them?"
"But you're driving?"
He grinned big and wide. And drove the car to the side of the road. He parked it and I jumped.
There was no one around. It was just the skies, city lights, AJ and I.
He turned towards me and put his hands forward. On his left forearm till a little above his wrist, was a little boat, with yellow flower vines growing out of them. And there were black strands going down till his wrist ending in an anchor. It was intricate and beautiful. On the back of the thumb of his right hand there was a dancing skeleton with flowers growing out from both it's hands. He had a very detailed blue dragonfly on his arm it wasn't huge, but it had crystal droplets on it's wings, it seemed as if they were weighing it down. There was a single Cresent moon on the back of his right wrist. And there were tiny flower vines all over his hand. They weren't very dark inked. They were almost transparent. But still visible.
There were words, tiny words scribbled on the inside of his left hands, finger and thumb, 'Le vent se lève."
I was brushing my fingers across his palm and his arms. And I didn't even notice. I looked up suddenly and he was looking right at me.
"They're fascinating," I said silently.
"Do you have a story behind each of them?"
"I do. And I'll tell each of them to you. But first we need to get you some food and your clothes." He smiled ever so slightly and turned the car back on.
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Please vote and comment, readers! I really need to know whether yall are liking the story or not! I'll update tomorrow soon! Xoxo💜💫✨
"We'll miss you!" Said Willow. She was quite upset about everything because, Irene had decided to go home for the holidays as well, after all. And Sam was going to drop her.
Willow thought, she and I would be able to stay back anyway, but when I told her I'd need to stay elsewhere, she was very upset.
She said that she'd book a ticket home as the last resort. She'd not wanted to go back, but she'd have to now.
"Well look on the bright side. You did miss your mum?" I said looking at her face. She smiled.
"Yeah that'll be nice"
"I love you guys see you after break!"
I hugged both of them and kissed Sammy on the cheek.
"Take Irene home safely, bye Sammy," I whispered into his ear.
"Always," he beamed.
On the way out Willow and Irene both saw AJ waiting by the car, and a shared look of suspicion.
Irene grabbed my hand and pulled me back.
"Sam take her luggage to the hottie over there. We just need a minute," she ordered Sam.
Willow was in front of me now all big black eyes in my face.
"What!" I exclaimed and removed my hand from Rene's grip.
"You're falling for him!" She said with a grin!
"And you didn't care to tell us," Willow said matter of factly.
I blushed a hot pink. "No way! I'm not. I just..."
"You just what?" Said Rene.
"Love him," finished Willow.
"No. I have the littlest of infatuation with him that's all!" I lied.
They both just looked at me.
"Oh okay, maybe I like him, so what you don't know how he is. I'm the least of his concerns."
"Right. Cause that's why he's being your bodyguard driver right? Ferrying you back and forth?" Rene said.
I shook my head. "He was free that's all"
"Have you seen the way he looks at you, and then weirdly smiles to himself?" Willow said.
"Yeah it's so cute, that it's creepy," Rene announced.
"No..no way!"
"You're blissfully unaware! You stupid stupid girl," Rene almost screamed.
"Fine! I'll introspect a little! And notice him more! Okay? Now I need to go!" I said finally.
They both smiled.
"Take care," Willow said as she hugged me once more.
"And don't you get your heart broken by the resident heart breaker!" Rene chucked, hugging me from the back.
I smiled too. My silly girls.
"I'll try."
Sam and AJ were standing way far away from each other, AJ was with his back to the front door of the convertible.
Looking all beautiful and deadly. Sam on the other hand was by the building wall, frowning. AJ looked at me and his face lit up with what I thought was relief.
"Shall we?," He said holding the car door open for me.
I slipped into the drivers seat instead and grinned.
"All set."
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
"So you're positive you can drive this right?" AJ asked me for the gazillionth time.
He was sitting beside me looking all cautious and confused.
"I most certainly can! My dad had a dashing cherry convertible once. Though he sold it. Anyways I used to drive it all the bloody time! I should be fine." I said at the top of my lungs.
I was smiling and goofily giggling. The night seemed to have drugged me. I felt infinitely happy! Maybe it was the rush of the car, or the thrill of joining the heist. Or the fact that I was doing something completely, positively and utterly crazy!
Or maybe....... it was just AJ.
He looked at me, without fail pierced through all my protective layers and tickled my very being.
"Should be fine? Did you say Should?!" He shrieked in disbelief.
"Did I? I don't entirely recall." I teased him.
"Oh dear, all those dangerous and risky heists and I'll die of a car accident!" He said almost laughing.
"Well, life has a way of laughing at one sometimes!" I was beyond the teasing now. I couldn't stop laughing.
"Ah to hell with it then, if it's our last ride after all, let it be spectacularly legendary!"
And he reached out for the music. A familiar song started booming out of the speakers.
"This love is scaring me, no one could ever care for me, as much as you do do yeah, I need you here."
"Scary Love!" I shrieked with excitement!
And we both screamed the lyrics out into the wild night, driving through LA roads, laughing uncontrollably, incandescently happy.
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(Scary Love by The Neighborhood)
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