Perfect Stranger
Chapter 3 - Your girl is without any security
Ava:
We were waiting for our food to arrive and I took the liberty to notice his features. He was so handsome that, I couldn't take my eyes off of him. His eyes were like ashes and wind coming from a fire that burned everything to the ground.
They were intense, coming from the fire that probably burned deep within his soul, yet they were expressionless, almost as cold and unforgiving as the December winds.
He had a three-day stubble that made his features more captivating. He had this danger around him but I felt undeniably safe with him. It was like he had that stand-offish quality that dared contact without inviting it, hence the allure. The waiter brought in our food and we began eating.
"I believe you owe me an explanation." He insisted.
"Yeah, I know," I stated plainly.
"So," I started, "I haven't really been dating for a while because of my profession, I'm hardly ever home and no one I have met yet wants to stick around to go through this with me." I said dodging around the actual reason, "And my nana well she's pushy and nosey. If I wouldn't come with someone, she'd try to set me up with anyone she knows. And it's tiring. Besides I am the only one in my family not dating anybody so it's also a bit embarrassing." I whispered the last part as I tried to avoid his intense gaze. It was as if he was questioning me with his eyes...
"Well, I can't say I don't understand. My mother's the same." He laughed, almost wistfully?
"So, tell me, Miss-"
"Sinclair," I added.
"Do you ask every stranger you meet to be your fake boyfriend for the weekend or is that just me?" His eyes lit up with mischief as he teased me.
"No, I don't!" I blushed and his grin got bigger, I wanted to wipe that smirk off of his face.
"So, tell me about yourself..." He insisted. I got alarmed and I think he caught up on that because he immediately added, "I need to know things about you because I'm your boyfriend and if your grandmother is as nosey as you say, she will ask questions." He emphasized on the word boyfriend...
I knew he had a point so I replied,
"What do you wanna know?"
"For starters what's your middle name?"
"It's Grace. Ava Grace Sinclair."
"That's a beautiful name for a beautiful girl like you." He whispered making me blush.
"Tell me about your childhood?" He seemed curious.
"Well, there's not much to tell" I sighed, "My parents died in a plane crash when I was 14, it's been me and my nana ever since. I am a photographer as you already know. And well that's that." I took a breath as I finished, "But how come you're the only one asking questions?" I said narrowing my eyes.
"Because you're not asking?" He declared.
"Touché." I snickered, "So what do you do for fun?"
"I pretend to be someone's boyfriend for the weekend," he grinned with the same glimmer of playfulness on his face. It was hard to believe that he was the same man I met at the airport...
"C'mon let's go we both have work tomorrow and then we have to leave for Oregon."
"Yeah, sure."
We finished up and started walking back to the hotel. The light of the day was completely drained away, it felt as if this was barely enough even for shadows, but I felt mine walking close behind.
I shuddered knowing that it wasn't the wind that has me restless, it's the foreboding twilight that dared me to try and outrun it.
I tried to prevent my thoughts from lingering too far as I focused on the warmth coming from Kayden. It seemed he was just as affected by this as I was but the source of his displeasure was something else...
"You can take the car tomorrow, I can walk, the hotel that I have to go to is only a few blocks away," I spoke up, hoping that talking to him would take the edge off of this calamitous night.
"I have to leave early anyway but I'll pick you up." He sounded determined so I didn't push it.
"Okay, I'll text you when I'm close to being done." He nodded and we made our way back.
He walked me to my hotel room. I never realized that someone so frosty could be this warm.
"Sleep well Ava, goodnight." He whispered.
"Night," I said and went into my room.
Once more, I was alone and a prisoner to my thoughts, this cycle never gets old but I'm exhausted.
Exhausted from this pretence that I have to keep up, tired of building my walls up over and over so that no one dares to breakthrough. A part of me was relieved that I was only pretending with Kayden, once the wedding and this all was over, we could both walk away without being tied to each other, yet another part of me longed for more.
In the quietude that encircled me, I was being devoured by my apprehensions, a rhythm that I knew all too well.
I couldn't help but wonder what was Kayden getting out of it? He didn't seem like a man who would do something out of the good in his heart. To anyone looking just at the surface, it would seem he was just being kind but, I knew the danger that surrounded him. I still remember the very first time I looked into those insidious, icy eyes of his and the chills it gave me.
I knew he was like a perpetually murky storm, someone that glittered in the sunlight yet, was an abysmal temporal in the dark brooding shadows of the night.
I've never wanted the emotional vulnerability that comes with being attached to someone. It's daunting and I am anything but brave. Little did I know that I'd have to face all of my vague and groundless fears sooner then I'd expected.
I was woken up by the antagonizing voice of my alarm, almost making me regret why I had set it in the first place. I checked the time and immediately cursed myself for oversleeping again. I rushed to get dressed and leave to reach the hotel where I'll be doing the photo-shoot.
Kayden:
I couldn't sleep the whole night. I'd kept my family away from my business for many years but this time I was afraid. I had an idea that my family had been keeping tabs on me and this time I had brought someone into my mess. I could only hope that my father keeps his menacing claws off of Ava and doesn't try to threaten her to get to me.
I didn't care about her.
But I also didn't want her to be collateral damage in this feud between me and my dad.
I have only ever known one emotion: fear. They say fear is an illusion, your own mind trying to delude you, but what if it isn't just imaginary. All my life I'd been trying to outrun the shadow of my father's unconventional business from my own, yet each time I escalate my pace it seems that I am back into my father's mastery. If there is one thing I knew for sure, that was I would never surrender to my father's wishes and leave him to wreck the business that I'd given my all to. The business that I had kept on the right side of the law.
As I saw my brother, Aiden, approach, I masked all my emotions and maintained my usual poker face. All of my internal unrest was just that, mine.
Only for me to know.
My brother started speaking,
"Ah! We meet again Kayden!"
"Hello brother. Have a seat." I plainly stated.
"I'm pretty sure you've already made assumptions about why I'm here." He began.
"Cut to the chase Aiden. Why are you here? I'm assuming it wasn't because you missed me." I clenched my jaw but I didn't miss the way he was taunting me with his smirk...
"No, actually this time I am not here as one of dad's lackeys..." He whispered I knew he hated running errands for dad just as much I did, I just never understood why he did it anyway.
"That's surprising," I replied with venom in my voice.
"It's actually mom, she misses you," he leaned close to me, "And you know with businesses like ours it isn't really safe for her to come meet you herself."
"Aiden just because I am not a mobster doesn't mean I don't have a security protocol." I hissed.
"Yet I don't see any of you men here, nor your car," he said smirking, "And your girl is without any security too. I'm a little surprised brother."