The sniffing and hiccups had seized as Vanessa washed her face in the bathroom. Not for once had she imagined Darryl would storm into her apartment because he heard her cry over the phone. If she wasn’t ignoring Carolyn, this was the best time to call her best friend and whine about everything.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror, the memory of her conversation with Darryl flooded in. She would never forget the concerned look on his face as he consoled her when she was crying. She could still feel how his hands intertwined with hers as he caressed them.
Trying to pull herself together, she splashed water on her face as she shook at the thought of him. She should not be thinking about Darryl. She should not think too much about his actions. She wasn’t the first person he had consoled. She told herself as she shook off the remnants of Darryl’s touch.
As she flipped through her closet, she took out blue jean trousers and a white tank top. She didn’t know where Darryl was taking her so she decided to keep her dress casual. It wasn’t the right time to do so much.
Do too much? She was thinking too far when it came to Darryl. Sometimes, she wants to stay far away from him, she wants to punch and slap him, but other times, she wants to stare deeply into his eyes. She wants to know the man behind the Casanova facade. She wants to stay close to him and drown in the scent of his cologne.
She changed her clothes as fast as she could not to delay Darryl. He should be at work, but he didn’t go because of her. Whenever Vanessa thinks about Darryl’s action, she gets confused because why would he leave the office to stay with her? Why? She wondered as she slid her jeans into her legs.
Fully dressed, Vanessa checked herself in the mirror. Her eyes were still puffy, but she didn’t have an interest in fixing them with a touch of makeup. She took her phone and kept it inside the pocket of her jeans. With that, she exited her room. She locked her apartment door and double-checked to make sure it was locked.
“Where are we going?” She asked as she reached Darryl’s car.
“Get in already. You’ve wasted so much time getting ready.” Darryl said as he tried to hide his initial thoughts about her.
Giving in, Vanessa got in the car. Carefully, she closed the door and fastened her seat belt. She couldn’t stop wondering where Darryl was taking her.
“You know a hint could help,” She said as curiosity consumed her.
Darryl ignored her as he focused on starting the car. He couldn’t risk her getting out of the car if he told her his plans. As he pulled out of the street, he fixed his gaze on the road.
“I’m taking you to my house.” He casually said, his gaze still fixed on the road.
“Pardon? I’m sorry, I didn’t catch it.” Vanessa snapped at his confession.
“I said I am taking you to my house.” Darryl repeated, but this time, he said it slowly, taking each word at a time.
“Why? Why are you taking me to your house? What the fuck are you thinking? “Vanessa yelled.
Darryl remained unfazed by her outburst. His focus was fixed on the road as he stepped on the gas to increase the speed.
“Stop the car. I am not going anywhere with you. Just stop the car now.” She said firmly, her voice laced with authority mixed with annoyance.
“Calm down, sweetheart and stop being stubborn.” Darryl turned his head to her before moving his gaze back to the road.
“Foremost, don’t call me sweetheart. How dare you call me stubborn? You don’t have the right to call me stubborn. You literally kidnapped me, and now you are complaining about me being stubborn.”
Vanessa could no longer hold her irritation. She can’t believe the annoying Darryl is back.
“Kidnapped you?” Darryl grinned in amusement. “I didn’t kidnap you sweetheart. The last time I checked, you dressed up on your own will, and you got in my car on your own will. That doesn’t sound like kidnapping to me.”
“If you told me about it from the onset, I wouldn’t have agreed to it. Never.” She nodded as she laid emphasis on ‘never’.
“Well, that’s the main reason why I never told you about it. I know you wouldn’t have agreed to come with me.” He shifted his gaze to her, “if I may ask why?”
“You know what happened the last time you asked me to come. I don’t want a recurring mistake.” Vanessa said shyly.
“What happened the last time? I think I have forgotten about it, kindly fill me in on it.” Darryl smiled as she watched Vanessa’s shy reaction.
“I don’t have anything to say on the topic.”
“Or you don’t want to talk about the kiss we shared.” Darryl teased her.
“I don’t have anything to say about the kiss you stole from me and the unexpected marriage proposal.” She blurted out.
“I have a lot to say about it, but now is not the good time. However, when I’m ready to talk, all you have to do is listen to me, since you have nothing to say,” Darryl told her.
“I’m not interested in listening to you. The only thing I want is for you to take me back to my place. You can drop me off here, I will find my way back home.”
Darryl let out a sigh as he fixed his gaze on her. “I don’t want you out of my sight after seeing you like that. Just fight it and stay at my place until you are fine and being on your own. That’s all, I promise.”
“Why should I trust you? Who knows what you plan on doing when we get to your place?”
“Taking care of you is the only plan I have….. for now. That’s why I want you to keep you closer to me.” He locked eyes with her as he confessed.
Vanessa was rendered speechless after she heard what Darryl had said. She tried to form a coherent sentence, but the cat got her tongue. She didn’t know how to interpret Darryl’s words, she didn’t know what to think about it.
Dwelling on Darryl’s words was like dipping her hands into fire which she shouldn’t do at all. Darryl is a player and it was best to avoid him before she got played to.
“We are here.” Darryl told her as the halted, signalling the end of the ride.