Shivers ran all over Ava's body when his hand got into touch with her bare skin. A knock on the door interrupted their session. "Give me one good reason for you to interrupt me or I'll blow your head off." she flinched at the harshness of his voice. "The elders are waiting. We can't delay it any longer. They're going to be furious." Alex groaned in annoyance before pulling away from her.
"What does he mean by the elders? Where are you taking me?"
"Dinner. I'll be waiting outside." he gave her a bag and placed a sweet kiss on her cheek before leaving her in the room alone. She had everything she needed for dinner in the bag. A dress, a pair of heels, a clutch, some accessories, and even some makeup. The dress was a flowy sky blue maxi dress with a high thigh slit.
It was beautiful. Wow. He's really determined to bring me to dinner. Let's just hope nothing goes wrong tonight.
Before she walked out of the door, fully dressed, she gathered both of her hands and prayed to God. She wasn't a believer but at that moment it was better than nothing. If the elders they were talking about are what she was expecting, she begged no one would recognize her.
Ava slowly made her way to the car waiting outside of the cafe after making sure she locked up the front door. The driver got off the car and opened the car door for her. She muttered a soft thank you before getting in the car. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you."
The rest of the ride was quiet as Ava continued to look outside and he continued to look at his laptop, possibly working. She suppressed her curiosity about the 'elders' they were talking about. A part of her wanted to know while a part of her doesn't. She'd even say she's scared to know. A train of unnecessary thoughts went through her head, flooding it with useless fear.
What if they recognize me? What if they know me? I'll be yanked back into this cursed world involuntarily. There's no way I'm going back into this world.
Without herself knowing, her legs started shaking in fear and anxiousness. She snapped back to reality when she felt a warm hand on her exposed thigh. "Don't worry. I'll be next to you all the time." he gave her thigh a slight squeeze before giving her a small smile.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay. You did nothing wrong. Come here." he put his laptop away before wrapping an arm around her waist and pulled her onto his lap.
"We're going to meet my family at dinner. They could be intimidating but they wouldn't dare do anything to you. As long as you stick right next to me, okay?" he pulled her closer by the waist before placing a sweet, lingering kiss on her forehead. Somehow, he managed to calm her heart down and emptied her head from any useless thoughts.
She snuggled closer to him and placed her head against his chest. What have I dragged myself into? He's a goddamn gang leader, Ava! You're getting too attached to him. You're going back on your words, don't you think so? Ava closed her eyes and pushed the thoughts to the back of her head and just enjoy the moment she have with him.
"We're here. Come on." He placed an arm under her legs and another around her back before getting off the car while carrying her. She grabbed his neck in surprise as he let out a soft laugh. He slowly put her down as she quickly pulled her dress down, it went up a lot in the car. Ava glared at him as a playful smirk danced on his lips. "What? You didn't seem to mind it." She rolled her eyes before letting out a small chuckle. "Let's go. They're waiting for us." She nodded in response before linking her arms with him. She prayed silently, hoping that no one in his family would know her.
"Finally. And may I know who is this beautiful lady?" One of them took her hand and placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand. "I'm Ava." she gave a small smile, not wanting to be labeled as rude at the first meeting. Her eyes quickly scanned the room before heaving a sigh of relief. There's no one in this room that knows her.
"I'm Clinton. Alex's cousin. Pleased to meet you."
"Sit down. Let's start our dinner." One of the older men spoke with a stern tone. Alex placed his hand on Ava's back and led her to the table. "So, Ava? What do you do?" the same older man questioned before taking a sip from his wine glass. "I work at a small cafe in town." she gave him a small smile. "Do I know you? You looked familiar." one of the older women spoke, squinting her eyes towards the woman sitting across from her. Shit.
"My face is quite common. I hear that a lot." She could feel herself sweating as she continued to stare at Ava in doubt. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when she finally decided to shrug it off and looked away from her.
"So, Ava. What do you say we spend tonight together?" the said woman stared at the man in shock before looking back at Alex, secretly asking for help. "Lay off, Jason. She's not going anywhere with you." Alex glared at Jason before rolling his eyes. "Why so defensive? Don't pretend like she's important."
"You should stop there, Jason. You're driving my patience towards the very edge."
"Jason. Stop." the girl who was sitting next to the said man spoke while nudging his side
"Stop? Don't pretend as if you all don't know that he's bringing this girl here just to keep his position as the leader of Cobra."
Ava was surprisingly calm when she heard his words. Of course. She always knew that Alex was too good to be true. She might have actually expected it so that must be why she's not that disappointed.
Actually, it turned out for the better. She doesn't have to feel guilty about leaving him since it's all business. Ava noticed Alex's stare as she took a deep breath before staring straight at Jason. "And what makes you think that I don't know that? Are you saying that I'm a stupid slut for believing in him? Because that's what I'm hearing." she crossed her arms in front of her chest, not breaking eye contact with him. He looked a little taken aback at her comment as he quickly cleared his throat.
"I'm sorry if I offended you. That's not my intention."
"Let's just continue our dinner." the older man from before spoke as they had their dinner in silence.