Justin only stared at her once before turning away from her and making another right turn. His headache had calmed down and though he was glad about it, he felt like that headache ditched him just so he could deal with this other headache alone.
Annabella Curtis was a huge headache starter. He didn't even associate with the likes of her because he knew these kind of people only had too much drama in their lives. The spotlight was always on them.
And he had been doing a good job ever since, staying away from the likes of her and awaiting a peaceful death but all it took was him not doing one dumb assignment for him to get paired with an annoying person like her. People like her always think they can get what they want, whenever they want.
Bella let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding as she stared at the book lying next to her thighs. For a moment there she thought he had seen what she did and she had been scared to whims, she thought she had been caught doing something bad.
She stared straight ahead realizing they just passed by Miles's cozy apartment and she smiled as though she had seen him. Then Justin took a left-turn and parked his car at the side of the restaurant.
" Get out", he said coldly and she felt her warm smile leave her and she turned to him glaringly. " Are you not going to get out as well?", she asked and he raised an eyebrow at her before sighing.
" I'm going to park the car in the restaurant's parking lot, I am just dropping you off so you wouldn't have to stress yourself and walk all the way here", he said fake smiling at her and she couldn't help but fake smile back, he was so not caring but he didn't know she had a trick up her sleeve.
She smartly got out of the car and lingered on the spot for a while. " How sweet of you", she said as she hid the book smartly with her English textbook and note book. " But don't try to play with me Justin, you see this?", she asked still fake smiling as she lifted his book up for him to see and he glared at her just immediately.
Her heart skipped but she remained calm and poised. " If you even dare run away or stand me up again like yesterday, I will never return this book to you, so go on, go park the car", she said still smiling at him before shutting the door and watched as he drove quickly towards the parking lot.
She smiled at a job well done and stared at the book in her hand. You are my lucky book, she thought within her as she stepped into the restaurant. Yesterday she had to wait for him but today, it would be totally different because he wouldn't be able to behave like he did yesterday.
Justin grudgingly walked into the beautiful restaurant which was occupied by not too many people since it was still working hours. He saw something move from the corner of his eyes and he turned to see her, there she was waving her right hand to direct him to the same place she had sat waiting yesterday.
He glared at her and she just shrugged at him as though she wasn't affected. He started making his way towards her and he took a seat opposite her. The seats were like couches with a square table in between and this seat gave a good view of the busy road.
" Would you like to order or don't you want anything?", Bella asked flipping through her English textbook and he frowned at her but he let himself calm down knowing she was with his book, his personal book. He hoped badly she didn't go through any page at all.
" I don't want anything thank you, but i would like it if you gave me my book back", she heard him say in a much calmer tone and she looked up at him smiling that harmonious smile of hers.
" You would only get your book if you behave. You wouldn't be in this mess if you had just showed up, so just act normal and I might find you worthy of your book again", she said returning back to her textbook and she finally stopped flipping pages as she pushed the textbook towards him.
" Where's your English note?", she asked noticing he came with absolutely nothing. Justin just stared at her and said coldly, " I got kidnapped by the good girl and was forced to do my assignment when I didn't have a book with me", he said and he watched her frown before beaming at him.
Did she really kidnap him? Thinking about all she did, she did really kidnap him because she held the upper hand and forced him to come do his assignment, all in all, she was doing strange things just to get his attention.
She bent her head to calm herself and he frowned refusing the urge to smile along with her. What an infectious smile she had and though what she did was funny, his journal was with her and he really couldn't laugh about that.
" Ok since you aren't ordering, I'll order. I think better with coffee", she said and called a waiter over to take her orders, the waiter listened to what she said and walked away afterwards to go see to it.
" Look I know we didn't start off in the best way but I'm willing to let you go if you could just sit down, listen and add your own thoughts. I also know I literally dragged you down here but can we just put our differences aside and focus", she said not putting hopes that he was going to stop being annoying.
" As long as your assignment is done and finished guarantees you leaving me alone then I willing to put my dislike for you aside", he said coldly but deep down he knew he didn't dislike her, he just found her too persistent.
For years, his strategy of pushing people away by being cold to them has always worked out but when it came to following that method on one girl, the strategy became null and void.
Other girls had been persistent too but three to four harsh insults was enough for them to hate you and gang up against you. He was the silent heartbreaker and guys disliked him because he acted too good for them as though he were better than them.
Then new students came and he just became a lost forgotten boy who went to school but no one knew.
" Fair enough", Bella said finally respecting the fact that the guy didn't like her although it tugged on her a bit, she didn't think too much of it and proceeded with her assignment.
" So shall we begin?", he asked warmly and she nodded positively. " Where do you see yourself after graduation", he asked and she stared at him blankly.
The waitress came over and dropped the coffee on the table before mouthing enjoy and then she walked away.
Bella quickly grabbed the coffee after the waitress was gone and took a good sip of it. She sighed and fumbled with the cup before dropping it back on the table.
" It seems you have difficulty answering that question", Justin said noting that unlike him who already knew his life's end, she was confused.
Bella laughed nervously at him before grabbing the cup once again and drinking from it. She fumbled with it once more and dropped it on the table.
" Annabella?", Justin called out to her softly and she turned to stare at him staring away from her coffee cup. Her grey eyes held confusion in them and he felt at a loss for words. What was wrong? Was she sick like him too?
" I see myself as a college student majoring in business and trying to make my father proud", she said with less enthusiasm and more despair.
She sighed making an attempt to pick her coffee cup but he beat her to it and grabbed it before she could, taking it to his own side of the table.
" What are you doing?", Bella asked feeling a bit sober after telling herself the truth and to someone else. " You said you think better with coffee but try not thinking better", he said softly and she frowned at him not understanding what he meant.
Justin sighed and sat properly yet making no attempt to return her coffee. " Let's do something shall we? Close your eyes and ask yourself the question given to us as an assignment", he said encouragingly, a small smile gracing his usual frowning and blank face.
Bella stared at him and sighed, then she started laughing awkwardly. " You, you actually can't be serious right now Justin Gray because I just gave my answer why would you think it wasn't the truth", she said making another attempt to take her coffee cup but he pushed it further away from her and she sighed.
" Annabella do as I say", he said watching her take a deep breath and then she stared at him with those enchanting grey eyes and he stared back at her warmly, ditching his usual fake self and being real.
Something about that assuring black eyes of his made her close her eyes and do as he said. She took a deep breath then she let it out and asked herself the question.
'Where do I see myself after graduation', she asked in thoughts and the picture of herself sitting in normal college class with other students paying attention to the woman teaching. She looked down at her book and somehow two words were written boldly on the pages.
" Relationship expert", she read out loud and her eyes snapped open immediately and she stared at her surroundings before finally meeting Justin's eyes. He had a once in a blue moon kind of smile on his face that she suddenly smiled without restraint.
" I see myself studying psychology school", she said and he smiled at her encouragingly to go on and she started talking. " I actually want to be a relationship expert. I want to be able to help people fix their relationships before it becomes too late", she said smiling and then she remembered her parents.
Not knowing when she said it and because she felt too calm at the moment, she voiced. " I hope I can fix others even though I failed in fixing my parents, I just don't want any child to end up like me", Bella said staring into space unaware that Justin just heard what she said and he was frowning softly at her subtle revelation.
She suddenly stared at him, her grey eyes watering all of a sudden and before he could notice, she blinked them away but he still saw it and a part of him did ache for her. Not all that smiled had everything good coming their way, he thought inwardly.
" Ok write that down", he said smiling trying to change the atmosphere and she suddenly frowned. " What? I can't put that down, that's just my dream not my parents", she said chuckling a bit to revive herself from feeling sad and he didn't know why but he suddenly felt like saying something.
" Are they going to college with you?", he asked and she shook her head. " That would be stupid, don't you know how college works, you go alone, you are there to plan for your future, what would my parents be doing there?", she asked staring at him like he was dumb enough not to know that but he seemed less affected.
" Exactly. So why are you letting them dream for you?", he asked and she soon got his point. She thought about it and picked the most simple answer she could give.
" It's because they know more than me, they know how the world works and if I decide to follow my path i might just fall", she said and stared at her coffee cup. She needed to sip something right now and he might just push it further away from her if she reached for it.
" And I'm afraid of falling", she said and finally grabbed the coffee from him. She took a huge sip and stared at her book not bothering to stare back at him.
Justin didn't say anything else, her situation was almost similar to his so how could he advise her to have dreams for herself if he was scared of dreaming as well.
She suddenly placed his journal in front of him and stood up packing her books. " I'll take a cab home, thanks for the assistance Justin, I'll go pay my bills", she said and walked away from their table towards the counter.
He wanted to follow after her but he suddenly heard his phone beep and he brought it out and saw it was a text from his mom that his dad was going through a tough situation in their company and he was needed. He immediately panicked and grabbed his journal.
He stared back at Annabella who was busy talking to a waitress, then he finally hurried away deciding that she would be fine.
After Bella was through, she glanced back at their table and found that he was no longer there. She stared over there for a while before sighing and walking out of the restaurant as someone else walked in as well.
******
Authors note:
I hope today's chapter was thrilling. There are more chapters to come so please show your support for the book, it would be really appreciated.