Chapter 35


    -MILLIE


    “Candice!” Lhissed, glowering at her as she strutted away.


    Traitor! 1 helplessly screamed in my head. After everything I confessed. I was hoping to have her on my


    side and not leave me alone with Danman.


    The pretty little witch winked at me, grinning smugly. I want to wipe that cun ningly sweet smile off her


    face.


    “Have a nice evening, Millie she sang.


    “I hate you” 1 mouthed at her, pushing away this drumming in my chest cavity.


    My pulse ran wild as Damian removed the distance between us. With his long legs, it’ll only take him ten


    seconds to cross the street. I had ten seconds to make a decision. Run or face my fear.


    1 fidgeted where I stood. This felt like the first day of school where the teacher made me stand in front of


    the ss to do a self introduction.


    I don’t even know why I’m freaking nervous. Maybe it’s the way he’s looking at me. Those green pools


    have always been intense, but this time, it was as if he was trying to read me.


    While I was contemting, trying to assess my situation. I lost those ten seconds. Damian stood before


    me. He was so beautiful I found it hard to breathe.


    “Millicent, his voice was rougher than sand. Dark bags circled his eyes, and his hair was a mess, as


    though he’d raked his fingers through it repeatedly.


    “Hey I stiffened when he leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. His soft lips lingered on the side of


    my mouth.


    “Ready?” he asked, his tenor dropping a few octaves,


    I blinked at him in dazed. “For what?”


    “To go” his brows creased, the edge of his lips curling up in an amused smirk.


    “Oh Damian, we already talked about this”


    “Shh, he ced a finger over my lips “And I already told you. I’m doing this because I want to.” He stole


    my messenge from my shoulder, his long fingers sliding underneath the leather strap in a move so


    smooth and casual, he threw an a over my shoulder and whisked me away from the building towards his


    car. “Just let me take care of you, alright?”


    He opened the passenger side, and on the seat sat a beautiful bouquet of red roses. My mouth goes dry.


    Damian picked and handed the flowers to me.


    “Thank you.” I meekly said, my head going in circles with what this could mean When I signed up for this


    deal, sweet gestures like this weren’t on my list. I mean, we were faking everything.


    1 cradled the flowers on myp as Damian stepped on the gas; the car wheeled away from our office


    building. He turned the radio on and Elvis’ voice filled the car. I was lost in my head while Damian’s


    lingers drummed on the steering wheel. tapping to the tune of Crazy Little Thing Called Love.


    “You mused the turn.” I reminded him when he kept driving past the intersection to my house


    “We’re having dinner,” he replied.


    “Dinner?” I parroted, questioning eyes glued onm


    “Uh, yeah? The meal you have at night?” he seemed genuinely confused that I didn’t know what dinner


    was.


    Annoyed, I said. “I know what dinner is. What I meant was, why are we having dinner? What for?”


    A mischievous smile ghosted his lips. “I didn’t know a single word, and a question mark could mean such


    an intricate question.


    I bite down on my lip, my checks burning as I try hard to suppress my smile, Damian chuckled and


    exined. “My bad, Millicent. I should’ve asked you first. So, would my girlfriend like to join me for


    dinner?” he used a tone that was so deep. that it made me giddy inside.


    1


    I couldn’t help but giggle. Damianughed with me, and just like that, I felt at ease again. I don’t know


    how he does that, but this feels so natural. No matter how hard I try to ignore it, I amfortable around


    Damian, like we’d been doing this for a long time. Like we were meant to be in this situation.


    G od. I wanted to crase thatst thought. That was the little girl in me fangirling over Damian all over


    again.


    “Only if you’re taking me some ce I’ve never been to before, babe,” I punched back, putting on a sly


    smile.


    Damian frowned. His eyes were glued to the street, deep in his thoughts. “I might know a ce, but we


    have to make a detour first.”


    My brows arched. I was only teasing him. I grew up in this town, and I’m pretty sure I’ve explored all the


    corners of Roslin City. But then again, I haven’t resided here for thest decade, so maybe Damian really


    knew a ce I hadn’t seen before.


    The detour he was talking about was at Simply Thai, a Thai restaurant in the city. He left me in the car


    and returned with bags of takeouts. I was itching to tell him it was okay for us to have dinner at that


    restaurant. I haven’t eaten Thai food in a while, and I want to check out their menu.


    “Don’t look at me like that,” Damian murmured, securing his seatbelt. I could smell the spices from the


    takeouts permeating the air in his car. My stomach was knotting in anticipation, my mouth salivating to


    taste what he ordered for us.


    “Like what?” I yed coy, blinking at him innocently.


    “Like you had a change of heart. I’m one hundred percent sure you’ll love this ce where I’m taking


    you,” he shoulder- checked and backed out of the parking lot.


    My shoulder fell. I threw my facade out of the window and admated what I truly felt. “I was only teasing


    you earlier, and I haven’t eaten Simply Thai in like… forever.”


    “I’ll take you there again,” he murmured, pinning me with a sideways nce. “I want to explore Roslin


    City with you.”


    Fire kindled under my cheeks. I looked out the window, hiding how his words affected me. The way he


    said it felt like this was a long-term thing. I had to remind my heart to get too excited because, again; we


    are only on this deal for a year. But what came out of my mouth was something my mind didn’t agree


    with, but I think my heart did. “I think I’d like that too. Damian.”


    Our eyes locked for a beat. His were round with surprise while mine were wide with this unnerving


    feeling I’ve ignored since New York.


    “Good,” Damian said, shifting gears. I was startled when he reached for my hand andced our fingers


    together. And when he lifted my hand to his lips for a kiss, I nearly melted into a puddle in my chair.


    “Is this the part where you confess your deepest darkest sins?” I said, ridges deepening on the space of


    my eyebrows. I hesitantly took in the wrecked cars lining the junkyard from left to right.


    “What?” Damian chuckled, the car slowing to a crawl.


    This was, in fact, the first time I’ve been to Tobby’s Salvage Yard. I’ve heard of this ce from Dad a few


    times when I was still in school. He was friends with Tobias Watson, the owner of the yard.


    |||


    “I’ve seen a lot of movies where they dump the dead bodies inside a car and let the salvage yard do the


    disposal. This is thest ce the authorities would look for a missing person.”


    Damian’sughter filled the confines of his car. “Don’t give me ideas, Millicent.”


    Iughed with him. The smell of oil and old metal spread through the air, but it didn’t give off that


    unpleasant junkyard smell. The cars lining each side of the dirt path we took were surprisingly organized.


    Big machines and trailers were on the far end of the yard, motorcycles and smaller vehicles were on our


    left, and SUVs and trucks were on the right.


    Damian drove through the yard until we reached a metal arch with a buff guy manning the trailer on the


    left.


    “D!”The guy beamed at Damian, offering his hand for one of those handshakes where they pat each


    other’s shoulder. The guy had to reach over the trailer and Damian’s jeep


    “Jackie.” Damian replied with the same enthusiasm. “How have you been, bro?”


    Jackie spread his arms, gesturing towards the inside of his trailer turned office and over the entire yard.


    “Business is doing good, so I’m good. You? I heard you’ve taken over your old man’spany.”


    Damian shook his head. “Aren’t we all destined to take over our old man’s businesses,” he said. Both of


    them looked back at the pilling cars behind us. “Let’s have a drink at Lukes on the weekend.”


    Têxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    “Sure, sure.” Jackie’s gaze slid to mine. Then he shed Damian a knowing smile. “I never thought I’d


    see the day you’d visit my yard with a chick”


    “Come on. I’m trying to make an impression here.” Damian retorted.


    Jackie hollered, throwing his head back. “You go ahead, man, this one’s on the house.”


    Through the rearview mirror, another car parked on the one behind us, and I saw a fewing in our


    direction, too.


    “Thanks, man. See you at Luke’s. Damian continued driving through the path.


    Behind the junkyard was a huge parking space. Vehicles were already parked in the lor, facing a wide


    screen with movie credits rolling.


    I was surprised that a ce like this existed in Roslin City. The salvage yard was located on the outskirts


    of the city. Mt. Malyons famous sunset can be witnessed here from a different angle.


    Once Damian found a spot for us, he reached for the bags of takeouts on the back seat and took out the


    foo by one. Som tam, s pic y chili, basil fried rice, tom yum soup, chicken satay, Bangkok-style drunken


    noodles rice pudding for dessert.


    “That’s a lot of food,” Imented, eyes skimming over the sc at tered food containers on the dashboard


    and


    “I’m freaking starving” Damian said, handing over a box of fried rice to me along with a spoon and fork.


    He the chicken andid them on top of my rice. “Eat up.”


    The food looked delicious, and the aroma was mouthwatering, so I dug in, moaning as the spices


    exploded on my my first bite. “This is really good. Go d. I can’t believe I went away from this town for so


    long,” I said with a mouth ful food as a new movie started to y on the widescreen.


    The parking lot started to fill out, too, but we had a little privacy inside Damian’s car.


    s one


    ricky


    “Me too,” Damian admitted, busying himself with filling his rice box with more food. “When I was in


    school, all I wanted wa to get away from this ce… and I did. I was happy for a while, but since I came


    back, I appreciated the peace and quiet of this cepared to the big cities I’ve resided for…” he


    searched for words, “almost fifteen years.”


    I lift my shoulder in azy shrug, enjoying my shrimp. “It’s cliche, but we only understand the value of


    things until we lose


    IL”


    Damian lifted his intense eyes from his food to my face. “Are we still talking about food?”


    I pinned him with a sideways nce. “Are we?”


    The air suddenly thickened, the temperature rose even if the air conditioning was on full st.


    His eyes dropped to my lips, intense green pools dting as he reached over and swiped his thumb over


    my lower lip. The satay sauce stained his thumb. A pulse kicked in my lower region as I watched him lift


    it to his lips, gently sucking on it. The movie on the screen faded. The cars parked around us became


    inconsequential. All that I could think of was how those lips felt sucking my own.


    I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t move. I don’t know if I was leaning toward Damian or if he was the one


    leaning toward me, but our faces were inching closer.


    I swallowed hard, licking my lips. He eyed the movement of my tongue over my lips. We both got started


    when a car behind us blew its horn. I swear I heard Damian growl a curse. In my nervous state, I giggled


    and ttened my back on my seat, resting my head on the headrest.


    “What’s funny?” Damina asked, stabbing the food in his box.


    1 sighed, still giggling to myself. “I thought you’re gonna kiss me


    “I was…” he murmured.