Chapter 18: Chapter 18

Calvin parks his car on the side of the road before jumping out without a word. I don't have the energy to ask him where he was going so instead I close my eyes, grabbing a five minute nap. I welcome sleep with open arms, willing it to heal the soreness and aching in my muscles.

The loud slam of the car door jolts me awake and I bolt upright, my eyes wide. Once I notice Calvin, I relax, my eyes narrowed and blinking as they re-adjust to the light inside his car.

"Gheez, don't try and stay quiet for me considering I'm sleeping." I murmur unhappily, resting my head against his heated seats.

"Shut up, sleeping beauty. I got you this." Calvin says, thrusting a pizza box my way. The smell instantly wafts in the air causing my stomach to grumble loudly. I grin widely, already feeling myself brightening up.

"You bought me pizza? Okay, I don't hate you so much now." I tell him, tearing open the box. A cheese pizza with olives, vegetables and chicken greets me and I drool.

"This looks amazing." I gush, glancing up at Calvin Black. He shrugs it off, acting like buying me pizza isn't an incredibly sweet thing to do. I pat the empty seat next to me —

"Do you want to join me? It's a pretty large pizza." I say quietly, the tips of my ears growing red. A small smirk grows on Calvin's lips.

"You want me to get in the backseat of the car with you?"

I glare at his suggestive tone — "Yes, to eat pizza. . . Nothing else."

"Why can't we do both?" Calvin hits back.

"Uh, because I dislike you and would never let you anywhere near me." I say playfully, rolling my eyes. Calvin's green eyes sparkle, his eyebrow piercing glinting away due to the light inside the car.

"You let me kiss you."

"I let lots of guys kiss me."

"Pfft, liar. You told me I was your first kiss." Calvin snorts, climbing into the back seat as we bicker. I move up and place the pizza box between us whilst rolling my eyes.

"I say that to every guy too." I lie, my lips twitching. Calvin shoves me lightly before grabbing a slice of pizza. He takes a huge bite of it, almost devouring it in one. A comfortable silence falls upon us as we eat greasy takeaway pizza during the early hours of the morning in the back seat of his car.

"I'm sorry about my brother," I mumble, sighing. I know I can't avoid the subject forever, it hangs in the air awkwardly, waiting for one of us to speak about it. Calvin pauses, his hand clutching the pizza hovering in mid air. "He doesn't like me, does he?" Calvin asks, his words spoken in monotone.

"He doesn't like a lot of people, don't worry about it." I mumble in response.

"I don't understand one thing -- " Calvin says, his voice growing suspicious. I nod slowly, the pizza chunk in my mouth suddenly becoming hard to swallow. "What's that?" I question quietly.

"He said I barley know you. . . like I'm in for a surprise or something. What does he mean by that?" Calvin questions, turning his full attention to me. I can see his green eyes burning holes through my body as he waits for me to respond. The lies dripping from my tongue like acid make me question my true intentions with Calvin Black. Since when do I feel such guilt for lying on a mission?

"Probably because we've only hung out once or twice." I murmur, unable to maintain eye contact with him.

"So I shouldn't expect any surprises?" Calvin asks, his tone serious. I don't respond but instead nod my head, my throat feeling as rough as sandpaper. An invisible hand wraps around my throat, squeezing until it becomes painful.

"Honestly, forget about my brother. He's been drinking and he's an idiot." I reassure him, placing a hand on his knee. I can feel my skin immediately spring to life from the small contact and Calvin snaps his head down at it. I wonder if he feels the same. . .

"Things between you and me are moving pretty fast." He says suddenly, taking me completely by surprise. I hastily remove my hand, glancing around at anything but him. What am I supposed to say to that?

Yes, I know but it has to move fast if I want to become your girlfriend in order to arrest your wanted father.

Of course I don't say that.

"As long as it isn't forced and it comes naturally, I don't feel like it's a bad thing."

I want to slap myself due to how hypocritical I sound. A niggling voice in the back of my head tells me that I'm falling for Calvin but I silence it immediately. There's no way I'm falling for Calvin Black, the son of a highly wanted criminal.

"Zack is going to kill me, I'm the worst best friend." Calvin grunts, his eyes dropping to the floor. I nibble on my bottom lip —

"Why would he hate you?" I ask him.

"Because he liked you first. I mean, I thought you were pretty but annoying as hell. I wasn't interested but then something changed." Calvin Black says truthfully, his words low. I feel my breathing hitch in my throat and the word pretty floats around my head.

"There's something different about you and I guess I'm attracted to that." Calvin shrugs, acting as if his words are completely casual. I'm finding it difficult to breathe and he's sat opposite me, looking as cool as a cucumber.

"Cool," I squeak out, my voice sounding more high pitched than I intended it to be. I clear my throat and Calvin shoots me a wary look.

"Damn, did I just make you fall in love with me again?" He asks seriously, his mouth set in a straight line. The fog inside my mind clears and I scoff, leaning forward to shove him hard.

"Get over yourself, asshole."

He lets out a low chuckle, his hands gripping onto mine and intertwining our fingers together. I feel my heart somersault inside my chest but I don't pull away. I like his warmth.

"I mean it, I like you Hunter."

I notice him biting the inside of his cheek and he looks completely adorable when he does it. I wonder if its a nervous habit despite him looking as confident and cocky as ever. I give him a small smile, studying him from under my lashes.

"I like you too Calvin."

*****

"Tell me more about your Dad."

An hour later and we're both rooted in the same spot, an empty pizza box between us. We've rolled the windows down partially, allowing some cool air to enter the car. His back seats are lowered so we're both kind of lying down, facing each other. I can feel my eyes growing heavy from lack of sleep but I force them to stay awake as I chat casually with an also sleepy Calvin.

"There's not much to tell. Like I said before, he was in the military and taught Micah and I to fight. He's retired now and spends his days with my Mum." I lie, wanting to get off the subject as soon as possible.

"Tell me about your Mum and Dad." I smile, my eyelids fluttering closed for a brief second. I can feel sleep wash over me but I fight it, desperately wanting to hear Calvin's answer.

"My Mum's completely out of the picture. She left when I was nine because she couldn't handle my father anymore. He's a piece of work," Calvin says quietly, drifting away with his thoughts. I can see the pain flash through his eyes as he speaks of his mother.

"Do you not see your Mum anymore?"

"No. I think it's too painful for her to see me. It reminds her of the life she lived with my father so she refuses to see me. Eventually, I stopped asking." Calvin says bluntly, hurt lacing his words. I sigh and my hand travels across the leather seat, reaching for his. Once I find it, I give it a small squeeze and he turns to look at me.

His dark hair falls over into his eyes but he makes no effort to push it back. A small smile flickers across his face and his thumb begins to rub circles on the back of my hand. Despite how sleepy I feel, electricity soars through my body, making me want more of his touch.

"She's missing out, I think you're amazing." I say quietly. Calvin breathes in sharply, green eyes lightening. He brings our intertwined hands up lazily before placing the softest of kisses on the back of mine. As soon as his lips caress my skin, I close my eyes, inhaling sharply. Butterflies fill my stomach, fluttering away madly with their wings until I almost feel nauseous.

I don't know what is it about the darkness of the night or the simplicity of lying in the backseat of a car with someone. It makes me want to be truthful but being truthful digs me into a deep hole. I break down my walls so easily with Calvin Black, someone I thought I would never connect with.

In this exact moment, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.