Chapter 27: Chapter 27

PEARL'S POV

“Just go,” She pushed me out of the kitchen and I was forced to walk into the living room. When I got there, Luke turned to take a look at me before changing his attention to the TV. I sat opposite him, not ready to sit beside him.

“Thank you for the other day,” I said, referring to the day he helped me at the hospital.

“You’re not acting like you’re grateful. At least, you don’t say thank you to someone you hate,”

I stared at him, and that was when I noticed another bruise on his jaw. “I don’t hate you, Lucas,” I told him.

“You do, don’t try to lie,” He asked.

“I promise, I don’t hate you. You scare me,” I told him truthfully. He turned to look at me and he held my gaze for more than a minute.

“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to scare you, I didn’t mean it,” My rapid breath suddenly slowed down and I felt I could get comfortable with him.

“Apology accepted. I’m also sorry about the things I said the other day,” I apologized.

“You don’t have to apologize for saying the truth, Pearl, how’s Aurora?”

“She’s okay. You know you can tell me if you like my sister, I’ll help you with that,” Luke laughed, confusing me.

“You’re crazy for thinking I like your sister, Pearl,” I shrugged and focused on the TV as well. The two of us didn’t say anything to each other till the siblings called us for breakfast. After breakfast, Lyla and I went up to her room. It was twice the size of the room I shared with Aurora and every minute I spent at that close pace with her makes me want to ask every question I could find.

“What happened to you this week?” Lyla asked as I braided her hair, she had insisted on me doing that.

“Nothing happened,” I lied. “I thought you said Jeremy would be here,” I asked her, trying to change the topic.

“No, I didn’t invite him, and going back to the topic you’re trying to ignore, you’re wrong. You were too Aurora all week. You didn’t say a single word and that wasn’t Pearl like,” I rolled my eyes at her inquisitiveness.

“Fine, something happened but I don’t want to talk about it,”

“Is it about Lucas?” She asked. He might be aware but it wasn’t about him.

“Nope,”

“That’s cool then,” I smiled, wondering why she thought it was cool that my strange mood wasn’t about Lucas.

Throughout that morning, Lyla and I talked about a lot of things, we watched movies and did all series of things except studying. Well, I’m not a big fan of books and neither was she.

“Do you guys want to get lunch with us?” Henry asked when we came out of the room during the afternoon.

“Cool. Let me change my dress,” Lyla yelled, as she ran back into her room to get dressed. I have left with Luke again in the hallway.

“Are you okay?” he suddenly asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I replied. He nodded and brought out his phone from his pocket. I took in his appearance. He suddenly looked up to see me staring at him and instead of looking away, we both kept on staring at each other. His eyes gave me warmth that I didn’t think I needed. He smiled and I smiled back. ‘

“We’re ready” The siblings announced, making us finally break the long stare.

“Where are we having lunch?” I asked, glancing at Lucas.

“We’ll just get burgers and eat in the car,” Henry suggested.

“Cool, I’ll drive with Pearl, you should take Lyla with you,” Lucas suggested and started walking towards the door.

Shocked, I asked, “Don’t I have a say in this?”

“I don’t think so, Sil,” Lucas replied from the door. I ended up in the same car with Lucas even though I didn’t want that to happen.

“Seatbelt, please?” He asked as soon as I sat in the car.

“Okay,” I removed the seatbelt, fixed it, and sat comfortably. It was when I looked up that I realized he had been watching me the whole time.

“What?” I asked him.

“Nothing, just surprised there’s someone in the world who finds it difficult to fix a seatbelt,”

“That’s not funny,” I told him.

“I wasn’t joking.” He smiled and I glared at him.

He had one hand placed on the steering wheel as he whistled while he drove and I for some unknown reasons found that annoying.

“Can’t you just play music instead of whistling?” I asked angrily.

“I don’t play music. My car, my rules, Sil, deal with it,”

I rolled my eyes and looked out of the window. I don’t understand why I ended up stuck with the devil.

His phone suddenly rang and he hesitated before picking it up. His eyes have lost the radiant color that was there a few minutes ago and all that’s left now is darkness.

“What?” He grumbled.

He went silent for a while. “Do I have to be there? I’m busy right now”

He suddenly parked the car beside the road and hit his hand against the wheel, his jaw tightened as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Whatever,” he dropped the call and threw the phone into the back of the car.

For minutes he didn’t say a word.

“Lucas, are you okay?” I gently asked him. When he turned to look at me, his eyes were red and his jaw was still clenched. Slowly, I lifted my hand and placed it on his jaw, “Relax a bit” I told him and he did as I’d said.

I still don’t know why I did what I did but I felt if he had helped me when I needed it then I should be able to do the same for him when he need it.

“Is everything okay? Did something happen?” I asked again. He shook his head and I quickly removed my hand from his face. His eyes were now crystal clear as if he was longing for something.

“I need to home, they need my attention at home,” I nodded. He sounded really angry about this decision of going home and it really made me wonder if his home wasn’t like every home I knew.

“Can you call Henry and Lyla? Tell them to pick you up,” My eyes went wide at the realization.

“You’re dropping me off in the middle of nowhere. What if I get killed or kidnapped?” I panicked.

“Just get out, Pearl”

I felt embarrassed ad stupid. Stupid enough to actually follow him when he asked me to. I bit my lower lip, removed the seatbelt, and opened the car.

“Pearl,” He called as I was about to get down from the car. I ignored him and banged the door close as hard as I could get.

He drove off immediately. I quickly placed a call to Lyla and made a vow to myself, not to be that stupid again. when I noticed another bruise on his jaw. “I don’t hate you, Lucas,” I told him.

“You do, don’t try to lie,” He asked.

“I promise, I don’t hate you. You scare me,” I told him truthfully. He turned to look at me and he held my gaze for more than a minute.

“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to scare you, I didn’t mean it,” My rapid breath suddenly slowed down and I felt I could get comfortable with him.

“Apology accepted. I’m also sorry about the things I said the other day,” I apologized.

“You don’t have to apologize for saying the truth, Pearl, how’s Aurora?”

“She’s okay. You know you can tell me if you like my sister, I’ll help you with that,” Luke laughed, confusing me.

“You’re crazy for thinking I like your sister, Pearl,” I shrugged and focused on the TV as well. The two of us didn’t say anything to each other till the siblings called us for breakfast. After breakfast, Lyla and I went up to her room. It was twice the size of the room I shared with Aurora and every minute I spent at that close pace with her makes me want to ask every question I could find.

“What happened to you this week?” Lyla asked as I braided her hair, she had insisted on me doing that.

“Nothing happened,” I lied. “I thought you said Jeremy would be here,” I asked her, trying to change the topic.

“No, I didn’t invite him, and going back to the topic you’re trying to ignore, you’re wrong. You were too Aurora all week. You didn’t say a single word and that wasn’t Pearl like,” I rolled my eyes at her inquisitiveness.

“Fine, something happened but I don’t want to talk about it,”

“Is it about Lucas?” She asked. He might be aware but it wasn’t about him.

“Nope,”

“That’s cool then,” I smiled, wondering why she thought it was cool that my strange mood wasn’t about Lucas.

Throughout that morning, Lyla and I talked about a lot of things, we watched movies and did all series of things except studying. Well, I’m not a big fan of books and neither was she.

“Do you guys want to get lunch with us?” Henry asked when we came out of the room during the afternoon.

“Cool. Let me change my dress,” Lyla yelled, as she ran back into her room to get dressed. I have left with Luke again in the hallway.

“Are you okay?” he suddenly asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I replied. He nodded and brought out his phone from his pocket. I took in his appearance. He suddenly looked up to see me staring at him and instead of looking away, we both kept on staring at each other. His eyes gave me warmth that I didn’t think I needed. He smiled and I smiled back. ‘

“We’re ready” The siblings announced, making us finally break the long stare.

“Where are we having lunch?” I asked, glancing at Lucas.

“We’ll just get burgers and eat in the car,” Henry suggested.

“Cool, I’ll drive with Pearl, you should take Lyla with you,” Lucas suggested and started walking towards the door.

Shocked, I asked, “Don’t I have a say in this?”

“I don’t think so, Sil,” Lucas replied from the door. I ended up in the same car with Lucas even though I didn’t want that to happen.

“Seatbelt, please?” He asked as soon as I sat in the car.

“Okay,” I removed the seatbelt, fixed it, and sat comfortably. It was when I looked up that I realized he had been watching me the whole time.

“What?” I asked him.

“Nothing, just surprised there’s someone in the world who finds it difficult to fix a seatbelt,”

“That’s not funny,” I told him.

“I wasn’t joking.” He smiled and I glared at him.

He had one hand placed on the steering wheel as he whistled while he drove and I for some unknown reasons found that annoying.

“Can’t you just play music instead of whistling?” I asked angrily.

“I don’t play music. My car, my rules, Sil, deal with it,”

I rolled my eyes and looked out of the window. I don’t understand why I ended up stuck with the devil.

His phone suddenly rang and he hesitated before picking it up. His eyes have lost the radiant color that was there a few minutes ago and all that’s left now is darkness.

“What?” He grumbled.

He went silent for a while. “Do I have to be there? I’m busy right now”

He suddenly parked the car beside the road and hit his hand against the wheel, his jaw tightened as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Whatever,” he dropped the call and threw the phone into the back of the car.

For minutes he didn’t say a word.

“Lucas, are you okay?” I gently asked him. When he turned to look at me, his eyes were red and his jaw was still clenched. Slowly, I lifted my hand and placed it on his jaw, “Relax a bit” I told him and he did as I’d said.

I still don’t know why I did what I did but I felt if he had helped me when I needed it then I should be able to do the same for him when he need it.

“Is everything okay? Did something happen?” I asked again. He shook his head and I quickly removed my hand from his face. His eyes were now crystal clear as if he was longing for something.

“I need to home, they need my attention at home,” I nodded. He sounded really angry about this decision of going home and it really made me wonder if his home wasn’t like every home I knew.

“Can you call Henry and Lyla? Tell them to pick you up,” My eyes went wide at the realization.

“You’re dropping me off in the middle of nowhere. What if I get killed or kidnapped?” I panicked.

“Just get out, Pearl”

I felt embarrassed ad stupid. Stupid enough to actually follow him when he asked me to. I bit my lower lip, removed the seatbelt, and opened the car.

“Pearl,” He called as I was about to get down from the car. I ignored him and banged the door close as hard as I could get.

He drove off immediately. I quickly placed a call to Lyla and made a vow to myself, not to be that stupid again.