The 10 Steps To A Boy's Heart

Chapter 20

"You know the windows are tinted, right? No one could recognise you unless they opened the door to look in." Zander's one hand is on the steering wheel, the other on the gear. He's looks so at ease as he glances my way, clearly amused. 

I finally give up with the incessant ducking and hiding. I smoothen my hair which really is a lost cause by now and lean back against the seat. It feels like the material has moulded to my back, the comfort making me yawn. 

"Wow, I must really be boring you." 

I shoot him a look, crossing my arms over my chest. "Aren't you exhausted? All I did was watch the game and yet I'm in dire need of a bed and a massage." 

"I do give really good massages." Zander smirks, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. 

"I meant a professional one. You know like the ones they do in Bali." I've been there once growing up -before the dark times- and remember following my mother to a massage parlour a few times. Not only were they cheap, the massages always managed to ease up knots I never knew I had. The same can't be said for here. Everything is either too expensive or of terrible quality. 

Zander holds up a palm, drawing my attention to his tanned skin and forearm which looks so strong with it's prominent veins. "Nothing about these hands are unprofessional, Danielle." 

"I beg to differ." I counter immediately. "You might be the golden boy of Daltech but everything about you screams unprofessional." 

"Care to elaborate?" He turns down a road and I notice we are heading for the city. 

"Umm, where do I start?" I hold up my fingers, putting down one after each point. "You blackmailed a completely unprepared girl into a date she never consented too, right after humiliating her after the match today." 

"Permission to object." He interrupts. 

"Overruled." I say sternly and he chuckles as I continue my rant. "You date girls and get bored of them quicker than Ariel the barista changes the menu for his orange flavoured lattes. You might still be dating Brooklyn and yet here you are with me. You were the last one to join rehearsal yesterday--."

My eyes go wide as I snap my mouth shut. I did not expect to blurt that out and now Zander has turned my way. His attention focused solely on me and it doesn't help that we've stopped at a red light. 

"Sounds like you really do notice me." He murmurs, clearly satisfied. " But everything you've noted might as well be null and void because those points don't reflect my professionalism or lack thereof at all. First of all, I didn't give you that bouquet to humiliate you. I genuinely made a point, exactly like you wanted." 

I wince in response, unable to rebuke that explanation.  

"Also me dragging you out for dinner would hardly be called blackmail. More like I care about whether your stomach is empty or not."

"How touching." I mutter sarcastically. 

"Also Brooklyn and I aren't together. Yes, we were dating but I ended it with her over the weekend, before I planned to ask you out. So if you saw the picture of the two of us on those silly forums, it's because I took her out for dinner to let her know I was interested in someone else." 

My stomach churns uncomfortably and I look out the window, studying the rainbow coloured awning of the ice cream shop across the street. 

"How do I know you're telling me the truth?" I ask him and an audible sigh escapes his lips. 

"I'm not a liar. But if you really must do a double check, you could always ask Brooklyn." 

My shoulders slump and I suddenly feel bad for doubting him. Why do I feel bad? This guy is the enemy!