He opens the door for me and I get into the car. Leaning over me, he clips in my safety belt while I clench my jaw impatiently. "Thanks," I say sarcastically as he moves away from me.
He turns his head to look at me and a frown forms between his green eyes. Stepping back, he closes the door. He puts my bag on the back seat behind me, before he walks around the front of the car while I watch him. He is so worried he could get hurt, but I now feel as if I will be the one needing protection. He would not just break my heart; my heart would explode into a million splinters, should he decide to leave me, should he ever go back to Sarah.
He gets into the car and looking at me, he asks concerned, "Something wrong?"
Obviously he does not know how good I am at pretending, so I take out my trusty smile. I look him straight in the eye and say, "No. Why?"
He returns my stare for a while and then looks forward again thoughtfully while he starts the car and reverses out of the driveway.
" I thought you said your car was parked at John's house?" I ask as sociable as I can.
" Yeah, John took Aaron home last night after Jane's mom picked her up and then parked it at Connell's."
" Okay." I had forgotten about Aaron and Jane. I wonder if Jane got her happy ever after, after all.
The car is silent as we drive out of the village, and he does not turn on the stereo.
I jump when he suddenly asks, "Can you ride a horse?"
" No. But I thought we were going for a scenic drive?"
He laughs softly. "I changed my mind."
" That's just rude and do you always change your mind so easily?" I ask offhandedly. Will he change his mind about me just as quickly?
He glances at me, his eyes brooding, gone from unblemished green to dark green. He looks back toward the road without saying anything.
I notice we are driving in the direction of his house. "Where we are going?" I ask stubbornly.
" It's a surprise." He smiles while he glances at me fleetingly.
" I think I would rather go home. I'm not in the mood for surprises." I regret my choice of words immediately, wanting them to go back to the dark, jealous depths where they were born.
It actually looks as if he is contemplating turning around, but he continues driving in silence. From the corner of my eye, I see a muscle jumping in his jaw.