Falling For The Playboy

Watching Axel drive was sexy and distracting, so I decided to watch the scenery as we passed instead. The time on his car said it was 9:08pm. My lips twisted ruefully. Had I been worried about how I was going to leave the party because I didn’t want to stay late? A party I hadn’t even experienced in the slightest, again, thanks to Omar.

But I couldn’t say I regretted going. Sure, the night hadn’t really met up to the expectations I had in my head, but I had gotten to meet my best friend that I hadn’t seen in ages. So I guess I won in some way. Could this be fate? I wouldn’t say I believed in it, but right now, I was second guessing everything.

What were the odds of Omar attending a party thrown by a guy from my school? We met and grew up at another state, got adopted in that same state, how could both our foster parents be living in Abuja after coming all the way to Lagos to adopt us? It was too much of a coincidence to be totally unrelated. I was starting to get a strange feeling.

I blinked, seeing that we were approaching the entrance of a huge hotel. That hadn’t taken long. Or had I been too absorbed in my head and I hadn’t been paying attention to my surrounding?

Axel parked the car, turning the engine off and then he faced me. “We need to go in, get a room, then come back out and take him up. ”

“Okay. ” I fumbled a little with the door before figuring out how to open it. My face flushed hot in embarrassment. I still and would probably never be used to this rich people life and their fancy things. Thankfully, Axel didn’t notice.

We walked into the glitzy hotel and straight to the receptionist. She was polite enough, listing the available rooms they had and which was most comfortable. All the blood drained from my face when she asked for an ID to ensure we were up to eighteen. I didn’t have my ID with me right now and I definitely wasn’t eighteen yet! How had we not thought about this?

I turned to Axel, but he didn’t share my worry. He simply grabbed his wallet from his back pocket, flipped it open, fished his ID out and slid it to the lady. She went over it, smiled, and handed it back to him, going over to her computer.

“How old are you? ” I whispered to Axel.

“Good thing for the both of us, I turned eighteen two months ago. ”

So he was born in July. And wow, I had assumed we were the same age.

The receptionist gave us our bill and before I could find the time to collapse on the floor out of shock, Axel was already paying with his card. The amount we were being charged for a single night was obscene! And what the hell had I expected from a place like this? Couldn’t we find a cheaper one?

Axel collected the key from the woman, and back outside we went to get Omar. He whistled low as he strode out leisurely, swinging the key around his finger. Okay, this boy was too sexy. How was I supposed to ignore it? It was impossible.

Twenty minutes later, we were walking back outside. Getting Omar up to the room hadn’t been as stressful as I thought it would be. The hotel had an elevator -it was my first time in one, yay!- and Axel did most of the work. All I did was hold the door open for them as they passed. Oh, and tuck Omar in.

The temperature had dropped several degrees as the day darkened and I was starting to get cold. My legs were also starting to hurt. Why was the car suddenly so far from the hotel?

I stopped when I felt light weight on my shoulders. Axel had placed his jacket on me. How had he known I was cold?

He must have seen the question in my eyes because he shrugged. “I could tell. ”

“Thank you. ” I voiced, before resuming my walk.

His car had heat and he turned it on too. In no time, I was starting to feel warm. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He was so thoughtful.

I gave him directions to the house since he was dropping me off and then going home. He slowed the car as the huge gate came into sight. “Am I stopping here or? ”

“It’s okay. You can stop here. ” I didn’t want to stress him further by driving inside, before driving back out and not to mention, he’d need the code. He had done enough already.

“Thank you so much for today. I don’t know what I would have done with Omar if you hadn’t been there. ”

“You don’t have to thank me. ”

“I know. But still. ”

He left the engine revving, waiting for me to get down. I popped off my seatbelt and just when I was about to open the door, he stopped me.

“Are you still mad at me? ” he asked quietly.

“No. ” I stared at him, incredulous, “Why would you think that? ”

“You’ve barely said a word ever since. ”All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

“Oh. I’ve just been lost in my thoughts. ”

He nodded, watching me quietly as if waiting for me to say something else. When I didn’t, he nodded again. I could tell he was apprehensive.

“Goodnight, Eva. ”

“Goodnight, Axel. ” I replied just as quietly.

I got down from the car and walked over to the gate, typing in the code and waiting for the small gate to roll open. I stopped walking when I got to the main gate to the house, turning to check if he had driven off. He was still there. Immediately I got into the compound, I saw him reversing, about to leave.

He wants you to get in safely.

What was that weird feeling happening in my stomach?

I was already climbing up the stairs, headed for my room when I spotted Abi standing just outside her door. Had she been waiting for me to come home or did she hear me come in?

“You’re back. You’re lucky dad and mom aren’t home yet. ” she beamed. “How was the party? ”

“Fun, I guess. ” I laughed to myself. Fun, indeed.

I turned to my room. I was already pushing the door open when she stopped me. “Eva? Whose jacket is that? ”

I looked down. I’d forgotten to give Axel back his jacket!

“No one. ” I smiled sweetly at Abi, but I could tell she didn’t buy it.

As I took off my gown and got ready for bed, I realized that I was smiling.

And the smile didn’t leave my face until my back hit the bed.