Getting To Know Each Other

ALANA

"How far away is it?" I threw one leg over the knee of the other as Knight got in.

"Your place or mine?"

"Erm . . . both?"

He grunted before starting the car. The engine bellowed as it came to life. Shivers ran up and down my spine at the sound. Knight shifted in his position and my eyes were drawn to his hand that rested on the steering wheel. An expensive-looking watch rested on his wrist, all gleaming and silvery-blue. Somebody seemed obsessed with that colour.

"To answer your question," His gruff voice filled the silence. "Your apartment is a five-minute drive from here. Although," he rolled his eyes in an adorable manner. "Google Maps says there's traffic everywhere today. So, it might take a little more. My place is a few minutes away from yours."

"Do you live in a mansion?" I teased.

"I don't like that question," he ran a hand through his perfect hair, driving with the other one only. "Next."

"That girl—Ayşe—mentioned something about a brother," Just as I had predicted, Knight seemed to freeze. This was a sensitive topic for him. "I didn't peg you for someone who liked sharing his space." Now, I was just testing his limits.

"My brother is . . . different," His lips were set into a tight line and I knew I wouldn't be getting any more information about his brother.

So, I decided to poke him some more. I was genuinely curious how he'd ended up as a CEO. Did he find his real Dad? Or had someone adopted him like I had been adopted? If so, shouldn't his brother be the heir to their father's legacy?

I had many questions. And none of those would be answered if I didn't take advantage of this time with him.

"So, what's your story?" I asked, turning to lean against the door and facing him.

"My story?"

"Yeah, you know, how'd you end up here?"

He released a ragged breath. "Long story short: The path was filled with thorns and along the way, I lost everything important to me." A shrug. "I didn't ask for this kind of a lifestyle but I'd gratefully say I'm better off than most people."

"Yeah," I murmured in agreement. "There are people out there who have bigger problems than us."

He remained silent. This was the time he was supposed to ask me about my life. Unsurprisingly, he didn't.

"I won't ask you about your past," he said after long moments of silence. My shocked gaze landed on him. He drummed his fingers on the wheel, exchanging a look with me before watching the road upfront. "Do you want me to be honest with you, Alana?"

"Uh," Suddenly, I had no idea what to say. That one sentence was enough to make any human being nervous. Nothing good ever came out of something like that. "I don't know? Would it complicate things?"

He was silent and tension built up inside the car so fast, I was having trouble tracking it or knowing how to cut it off from its roots.

He opened his mouth but one look at me and he shook his head. "Nothing."

Okay. That just made me more curious.

"You have to tell me now,"

He sighed. "Have you ever met someone and felt this . . . I don't know? This connection? Like you don't know them but something inside you feels protective and . . ." He shoved a hand through the strands of his charcoal hair, ruining the set strands. "I suck at explaining it."

My heartbeat quickened. "No, I get it." I couldn't even tell him. As bad as I felt, I knew Knight was better off without me.

"You do?"

"Yeah,"

When our eyes collided, in that split of a second, all breath escaped my lungs. From the way his mouth dropped open, I could tell he felt something too. Nothing compared to my feelings, but still.

"Alana," He swept his gaze away from mine with an agitated breath. "I don't like where this is heading."

I smiled sadly, turning my eyes to my lap. "I know you don't."