Chapter 30: In His Car
JULIA
+25 BONUS
The first thing I registered was the sound of the engine turning on and the cold air blasting against my face.
My eyelids fluttered, heavy as stones, and I groaned softly, himning my head against the car seat. Every part of me still felt uncomfortably warm, like my skin was on fire, even though the air conditioning surrounded me.
“Finally awake?”
I blinked hard, forcing my vision to clear.
Evan’s sharp profile came into focus, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, knuckles faintly white.
The dim glow of the dashboard highlighted the furrow in his brow and the sharp line of his jaw, clenched in irritation or something else.
The icy air hit me again, but it barely made a difference in the heat licking through my body. I sighed and tugged at my collar. “Why is it still so hot in here? Can you turn the AC up?”
Evan clicked his tongue, sparing me a quick glance. “Stop complaining. I turned it up all the way.”
“Well, it’s not helping,” I shot back, my voice weaker than wanted it to be.
His lips twitched into a scowl, and he turned the knob further, the air blasting like a small hurricane. “There. Happy?”
I huffed, sinking back into the seat, arms crossed. “What a gentleman,” I muttered.
Silence lingered for a moment. I stared out the window at the dark streets blurring past, trying to piece together everything that had happened. My body still ached, my head pounding softly, but the memory of David–the bottle, the struggle–made me close my eyes, wanting to forget everything
“This is the date you were talking about?” Evan’s voice broke through my thoughts.
I looked at him, startled. His gaze was focused on the road ahead, but his tone was sharp.
“What?”
He scoffed under his breath. “That’s what you call a date? Goodness, what happened to you, Julia?”
I frowned, sitting up straighter despite the heaviness still clinging to my limbs. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Evan shook his head, his eyes briefly cutting to me before going back to the road. “It means you’ve apparently started going out with lunatics. That’s what it means.”
I stiffened, defensive heat rising in my chest. “What’s with you?” I snapped. “I’m single. I can go out with whoever I want.”
“You are single,” he shot back. “But you went out with a guy who took advantage of you, Julia. What would you have done if I hadn’t been there?”
I opened my mouth to argue, but the words caught in my throat.
What would I have done?
The memory of David holding me down flashed through my mind, and I shivered involuntarily. It was truly a close
call.
1/3
+25 BONUS
Chapter 30 in His Car
“Why do you care so much, anyway?” 1 muttered, turning my face away to glare out the window.
“I don’t,” he replied quickly. I glanced back at him, catching the way his jaw clenched tighter. “I’m human. I’m not a plece of garbage like the guy you just went out with. 1 would have done the same thing for anyone else.”
His words hit me harder than I wanted them to. I shouldn’t care.
Anyone else.
That’s all I was to him now, wasn’t it? Just someone he used to know..
I swallowed hard. “Do you do this often?”
He didn’t respond right away, but I could see the annoyance across his face. “What?”
“Rescue women on their dates.” I forced a small, bitter laugh. “Or maybe lecture them about their choices afterward?”
Evan’s knuckles tightened on the wheel again, and he let out a slow, frustrated breath. “No. But I can’t say I’m surprised this happened.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What do you mean?”
He didn’t look at me.“You’re still doing this, huh? Getting drunk and going out with others?”
I straightened in my seat, heat rushing to my face–not from whatever David had given me, but from what Evan had just said.
Evan’s gaze finally went to me. “Well, I’m just saying. You’ve done this before. I’m not surprised you’d do it again.
“You don’t know anything about me,” I shot back, my voice trembling with anger. “Not anymore.”
He didn’t respond. I turned back to the window, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from saying more.
What did he know? What gave him the right to judge me? He didn’t know anything about my life. About Andy. About what I’d been through.
“Where’s your address?”
I blinked, snapping out of my thoughts.
“I’ll take you home,” he continued. “Where do you live?”
My mouth opened to answer, but I froze, panic flaring in my chest.
My address. Home. Andy.
I couldn’t. I couldn’t let him take me there. I wasn’t ready. Andy wasn’t ready. And Evan definitely wasn’t ready for that.
Evan’s gaze went back to me again, irritation creeping back into his features. “Julia, answer me.”
“I…” I hesitated, gripping the seatbelt tightly as I shook my head. “No. You can’t take me home.”
His brows furrowed, frustration clear on his face. “What are you talking about? Where else am I supposed to take you?”
“I’ll call someone else,” I said quickly, though I knew it was a lie. I didn’t have anyone to call. Sarah?
My phone was dead, though, and I hadn’t memorized her number. Maybe I should have for times like these.
+25 BONUS
Evan let out a deep breath, taking a hand through his hair. You’re being ridiculous, Julia.”
I didn’t respond, staring stubbornly at the dashboard. It was when my anger slightly dissipated that I felt the heat creep up my skin once more. My mind became hazy, and I continued to feel the effect of what David had given me.
“Fine,
“he said after a moment, his volce hard. “We’re going to my place, then.”
My head whipped toward him. “What?”
He didn’t look at me as he spoke.
“You don’t want me to take you home? Then we’re going to my place.”
