Hellbound With You

Alexander’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. A calculating look flashed across his cold, intimidating eyes before another chuckle filled with disbelief escaped his lips.

”What a gutsy little lamb…” He said out loud, then sighed as he lifted his hand and ran his elegantly long fingers through his hair.

”One month, huh…?” he leaned in on her and cupped her small face again. ”Abigail Chen, are you sure about this one month? Are you sure you don’t want to start with small steps like a day or a week first?” The crooked and playful smile, that he showed her many times the night they first met, was now carved on his face.

”I am very sure!” Abigail didn’t hesitate. Her emotions were not easily hidden on her innocent face so Alex couldn’t even question her resolve, because he could see that she had already decided to do this. As he scanned her face, he saw a certain something that radiated from within her that rendered him speechless for a split second.

He averted his gaze to avoid her soulful, bright eyes and looked out the window when suddenly, his eyes slightly narrowed and it glimmered with something Abi couldn’t comprehend. Abi followed his gaze but she saw no one at the spot he was looking at, but then again, it was pitch dark outside. She returned her gaze to him just to see that his eyes had returned to normal, as if what she noticed a moment ago was just in her imagination. This jellyfish was emitting some new mysterious illuminations again…

”Fine. Do what you want.” Before she knew it, he finally gave in.

Abi gasped upon hearing him. This was totally unexpected. After rejecting her so fiercely before, he finally caved in. ’What?! Really? I heard him right, right? I didn’t imagine that, right?’ were the thoughts that ran through her head.

Like a child who finally caught her escaped balloon again, Abi beamed and her eyes shone joyfully.

Alexander looked away; there were some lingering regrets in his eyes but he blinked them away. He had said it; given his word to her and that was that. He jumped out of the water and she caught him, or at least, he let himself be caught by her.

”Don’t come crying to me afterwards…” he murmured as if he was more than certain that this girl would.

”I won’t.” Abi raised her hand like a girl scout stating the preamble and Alex smirked as he lazily rested his head on his palm. The jellyfish seemed to be tired now from relentlessly swimming away from this persistent, vigorous and hell-bent little chaser.

”Uhm… where’s the contract? I want to sign it now.” Abi’s big eyes questioned him. She even seemed excited, something that rendered him speechless once again.

”Little lamb, why do I feel like you’re treating this as an exciting field trip or something?”

”That’s not it. I’m just afraid you’ll change your mind.”

He twitched. ”So you actually do know that you can’t trust people so easily, huh?”

”I just learned it a while ago at that bar. I can’t trust any man’s words so easily like that.” She shuddered when she remembered that man again but the sound of Alex’s fascinating chuckle rang in her ears and it pulled her thoughts away from that terrifying experience.

”Sigh… little lamb... I really don’t know how you survived in this world this long and not been broken yet.” He looked somewhat amazed. This jellyfish had changed again. He was nothing like the man who appeared and saved her not that long ago.

Abigail ignored his words again. She instead held out her palm before him, silently asking for the contract.

Alexander stared at her palm. ”Abigail, actually… I think what you need to sign isn’t a contract.”

Abigail blinked.

”I think… it should be a waiver.” He playfully smiled again and she was mesmerised. Alexander scowling and growling at her was quite outrageously pleasing to the eyes but his smiling face was just an out of this world type of incredible. She wondered how would he look if his smile reaches those ice cold eyes of his. ”But we’re not going to talk about that now. I’ll give you time to come to terms with yourself one last time. You’re still under the influence of alcohol, after all, little lamb,” he continued.

”But…”

”Shh… don’t worry, I already gave you my word.”

Abi wanted to insist. She didn’t want to waste any more time, but she needed to restrain herself or he might get suspicious if she acted even more desperate than this.

”F-fine,” she bit her lips.

He brought out his phone and typed something in it and then, Abi heard her phone beep.

”That’s my address,” he said, his eyes probing again as he stared at her.

”I can come here once I’m prepared right?”

He nodded and Abi stared back at him, showing him that she was already more than prepared.

”One last thing for you to know, Abigail…” his voice switched yet again to a serious and firm tone that left no room for any doubt or any other possibility. He was suddenly more authoritative than his aura already suggested, causing Abi to swallow in anticipation.

”I require my girlfriend to live with me in my house. So make sure to think about this properly, understand?”