Chapter 268 - 0268: Create Something For You

Chapter 268: Chapter 0268: Create Something For You

Elena’s Point Of View

The next morning felt... strange. Light. Too light. Like something had shifted overnight and my body hadn’t caught up with it yet.

I stood in front of the mirror longer than necessary, adjusting the same strand of hair three different times before finally letting out a quiet breath. My reflection stared back at me with eyes that looked both exhausted and oddly hopeful... a combination I wasn’t sure how to process.

There was something unfamiliar in my own face, a softness I didn’t recognize, like the woman looking back at me had secrets I hadn’t caught up with yet. I leaned closer, studying the curve of my own smile, wondering when exactly it had started appearing so easily, so unguarded. It unsettled me more than I wanted to admit.

"You’re overthinking," I muttered to my reflection.

It didn’t argue. Of course it didn’t. Because I was overthinking everything. The papers sitting on the nightstand. Jaxx and whatever this thing between us was becoming. Freedom... that word still didn’t feel real in my head, like a foreign language I’d studied but never truly spoken. I turned the word over in my mind, testing its weight, trying to decide if it fit me yet or if I was simply borrowing someone else’s life for a while.

I pressed my lips together, then shook my head and grabbed my bag, forcing myself to move before the spiral of thoughts could drag me under again. My hands trembled slightly as I checked my reflection one last time, and I hated how much that small tremor revealed. It wasn’t fear exactly. Something closer to anticipation, the kind that made my chest ache in ways I didn’t have a name for.

"Okay. Enough."

When I stepped outside, Jaxx was already waiting. He leaned against the car like he had nowhere else to be, like he hadn’t been checking his watch every five minutes. The morning sun caught the edge of his profile, and for a moment, I let myself just look at him without the usual defenses.

There was something unguarded about him in that stillness, something I rarely got to witness - the version of him that existed before he noticed he was being watched. I wondered, not for the first time, how many versions of himself he kept hidden, and how many he’d actually let me see.

His eyes lifted the moment he saw me, and just like that, everything slowed. The way his gaze dragged over me felt deliberate. Unapologetic. Unhurried. Like he was memorizing details he’d already committed to memory a hundred times before. My pulse responded before my mind could catch up, a traitorous flutter I tried and failed to suppress.

I stopped halfway down the path, suddenly self-conscious in a way that annoyed me.

"What?"

He didn’t answer immediately. Just pushed himself off the car and walked toward me with that measured stride that always made my pulse quicken despite my best efforts.

Slow. Deliberate.

"You’re staring," I said, crossing my arms in what I hoped looked like casual indifference rather than defense.

"I am."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Well, say something."

He stopped right in front of me now, close enough that I could smell that familiar scent that always seemed to follow him... something woodsy and clean that made my thoughts scatter.

"You clean up nice, Bambina."

I rolled my eyes, fighting the warmth creeping up my neck. "Wow. That’s it? That’s your big line?"

"You want poetry?"

"I want effort."

He leaned closer, and I could see the amusement dancing in his eyes. "I’m putting in effort right now."

My breath hitched slightly before I quickly looked away, breaking whatever spell he was trying to weave. "Get in the car."

He chuckled softly, the sound low and satisfied. "Yes, ma’am."

The drive to Lexi’s boutique was quieter than usual. Not awkward, just full. The silence between us felt heavy with unspoken things, with the weight of yesterday’s kiss and everything it implied. Every now and then, I caught him glancing at me, his attention drifting from the road to my profile and back again. I wondered what he saw when he looked at me like that, whether he felt even a fraction of the chaos churning in my own chest. Part of me wanted to ask. The rest of me was too afraid of what the answer might do to the careful walls I still clung to.

And every time, I pretended not to notice, keeping my gaze fixed on the passing scenery. Until I finally couldn’t anymore. "Keep your eyes on the road."

"I am."

"You’re not."

"I multitask."

"That’s not something to brag about."

He smirked, that infuriating half-smile that always made my stomach flip. "You like it."

"I don’t."

"You do."

"I don’t."

"You kissed me first yesterday."

I turned sharply to him, heat flooding my cheeks. "I did not."

"You did."

"You’re delusional."

He laughed under his breath, the sound rich with certainty. "I have proof."

"I would like to see that proof."

"Later."

I scoffed and looked away, but my lips betrayed me with a small smile I couldn’t quite suppress. The truth was, I didn’t even remember who had moved first. It had felt inevitable, like gravity, like something that had been building long before either of us admitted it. Maybe that was what scared me most... not the kiss itself, but how little resistance I’d offered when it happened.

By the time we arrived, I was already reaching for the door handle, eager to escape the charged atmosphere of the car.

"Finally," I muttered.

But before I could step out, his hand wrapped around my wrist and pulled me back. The touch was gentle but firm, sending electricity up my arm.

I turned to him immediately, my heart already picking up speed. "What now?"

He raised an eyebrow slightly, his expression somewhere between playful and serious. "You’re going without a parting gift, mama?"

I blinked at him once, processing the audacity. Then slowly rolled my eyes, even as my pulse hammered in my throat. "You’re unbelievable."

"I know."

I sighed, then grabbed his collar and pulled him toward me, deciding to take control before he could. "Happy now?"

And kissed him. Quick. Simple. Straight to the point. I pulled back almost immediately, giving him a look that dared him to ask for more. "There. Satisfied?"

He stared at me for half a second, something shifting in his expression... something darker, hungrier.

Then shook his head slowly. "No."

Before I could even react, before I could process the single word, his hand slid to the back of my head, fingers threading lightly into my hair as he pulled me back in. The gesture was possessive in a way that should have annoyed me but instead made my stomach drop.

The kiss this time wasn’t quick. It wasn’t careful or controlled.

It was deeper. Slower. Like he was making a point, proving something I hadn’t asked him to prove but desperately needed to know.

My hand tightened slightly on his shirt without thinking, pulling him closer even as some distant part of my brain screamed at me to pull away. I hated that my body reacted before my brain could catch up, hated how easily he dismantled every defense I’d spent years building. There was something terrifying about how natural it felt, how quickly my resistance crumbled whenever he decided to close the distance between us. For a fleeting second, I let myself imagine what it might feel like to stop fighting it altogether.

Minutes passed. Or seconds. I couldn’t tell anymore. Time felt irrelevant, suspended in the space between his lips and mine. When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested lightly against mine, both of us breathing harder than we should have been.

"Much better now," he murmured, his voice rough in a way that sent shivers down my spine.

I blinked up at him, slightly breathless, my heart still racing from whatever had just passed between us.

"Asshole," I muttered.

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, that infuriating expression he wore so well. "Don’t worry," he murmured, his voice dropping low as he leaned close to my ear, "we’ll try out that place soon, since you’re so fixated on it."

Heat flooded my entire face instantly, spreading down my neck.

"What... I am not..."

He leaned back, satisfaction written all over his features as he clearly enjoyed my discomfort. "You are," he said simply.

"I am not!" My protest came out sharper than intended.

"You are."

I shoved him lightly, more for show than anything else. "Shut up."

He laughed then... actually laughed. The sound was rich and genuine, so different from his usual controlled demeanor that it caught me completely off guard. For a brief moment, I caught a glimpse of someone unguarded, someone who existed beneath all those careful layers he usually kept so tightly wound. It made me wonder what else lay buried under that composure, and whether I’d ever be allowed close enough to find out.

I didn’t wait another second before pushing the door open and stepping out into the morning air. "Bye!" I called over my shoulder.

"Run all you want, Bambina!" His voice followed me, warm with amusement.

I didn’t turn back. I refused to give him the satisfaction. But I could still hear his laughter as I walked away, the sound lingering in the air like a challenge. And annoyingly... infuriatingly, there was a small smile tugging at my lips that I couldn’t quite suppress.

"Big head," I muttered under my breath, though the words lacked any real venom.

I paused just before entering the boutique, glancing back quickly despite my better judgment. He was still there, watching me with that intensity that made my stomach flip. Then he finally drove off, the engine’s purr fading into the distance.

And for a second, I felt something strange settle in my chest. Something warm and unsettling that I didn’t want to examine too closely. It felt dangerously close to happiness, the kind I hadn’t let myself trust in a long time. I shook it off and walked inside, forcing my thoughts back to the present, though the warmth lingered stubbornly beneath my ribs.

The boutique hummed with its usual energy... alive and vibrant.

Soft chatter floated through the air. Fabric rustled as workers moved between stations. The faint hum of sewing machines provided a steady rhythm to the morning, grounding me in something familiar after the whirlwind of the last few minutes.

Several workers greeted me as I passed, their faces brightening.

"Good morning, Ms. Elena."

"Morning," I replied, offering a small wave.

"You’re glowing today," one of them observed with a knowing smile.

"I am not," I protested, though I could feel warmth creeping into my cheeks again.

They laughed, exchanging glances that suggested they didn’t believe me for a second. I kept walking, eager to escape their scrutiny, straight to Lexi’s office, where I knew I’d find either sanctuary or interrogation... probably both, knowing her.

I knocked once before pushing the door open without waiting for a response.

She sat at her desk, completely absorbed in her sketchpad, her pencil moving across the page with practiced speed. Her brow furrowed in concentration, bottom lip caught between her teeth.

"Working hard, I see," I announced.

Her head snapped up immediately, and just like that, her entire face transformed - lit up like I’d just made her entire day.

"Elena!" She dropped her pencil without a second thought, letting it roll across the desk as she rushed toward me.

"My favorite girl!" She pulled me into a hug, squeezing tightly enough that I had to laugh.

"You say that to everyone," I pointed out, returning the embrace.

"I do not," she protested, pulling back just enough to look at me.

"You definitely do."

"Not like this." Her eyes sparkled with affection. "You’re special."

We pulled apart, both smiling, and I felt some of the morning’s tension ease from my shoulders. She looked me over once... slowly, deliberately. Her gaze turned suspicious, one eyebrow arching.

"Why do you look like someone who kissed trouble this morning?" she asked, her tone far too knowing.

I blinked, caught off guard by her perceptiveness. Then frowned. "I did not kiss trouble."

"You wore his shirt yesterday... I saw it," she observed, gesturing at my outfit with a triumphant expression.

"That’s not the point."

"That is exactly the point." She crossed her arms, waiting.

I rolled my eyes, refusing to take the bait. "Can I sit down?"

"Only if you tell me everything," she countered, her smile turning mischievous.

"Not happening."

"Rude."

I dropped into the chair across from her desk, settling in with a sigh. "What are you offering me?"

She tapped her chin thoughtfully, pretending to consider. "What do you want?"

"Pineapple juice."

She nodded, already moving toward the small refrigerator in the corner. "Cold?"

"Very cold," I emphasized.

She winked over her shoulder. "Got you."

She disappeared through the door before I could add anything else, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I leaned back slightly, exhaling slowly as my mind began to wander again... inevitably drifting back to the papers hidden in my bag, to Jaxx and his secrets, to everything that felt like it was shifting beneath my feet. The office around me felt suddenly too quiet, too still, giving my thoughts far too much room to spiral. I pressed my palms against my knees, trying to anchor myself in the present instead of the uncertain future waiting just beyond this room.

Then the door opened, pulling me from my spiraling thoughts. She returned holding a glass and a small pack, looking far too pleased with herself. I reached for the drink immediately, eager for something to ground me, and flinched the moment my fingers touched the glass.

"Lexi!" I yelped, nearly dropping it.

She burst out laughing, the sound filling the small office. "What?" she asked innocently, though her eyes danced with mischief.

"I said cold, not frozen glacier!" I carefully adjusted my grip, feeling the ice burning against my palms.

She placed the pack on the table, still laughing hard enough that her shoulders shook. "You said very cold. I delivered exactly what you asked for."

"I didn’t ask for ice that could survive Antarctica," I grumbled, though I couldn’t help the smile tugging at my lips.

"Details." She waved a dismissive hand.

I shook my head, holding the glass more carefully now. "You’re evil."

"I’m precise," she corrected, settling back into her chair with a satisfied expression.

I took a cautious sip, letting the cold liquid soothe my throat, then sighed. "Before I forget... what’s the surprise you mentioned?"

She paused, and that smile crept back slowly, the one I knew too well. The one that always preceded something significant. The one that meant something was coming. Something big that would probably turn my world upside down yet again.

She leaned slightly against the table, crossing her arms as she studied me with barely contained excitement.

"Oh... that," she said, drawing out the words.

I narrowed my eyes, my curiosity now fully piqued despite my wariness. "Yes, that."

She tilted her head slightly, clearly enjoying keeping me in suspense. Then she said, her voice dropping to something almost conspiratorial, "Jaxx made me create something for you."