10

Lana’s POV

Who would send me such a text? It was full of threats, and it made me scared of the fact that someone was probably after me for something that I may have done. I was not in anyone’s lane; I didn’t go finding trouble so who the hell threatened me?

I read the message again and again, deciphering what the sender meant. I didn’t have any enemies or anyone who hated me… Well, Cici, Rachel and Lin were considered my enemies, but I doubt they would waste their time trying to come for me, especially when Drake had warned them to never interact with me again.

I gasped. “Nina.”

My anger tripled. I stood up and glared into the air as my head got filled with the image of Nina. Something told me she was the one who did this. She was probably aware of the fact that I was Drake’s best friend and would not let a lying skank like her close to him. I didn’t like the girl, so it was evident that she was the one. She may have a sweet persona on the outside, but she was the devil’s advocate on the inside.

“I need to show this to Drake,” I said and made my way back into the house.

As I walked into the hallway where Drake and Paul’s rooms were located, I sped up my steps. Just as I was close to Drake’s room, Paul stepped out of his room. I needed to tell him about it too. I changed directions and made my way to him. On seeing me, he stopped walking. I stood in front of him and unlocked my phone then handed it to him. He eyed me with confusion before looking down at the phone.

“Who sent this to you?” He asked, looking up.

“I don’t know but… please, don’t be mean to me… I think it’s Nina.”

He blinked. “Nina? I… Why would she send this? Are you sure?”

I shrugged. “I don’t have anyone that sees me as a threat or hates me. My hunch says it’s Nina and I am never wrong.”

Paul read the message again before handing me back my phone. He stared at Drake’s door before looking down at me.

“Did you talk to him about what we discussed earlier?”

Sadness took over me once again. I forced myself not to remember his harsh words and also tried not to let tears fall.

“Wait. Have you been crying?” He came close and cupped my cheek then made me face him. His thumb brushed the edge of my eye, feeling the little tear there. “Lana… what happened?”

His tone changed from curiosity to anger. He was angry and it made me realize that Paul was always like this whenever I had tears in my eyes. Did he hate to see me cry or something?

“Lana. What happened?” He cupped my other cheek, making me stand closer to him. “Tell me, did he say something or do something to you?”

I bit down hard on my lip when Drake’s words echoed in my head. Did he hate me now? I felt like I was going to regret acting upon my feelings.

“Hey, Lana,” he called to me in a soft voice. “As much as I want to beat the shit out of Drake for whatever he did to you, you have to ignore him. I don’t know about the text but if the text came from Nina, we should let her be with him. That way, he will learn and come crawling back to you.”

I didn’t want him to be with Nina. Just the image of them being the picture-perfect couple made my heart want to explode with jealousy.

“You know what?”

My mind cleared then I looked up at him. Paul was smiling, which made me smile back.

“My team is in Rochester, and I have practice for the Grand Prix in two weeks' time. Wanna come with me? And if you want, you could fly with my team too.”

Was he serious? I have always wanted to see Paul racing. Ever since I met him, I have always watched him on television and never in real life. I was not a sports girl but something about racers like Paul attracted me. Especially when he was in his gear.

“Lana?”

I blinked. “Oh… Yes… Yes, I would love to.”

“Great. The practice is at 2pm tomorrow. I’ll drive us there. Be ready on time.” He ruffled my hair and walked off.

I sighed as I watched him leave. Once he was out of my sight, I glanced at Drake’s room door with a frown on my face. I looked down at my phone, thinking of what to do next.

+++

Feeling hungry, I walked into the kitchen to look for what to eat only to freeze mid-step when I saw Drake standing in front of the fridge, backing me. I glared at his back in anger and sadness as his words repeated itself in my head. I wanted to go back to where I was coming from, but I was too hungry and starving because I didn’t want to see his stupid face. It was not a good idea.

I sucked it up and made my way to the row of cupboards then opened one up. I grabbed a bowl and turned around, only to stiffen when I saw that Drake was now looking at me. His face was blank, void of any emotions. I wished I could see a hint of emotions in his eyes, to see if he was feeling bad but there wasn’t, and it hurt.

I looked away from his face and walked toward the table in the center of the kitchen then placed the bowl down on the marble top. My heart was beginning to pound as I could feel his eyes on me. I needed him to quit staring and walk out of the kitchen as I needed my sanity back.

“Lana?”

I flinched at the sound of the voice and looked to him first before looking at the entrance to the kitchen. Paul was standing at the door, looking worried while holding two helmets in his hands.

“Are you free?” Paul asked and I nodded. “Good. I want to ride my motorcycle around. Follow me.”

I needed this. I needed fresh air.

I smiled at him then jogged over to Paul who immediately handed me one of the helmets. I tried not to look behind me as I knew Drake was boring a hole in my back with the way the hairs on the back of my neck were raised.

“Come on,” Paul said and took my hand then walked us out of the kitchen and out the house.

We stopped by his black motorcycle which made me gulp. Paul and Drake loved fast things. They had fast cars and bikes and I have never once been on or in any of them because I was scared, I would die. Now, Paul was about to make me get on the bike for a one-way ticket to the other side.

“P-Paul?” I said as we stopped beside the parked bike.

“Hm?” He looked at me and came closer with one helmet.

“I… I am scared to ride on that thing.”

He chuckled and placed the helmet on my head then slid it down, covering my head with it. I pouted at the fact that he was laughing at me. He started to smile wider, making his dentures more visible. He had perfect teeth.

“Don’t worry, love. You’re safe with me,” he said in a low tone and winked at me while buckling the helmet.

“Hm. You better,” I said and huffed.

He smacked the side of the helmet softly and shook his head before wearing his. Once he had his buckled, he faced me, and I felt butterflies in my stomach at how good he looked in the helmet. Some part of me had a mask kink and seeing those ocean eyes through the gap in his helmet had me feeling lighthearted.

When he smiled, his eyes narrowed a bit then he took my hand, drawing me close. He sat on the bike and pulled me closer to him, between his legs. I placed my hands on his shoulders and kept my gaze on the bridge of his nose that was visible. I could not make eye contact with him, not with my tiny stupid crush for him trying to come out of the ground I buried it in.

“Look at me,” he said in a deep tone of voice.

I swallowed and raised my eyes to meet his. His eyes were a bit darker, seriousness and something else were in them, making me want to look deeper into his eyes.

“I will make you forget him… Drake does not deserve you as a friend or anything more,” he said and held my hips. “I will make him regret ever hurting you…Anche se devo farti mia prima che lo faccia lui.”

I was caught off guard by his use of Italian… Paul spoke some languages and right now, I wished I knew what he had just said because the raw look in his eyes made me yearn in more ways than one.