The Carrero Heart - Beginning (Friends to Lovers)

I end up falling asleep in the second leg of our journey as it got dark quicker than anticipated, a sign a storm was moving in fast, and the rain was the first of it. Somehow the lull and motion of the car, the long straight roads, and soft music on the stereo, made me pass out stone cold for over an hour.

I wake up stretching out like a cat, momentarily disorientated, and manage to push Arrick in the shoulder with my hand as I uncurl it sleepily.

“She’s alive.” He jokes and catches my hand to pull off him, nestling it back down on my lap with a pat. I yawn, stretching my arms upwards instead, slide both feet out of my shoes, rest them on his dash and wiggle down to get comfy. I have always liked to curl my legs up when he’s driving.

“How far now?” I ask sleepily, turning on my side a little to watch him in the semi-darkness. The only real illumination is the array of lights on the dash in here, and all the traffic and streetlights outside. Arrick glances my way, automatically brushing my hair off my face with his fingers and then puts his hand back on the wheel. I blush with that internal gush of warmth at something so natural and familiar.

“We’re about ten minutes out, turning off here.” He nods out into the darkness at some illuminated sign that I recognize, and I sigh heavily. Reality hitting home that I’m so very close to the worst yelling match in hell. I don’t even want to think about Leila and how she’s going to react when I’m in the same room as her.

Arrick glances across at

and relaxed, always in control of everything around him, and I envy that his feet have always been

I didn’t let him back in. What life will be like if he puts distance between us,

Crazily adorable.

look all about?” The smile that follows

sitting up in my seat properly so I can look at where we’re going, instead of at him. Trying not to fixate on all the things about him that are unfairly cute, a little

together. The awkwardness about our predicament is less ‘there’. At moments like this, it all seems surreal, like