Raya’s smile dims when I hold open the passenger door to my car, and unease runs down my spine when I walk around the car to join her. Raya’s gaze roams over the interior inquisitively as she puts on her seatbelt, and when she looks at me, her dark eyes are filled with confusion.
“This is a WM Diana, and it’s customized,” she says, her tone cautious. “Customizations like these aren’t offered for this car.”
Her tone is sharp, accusatory. Something shifts in her body language, and she wraps her arms around herself defensively, the gears in her mind clearly turning.
What was I thinking, leaving with her? I wasn’t, and that’s the problem. I should’ve called it a night and gone home, my identity safe and my curiosity satisfied. Instead, I complicated this situation beyond measure.
“How do you know that?” I ask as I start my car and put it in self-drive mode, not bothering to hide my surprise. Very few people would’ve noticed the subtle customizations — the slightly different shade of cream leather that isn’t offered normally, the convertible roof that’s built in so well it’s barely changed the interior. Her eyes pause on each little tweak I made, and unease washes over me. Did she figure out who I am?
Raya looks into my eyes, her gaze hard. “I just happen to know a lot about cars,” she says, her voice soft. “Electric cars specifically.”
I smile wryly. “And here I thought you couldn’t get more perfect,” I tell her, feigning ignorance, like I don’t have a file at home detailing every little thing about her, right down to her penchant for forsaking going out in favor of helping her father in his lab. I’m well aware how much she knows about cars, but I’m surprised how much she knows about this specific one. Her knowledge about my work makes me uneasy, suspicious.
She turns to look out the window, her chest rising and falling a little faster than before. “Maybe this isn’t a good idea,” she says, her voice faltering. “I don’t really know you, and I’ve never done anything like this before. I’m not sure… I don’t think… this probably isn’t safe.”
I frown, unsure what to make of that look in her eyes. I can’t tell if she’s pretending not to realize who I am, or if she’s genuinely concerned. I hesitate for a moment before grabbing my wallet and handing it to her, curious to see whether this is all an act.
She stares at it in confusion, and I smile tightly. “My ID, bank cards, and several other forms of identification are in there,” I tell her, my voice soft. “You’re welcome to send that to your friends so they know who you’re with, but if you prefer, I can just take you home. I have no intention of doing anything that’d make you feel uncomfortable, Raya. I just want to spend a little more time with you. Maybe play a few more rounds of Truth or Dare, uncover a secret or two.”
She stares at my wallet, and resignation washes over me. My surname always changes everything, turns the purest of people into opportunists. If she truly doesn’t realize who I am, this’ll change everything.
Raya flips my wallet open, and my eyes run over her face. A small part of me silently begs her not to disappoint me as I carefully scrutinize her expression. I’d like to think that my grandmother vetted her thoroughly, but a person’s character is hard to judge from a distance. It’s why I’m here with her now, trying to get a glimpse of the real her before it’s too late.
“Lexington Windsor,” she reads out, her face blanching. When she glances back at me, her eyes are wide with genuine shock, and I exhale shakily, relief warring with resentment. I hate that I feel the need to do this at all, but I suppose this’ll be a good opportunity to see if she’ll treat me any differently.
Her gaze darts between the picture on my driver’s license and me, almost like she’s verifying it truly is me. “Oh God, I guess that shirt is real after all,” she whispers, sounding horrified.
My eyes widen in surprise, and her embarrassed expression evokes a startled laugh. “It’s not funny, Lex,” she says, her cheeks bright red. Raya turns in her seat and grabs my hand, entwining our fingers before bringing our joined hands to her chest. “I’m begging you — don’t tell Raven about this. Do you have any idea how embarrassed I am? I accused a Windsor of wearing fake Raven Windsor Couture!”
My laughter turns into the deep and uncontrollable kind, the kind I haven’t experienced in years. Amusement mixes with relief, and my heart swells. The way she’s looking at me hasn’t changed, and the connection I felt is still there. My identity hasn’t changed anything between us, like I thought it would. It’s just made her look a little more at ease, like knowing who I am truly did provide the safety she’d been looking for. Raya Lewis… she’s unlike anything I’d expected, and I’m not quite sure what to do with that. It’s not often I find myself surprised.
“Fine,” I tell her, barely able to suppress my smile. “I won’t tell her, but there’s a price to be paid for my silence.” Raya looks into my eyes, her embarrassment making way for intrigue. “If you want me to keep quiet, you’ll have to seal my lips.”
Her gaze drops to my mouth, and my breath hitches. “And how do I do that?” she asks, her gaze growing darker.
I tighten my grip on her hand and bring it to my chest as I lean in to whisper in her ear. “You know how, my little fairy.”
She draws a shaky breath and turns her face, her nose brushing against my cheek. My eyes fall closed when she presses the sweetest, softest kiss to my cheek, and something odd happens to me. My stomach does a strange fluttery thing, and though I know it isn’t physically possible, I’m certain my heart skips a beat.
She pulls away with a blush staining her cheeks a pretty pink, and I just stare at her wide-eyed, my heart racing. Raya bites down on her lip, and it takes all of me not to kiss her right here and now.
It’s been so long since I’ve been lost in the moment, since I’ve done something that wasn’t perfectly thought out. I’m not even sure what I’m doing anymore — things were never meant to escalate like this, but I can’t make myself stop either.
My fingers slip between hers moments before my car comes to a stop, and I look into her eyes, searching for the slightest hint of reluctance but finding none. Instead, my beautiful fairy smiles at me, her cheeks flushed. I can’t help but grin back as I raise our joined hands to my lips and kiss the back of her hand before helping her out the car.
