Page 9 of Moonstruck at Midnight
Thomas led the way to the exit, and I could feel Caleb’s glare burning on my back as he followed us out.
Our driver was waiting out front, and Aaron walked past us to open the black Mercedes door for me.
“Who are you?” Thomas asked playfully.
I was so mortified about the whole bodyguard situation. Still, I looked up to him and told him it was nice meeting him, unable to hide the embarrassment in my eyes.
“What do you mean, it was nice meeting me? I would love to see you again when you move back to New York,” he said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “Here—could you type your number down for me, please?” He placed his phone in my hands.
I typed my phone in and casually asked him if he was planning to stay a while longer at the bar. I saw him paying his tab, but you never know. I was curious.
“I’m calling it a night too. We have an early flight back home tomorrow—in a few hours, that is. I’m heading back to meet my parents.”
“Do you need a ride?” I asked, giving his phone back to him.
“No, don’t worry—thank you. I’ll hail a cab out here.” He gently kissed my cheek, taking his time doing it. “I’ll see you soon.” He smiled and released my hand once I got in the car.
Caleb lingered in the distance with deep frown lines between his eyes. He approached us once Aaron had closed the door behind me.
My feet were throbbing inside my shoes—I slipped them off. Fortunately, the ride back was swift, as we were only six blocks away.
There wasn’t going to be any small talk in the car, or so it seemed. I texted Sophie and Cecile to let them know I had left the bar. They made me promise to fill them in on all the details regarding my mystery man.
We approached the front gate, and a cab parked behind us. Caleb got out of the car reactively, wanting to see who it was. Aaron followed him, suggesting for me to stay inside the vehicle.
To everyone’s surprise, it was Thomas.
He exchanged a few words with Aaron, Caleb, and a couple of security officers posted at the entrance. He showed them his ID, and an officer took it from him and made a quick call.
A minute later, the officer nodded and handed Thomas back his ID.
Thomas approached my window, which I slid down as quickly as I could. “Hi?” I chuckled.
Looking at him after having just said goodbye minutes before, not knowing if I’d even see him again, was surreal.
“I guess I’m gonna have to accept your ride offer,” he joked.
“I don’t understand. What do you mean?” I was both excited and confused.
“This is number forty-one Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, right?” He asked as I nodded with a smile. “This is my destination. Scoot over.” Thomas opened the door and jumped inside the car beside me. Aaron and Caleb walked through the gate, which closed behind them.
“You know you won’t be able to put those back on, right? If your feet are swollen, it’s best to keep them off,” Thomas said, looking at my bare feet.
The car came to a complete stop. I tried putting on one of my shoes, and a sharp pain made me hiss, proving his theory right. I tried walking barefoot, but needles stung the soles of my feet.
“Okay, close your coat for me,” he commanded. I grabbed each side of my coat and closed it tightly in front of me, resting my hands under my crossed arms to firmly grip the coat’s flaps.
“Is this a magic trick?” I mocked him.
“Yes, it is.” He swept me off my feet in a sudden move, making me gasp as he effortlessly carried me through the parking lot.
“Put me down!” I protested, secretly enjoying it.
“Tricks almost over.” He laughed as he made his way up the stairs to the front door. He brought me inside the house where I took a seat on a couch down the main corridor.
“Are you gonna tell me why you’re here?” I asked with a laugh. I was used to having people coming in and out of the house all the time. It wasn’t reallymyhouse. I just live here. My guess was he’d probably attended the event my father hosted that evening. Still I wanted to know all the details.
He squatted in front of me and said, “I could ask the same thing, but seeing you here, I can put two a two together. You’re Ambassador James Murphy’s daughter.” I felt defeated because I didn’t want him to see me as the ambassador’s daughter—I just wanted him to seeme. My fear was that he would find the whole situation off-putting. Throwing the uncomfortable bodyguard situation into the mix was probably not ideal for him either.
