Her eyes

Chapter 12

Once we got in the car I cranked up the heat so we could dry properly on our way back. I know Layla was cold, her teeth were softly chattering I'd given her my hoodie to protect her further from the cold. But I suspected that it didn't help that much.

I didn't want her to get sick so I said "We don't have to go if you're cold. I could drive you home so you can have a shower. Or we could go to mine? I can make us something to eat and we could watch a movie?"

I thought I saw a glimmer of relief in her eyes. At first I thought it was because I'd come of too strong and she didn't want to be in my presence anymore."Yeah we can go to yours." She said, her voice low.

My lips stretched into a grin that I couldn't stop. "Yeah?" I asked indicating that she could change her mind if she wanted to but hoping she wouldn't.

"Yeah." She replied with a small smile while looking directly into my eyes. I felt a flutter deep in my stomach and I knew I was fucked and I really didn't mind.

We drove to my apartment and she asked me questions again about my hometown, Houston. Considering we'd just been in a cave that mimicked a thousand stars I told her about the space center, the visitors center of NASA. How they had dedicated a whole section to the stars. It looked like an artificial version of the cave we had just explored. I liked Houston but I liked Cambridge better, because that's where she was.

After a while I pulled up to my garage building. I grabbed my stuff and hurried over to Layla's side. I opened the door for her and my hand unconsciously went to hold her hand. It was cold, so I tried to warm it as much as I could.

When we entered my penthouse through the private elevator. I took of my shoes off and dropped my bag by the entrance. She was gaping at me like I had just told her I'd gotten the plague.

"You live here...?" She asked bewildered.

"Yeah." I replied. I knew my apartment was nice. My dad purchased it for me as a gift for moving with the family across the world, even if I didn't have to. Mostly so that I could have my own space.

When you entered through the elevator doors, you were immediately greeted with an open plan get up where the stainless steel kitchen lay off to the right and the living room to the left. Three out of four walls were encased in oversized glass windows through them you could see the terrace. And if you followed the hallway from the right of the kitchen it would lead up to some glass stairs that took you to the rooms a level above.

"Wow, I-I don't even know what to say. It's amazing"
She stuttered.

I didn't like to flaunt my family's wealth and honestly besides this apartment and my car. Most of what I owned I had gotten from working for my dad at his law firm.

I started there as an 18 year old intern, freshly graduated and no real training. I would copy papers all day, bring the higher ups coffee and fill canteens with water for when they would have their meetings.

But  what I mostly did was observe. I watched how my dads defense lawyers would face obstacles in cases when their clients weren't being truthful. I watched court proceedings. And I watched how they would best bring forth their arguments. I watched how they would manipulate the jury's emotions.

I watched and I learned. This was how my future was supposed to be after all. Surrounded by lawyers who thought people would suck up to them merely for their existence and interns bringing me coffee.

During that time I was also studying for my LSAT to get into law school. By the time I had my degree in hand, I was 21 years old. And that's when my parents started bringing up moving to England, if I wanted to follow my family, I had to redo everything, an American law degree was after all not admissible in the uk.

So I signed up for online classes and it took me another three years. Now at 24 years old I had two law degrees in different countries. I had done my duty to my father, and the company that had been passed down for generations.

So I decided to get a degree in English as well. But that was for me, because it was something I enjoyed. Not something I had to do. "Come I'll show you where you can shower." I grabbed her hand, and led her towards the stairs.