Ignite Me: Shards of Glass, Part One (8 page)

“I'm really sorry I shouldn't have asked!” He dropped his gaze.

“No wait!” I said with slight panic. I didn't see what harm it could do. I stood up, pulling myself to full height. “I didn't say no! I was just taking my friend into consideration, but I'm sure he doesn't mind do you?!” I smiled at Cameron.

He puffed out his cheeks. “No, I don't suppose I do mind, we are just about to leave so!” He stood up and walked over. “I'll even volunteer to take the photo, I assume you have a mobile to hand?!” His tone sounded bored, but I knew this was his way of controlling the situation.

Elliot's face split into a wide grin. “Oh my god, thank you so much! I really loved the song you wrote with Acceptable Fragment, you have a good singing voice!”

I mentally blanked the mention of Sean’s band and hoped it wasn’t obvious how much I hated even hearing the name.
“Oh, thank you, that’s kind.”

He walked over to Cameron and handed him the phone. “It's the button in the middle!” He walked over to me and gave him a warm smile as he put his arm around my shoulder. I put my arm around his middle.

Cameron glanced at us both. “Okay on the count of three, one, two, three!” The camera on Elliot's phone clicked as I did my best smile.

“There you go! Now can we leave in peace?!” He handed the phone back.

Elliot took it and grinned from ear to ear as he checked it. “I'm on my break now so I'm gonna upload it to Instagram I'll tag you!”

I grinned. “I'll be sure to find it! Oh, and Elliot?!”

He turned around and looked worried.

“What's your surname?!”

He narrowed his eyes. “Baker! Why?!”

I smiled. “Don't look so worried! Just don't quit your job any time soon! I'll have some VIP passes sorted out for you, for my Dad's tour! I'll send them here for you!”

His jaw dropped and his eyes went wide. “Wow, thank you! That is immense! You are so cool.”

I shrugged as I walked over to Cameron. “Just don't tell everybody yeah!”

He grinned. “Sure, secrets safe with me!” He left the room.

“You shouldn't encourage the kid!” He held my coat for me.

I sighed. “It's not encouraging anyone! It's my dad, he'll meet not me! And thank you for taking the photo for him!”

He slipped my coat onto my arms and sorted out the collar. “Well, I have no right to complain! I suppose it's something I'll have to get used to! Other men looking at you that way!”

I pulled my bag over my head so it sat across my body. “How do men look at me?! Care to explain what you mean?!” I didn't understand what he meant! I wasn't some movie star that everybody lusted after I was just the daughter of a rock star! I was average height, average weight and had an almost sad looking face. I doubt any men looked at me like anything.

He held the door open for me to pass by him. “They look at you like they wish they could do more than take a photo with you! And you have no idea just how beautiful you actually are do you?!”

I laughed. “I'm not!”

He placed his right hand on my lower back as we walked back through the restaurant. There were less people than there had been I guess the lunch time rush was over.

His hand felt protective on my back. It was actually nice.

“You are and one day you will see it!” He nodded at the waiter that scuttled over to open the door for us to leave.

“Thank you!” I smiled as we passed him.

CHAPTER 7

“So did you want to go to the gift shop now?! It's on this level!”

I thought about it before answering. “Oh, um, can we go on the way down?! I'm weird! I like to look at the gift shop last!”

“That's fine, we have to come back to this level anyway!” He pressed the button for the lift that would take us up. The lift pinged and doors rolled open. It was empty, so Cameron led us in. As the doors closed he turned to face me. “The lift won't stop until level 69 now!”

I nodded. “These move pretty fast!” It didn't make me feel sick like last time though. Must have been because I'd eat properly since.

He grinned at me. “6 meters a second they move at so I'm told!” He took a step towards me and tilted his head to one side like he was stalking prey.

“You make me feel like a painting in an art gallery the way you look at me!” I didn't find it as odd as maybe I should have done.

He smiled. “I'm sorry, it's your eyes! Depending on what light they are in they look different! I find it fascinating!”

I grinned at him. “Hazel eyes do that! They are changed by light and lack of! Blue eyes do the same!” I studied his eyes. They still looked like liquid chocolate.

“It's because you’re very pale too, I'd imagine!” He looked up at the ceiling of the roof. “Very clever idea for a lift!”

I glanced up and grinned. “Wow.” I found myself looking up at what looked like a giant screen showing the lift going through several London landmarks.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and turned it back on waiting for it to boot up. “It's cool! I'm gonna take a selfie!” I grinned.

He lent against the lift wall and smirked. “Oh, I'll look forward to seeing that online later!”

I laughed. “Not all my photos end up online Cameron!”

I took a couple photos of the lift ceiling as it changed and the turned the forward facing camera on and pulled a confused face for the photo. I then turned the camera back around and took a couple of normal ones.

“Aren't you going to ask me to be in one with you?!” He raised a brow at me.

He was still leaning lazily on the wall. He looked younger in here, more relaxed.

I hadn't expected him to ask that. “Oh well sure I just guessed you'd say no!” I smiled and moved over towards him.

“I'll use my phone if you don't mind! I'll send them to you later.” He fished out his phone from his jacket pocket.

“Oh, okay! Cool. So how are we doing this photo?!” I didn't mind that he wanted to take the photo, but I did feel a little self-conscious now. I hadn’t even thought to reapply any lipstick.

“You can stand in front of me and I'll take it so we're both in the shot! You’re not the only ones who's a dab hand at working a camera!” He smirked.

I shook my head and turned around so my back was to his front. “You like photography too?!” It was interesting to find things out about him because what I did know was so small.

“Come closer, I don't bite Evangeline!” He snaked his left arm around my waist and pulled me so I was flush against him. His hand splayed out against my stomach.

I took in a shaky breath and tried to suppress the shudder that ran through my whole body making me clench again. Feeling his body pressed against mine sent my senses spinning. My whole body came out in goose bumps.

He held the camera out at arm’s length so it would capture us both.

“Smile Evangeline!” His chin brushed my shoulder.

He smirked and I did a genuine smile. I could see our reflections in the lifts mirrors and we looked like a couple. I tried to commit that picture to memory.

“I'll take one more for luck and then we can take some from the top too!” He smiled. “You smell wonderful what perfume do you use?!” He dipped his head and sniffed my hair.

That was it. My legs went weak and my mouth dried up.

Oh god he just sniffed my hair.

“I've not got any perfume on! It's my shampoo!” I breathed.

I hardly ever wore perfume, I'd never found one I liked enough.

“Oh well, either way it smells lovely!” He snapped another photo of us both, as I grinned from ear to ear.

He let his hand drop slowly away from my waist as he finished taking the photos.

“I've never been a fan of perfumes, but men's aftershave is nice though! I used to have this habit of spraying it on my scarves so it would smell off Sean like a substitute when he wasn't around but now it just makes me feel sick!” I shrugged as I stood back in the middle. I still felt a little flustered and I had no idea why I’d even brought that up.

He didn't say anything, he just studied his phone. He seemed to be tapping like he was texting someone.

“Your hair didn't have red in it last week! Did you do it yourself?!” He smiled.

He'd clearly chosen not to continue the previous conversion and had moved onto the next. I didn't mind, it was probably wise, I didn't talk about Sean too much.

“I dyed the ends of my hair in the shower this morning!” I grinned. “Actually, it was after the roses came, and I thought it sorta matched!”

He smiled. “Indeed it does! How long will it last?!” He seemed keen to know.

I pulled a face. “Well, I'm never sure! It might last a week, it will grade down with each wash until it's gone!”

He nodded. “You suit red but don't dye your whole head!” He glanced at the floor indicator.

I gave him a funny look. Had he just told me not to dye my whole head! I didn't appreciate him telling me what to do.

“I wasn't meaning to tell you what to do either! Just that I like your hair that blonde colour! It's pretty! It looks almost golden white!” He studied me.

I glared at him. Was everything this intense with him?! Why did he have a need to try and control all elements of his life? I would find that out, even if I meant I didn't like the reason I would work out why he was like he was.

“In that case, then, I happen to like your hair! It's got a life of its own and it matches your eyes almost!” I raised a brow at him.

He smiled at me. “My hair thanks you for your kind words! It would like to say in return it quite likes how your hair is wavy and how your fringe is cut!” He smirked.

I started to laugh at the mention of the word fringe. I would never not find it funny! I'd grown up calling it bangs! “Sorry I didn't mean to laugh at your hairs kind words! It's just fringe sounds so funny! I'm used to calling it something else, lost in translation almost.”

He grinned widely. “But bangs sounds worse than fringe! But does sound sexier!” He raised a brow at me.

The lift pinged and the doors rolled open. We'd been that busy flirting with each other that I'd not noticed that we had reached the viewing platform.

“This way Evangeline!” He put his hand on my lower back again, this time under my jacket on the small of my back and steered me out of the lift. I felt safe whenever he did that.

We walked out and I was taken back at just how much you could see. It was a really clear, sunny day and I could literally see for miles.

“Wow.” I pressed my hand against the glass window and stared in awe at London.

Cameron stood beside me. “So you said you wanted to see if you could see your apartment from here, you’re just down from Tower Bride aren't you so you'll wanna look out of this window!” He steered me over to the other window and I grinned.

“Well, it's down there somewhere! I'm up on the top floor! I have a sun terrace that's where I see this from!” I took my phone from my pocket and glanced at the texts. I was too scared to open the ones from Sean but I stared a little too long as my finger loitered over the open button. I opened it and glanced at the screen.

Who the fuck was that Evan?! Why did he answer your phone?! Where the hell are you and why have you turned your phone off?! I'm sorry I said all those things and then did the opposite of that but I love you! I need you in my life! I'm falling apart here without you baby
!

I closed my eyes a second and then opened them, but glanced out of the window. 69 floors up in the sky, I saw things so much more clear than I had done. He was just scared I'd actually find someone else and be happy. He didn't need me, he needed help.

I smiled as I scrolled to Damon's text.

Hey Evan, did you find Romeo yet?! I hope you’re okay! If you get lost call me! I'll come rescue you!

My face split into a grin. I really did like Damon he was my only friend here so far that didn't have any expectations of me.

“Everything okay, you've gone silent!” He sounded worried.

“Oh, sorry Cameron, I was checking my texts! Nothing majorly important!” I paused. “Sorry I wasn’t meaning to be rude.” I didn’t want him to think I had been ignoring him.

I flicked the camera app on and started taking photos.

He brushed up against me from behind as he moved. “There are touchscreen binoculars that tell you all sorts about the various London landmarks!” He reached around to press the screen just in front of me.

I bit my lip. I was sure he'd brushed up against me on purpose. Each time we came into contact with each other I could almost feel a static current run between us. I didn't know what it was but I did odd things to me.

“See, that's Tower Bridge over there.” His hand swept across the screen. “Sometimes if you’re lucky you see it open to let larger ships, though that can't pass under when it’s closed.”

I wanted nothing more than to lean back into him, but I wasn't sure I should.

“Tell me what you’re thinking Evangeline! I can't see your face from behind you, but you've gone quiet on me again.” He brushed his hand over mine as I randomly pressed another landmark subconsciously.

I sighed. “You confuse me! I'm not sure what I am to you! You say you want us to be friends, but then you look at me like you wanna be more than that. You give all this mixed body language off, but then I'm not sure if I’m reading them correctly and if I'm honest you intimidate me a little bit!” I'd been totally honest.

It was his turn to go silent. After a while I heard him, let a breath go.

“I'm scared that if I jump in feet first I will frighten you away because I'm also very aware we only met last week but we have this chemistry and when I touch you I feel a connection to you! Evan all I can think about is kissing you and you kissing me back and how good it would feel, how good we would feel against each other but I don't want to rush things! I need to do things right with you!” He placed his hand over mine.

My heart beat fast in my chest as I studied his hand over mine.

“I want to take you places and let us get to know each other before I even allow myself to do more than touch you! There are things we both have issues with that we'd have to both share with each other and I want to have some good memories for us that are based on friendship.”