redith.
The shrill ring of my phone tore through the quiet in my room, dragging violently out of the deep, dreamless sleep I’d barely sunk into.
I groaned softly, rolling onto my side, my hand fumbling across the nightstand until I found the device. My eyes squinted against the glow of the screen.
Dennis.
I answered without thinking. "Hello...?"
"Were you sleeping?" ca Dennis’s familiar, smooth voice. There was a smile tucked between the syllables.
"Yes," I mumbled, my voice thick with sleep.
"Oh," he said with mock guilt, "My apologies for waking you. I just wanted to remind you that your favourite driving instructor will be ready for you in half an hour."
I groaned, flopping onto my back. "I’m too tired for lessons today. I want to sleep so more."
There was a brief silence, then Dennis sighed. "That’s too bad... I guess the ice cream I drove more than an hour to buy for you will just lt away."
My eyes snapped open. I sat up so fast the pillow fell from behind . "You got ice cream?"
Since that ti, Dennis first took to Duskmoor’s town when I had a breakdown, all thanks to Draven, and bought Ice cream; I haven’t had another.
Dennis chuckled. "I see you’ve changed your mind about the lesson. I’ll be waiting at our usual spot."
"I’m coming!" I blurted as I swung my legs off the bed, fully alert now.
"Don’t run!" he called through a laugh before hanging up.
I threw the blanket aside, darted into the dressing room, and pulled on sothing simple—a matching two-piece, pants and a top. I didn’t even waste ti checking myself in the mirror. The ntion of ice cream had robbed of all reasoning.
As I stepped back into the bedroom, I slipped my phone into the drawer of the nightstand. I wasn’t about to risk Draven finding out about it before my plans. I had plans.
I dashed out of the room, my heart pounding—not from excitent alone, but from a tiny spark of fear. I prayed none of my maidservants would walk into my room while I was out and cause a panic.
The last thing I wanted was to get them into trouble with Draven. He’d scold them for not knowing my whereabouts. And truly, it was wrong of to leave without informing anyone. But...
But it was ice cream.
And when Dennis said he’d gotten it for , every bit of sense I had was stripped away.
Maybe it would have been the best situation if I had told Azul from the outset that I would never miss my driving lessons for anything.
By the ti I reached the front lawn, I was in a half-run, my breath hitching slightly.
Dennis was already there, standing beside his car, holding the plate of ice cream in one hand and two plastic spoons in the other. The broad smile on his face widened when he saw .
I skidded to a stop in front of him, panting. Strands of hair clung to my forehead with sweat. My bun was a ss. I probably looked ridiculous.
"It seems like you ran, my lady," Dennis said with laughter in his voice.
"I didn’t want my ice cream to lt," I replied, eting his gaze as I straightened up.
Dennis shook his head with an amused glint in his eyes. "It’s a good thing you didn’t slip. You’re right on ti." Then he added, "You didn’t co with any of your maids today?"
I couldn’t take my eyes off the plate of ice cream. "No need for an escort today."
Dennis humd. "Too bad I wouldn’t have to see the constant stare of that particular maid of yours. What is her na again?"
"Deidra," I replied with a smile, and he nodded.
A few minutes later, we found ourselves seated on the grass, our backs against the hedge. The plate of ice cream rested between us.
He passed a spoon before peeling open the lid. The ice cream was split in two: one side soft pink, the other a creamy vanilla shade.
My eyes lit up at the sight.
Without waiting for an invitation, I scooped a generous amount of the pink part into my mouth. Strawberry. The sweetness rolled across my tongue.
"Won’t you like to take a photo?" Dennis asked, licking the lted bit from the lid.
I shook my head, savouring another bite. "Didn’t bring my phone."
He blinked. "Why?"
"I don’t want your brother to find out I have one. At least not yet. I want to prank him with it first, like I planned."
Dennis smirked. "Oh, I’m sure he will love that."
I didn’t reply. I knew Draven’s temper far too well to believe he’d laugh at any prank I played. If anything, I was risking his wrath. Again.
Still, I scooped the vanilla half and popped it in my mouth.
Dennis pulled out his own phone from his pocket. "I’ll take a few shots and a clip then. For future evidence that redith Carter is obsessed with ice cream."
"Only for ice cream," I muttered.
"And my company," he added with a playful wink.
I snorted softly, but said nothing as I continued eating. The breeze was gentle, the sky above clear and soft with hints of dusk. For the first ti in hours, I felt light, unbothered. And oddly... safe.
---
The car rolled to a slow stop. I carefully steered into the marked spot for what had to be my sixth attempt today.
This ti, the tires didn’t grind against the curb, and I didn’t mount the grass either. That was already an improvent.
Dennis leaned forward in his seat to glance at the distance between the car and the parking line. "Not bad," he said with a nod, "but you’re still a bit tilted to the left."
I groaned and slumped back into the seat, gripping the wheel like I could choke the fault out of it. "Why is the left side easier than the right? My brain just refuses to cooperate."
"Because your instinct favours your driver’s side. It’s a normal beginner struggle," Dennis replied, opening his door and stepping out.
I followed with a huff, closing the door behind . The air outside was cooler now as the evening shadows stretched across the ground. The last ray of sun peeked over the roofline of the house, painting everything in warm orange.
Dennis rounded the car and gave the parked angle another look. "When you perfect your parking, I will let you drive us to town. Full drive. From start to finish."
My head whipped toward him. "Town?" I echoed, barely hiding the thrill that buzzed through . That ant real roads, other cars... and ice cream I wouldn’t have to run for.
He grinned, clearly amused by how fast I brightened up. "Yes, town. But only after you can park like soone who won’t crash into a fire hydrant."
"Deal!" I shouted, grabbing his wrist and tugging. "One more round. Just one more. Let practice again."
Dennis laughed. "redith—"
"I’m serious! I can do better, I promise. Let’s just go one more lap, please? We don’t even have to do turns, just parking. Give ten minutes—no, five. I’ll prove I can do it."
I was halfway dragging him back toward the driver’s side when he stopped with both hands gently on my shoulders.
His palms were warm, grounding.
"Hey," he said, bending slightly so his eyes were level with mine. "Calm down. You’ve done well today. Don’t ruin it by overworking yourself."
My excitent fizzled a little at the edges. I stared up at him, still eager but slowly realizing he wasn’t going to budge.
He smiled faintly and gave my shoulder a soft squeeze before dropping his hands. "If we keep going, we’ll be late for dinner."
That did it. I sighed, finally letting the tension slip from my fingers.
"Fine," I muttered. "But I’m not done being obsessed with parking."
"I’d be worried if you weren’t," Dennis said, laughing as he walked around to the passenger side to gather his keys.
As I glanced over my shoulder toward the estate, I already started envisioning the day I’d finally pull out of the driveway and cruise all the way into Duskmoor like soone who belonged behind the wheel.
And the first place I’d stop?
Where else?
Ice cream.
"I know you are excited, but what we are about to do is illegal." Dennis’s voice broke through my thoughts as he drove us back to the main house.
"Huh?" I snapped my gaze to him.
"It is against Duskmoor’s law to drive on their lands without a Driving license," He explained.
What? That was a cri?
"So, you are telling we are going to be committing a cri because there is no way I’m letting you go back on your word."
He had to understand that fact.
"I’m not going back on my word." He smiled, spearing a glance.
I released a sigh of relief and looked back on the path. "I wish we could get in trouble with this and drag your brother into it."
I suddenly felt like dragging Draven into a rabbit hole.
"Unfortunately, we can’t tease him with that," Dennis chuckled. "He will kill us both."
And I couldn’t have agreed more with him.
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