Chapter 253

4 Days Later:

The Rolls-Royce glided through the afternoon traffic, its windows tinted against the bright sun.

Their driver sat in the front, separated from them by enough space to give them privacy, while Kylie occupied the backseat beside Christian.

He was about to say something when the opening notes of a familiar song filled the car.

Kylie froze. Her head snapped towards the speakers. Then she looked at Christian, and back at the speakers.

A slow, disbelieving smile spread across her face.

Christian’s expression turned innocent. "What’s wrong?"

"Christian."

"Yes, Blue?"

"Is that what I think it is?"

He glanced towards the front of the car. "Depends. What do you think it is?"

She let out a squeal. "Oh, my God!"

The unmistakable melody of Justin Bieber’s One Less Lonely Girl filled the backseat.

Kylie immediately began singing along, her entire face lighting up. "OH, MY GOD, YOU DID NOT!"

Christian laughed as she grabbed his arm.

"You know this song!" she accused.

"I’ve heard it before."

"That is not the same thing as knowing it."

"Then perhaps you should educate me."

She stared at him as though he’d just issued a challenge.

A dangerous mistake.

Kylie straightened in her seat, took an unnecessarily dramatic breath, and launched into the lyrics with the confidence of someone performing at a sold-out stadium.

Christian watched her, laughing. She looked so animated.

She pointed at him when the chorus came around, singing directly to him with so much exaggerated feeling that their driver briefly glanced at them in the rearview mirror.

Christian raised his eyebrows.b"Oh, is that how we’re doing this?"

Kylie nodded vigorously.

He joined in, singing the lyrics back to her.

She stopped for half a second. Then her jaw dropped. "YOU KNOW THE WORDS!"

"Apparently."

"YOU LIAR!"

He laughed so hard that he had to look away from her for a moment.

Kylie seized the opportunity to sing even louder. "Now all I see is you!"

They sang over each other, laughing whenever one of them got too dramatic, and Kylie kept pointing at him as though he were the entire reason the song had been written.

Christian played along, moving his shoulders to the rhythm. He moved his head. "Don’t need these other pretty faces like I need you. And when you’re mine...."

At one point, he pressed a hand to his chest, looking so earnestly wounded that Kylie nearly folded in half laughing.

"Stop!" she gasped. "I can’t breathe!"

"You’re the one who challenged me."

She laughed again. By the time the bridge came around, she had her phone out.

"Okay, wait. Wait, wait, wait."

Christian glanced at the phone as she opened the camera. He couldn’t help the proud smile that spread across his lips.

She turned the camera towards them, capturing their faces in the frame.

Kylie continued singing, her laughter mixing with the music. Christian leaned closer so they both fitted into the shot, his shoulder pressing against hers.

She looked at the screen, pleased with the result.

"You’re adorable."

Kylie’s mouth parted. For one glorious second, she looked genuinely caught off guard. Then she recovered.

"Well, obviously." She chuckled.

Christian laughed.

Still singing, he leaned towards her and pressed a brief kiss to her lips.

Kylie giggled against his mouth.

He pulled away with a smile, continuing the song as though he hadn’t just interrupted her entire performance.

She turned the camera towards herself, eyes wide, cheeks flushed, and a grin spreading across her face.

Christian leaned into the frame. He reached for her hand. She caught it immediately, still smiling, and continued recording.

Their fingers intertwined between them while the song played on.

For a little while, neither of them seemed interested in anything beyond the music, their laughter, and the warmth of each other’s hands.

Kylie occasionally glanced at him through the phone screen, catching the way he smiled whenever she got particularly dramatic.

He looked happy. And Kylie liked that version of him. A lot.

When the song ended, she lowered her phone and looked at him suspiciously.

"Did you arrange that?"

Christian shrugged. "Perhaps."

She narrowed her eyes.

He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers. "I put Justin Bieber on the playlist for you."

Kylie clutched her chest. "Oh, my God. I’m going to marry you." The tease escaped before she could stop them.

Silence fell between them. Just a brief pause in which Kylie realised what she’d said and Christian looked at her with an expression she couldn’t quite read.

Her eyes fell. "I mean—"

Christian’s mouth twitched. "You’re going to marry me?"

"No." She cleared her throat.

"Just making sure I heard you correctly."

"Christian."

"I’ve been called many things, but husband wasn’t one of them today."

She slapped his chest. She blinked twice, ready to get defensive.

He laughed, catching her hand and kissing her palm. "Relax, Blue."

"I’m relaxed!"

She leaned forward and buried her face against his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her, pressing a kiss to her hair.

Neither of them mentioned the word again.

....

Kylie knew they had arrived somewhere expensive before the car even stopped.

The security at the entrance was a giveaway.

She leaned forward gently, trying to get a better look through the tinted window.

Her mouth fell open.

Christian glanced at her.

She turned to him. "Christian."

He smiled.

"Oh, no."

She grabbed his arm softly. "Christian!"

"What is it?"

"THIS IS A DESIGNER STORE!"

He nodded solemnly. "Excellent observation."

She stared at him.

Then she looked through the window again, as if the building might disappear if she blinked.

It wasn’t just any designer store.

It was one of those places she had admired online, the kind that stocked collections and limited editions from several of the biggest luxury fashion houses under one roof. The kind of store where she had once spent an entire evening scrolling through pictures, saving pieces she liked and promising herself that one day she would walk through those doors without having to check every price tag.

There were shoes she had admired. Handbags she had bookmarked. Dresses she had shown Emilia.

And now Christian was sitting beside her as though he had merely brought her to buy groceries.

She turned towards him slowly. "You brought me here?"

"I did."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to."

"That’s not a reason!"

He fondly tucked a steand of her hair behind her ear. "It’s the one I’ve got."