Almost as if he’d caught himself, he looked away quickly and out at his side mirror as he pulled away from the curb. “I just . . . I wasn’t sure if it was the horde outside that place that had you so quiet. I know it can be daunting especially for someone who isn’t used to it.”
Ella laughed softly in an attempt to make light of the awkwardness she was suddenly feeling. “It’s a good thing I don’t have to live that way. I can’t imagine what that would be like. But you’re used to it, right?”
Felix glanced at her for a moment then looked back at the road. “I don’t think anyone ever really gets used to that. You just learn to deal with it.” They reached a stop light and he turned to her again. “It’s not always that bad. I do get some privacy every now and again.”
His chuckle felt forced, almost as if he were trying to convince her that the paparazzi wasn’t so bad. But Ella knew better. If she had dime for every time she’d seen the guy on the tabloid shows or cover of magazines with some outrageous headline, she’d be as rich as he was. She almost felt bad for him.
They drove into the 5th Street parking lot. There were a few reporters just outside the gate that surrounded the parking lot. Their cameras flashed as they drove in, but luckily for Felix, they weren’t allowed into the parking lot with their cameras. No reporters ever were unless they were invited. Nellie called it the guys’ safe haven. It was the only place even Felix could hang out without being mobbed, unless, of course, they were doing a special event in which fans were allowed into a very controlled environment to get their autographs and meet with them. Any reporter allowed into the gym was under strict orders of what was allowed and what wasn’t, and they followed the rules. They had to if they ever wanted to be invited back.
“This is me,” Ella said, pointing at her very unimpressive older model Nissan.
“Your back tire is low,” Felix said as he pulled his car up next to hers.
“It is?” She stretched her neck out to see with a frown. “I can get my dad to look at it when I get home. I’m sure he has something to put air in it.”
“You live close by?”
“About fifteen minutes from here.” Ella opened the door and got out.
To her surprise, Felix turned off his car and got out with her. “You really shouldn’t be driving with it that low.”
Chewing on the corner of her lip, Ella examined the tire. It was low. She wondered how she hadn’t noticed, but then she was bad when it came to her car. Half the time she was driving on fumes because she put off having to stop and gas up. Not the smartest thing for someone so hell bent on being safe. Her dad got on her often, telling her she should never have less than a quarter of a tank.
“Your other one is on the low side too,” Felix said. “I’ll follow you to the gas station up the street. We’ll get air in both tires.”
“Oh no,” she said, quickly embarrassed now that she’d been so irresponsible as to drive around with two near flat tires. “You don’t have to do that. I can go by myself.”
The look he gave her was a first she’d seen from him. It was almost a disgusted one. “By yourself, in this area, at night, are you kidding me?”
It wasn’t like she wasn’t used to the area, but he did have a point. “I just don’t want to burden you or anything.”
His expression eased up, but it was still serious. “Not a burden at all, and I’d feel better knowing you got air in them instead of driving all the way home with them like that.”
Feeling her tail between her legs, she got in her car and waited the few minutes she knew she had to for it to warm enough so it wouldn’t be sputtering embarrassingly like she knew it would the first few blocks if she didn’t. After a few minutes, she took off. Though it did sputter a couple of times, it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been.
She giggled as she pulled into the gas station up the street, wondering what Felix might be thinking as he drove behind her sputtering car with two flats while he sat in his luxurious car. The air pumps were way in the back. She drove there but spun around so that she could back into the area. Felix pulled up next to her and got out, pulling change out of his pocket.
“I have it,” she said, digging in her purse. “How much is it?”
Again he flashed her that are-you-kidding-me look, though it wasn’t quite as severe as his earlier one. Before she could fish out a few coins from her purse, Felix already had the machine going and was squatting down next to her tire.
A quick siren cutting short just behind Ella startled her, and she turned to see a squad car pulling up next to her. This wasn’t the first time Grayson had done this to her. He smiled big as she clutched her chest and shook her head at him.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” he said as he and his partner laughed.
She glared at him playfully. “Yes, you did.”
Grayson smirked, looking her over as he always did. “We were passing by and saw you. Just wanted to make sure everything is okay.”
“Everything’s fine. My tires just needed air.”
Grayson’s eyes were immediately on Felix, though from the angle they were at, they could only see his big back. He eyed him for a moment then turned back to Ella. “Is that a friend or just a good Samaritan helping you out?”
Ella wasn’t sure how to refer to Felix’s relation to her. She was about to tell Grayson Felix was a friend when Grayson’s partner pointed at Felix’s car. “Holy shit is that a Bentley?”