Jaz scrutinized this man she’d never seen before and yet was sure she recognized, like she was experiencing déjà vu.
He was very tall. Probably six foot five, she guessed, as she observed him next to the car. He was slim too but she could see even with a suit on, that he was built. He wasn’t wearing a tie, which seemed odd: like he didn’t want to appear he was trying too hard but still wanted to make the effort. She blinked a few times, wiping away that idea. She was overthinking things again.
Something bright and metallic winked at her as it reflected the sun and she glanced down. He had a silver ring on the third finger of his right hand. It looked very old. Something that she suspected he’d inherited from his father and his father before him, perhaps passed down many generations. It interested her. He interested her.
His eyes were striking. They were so dark she couldn’t tell what colour they were. They were shaded by black eyebrows and separated by a long, thin nose like a sword. She suspected he was much older than her though she wasn't sure by how much. He could have passed for anywhere between twenty-eight and thirty-eight at a push. He wasn’t pretty or boyish. His features were sharp and strong. His mouth was thin and hard. He had a shaven head which just exaggerated the darkness of his eyes and made it more difficult to pinpoint his true age. His skin tone was a dusty olive colour. When she looked at him, especially with the black suit on, all she thought was ‘Italian gangster’. It made her giggle a little inside.
She observed him as she approached until they were but a few feet from each other. They gazed at one another for an awkward few seconds before her aunt saved them both.
“Oh sweetheart, I forgot to mention, this is our driver,” Aunt Erica announced.
Jaz smiled as wide as she could, holding out her hand to shake his. He slowly reached out and the moment they touched she felt a strange static shock. It wasn’t the normal kind. She could feel it spark through her whole body though the sensation wasn’t real- not in the physical sense. It felt like something more than that -spiritual and almost unearthly- and it bewildered her.
She suddenly felt urges for him she didn’t dare voice out loud. Impulsively, she released a very small, ragged breath before she could hold it back. She was thankful it hadn’t been any louder. Blushing at the reaction of her body, she continued to stare freely at him, her eyes now wide with barely concealed astonishment.
His sharp eyesight saw the colour brighten her cheeks. The satisfaction he felt appeared in a tiny smile that was fleeting.
Jaz wasn’t sure if she’d really seen the smug smile on his face or if she’d imagined it.
They released hands.
“Nice to meet you…?” she began in a quiet voice, waiting for him to tell her his name.
“Driver.” His voice was so low, buttery and powerful she had to gather herself for a moment.
What the hell is the matter with you?! she shouted at herself in disgust. She cleared her throat and frowned for a split second when she realized something. Had he refused to give her his name? Or was Driver his name?
She thought it would be weird -and probably embarrassing- to ask so she just nodded her head absently and forced a smile. 'Driver' it is then, she thought.
“And of course this is my niece, Jasmine,” Aunt Erica said to Driver, managing to keep the flow of the conversation going as if oblivious to the awkward silence only seconds ago.
“Nice to meet you, Jasmine,” he said.
She was tempted to say 'It’s Jaz,' but kept her mouth locked tight.
When she finally got in the car, she looked briefly at her parents through the window.
She couldn’t restrain the sudden anger and frustration from bursting through her emotional banks as she watched them. She’d felt this way on and off for a year. The old wounds of their distrust in her still stung; even now when she could see the concerned looks on their faces: the kind of look any parent would wear when they were saying goodbye to their child. She couldn’t help but feel a little resentment wondering, if they had believed her from the start, maybe things wouldn’t have got so bad and she wouldn’t even be sat in this car.
Her parents were thinking the same thing.
Her father, John, had been up all night painstakingly analysing all his actions over the past year. They’d made a mistake. He could see that now.