Chapter 89 - Eighty-Eight: Smiling

Navaya stared at Johnny with a skeptical look on her face, inching her brow higher.

She opened her mouth to contradict him but he placed his finger on her lips to hush her up, already anticipating all the argumentative bullshit she was preparing to toss at him.

" You wanna go and get wasted? Fine by me but I won't let you do it unsupervised." Johnny said and Navaya stared at him as though he was a crazy person spouting out gibberish.

Did he just say she needed a babysitter? She was a grown woman for Christ's sake.

" Thanks for your concern but last I checked, I'm a legal adult who doesn't need babysitting." She sassed, an eye roll following right after.

" And last I checked, a grown woman shouldn't pass out in a car owned by the man she claims to hate." 

Navaya's lips twitched as she snarled at Johnny.

" So what? I can pass out in the forest if I want to." Navaya said and Johnny chuckled.

" I don't doubt it." Johnny's bright smile resurrected as he let go of her waist and held her hands. " I still think you need someone who would prevent you from getting eaten by wild animals." 

Navaya thinned her lips to prevent herself from smiling at his words. She didn't want to make him think he was funny.

" You want to tag along with me, don't you?" Navaya asked and Johnny's smile widened into a grin so damn bright, it almost blinded her. " If you follow me, I will make you pay for all the expenses." She warned, giving him a chance to back out but Johnny didn't waver. Even at the possibility of him going bankrupt that day, he still didn't give up.

" I don't mind," Johnny responded and Navaya looked at him from head to toe as if checking to see if he could handle it then rolled her eyes when she remembered how wealthy the motherfucker was.

" Fine, but if anyone asks who you are to me, I will tell them you are my bodyguard," Navaya said, pulling her hands out of his hold, and turned to walk back to her car but Johnny grabbed her hand yet again, causing her eyes to twitch at the sudden touch before shooting him a vicious glare.

" If anyone asks then you tell them you are my woman," Johnny said despite seeing how viciously her eyes were narrowing at him. 

After glaring at him for a few seconds, Navaya snorted. " Don't get ahead of yourself, Johnny. Tonight, you either be my bodyguard or you go home and marry Nicky 2•0." Navaya said but despite intending to hurt him, she ended up hurting herself. As soon as those words left her lips, memories of one of the worse days of her life flashed through her mind.

Johnny's wedding day.

The day that should have been joyful for everyone, except it wasn't. It was horrible for Navaya. A nightmare. Even worse because she attended the shit show.

Recalling the pain and hurt she felt in her chest, the teardrop that rolled down her cheek as she watched the only man she had ever loved get married to another bitch— I mean woman.

Staring at Johnny now, Navaya knew she was being bitter but she still wanted to make him experience the hurt she felt back then. Even if it was just a portion of the pain, she still wanted him to feel it.

But instead of getting hurt by Navaya's words as he was supposed to, Johnny chuckled and used the back of his hand to brush the side of her face.

" You're such a ray of sunshine for giving me those wondering choices but for the record, I rather get married to Navaya 1•0." He interlocked his fingers with hers and began pulling her towards his car before she even got the chance to recover from his words.

" The fuck?" Navaya asked in horror as soon as she snapped out of her trance and saw him pulling her towards his car.

" What?" He asked, still pulling and Navaya started hitting his arms so he would let go of her.

" I have a car of my own, you know right?" 

" Yeah, I know. Having your ride with me is just for reassurance. I will be your bodyguard tonight but I also have to make sure you don't ditch me there and disappear." Johnny answered and Navaya pursed her lips. She had to admit that ditching him did cross her mind and she was considering doing it but the fucker just had to be two steps ahead of her.

She hated the fact that Johnny knew her so well, all her moves, her likes, her tricks. Her desires. Hell, the man knew everything, every single cobweb in her cupboard. He made sure he knew and she used to love how well he understood her but now she wasn't so sure if she still did.

" I wasn't even thinking of ditching you in the first place." She lied, watching Johnny open the passenger's seat door for her.

" Of course you weren't. Also, like how you didn't try to slap me three times." 

" Exactly, your dumb face was just at the wrong place when I swung my hand." Navaya justified herself and Johnny chuckled before nudging her closer to the car door.

" Get in, Navaya." He nudged her even closer to the car and she glared at him before smacking his hand that was doing the nudging.

" Hey, hasn't anyone told you not to rush a woman? Talk about lacking simple manners, I almost feel like I'm being kidnapped." Navaya grumbled but still got into the car. " I'm in already, are you happy now?"

" Very happy," Johnny answered and shut the door before walking around the car and entered as well, sitting on the driver's seat. " Where are we even going?" Johnny asked, putting on his seatbelt.

" A casino, I feel like gambling tonight."

Johnny's brow shot up and he whipped his head to her. " A casino?" 

Navaya Gambles at casinos? Since when? Who the fuck taught her how to? 

Johnny stared at her in shock and bewilderment, wondering who was the woman in front of him and what she had done to his Navaya. His sweet Navaya.

He always knew Navaya had a daring side but gambling? She smokes, she drinks, and now gambles?

" The casino." She looked at him. " What's wrong?"

Johnny swallowed on hearing her question and quickly shook his head. " Nothing is wrong. I know the perfect place where you can play as many rounds as you want." He said, flashing a smile that Navaya narrowed her eyes at.

The fuck! The man was trying to seduce her with his smile and his excellent teeth hygiene. Well fuck him, Navaya had nice teeth too, and also had seen a bunch of them.

She wasn't impressed by his glowing smile, flawless face, gorgeous blue eyes, and nice, sexy muscles. So she told herself but the grinning Johnny next to her begged to differ.

His hand gripped the steering wheel as he held her gaze, taunting her with that dazzling smile of his, and somewhere on the line, Navaya forgot she was supposed to be glaring at him and smiled too.

It wasn't her intention to but she couldn't help it, his smile was so damn contagious.

" You're smiling." Johnny pointed out and Navaya immediately wiped the smile off her face and turned to look out the window.

Johnny stared at Navaya for a while longer before starting the car and driving to the casino he had in mind, where he allowed her to gamble her heart out.

She played and played and played, not caring whether she won or lost but still kept on going and eventually forgot why she had been so pissed in the first place. Johnny didn't mind she was setting his money on fire, the big smile that formed on Navaya's face was more than enough for him.

And though it cost him about ten grand, he knew that Navaya was starting to open up to him again, she wouldn't let him bring her there if she wasn't. 

Johnny sat on the table next to hers because she reminded him numerous times that he was just her bodyguard for the night and bodyguards don't sit with their bosses. He chuckled at her words but still obliged to her wish because the night was about her after all.

He watched her as she chatted with the other women she was gambling with, his heart-melting every time he heard her giggle. Hoping one day she would giggle when she was alone with him again just like old times.

He saw the woman next to Navaya whisper something into her ears, giggling and she turned to look at him with a smile on her face.

She was smiling at him. He wasn't dreaming, she was really smiling at him for the second time that evening but this time she didn't turn away shyly.. Ecstatic, he smiled back in response.