The Girl in the Hoodie is Mine

ELLA POV:

As we walked to his car, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of skepticism and mild irritation. I wasn’t exactly thrilled about this whole thing, but I wasn’t about to back out either.

When we got to the car, Jason suddenly moved ahead and opened the passenger door for me. I stopped, narrowing my eyes at him. "What are you doing?"

He leaned casually against the door, flashing me one of his infuriatingly smug smiles. "What does it look like I’m doing? My mother taught me the basics of being a gentleman. Get in."

I huffed, debating whether to argue or just get in. Honestly, I was too tired to fight him on this. Muttering something under my breath—why did he has to be such a charm—I slid into the seat.

"Thank you," I said begrudgingly, making sure my tone let him know I wasn’t overly impressed.

Jason just grinned as he shut the door and walked around to the driver’s side. The guy was way too pleased with himself.

I settled into my seat as he started the car, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye. I still had no idea where he was taking me, and the whole thing felt suspiciously like some kind of setup.

"So," he said, breaking the silence as he pulled out of the parking lot, "how’s your day been?"

I shot him a look. Seriously? That’s what he was going with? "Fine. Uneventful," I replied flatly.

"Uneventful, huh? I find that hard to believe," he said, the grin never leaving his face.

"Well, not everyone spends their day sealing multimillion-dollar deals," I shot back, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

He laughed, keeping his eyes on the road. "Hey, not every day is like that. I just happened to get lucky this time."

I didn’t bother responding, turning my attention to the window instead. Where was he even taking me? The route wasn’t familiar, and that only made me more curious.

"You’re not going to tell me where we’re going, are you?" I asked after a few moments of silence.

"Nope," he said, grinning even wider. "That would ruin the surprise."

I groaned, slumping back into my seat. "I don’t like surprises."

"Good thing this isn’t a surprise, then," he replied, glancing at me briefly. "It’s a celebration. Big difference."

I rolled my eyes. A celebration, huh? Sure, Jason. But despite myself, I felt the tiniest hint of a smile tugging at my lips.

As the drive continued, Jason kept making small talk, clearly trying to keep the mood light. I gave him clipped answers, mostly out of habit, but I wasn’t shutting him down completely.

When we finally pulled into a parking lot, I couldn’t hide my curiosity.

"This is it?" I asked, eyeing the building in front of us.

"This is it," he said, shutting off the engine.

I studied the place for a moment. It wasn’t overly fancy, but it had a certain charm to it. Warm lighting spilled out from the windows, and the overall vibe was more cozy than pretentious. I had to admit—it seemed like the kind of place I might actually enjoy.

Jason got out and walked around to my side, opening the door for me again. I climbed out, narrowing my eyes at him.

"You really don’t have to keep doing that," I said.

"Doing what?"

"The whole gentleman act. It’s weird," I said, crossing my arms.

He smirked, completely unfazed. "Weird or not, it’s happening. Deal with it."

I rolled my eyes, but I didn’t argue. I couldn’t, really. At least not without sounding ridiculous.

As we walked toward the entrance, I felt a mix of annoyance and something else I couldn’t quite place. Jason seemed unusually pleased with himself, like he had just won some invisible battle.

Whatever. If he wanted to celebrate, fine. But I wasn’t going to let him get too smug about it. Not without a fight.

The restaurant was amazing. I had to admit, Jason had outdone himself. It wasn’t overly extravagant, but it had this cozy, classy vibe that made me feel comfortable. Being on the receiving end of service, instead of running around taking orders, felt like a breath of fresh air.

The food? Oh my god, the food. Jason had suggested I try something I wouldn’t have picked on my own—a dish with a name I couldn’t pronounce—and it absolutely blew my mind. The flavors were rich and perfectly balanced, like a little party in my mouth. For a moment, I forgot how annoyed I’d been at him for dragging me here.

"See? Told you," he said with a smug grin as I practically melted over the meal.

"Okay, fine," I admitted reluctantly. "You were right. This is amazing."

Jason raised an eyebrow, clearly savoring the victory. "You heard it here first, folks—Ella approves."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t stop smiling. Damn him and his annoying charm.

We were in the middle of an actually decent conversation—something about his experiences creating the LBJ Company—and I was starting to think this "celebration" wasn’t such a bad idea.

The evening was going surprisingly well. Too well, in fact. Because of course, the universe couldn’t let me enjoy this moment without throwing a curveball.

As I was about to take another bite, I froze. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone walk into the restaurant. Someone tall, with a familiar stride and a presence that immediately made my stomach drop.

My father.

My actual father, Mr. Kingsley, the man whose existence I had been actively avoiding in every possible way.

Panic surged through me like a tidal wave. I didn’t think—I just reacted.

He walked into the restaurant like he owned the place (honestly, he probably had a share in it). Mr. Kingsley, the untouchable businessman, here of all places. My stomach flipped, and panic surged through me.

"Shit," I muttered under my breath, ducking under the table so fast I nearly knocked over my glass of water.

Jason’s fork froze midway to his mouth, his eyes wide as he stared down at me. "Ella? What the hell are you doing?"

"Shh!" I hissed, pressing my finger to my lips. "Just—don’t look!"

"Don’t look at what?" he asked, bewildered, glancing around the restaurant.

I grabbed his knee, pulling his attention back to our table. "Don’t make it obvious! Just sit there and act normal!"

Jason blinked, clearly trying to process the situation. "Uh, okay. But why are you under the table? Did you drop something, or—"

"Shh!" I hissed, crouching lower and praying to every deity that my father hadn’t seen me.

Before I could figure out what to say next, Jason, for some reason, slid off his chair and joined me under the table.

"What the hell are you doing?" I whisper-yelled, staring at him like he’d lost his mind.

He grinned, though he looked a little sheepish. "Figured I’d join you. If you’re hiding from someone, it must be serious. Plus..." He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "I may have told a little lie."

I raised an eyebrow. "What kind of lie?"

"I might have told my new partner—the one I signed the deal with—that I couldn’t celebrate with him tonight because I had other plans. Didn’t think he’d show up here!"

My jaw dropped. "You lied to a guy you just signed a multimillion-dollar deal with?"

He winced. "It sounded better in my head, okay?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "Unbelievable."

Jason peered cautiously over the edge of the table, trying to get a better look. "Okay, who are we hiding from? Ex-boyfriend? Rival server? Mafia boss?"

I stiffened, my heart racing. There was no way I could tell him the truth. "Uh... it’s nothing. Just... someone I’d really rather not see right now."

Jason gave me a skeptical look, clearly not buying it. "That’s vague, even for you."

"Well, vague is all you’re getting," I snapped, keeping my head low.

Jason shrugged, leaning back against the table leg. "Fair enough. Guess we’re both fugitives for now."

I glared at him, but he just looked amused by the whole situation. As ridiculous as it was, I couldn’t help but feel a weird sense of relief that he was down here with me.

Even if he was an idiot.

After a while Jason peeked around and stood up and sat back on his seat.

"Well mine is gone," he said flashing me a cheeky smile.

Jason shook his head, the corner of his mouth twitching with barely-contained laughter. "You look ridiculous there, you know that? I can’t believe I also did that. ooh God"

"Yeah, well, ridiculous or not, I’m staying down here until he leaves," I said firmly.

Jason sighed, glancing around the room before leaning down slightly. "You know, if you could describe how whoever your hiding from look like I can tell you when they’re gone. Or I can join you again down there then we can get creative."

I smacked his leg lightly, my face heating. "Jason, I swear to god—"

Before I could finish, a waiter approached, stopping at our table. "Is everything alright here?"

Jason flashed the waiter his most charming smile. "Everything’s great. She just—uh, dropped something. She’ll be right back up."

The waiter looked confused but nodded, walking away.

Jason glanced back down at me, still grinning. "You heard the man. Get up before you give yourself away."

I shook my head. "Not until he’s gone."

Jason rolled his eyes but didn’t argue. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, casually picking up his fork like this was the most normal thing in the world.

Me? I was stuck under the table, silently praying that my father wouldn’t come anywhere near us.