Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
LEXI
THEN
I was meeting up with a few girls who I kept in contact with after high school at a local restaurant for dinner. I had been looking forward to this dinner all day after working a full eight-hour shift at the cafe, where for some reason most of the customers were extra rude today. I sat in my car in the driveway and tried to turn the key to start my car, but it wouldn’t start. I continued to try before giving up and throwing my head back against the headrest. I jumped at the sound of knocking on my driver’s window. Outside of the window stood Jay with a smirk on his face. I wound down the window to hear him.
“I thought you were leaving?” He laughed behind his words. He had been telling me for months that this car was about to die on me but I refused to believe it.
“I am. I’m just taking my time, that’s all.” I rolled my eyes as he reached in and pulled the lever that opened the hood and he began fiddling around to inspect it. I had no idea about cars so I just let him do his thing.
“Okay, try to turn it on now,” he yelled from the front of my car. I turned the key again and after struggling, it finally turned on. Jay closed the hood and came back to my window. “I’ll drop you off if you want? If it doesn’t turn on again when you’re out then you won’t be able to get home.” He crossed his elbows on my door and rested his chin on them.
“I’m sure it will be fine, Jay. You just want to come because you know Haley has a massive crush on you.”
He looked down and laughed. “Yeah well I mean who doesn’t?” He smirked at me, smugness all over his face. I rolled my eyes and pushed his face out of my window.
“Goodbye, Jay.” I put the car in reverse and started driving down the driveway.
“Call me if you get stuck,” he yelled out after me.
* * *
I got stuck. I was the last one to turn twenty-one out of my friends and they all wanted to continue drinking and go clubbing, so I waved goodbye to them as they left in their Uber. I went to head home, but again, my car wouldn’t start. I sat in the car for ten more minutes. I wished for a miracle because I didn’t want to tell Jay he was right and I was stranded in the car park of the restaurant.
“Lexi Loo,” Jay answered the phone. I could hear the slight slur of his words which meant that he was already drunk.
“Great, you’re drunk.” How was he going to come and help me now? He couldn’t ride if he had been drinking. I would just have to organize a tow truck to come and collect the car and get an Uber home.
“Woah grumpy, what’s the matter?” I heard the background noise quieten which meant he had walked outside.
“My car won’t start again. I’m stuck on the other side of town and you told me to call you if I got stuck, Jay. But don’t worry about it, I’ll just get an Uber”
“Hold on a sec, Lex.” I heard soft talking but I couldn’t make out the other voice or what they were saying until Jay spoke clearly into the phone again. “Lex, just stay there, okay? Stay in your car and lock your doors and don’t get out until you see the Viper cut, okay?”
“You better not be riding, Jay, or I will kill you myself,” I said seriously. Drink driving killed our mother, so I know he knows better than that.
“I’m not an idiot, Lexi. It’s not me coming to get you.” He sounded serious now so maybe that sobered him up a little bit.
“Who’s coming then?” I didn’t know how I felt about getting on someone else’s bike. I only trusted Jay. Hopefully he was sending someone who could just fix my car so I could drive myself home.
“Batman.” He broke out in a fit of laughter, barely able to catch his breath at his horrible joke, which only confirmed just how drunk he was. I rolled my eyes and hung up on my idiot twin brother.
I sat in the car park, playing a silly game on my phone, trying to distract myself. There were groups of people leaving the restaurant and the car park was starting to empty, giving it an eerie vibe. I made sure I was aware of my surroundings and every noise sounded louder than usual. I heard every gust of wind and every footstep people took to their car. I heard the bike before I could even see it. It was a blur of black; the black bike along with the rider wearing a black hoodie under his black cut. The bike parked next to my car and I watched as Ryan took off his helmet. Once I saw his face, I got out of my car and locked the door behind me.
“Hey Lex, Jay said you needed a ride?” Ryan stayed straddling the bike but looked up at me. “Jump on.” He held out a spare helmet for me. I wanted to go with him, I knew he wouldn’t hurt me, but my parents' accident flashed in my mind and I couldn’t get on the bike.
“I can’t get on your bike, Ryan. I’m sorry.” I felt embarrassed that he came this whole way just for me to turn him down.
Ryan nodded his head softly and then took one leg off the bike, sliding off. “Looks like we’re walking then.” He started walking out of the car park as he kept his hands on the handlebars and pushed the bike along the road next to him. I watched him in disbelief that he would walk next to his bike just because I was too afraid to get on with him.
“Are you coming, Lexi?”
I ran after him to catch up and we walked down the road together. Ryan made sure to stand on the side closest to the cars and his bike stayed between us.
“It’s what happened to your parents, isn’t it? The reason you didn’t want to get on my bike.” He broke the silence and I looked over at him, but he kept his eyes down towards his bike.
“Every time I go to sit on a bike, I just think of them. My dad was the best rider I knew and he still crashed. I know it wasn’t his fault and it was an accident, but I’m still terrified of them. I can’t shake it.”
“You’ve gone on Jay’s though, haven’t you? So you’re not completely terrified.”
“I trust Jay with my life, he hardly even touched the accelerator the whole time.” Jay wouldn’t let me live that down either, which was probably why he hasn’t taken me out again.
“Do you trust me?” he asked. I wanted to say no, but the truth was, I did trust him. I didn’t know why I did because I hardly knew him anymore.
He stopped walking and looked down at the bike one more time, I took a deep breath before nodding at him. He passed me the spare helmet again and sat on the bike. I put one leg over and sat behind him. When I rode with Jay, I put my arms around his waist to hold on, but I didn’t know how Ryan would feel about that so I put my hands behind me to hold onto the seat. I heard him laugh before reaching behind me and grabbing my arms, pulling me closer to him so my chest was firm against his back and my arms wrapped around his waist.
“Just squeeze if you want me to slow down. I will only go as fast as you want me to.” He turned the bike on and took off at a very slow speed.
“You can go faster, I’m okay.”
He turned the accelerator a bit more, making the bike go faster. I tucked my head against his back and could feel the cool leather of his cut against my cheek. I could feel my heart beating hard and fast in my chest and I hoped he couldn’t feel it against his back. I lifted my head and realized we weren’t heading in the direction of the clubhouse.
“Ryan, where are you taking us?” I yelled, hoping he could hear me through our helmets and over the sound of the wind blowing around us.
“You’ll see.” He turned his head slightly to answer me before he continued to ride. We were going at a steady speed now and I continued to hold on tight, but the fear was fading.
Ryan drove us up to the top of the Haven Cove cliffs. It was a beautiful lookout called Cove Point. Once we parked the bike and walked down the little pathway, there was a lookout area that overlooked all of Haven Cove. It felt as though we were on top of the world as I looked down and saw the tiny houses that looked like ant sized homes. All of the street and house lights lit up the area below us as they blended in with the stars in the sky. I made my way down to the small grass area near the edge of the cliff but still safe enough not to risk falling. I sat down on the grass and put my arms out behind me to hold myself upright.
“This is incredible,” I said, not taking my eyes off the view, but I knew Ryan was behind me because I could hear his footsteps getting closer to me.
“I thought you’d like it. It’s always best on clear nights like this.” I felt him sit down beside me, our shoulders softly grazing against each other.
“Haven Cove looks so small from up here.” I tried to look out at the town to spot my house among twinkling lights below.
“It’s small, not much down there really, when you think about it.” I turned my body and crossed my legs as I faced Ryan.
“What do you want out of life, Ryan Blake? What’s your lifelong dream or goal?” He turned his head to smile at me, before leaning it back and sighing.
“I haven’t really thought about it, I guess. I suppose working my way up to President and taking over the Vipers.” He said it in a way that sounded rehearsed; like it was something he should say, rather than it being true.
“You don’t want something outside of the Vipers? You can’t be a Viper forever, Ryan. You need to have something else that matters. What about a family, kids?” He looked at me and kept his eyes burning into mine.
“Being a Viper is in my blood, Lex. I’ll always be a Viper. But kids? I mean, sure, with the right girl I think I’d like to be a dad one day. Maybe have my own little Viper running around or a little girl that is as beautiful as her mom.” He smiled down at his hands and my heart swelled from his words.
“You’ll have that Ry, just got to work on finding that right girl,” I smiled at him as he looked back up at me. My breathing started getting faster as his eyes looked directly into mine.
“I don’t think I need to look very far.” He turned his body into me and put one hand on my knee before leaning in closer to me. His mouth was right next to my ear as he whispered, “She’s right in front of me”
He put his other hand on the side of my face and pulled us together. Our mouths met and instantly we pulled each other as close as possible. He used one hand to pull me on top of his lap and I had one leg on each side of him as I straddled him. I opened my mouth slightly to allow him to deepen the kiss as our tongues fought for dominance.
I rested my forehead against his when we pulled apart from the kiss and tried to catch our breath. I could have kissed him forever; I never wanted that to end. His hands were still holding onto my hips to keep me in place.
“As much as I don’t want to leave, we better get going. Jay’s going to think I kidnapped you.”
Jay. I forgot he was waiting for me to get back. How was I going to explain to my brother that I not only made out with his best friend, but that I want to do it again?