Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
LEXI
THEN
I was working my shift at the cafe and the day was moving by slower than usual, which might have been because I knew Ryan would be waiting outside to take me home after my shift. I kept looking up at the clock wishing that time would move faster. We had been together for twelve weeks and had yet to spend a day without seeing each other at least once. For a Wednesday morning, I had already made at least fifty coffees since my shift began. It was always a variety of people we served on a weekday with half of the customers on their way to work or school and then the other half were the older locals who came in for their breakfast every morning, which also equaled their outing for the day.
“Lexi,” I heard Hannah, our newest barista, call from the hallway. I was sitting in the back room doing a stock take and had left her in control of the cafe. She reached the back room and her eyes were wide, breathing heavily.
“Is everything okay?” I stood up from the milk crate I was sitting on and walked beside her.
“I was making a coffee and then these three boys walked in. Lexi, when I tell you that I have never seen such beautiful boys in my life, I mean it. But they have those leather vests on that I’ve seen around and honestly, they slightly terrify me.”
Three boys who are beautiful, terrifying and wearing leather cuts; I didn’t need to think very hard on who that might be. I understood Hannah’s reaction though, because if you didn’t know the Vipers on a personal level, they could look rather intimidating.
“I’ll handle them. Are they still here?” I asked Hannah before stepping around her and into the hallway.
She nodded and followed closely behind me. “There they are.” She leaned over me and pointed towards three boys who were standing at the counter waiting to be served. Sure enough, it was exactly who I expected it to be: Ryan, Jay and Haz. Jay was leaning against the counter with his head resting in his hand and Ryan had his back against the counter looking at Haz who was the only one who saw me walk over to them.
“Baby Davis, my girl,” Haz yelled as I approached the boys. I pushed Jay’s elbow off the counter when I reached them and he narrowed his eyes at me in return.
Ryan turned around, meeting me face-to-face. “My girl, actually,” he replied to Haz before he leaned his body over the counter and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. “Hey babe.”
Since Ryan became my boyfriend and our secret was out in the open, Jay had seen us hold hands, hug and even kiss on many occasions, yet he still made the same awkward noise every time.
“Are you boys actually here to order something or just to intimidate my coworkers?” I crossed my arms across my waist where the knot of my green apron sat in a neat bow. All the boys laughed before ordering their usual drinks: Ryan a black coffee, Jay a caramel iced latte and Haz a flat white. I asked Hannah to help me make the drinks as the boys made their way outside to sit at one of the tables in the sun.
“So you actually know them? I mean, he kissed you, so you must know him, but oh my god. Why have you not introduced me before?” Hannah bombarded me with questions the second the boys walked out of the cafe.
“Yes, I know them. Ryan, he’s the one who kissed me, he’s my boyfriend,” I said to her, pointing at Ryan through the glass window. “That’s Jay, he’s my twin brother.” “Your twin brother? How did I not notice that?” She grabbed my arm and interrupted me as her eyes quickly moved between Jay and I, trying to notice the similarities between us.
“I mean, we have the same color hair and eyes but it’s not really something you notice unless we stand next to each other,” I tell her. “And that’s Haz. He’s our best friend but he’s practically my brother too. Here, why don’t you take out their drinks? Haz will probably flirt with you like crazy. Trust me, they aren’t as scary as they look.” I put the lid on the last coffee and picked up my marker to write a quick note before passing it to her. She put them all on a tray and carried them out to the boys.
I could see through the glass window that Haz was already flirting with her, which was not surprising because he flirts with everyone. I watched Ryan as he picked up his coffee and looked down at the white lid and read the note I wrote for him. His chin dipped to his chest and I watched the laugh escape his lips before he looked up at me through the glass and winked in my direction. The boys thanked Hannah for their coffees and she ran back inside with a big smile on her face.
* * *
O nce our shift was finally over, Hannah and I turned on the alarm and headed outside to lock the door. I knelt down to twist my key in the lock and the second I stood up I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me. Ryan’s bike was still parked on the curb where he had it earlier, but Jay and Haz had already left. Hannah waved goodbye as she got in her car and Ryan held out the spare helmet for me before helping me onto the back of his bike.
The more I got on Ryan’s bike and faced my fear, the more I loved it. I loved the free feeling of the wind on my face and the feeling of my hair blowing behind me. He still rode with caution when he had me on the bike, but with each time I felt him relax more and more. Today as we drove through the hills of Haven Cove, I let go of his waist and spread my arms in the air. The feeling of the wind was incredible. I could feel Ryan laughing against my chest and he moved one hand to my thigh to ensure I was still secure whilst letting me finally feel completely fearless.
Once we arrived at Cove Point, he stopped the bike and got off first before holding out his hand to help me off. His hand went under my chin to undo the helmet. He leaned against his bike before pulling me close to him as he reached up to run one hand through my hair, letting it fall to the back of my neck as he pulled my lips down to meet his. We walked over to the edge of Cove Point and he sat down against the large rock and held out his hand to pull me down beside him. He put his arm around my shoulders to pull me close enough to him that my head was able to rest against him. My hand went to his as it rested in my lap and I began fiddling with the rings that he wore on his fingers.
He was wearing a t-shirt today which tightly hugged his arm muscles underneath his leather cut. His tattoos were visible from the short sleeves of the shirt and I ran my finger along the large black and gray viper snake that took up most of his forearm. It was the signature club tattoo that all the boys got once they were patched into the club. Jay got his done a week after he was finished being a prospect, but Ryan has had his since the day he turned eighteen. I’m used to seeing Ryan’s tattoos and this one is my favorite because it’s so personal and meaningful to him. The rest of his arm is covered in a variety of different patterns, they always reminded me of the clouds.
We watched as the sun disappeared slowly and the sky turned from bright blue to a combination of orange and pink before the darkness came over our town. The town below us turned on their lights to match the stars in the sky. Once the sun had set, it started getting colder so Ryan and I decided to head back home. We hadn’t spent a night apart since my birthday; we would both either stay at my house or at the club house. Tonight being a Wednesday meant that for once the club wasn’t having people around, so I got to fall asleep in my tiny double bed at home in the arms of the boy I was falling in love with.