Chapter 2 #3
She groans and points toward the open work area instead of the door. I take the hint, grab my helmet off the counter, and roll my bike back off the stand, easing it toward the open space with one last look over my shoulder. “See you around, Raine.”
“Not if I can help it.”
“That’s a yes,” I call, swinging a leg over and rolling out of the shop under my own power before she can decide to throw something heavier than a wrench.
As I duck under the roll down door, my chest feels the opposite. All she did was tighten a bolt, but it feels like she rewired me.
I take the long way back home, grinning like an idiot the whole ride.
It takes longer than it should, not because of traffic, but because I circle an extra block or two, still grinning, the city sliding past in neon smears while the engine hums steady beneath me.
I cut the engine outside my building and sit there for a second, the bike ticking softly as it cools, helmet still on, boots planted on cracked concrete that’s seen better decades.
I try to calm down, breathe it out, let the morning air do its thing, but the grin’s still glued on and my cheeks are starting to hurt, and I can’t seem to stop.
Upstairs, I kick my boots off by the door where they land next to yesterday’s pair, toe to toe like they’re keeping each other company.
I drop my helmet on the counter without aiming, right beside my keys and a half-empty coffee mug, and the familiar clutter welcomes me back.
The apartment smells like leather, cheap soap, and whatever I cooked last night.
I cross the room and face-plant onto the couch, the cushions sagging under me like they always do, worn soft from too many late nights.
I turn just enough to drag my phone out of my pocket, my cheek pressed into the fabric, the cool cotton of the throw blanket brushing my face.
The dark sheets in the bedroom are just visible down the hall, rumpled and waiting. I open the group chat first.
Jax:
How’s work boys
Theo:
Busy. Some of us have jobs that matter.
Elias:
Two transports already. What did you do this time?
I smirk at the way Elias knows me so well.
Jax:
Relax nothing's broken. I did pay a visit to a certain scary yet unbelievably sexy mechanic
Dots blink, then pause, then blink again.
Theo:
And you’re still alive?
Elias:
On a scale of 1–stitches, where are we?
Jax:
0 unless emotional injury counts. She glared at me like she could melt my face off
Theo drops a calculator emoji, then sends:
Theo:
Odds you survive this month: 13%.
Jax:
Your math is mid. I charmed her
Elias:
Define “charmed.”
Jax:
She didn’t throw me out. Also she almost smiled. I even made her laugh once
Theo:
“Almost smiled” doesn't mean you're safe.
Elias:
It’s a hallucination.
I laugh into the cushion.
Jax:
She fixed the buzzing in my bike, charged me thirty bucks, and called me annoying. That’s foreplay where I’m from
Theo:
That’s a job, a price, and an insult.
Elias:
He’s right.
Jax:
Wow. Betrayal from the inside
I flip onto my back and stare at the ceiling fan like it might have guidance.
Jax:
Look she bites back every time. I like it
Theo:
You like it when it feels like a game.
Jax:
Correct. Games are fun
Elias:
Please do not turn a human woman into a side quest.
I wince, then type slower.
Jax:
I'm not. I know the difference. I learned things about her today. That's all
Elias:
I've got a diagnosis for you.
Jax:
Lay it on me doc
Elias:
Acute Compulsive Flirtation. Treatment plan: shut your mouth, lower your dimples, respect her space.
Jax:
I'll do one of the three
Theo:
Which one?
Jax:
Wouldn’t you like to know
Obviously respect her.
I stand, pace once, then stop at the window like I can see Iron Wheel from here.
Jax:
I want to go back. So I need a reason to see her again
Silence, then a wave of dots, like they were processing and it finally hit.
Theo:
You mean besides making up fake problems for your bike?
Jax:
Bikes are mysterious machines. They buzz they hum they need attention
Elias:
Translation: you’re going to harass her with made up problems until she bans you.
Jax:
I'd never. I was thinking… casual. Like dropping off coffee
Theo:
Casual? You? You don’t even know how to walk casually.
Elias:
He struts. It’s a medical condition.
Jax:
It's a gift
Theo:
More like a curse.
I grin at my phone like a lunatic and type back quickly.
Jax:
Okay. The plan is I’ll swing by again probably before a shift. Have some coffee in hand act casual and not be weird
Theo:
Non-creepy plan noted. I’ll lurk across the street, just to watch you get punched.
Elias:
I’ll be nearby “on call” pretending I’m not involved. You bring dignity if you can find any.
Jax:
Dignity's on backorder. I can bring donuts instead
They unload a final round of threats and emojis.
Theo demands photographic evidence of my survival.
Elias promises to patch me up once, on the house, if I get roughed up.
I tell them both to shove it in the nicest way possible.
Then I drop the phone and charge it, making sure both my alarms are set.
I shower quickly, eat something that resembles dinner, and rehearse being casual in the mirror.
It doesn’t help, since I'm not the casual type. I lay in bed and think of her one last time before I close my eyes and fall asleep for a few hours before my shift with a stupid grin I can’t quite scrub off.