Chapter 10 - Jasmine #2
“No, no, no, no, no,” I muttered as I took out the keys and jammed them back in.
I turned the ignition.
Clickclickclickclickclick.
“Oh, come on!” I exclaimed as I slammed my hands against my steering wheel.
I sighed heavily as I leaned my forehead onto it.
Sixty bucks. I just spent sixty bucks, and now I’d have to shell out for a new battery.
And that was after towing fees. I readied myself to take that receipt right back into the grocery store when I heard an engine strike up in the distance.
My God, I hated how loud motorcycles were, especially with assholes buzzing around at two, three o’clock in the fucking morning.
Only for someone to knock at my window.
I gasped as I whipped my head toward the sound, wondering what in the world was going on.
Until I saw that mask.
Those eyes.
That sparkle.
Sitting on top of the loud as hell bike I just heard.
He rides a motorcycle?
He pointed downward, signaling for me to roll down my window, so I did. I grabbed the crank and turned it, the glass wobbling in a way that made me nervous as the window dropped about halfway.
His eyes scanned the interior of my vehicle before traveling back to me. “You good?”
I sighed heavily. “My car won’t start.”
He just nodded to my steering wheel. “Show me what happens when you crank it.”
I sighed again as I slid my keys into the ignition and tried turning it over.
Clickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclick—
“All right,” he said, causing me to stop trying to turn over the engine, “pop the hood. I’ll take a look.”
Guilt filled me to the brim. “You really don’t have t—”
But he already got off his bike and headed toward the hood of my vehicle.
I watched him as he stood there, staring at me through the windshield, waiting for me to pop it open.
He rapped his knuckles against it, and I was painfully aware of the crack in my windshield that ran along the top portion of it.
I looked back over at his bike. All blacked out.
All leather and steel and little bits of chrome that flashed in the sun.
It looked like he took good care of his vehicle.
I could only imagine what he thought of mine.
“Jasmine,” he said.
It pulled my attention back to him. “Sorry, yeah. Hold on.”
I reached down and pulled the lever to pop the hood before he lifted it, concealing himself from my vision.
I heard him fiddling around with a few things.
I heard some tinkering. Some humming. Some soft cursing.
I didn’t know anything about cars. All I knew was that I had to be easy with them, I had to get the oil changed every three months no matter what, I had to make sure I stayed up to date on the upkeep.
But I also knew I was running the life down on this hunk of junk that I rolled around in.
“Yeah,” Ghost said as he walked back over to my cracked window, “most likely, it’s a dead battery. I checked a couple of other things, the alternator and such, but there are no signs of any undue wear and tear.”
I peered around him at his bike. “Do motorcycles jumpstart vehicles?”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Ever been on one?”
I shook my head vigorously. “No. They’re too noisy.”
He studied me for a second before nodding. “I’ve got a portable jump with its own battery. Just give me a minute to get it set up and I’ll let you know when to crank.”
I wasn’t sure whether to be mortified or relieved, so I settled for a soft ‘thank you’ before he went to grab what he needed.
I watched him rifle around in a leather holster that draped over the back of his humongous bike.
He pulled out something that looked like a box with buttons and fidgets on it, and then he disappeared behind the propped-up hood of my vehicle.
“All right,” he said after a couple of minutes, “give ‘er a good crank and we’ll let ‘er sit for a bit.”
I drew in a silent breath and sent up a prayer to a God that had long since abandoned me, then I slid my keys into the ignition. I pushed the keys forward, twisting them in the ignition before I heard the car trying.
And trying.
And trying.
Before it finally struck up.
“Oh, yes! Haha!” I exclaimed as I clapped my hands.
Ghost called to me over the sound of my vehicle. “We’ll stay like this for a bit so your battery gets a charge, but you’ll need to get a new one. I can take you to the AutoZone up the road. They’ll get you taken care of.”
Before I knew it, he followed behind me as we pulled into the parking lot of the AutoZone three miles up the road. The two of us walked in, and almost immediately, he conversed with the man behind the counter, using words I didn’t recognize. Terminals. Plates. Corrosion build-up. Electrolyte.
I knew that word.
Though something told me it wasn’t supposed to be ingested.
We walked back out to the vehicle. The man installing the battery told me to get back into my car and wait for his signal, so I did.
I sat there, my leg jiggling, hoping and praying that this battery wouldn’t cost me too much.
I saw the attendant make his way back into the store.
He came out with a couple bottles of something, but I shrugged it off.
Probably something to do with the battery.
Maybe.
I should ask.
But before I got the nerve to ask, the hood of my car was closed and I watched Ghost shake hands with the attendant.
“Oh, here,” I said as I scrambled out of my car with my purse, “let me get you my card—”
The attendant held his hand out to me. “It’s already been taken care of, ma’am. Got you a new battery, topped off your brake fluid and your washer fluid, and everything else looks good to go. Have a nice day.”
My mouth opened and closed a few times before I found my tongue again. “Wait, what do you mean—”
“Just put your card away, it’s fine,” he said behind me.
I whipped around and stared up at him with wide eyes. “You didn’t.”
He just shrugged as he leaned against my vehicle. He crossed his arms over his chest. “And if I did?”
My heart sank. No. No, no, no. I hated owing people. I had enough debt to pay back. “I could have—”
He just waved his hand in the air, dismissing me. “It’s really nothing. They were having sales. Didn’t cost much.”
“How much did it cost?” I asked as I shoved my card away and pulled out my checkbook. “I’ll cut you a check.”
He crooked an eyebrow. “You use checks?”
I clicked my pen open and looked up at him with a quizzical expression. “Yes?”
He tilted his head. “Who the hell uses checks anymore?”
I couldn’t help but let out a shocked giggle, but it struck up his chuckle, and before I knew it, the two of us were laughing together.
Like we’d known each other for years.
“Put the checkbook away, Jasmine,” he said as his chuckling settled down. “Just let someone do something nice for you. It’s not that hard.”
He had no idea. “Well, I appreciate it.”
“I know.”
I gave him a playful little narrow-eyed look before I shoved my checkbook and pen back into my purse. “I’ll find a way to pay you back somehow. I hate being indebted to people.”
He studied me with those green eyes of his before pushing off my car. “So I shouldn’t tell you that I got you a new battery instead of a used one.”
I gawked. “Ghost!”
He chuckled. “What?”
I flopped my hand toward my car. “Does this hunk of junk look like it needs a new battery to you? A used one would’ve saved you money.”
His eyes slid down my body before slowly raking back up to my face.
Like I was on display.
I felt my cheeks blush before he spoke. “If you want to pay me back, that’s fine. But I’m not taking your money.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “I don’t do sexual favors.”
His eyes darkened. “Why the fuck would you think I’d ask for something like that?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Just figured I’d be upfront with it.”
He took a step toward me. “Has anyone ever asked you for payment like that?”
A shiver slid down my spine. “N—no? But, I mean—”
My back thumped against my car before his hand came to rest beside my head. “What I meant was, I saw you pick up two pepperoni pizza Lunchables earlier.”
I could hardly breathe. “Uh huh.”
“They’re my favorite.”
My voice was breathless. “Yeah?”
He nodded. “I figured, I’d follow you home. Make sure your car doesn’t give you any more issues. You thank me for doing all of this by inviting me in, and we have a Lunchable together while you show me your favorite video game.”
Was he being serious?
I stared up at him for a very long time. His broad shoulders, blocking out the sunlight. Those green eyes, sparkling with a darkness I hadn’t seen in them yet.
Why did I want to see more?
“Okay,” I whispered with a nod of my head.
I could tell he was smiling behind that mask. “I’ll ride where you lead, Jasmine.”
I ignored the way my heart skipped a beat as he slid his arm around my waist. He pulled me against him, which effectively pulled me away from my vehicle. I gasped softly, my hands pressing against his abs that I felt beneath his shirt.
His thick, chiseled abs.
I heard my door open behind me.
“Thank you,” I said before clearing my throat, trying to find its sound again.
He took my hand and helped me into my car. “No thanks needed. Just try not to lose me at the stoplights.”
But something told me that even if I tried to do that, he’d still find me.
He struck me as the kind of man that would always find me.
And while part of me found that insane, the other part found it… comforting.
I couldn’t wait to show him all that Stardew Valley had to offer in terms of game playthrough.