Chapter 3 #2
The back door swung open as Lyric stepped out. She stretched her long, slim arms until she couldn’t anymore. She stepped aside and slowly, carefully closed the door behind her.
“I’m going to go pay. Do you want anything out of here?” she asked, yawning.
“A bottle of water, two bottles of Pedialyte if they sell it, and a Twix.”
“Weird combination, but OK.” She turned her nose up at me.
“Document each expense, Lyric. I got you as soon as I get home.”
“Luca, I’m offended, but I won’t turn down any money.”
“That must mean Laike paying you already?”
“He’s not paying me per se. He’s just funding the trip.”
“Then consider it double the money for your time and energy. I’m going to toss ole girl something too for riding with ya,” I told her as I nodded toward the woman in her passenger seat.
“Just give her whatever you were planning to give me. Laike already has me covered.”
“Aight. Who is she anyway?” I probed.
With a shake of the head, Lyric shrugged. “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask her yourself.”
She was on to me and it was a damn shame how quickly she’d caught on.
“Na. I’m good. Just asking a question.” I tried covering up the lapse in judgment. Asking Lyric was the wrong route to take.
“Ummmm hmmmm,” she responded with a roll of her eyes. “I’ll be back. You can start pumping in a bit. I’ll pay for the gas first.”
“Aight.”
After Lyric had disappeared in the store, I rested my elbows on the door, leaning my body slightly into the truck as I waited.
Again, my sight wandered in her direction.
She continued to sleep, unaware, unfazed, and unbothered.
Whatever peace she was experiencing, I wished for. It had to have felt so fucking good.
Respectfully, I desired one thing at the moment and that was to know if she was OK. Like… Was the temperature alright? Did she need more leg room? If she preferred the radio or silence. If she was resting well.
And as if she read my mind, she maneuvered in the seat. She twisted her body in my direction. My breath hiked in my chest, but I remained calm as I waited for her to open her eyes.
Come on, I silently encouraged. Wake up .
Her eyes popped open, slowly and bashfully, as she began trying to figure out where she was at and what was going on around her.
Once. Twice. Three times, she batted her eyes in an attempt to adjust and rid them of the sleepiness.
When she finally looked up, she met my gaze.
I witnessed the large sum of air that she’d inhaled around her get caught in her chest.
She hadn’t even opened her mouth yet I was interested in everything that she had to say. Maybe it was nothing. But, maybe… maybe it was something. Hoping for the latter, I remained quiet and waited for her to speak. However, my eyes never left hers and vice versa.
“Hi,” she said, releasing me from the dungeon where I’d been captured while waiting for her awakening.
What’s good? I responded, in my head , but the words didn’t quite see the light.
Ping.
The cell in her lap sounded. Neither of our eyes faltered. Locked in on one another, I waited for her to break contact. It wasn’t until her phone chimed a second time that her gaze fell, and she looked at the screen of it.
Ping.
And the smile , the smile that etched away at her cheeks when she opened her cell made my chest burn. Who the fuck is that? I wanted to know immediately.
“Luca!” Lyric screamed from afar.
Turning toward her, I waited for more to come from her mouth.
“You can pump, now.”
I fought the urge to inquire about anything concerning the beauty in the front seat and decided to let her be. 93 , I assumed Lyric used if she was anything like Laike and me. It was the only thing that touched the engine of our vehicles.
Forcefully, I removed the pump from the hook and unscrewed the gas cap with my freehand. I inserted it and began filling the gas guzzling truck with premium fuel. I could feel my right eye begin to twitch as I swiftly became aggravated with every single thing around me.
Except her . Whom eyes I met as I stared through the back window into the front seat. I felt her rounds on me, causing me to glare in her direction and return the favor. Once I did, she snapped her neck and fed me the back of her head the duration of my time alone outside.
After pumping ninety dollars’ worth of gas, I slid back into the driver’s seat. Instead of waiting for Lyric where we were, I proceeded to pull into one of the empty spots near the door. The truck had barely stopped before she opened the door and fled.
Her body was as beautiful as her face. With bowed legs and brown skin, I knew my ass was in trouble.
Though I’d try to keep my distance for the sake of it being Lyric’s homegirl, I couldn’t keep any promises – especially not with the way my mind was already recalculating the time I’d promised to spend alone before jumping into anything serious once I got home.
Both girls returned in less than ten minutes. I assumed they’d relieved their bladders and did a bit more browsing in the massive store. They were both carrying bags when they re-entered the truck.
“Lyric, you sure you don’t want to sit up front?” she asked Lyric as she slid into the passenger seat.
The delicacy of her voice was addictive. I wanted to hear more of it.
“No ma’am. I need to stretch out and get some shuteye.”
“Not before you drink some of that Pedialyte,” I interrupted.
“That’s why you wanted Pedialyte?” Lyric finally realized.
“You too.” I turned in her direction, admiring her side profile for a brief moment before she turned to face me.
“We will be fine, Luca. We’re not even all that hungover.” Lyric sniggered with a slight groan that told me everything I needed to know.
“Drink it. Both of you, before we pull off.”
There wasn’t any use of going back and forth between the two of them. They were shit-faced and needed the electrolytes to recoup. The naps would help, but they wouldn’t cure them. Their bodies needed to be replenished.
“I forgot how annoying you are,” Lyric whined.
“Good thing you remember now,” I finalized.
“Here, Ever. This man isn’t going to stop tripping until we drink this shit.”
Ever . As the thought crossed my mind, her eyes found mine.
Ever. It suited her.
She accepted the orange Pedialyte that Lyric was handing her without fuss. I watched as she unscrewed the top, removed the seal, and turned it up. She consumed a decent amount before that familiar sound demanded her attention again.
Ping.
She lowered the juice and reached for her device. The same smile she wore the last time she took a look at the screen returned. This time, I didn’t even wonder about who the fuck was on her line because now that I was in her mix it didn’t matter.
Quickly as it had come, all the shit about her being Lyric’s best friend had gone out the window.
As she pecked away at her phone, it took everything in me not to gently slide it from her fingers and toss it out the window along with it.
I would’ve gotten her a new one when I made it back to the city, but I didn’t have grounds to do so, not yet.
I straightened my line of vision and pulled from the spot that we’d been occupying.
Gratitude heavy on my heart, I prepared to hit the road and put the last eight years of my life behind me.
I had so much more to look forward to and so much I was ready to accomplish.
There was one mission in particular that I was exceptionally open to the idea of. It was Ever .