Chapter 3
After my conversation with my father yesterday, I haven’t seen him.
When I got back from my walk last night he still wasn’t home and I made sure to keep out of his way when he finally returned from wherever he disappeared to.
I’ve spent most of the morning doing the dreaded job of unpacking my things, and it’s only after my father left for work this morning that I braved stepping foot outside my room.
I’m not scared of him, but I’m in neither the mood or have the energy to go another round with him when it will be me who loses.
No amount of pleading my case or fighting my corner will change a thing, because when my father’s mind is set on something, he doesn’t let it go.
He’s like a dog with a bone, he holds onto it and only relents when you give in to him and he ultimately gets his own way.
But no matter what he says, I’m not going back to law school.
I decide to head into town rather than mope around in my bedroom all day and go in search of the one person I know will be excited to see me, the one person I can guarantee will make me feel better about being back in town.
Sofia. My best friend.
I haven’t told her I’m back yet. I wanted to leave it as a surprise because seeing me will be the last thing she expects.
The main strip that runs through the centre of Stillwater Falls is surprisingly quiet for a midweek afternoon, only a few other people besides me milling around, drifting from store to store.
I’ve always loved this town, spending the better part of a year in a city as big as Boston wasn’t for me. You can take the girl out of a small town, but you can’t take the small town out of the girl.
I’m much better suited to a town of a population of a few thousand people, all the necessities you’ll ever need at your fingertips and quaint independent family-owned stores full of heart and character.
I’ve always wanted to open my own store on this street, what it would be and what I would sell, I have no idea.
Maybe I’d open a bookstore, or a cat cafe, or better yet, a cafe where you can read a book and pet a cat at the same time?
It’s a pipe dream, or at least I thought it was.
That was when my father had a leash wrapped around my future career, but now I’ve dropped out of college, that leash has loosened, the hold my father once had on me has gone and there’s not a damn thing he can do about it.
A guy on a motorcycle rumbles past me and my mind returns to the arrogant bandana-wearing biker who’s taken up more of my thoughts than I’d like to admit since last night.
Who was he?
Draped casually over the huge motorcycle, was a guy who knew how attractive he was. His confidence radiated off him in waves. One huge black boot rested on the stirrup, the other flat on the ground to stabilize the bike, his head tipped to the side as he eyed me curiously.
Head to toe in black. A leather jacket with a cut-off vest thrown over the top, black jeans pulled tight over his thick muscular thighs.
Though, what drew my attention was the black bandana covering the lower half of his face, in its place the face of a skull that was both captivating and a little unnerving.
I have no doubt that beneath it, he’d be the most gorgeous man I’d ever lay eyes on.
I itched to rip off the bandana and get a look at his face, but the mystery of not knowing what he looked like intrigued me.
I’ve never had such a visceral reaction to anyone before, least of all a stranger.
His confidence could’ve passed for cocky, straddling the line between arrogant and alluring, but it was magnetic all the same. It drew me in. Some invisible force pulling me closer. The way his eyes swept over me, my skin tingling under his heated gaze set my heart pounding.
And that deep heavy chug of his bike’s engine as they vibrated through my body thrilled me. I wanted nothing more than for him to toss me on the back of his bike and steal me away.
Despite knowing nothing about him, the emblem stitched onto his jacket gave me a pretty good idea.
A grinning skull wearing dark sunglasses, its bony fingers wrapped around a pair of motorcycle handlebars.
Lawless.
He’s part of the MC. They’re infamous here in Stillwater Falls.
A motorcycle club that’s been around long before I was even born and then some.
They’re a perpetual thorn in my father’s side that’s not about to let up anytime soon.
There’s always been rumours circulating around their ‘agreement’ with the local PD—something that angers my father more than me dropping out of college ever could, and I can only hope they keep him busy enough to keep him off my back.
My father has warned me about them for as long as I can remember, and as much as finding out the identity of my mystery biker tempts me, my name’s already chiselled into a headstone ready for my funeral with the bombshell I dropped the other day, and being associated with a man like him would surely be the final nail in my own coffin.
The bell chimes above my head as I step inside the diner, my stomach growling as the smell of food and coffee wafts into my nose, reminding me that I skipped breakfast this morning.
My eyes scan the diner as I seek out my best friend.
I can’t use her hair as an indicator, Sofia changes her hair colour more times than some people change their underwear so it’s anyone’s guess what colour she’s sporting now.
Her long, naturally ashy blonde waves have been dyed every colour under the sun, and if memory serves, she even had rainbow hair for a short time during summer when we were fourteen.
I don’t have to search for very long as the sound of her uniquely infectious laugh carries through the small diner.
She’s facing away from me she chats with one of her customers sat in one of the booths by the bank of floor-to-ceiling window that looks out onto the street.
Today, her long hair is dyed a pale shade of grey, the coloured waves slowly blending into a soft lilac at the tips.
She finishes up with her customer and turns in my direction, her head bent down as she scribbles something on her notepad.
“Any chance of a little service around here?” I ask with a smirk.
Her eyes dart up to mine and a wide smile stretches across her face. “Oh my God!” she screeches.
She races towards me, throwing herself into my arms, knocking me back a step as her own wind around my neck.
“What are you doing here?” she asks, squeezing me so hard I’m struggling to breathe.
“How long have you got?”
She pulls back. “My lunch break’s in thirty if you wanna hang around for me?”
“Sure.”
“Caramel latte and a BLT?”
I smile. “You know me so well.”
After I’ve eaten and fuelled up on caffeine, her lunch break is soon upon us and as we stroll through Beacon park, I fill her in on everything that’s happened over the last few days. It feels nice to be able to talk about it.
“If it was making you as miserable as you say it was, I don’t blame you for quitting and your dad shouldn’t either.”
“You didn’t see the look on his face, Fi.”
“Screw him. It’s your life, babe, you’ve gotta live it for you, not for anyone else. Who cares what anyone else thinks? You have to do what feels right for you.”
“You’re right. It’s just hard, you know? Knowing I’m a disappointment in my father’s eyes never gets easier.”
“Well, I’m not disappointed.” She throws an arm around my shoulder, planting a kiss on my cheek. “I got my bestie back!” she beams.
Sofia and I have known each other since we were in kindergarten.
We met on our very first day and we’ve been inseparable ever since.
Sometimes I have to wonder why we’re even friends.
We’re complete polar opposites. Where I’m a thoroughbred introvert, Sofia is a wild child, the life and soul of any party and the girl who lights up a room with her carefree nature and adventurous spirit. In some ways I envy her.
“What will you do now?” she asks.
“I have no idea, but I need to find a job. I can’t stand the thought of spending any more time in that house than I need to. My mom barely acknowledges me and when my father does, it’s always something negative.”
“Fuck that! Stay with me. You’re welcome to stay anytime you need, you know that,” she offers.
“And listen to you getting railed by your boyfriend every night? Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
Her lips twist. “Good point.” She leans in closer to my ear, “God, the things he can do with his—”
“La la la la la!” I slam my hands over my ears. “I do not need to know this information!”
She throws her head back in laughter. “Who the hell else am I gonna tell? You’re my best friend which means you get front row seats to all the dirty deets.”
“Aren’t I the lucky one,” I deadpan.
“Well it’s more action than you’re getting! That’s mission number one now you’re back; finding you some good quality dick.”
“What’s the point when I can live vicariously through you?”
“Because you are too fucking gorgeous to remain a virgin, that’s why!”
“Broadcast it to the entire town, why don’t you?” I hiss. “My sexual inexperience will be hot gossip by dinnertime.”
“Guys eat that shit up, babe. Makes ‘em feel special to go where no man has gone before. And let’s face it, you have the best ass I’ve ever seen and it’s going to waste because you won’t allow anyone to see it!” She spanks me on the behind and I squeal.
“I don’t need a boyfriend, Fi.”
“Who said anything about a boyfriend? You’re young, go out and experiment and get a feel for what gets your engine going.”
“Have you met me? Like, have we not been friends our whole lives? You know sleeping around is not for me.”
“Fine! Then find some super-hot guy your father’s going to hate and enjoy the ride. Literally. Have sex and have a little fun, god knows you deserve it.” She pulls me to a stop, spinning me to face her by my shoulders. “Kai, I love you. You’re like my sister. I just want to see you happy.”