Page 116 of Relentless

“Come on,” I call back to her, grinning wide. “You’re not gonna leave me hanging, are you?”

A smile, a real one, breaks across her face, and then she’s singing too. Her voice is sweet and a little shaky, but it blends with mine in the most perfectly imperfect way. We’re like the damn Glee cast in this fucking Honda Accord about to get junk food through the drive-thru. By the time we hit the chorus, we’re both belting it out like we’re headlining a fucking concert.

The drive-thru girl gives us a strange look when I order two burgers, fries, and milkshakes, but I don’t care. When I pass the food back to her, she clutches the bag like I’ve handed her salvation.

“Thank you,” she whispers, and there’s so much weight in just those two words.

“You don’t have to thank me for basic human decency.” I catch her eyes in the mirror again. “Eat. Enjoy. Tonight’s about you, not that fucking asshole.”

She glances down at the burger, hesitates as if it’s her mortal enemy.

“Don’t youdarelet him destroy your self-worth.”

She looks back up at me and smiles, then devours the burger between songs, and by the time we’re rolling through her friend’s neighborhood, she’s actually laughing. The sound fills the car like music—unexpected and beautiful.

“So…” I venture as we pull up to the address. “Big plans with the bestie?”

“Wine, cheesy movies, and bitching about stupid boys.” She grins, gathering her things. “The holy trinity of heartbreak recovery.”

“Sounds exactly like what you need.” I put the car in park and turn to face her one more time.

She meets my eyes, and something electric passes between us. Something I can’t name but feel all the way down to my bones.

“Thank you. Honestly, thank you.” Her voice is soft, sincere, and it does something dangerous to my chest.

Before I can respond, the front door of the house flies open, and a petite blonde rushes out. Her eyes land on me through the windshield, and she stops dead in her tracks. “Holy shit,” I hear her mutter, giving me a full once-over that makes me bite back a laugh.

The redhead, my passenger, climbs out, and her friend immediately pulls her into a hug, but not before shooting me another wide-eyed look over her shoulder.

I watch them head toward the house, and that’s when my phone buzzes with a notification.

A tip.

I glance down and nearly choke.

She has tipped me damn near what the ride cost, with a note…

For making me believe in decent humans again.

Something warm and unfamiliar spreads through my chest—something that has nothing to do with the money and everything to do withher.

I quickly pull up the ride details, scanning for her name.

Marley Wren.

I save it in my mental files. Not to be creepy or stalkerish, just in case she ever needs another lift. Just in case fate decides to throw her my way again.

Because there’s something about this girl.

Something that makes me smile in a way I haven’t in a long time.

Something that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, like Queenie’s hugs or playing music that actually matters.

I watch Marley disappear into the house with her friend, and I sit here for a moment longer than necessary, engine idling, heart doing something strange.

Then I make a decision.

I’m done for the night.

I log out of the app, shift the car into drive, and head back to the clubhouse.

Suddenly, I have an overwhelming urge to watch cheesy movies and forget about chaos and everything that’s been weighing on me. Because tonight, I met someone who reminded me that sometimes, the smallest acts of kindness can change every-damn-thing.

I may have been the person to lift Marley’s spirits tonight, but what she doesn’t know is that she has done the same for me. And somehow, I know, deep in my gut where instinct lives, that Marley with her red hair, quirky glasses, and beautiful curves is going to turn my world completely upside down.

I just have to hope that fate and the Uber app are on our side.

THE END