Page 51 of Love at First Ride
‘Why not?’
I hear him clear his throat. ‘I dunno. Simpler that way.’
‘Oh.’
Sweat breaks out my upper lip.If I’m going to tell him, I need to keep this conversation going.
‘So, I guess you got together at that graduation party at her house?’ I ask.
‘Uh. Yeah, kind of. You were at that party, right?’
I don’t know if I should be pleased or disappointed that he’s asking the question, because, clearly, he doesn’t know the answer. ‘Uh, yeah, I was there. For a bit.’
‘Yeah, it was weird, you know, ’cause somebody said…’
He falls silent. I want him to ask if it was me in the closet so badly. Yet my own confession remains firmly trapped in my throat.
My head pounds.It was me. It was me. And this time, it’s my tongue that’s non-compliant.
‘Can we not talk about Amber?’ AJ huffs.
It seems the moment has passed, and I can’t recapture it.
I get a shower. Standing under the water flow, exhaustion washes over me. When I come out, dressed in a baggy T-shirt and a pair of loose-fitting cotton bottoms, AJ has fallen asleep, still sitting upright.
I adjust the lighting, then steal a glance at his chest. That he’s shirtless, alone with me in a motel room is almost too much to bear. There’s a tattoo of a scorpion inked over his heart, the same as the Hell’s Venom insignia from Scotch & Smoke. There is a skull on his right shoulder, and some writing under his ribs that I cannot make out. I know I’m staring, but it feels more like an appreciative gaze.
I drag my eyes away, abruptly feeling perverted. I picture our kiss, only this time it feels visceral, like I could still be back in that moment, the sensation of his lips on mine, causing a dull ache to blossom between my thighs.
Yet I did nothing. Isaidnothing. I couldn’t say the words:it was me you kissed in that closet. Not Amber bloody Bradshaw.
And now I’m my own worst enemy.
I dim the lights further and crawl under the covers on my side. The bed springs creak. I stare at the ceiling.
‘You kissed me at Amber’s party,’ I whisper, and I’m answered with gentle snores.
I wake with a start. I squint at the morning sunlight streaming in through a gap in the curtains.
I glance to my left, then look around the room. AJ is not here.
I’m alone.
I get up and get dressed. I’m just about to go and investigate when I hear the key card in the door.
AJ enters carrying a takeaway coffee and a paper bag.
‘Hey,’ he says, closing the door behind him. ‘I hope you like a cappuccino.’
‘Morning,’ is my reply, and I reach for the paper cup. ‘Cappuccino is good, thank you.’
He holds up the bag. ‘I bought donuts. Iced ones. Not a whole lotta choice, sorry.’
I take the bag too. ‘That’s fine. What time is it?’
He thrusts both hands into the back pockets of his jeans. ‘Seven. There’s a guy about to start work on your car. I paid already, so you should be all set.’
‘You didn’t have to pay.’
