Beneath the Leather

Chapter 18: Collision

The night air hit Jazmine the second she stepped outside, cold and sharp against her flushed skin. Her lungs burned as she tried to breathe, but it felt like there wasn’t enough air in the world to steady her.

Hercules stayed close at her side, the leash wrapped tightly around her hand. He kept glancing up at her, ears slightly back, like he could feel something was wrong.

“I’m okay…” she whispered, her voice barely holding together. “I’m okay.”

But she wasn’t.

Devon’s words replayed over and over in her head, louder than anything else. Liz’s silence. Tasha’s excuses. It all mixed together until it felt like she couldn’t think straight.

Hercules let out a soft whine, nudging her leg.

Jazmine looked down at him, her expression softening just a little as she brushed her fingers over his head. “I know… I know. I’m trying.”

She kept walking, not really paying attention to where she was going—just needing to move, to get away from everything.

A small corner store came into view, bright against the dark street. Without thinking too much, she pushed the door open, the bell chiming softly above her.

Hercules padded in beside her, nails clicking lightly against the tile. He sniffed around for a second before settling close to her leg again.

Jazmine grabbed a bottle of water, her hands still shaky, her mind somewhere else entirely.

“Hey—”

She turned too quickly.

Her shoulder hit something solid.

A cup tipped.

Liquid splashed forward—right across a dark shirt.

“Oh—s**t, I’m so sorry!”

The cup dropped to the floor with a dull thud. Hercules jumped slightly, letting out a quick bark before settling again.

Jazmine froze. “Oh my God—I didn’t mean to, I wasn’t—”

She looked up.

It was him.

The biker.

He looked down at his shirt, dark liquid spreading across the fabric, then let out a slow breath through his nose.

Before Jazmine could keep rambling, his eyes flicked down to the dog at her side—and something in his expression shifted slightly.

“Hercules, right?” he said.

Jazmine blinked, caught off guard. “You… remember?”

He gave a small nod. “Hard to forget a name like that.”

Hercules sniffed toward him, tail giving a small wag like he recognized him too.

Jazmine let out a quiet breath, still flustered. “I’m really sorry about your drink. I wasn’t paying attention at all. I can get you another one or—”

“You’re fine,” he said calmly.

She shook her head. “No, I’m really not. I just spilled your whole drink on you.”

He glanced down at himself again, then back at her. “It’s just a drink. Not worth stressing over.”

Jazmine hesitated, thrown off by how relaxed he was about it. Most people would’ve been annoyed.

“I still feel bad,” she muttered.

He shrugged slightly. “You look like you’ve got bigger things going on.”

That made her pause.

Because he wasn’t wrong.

Her shoulders dropped just a little. “…yeah.”

There was a brief silence, but it didn’t feel awkward—just… real.

Hercules sat down beside her, calm now, leaning lightly against her leg. The biker glanced down at him again, a faint smirk pulling at his lips.

“He’s calmer than last time,” he said.

Jazmine let out a small, tired laugh. “Only when he knows I’m not okay.”

His gaze flicked back up to her face, taking in the redness in her eyes, the tension she couldn’t quite hide.

“Rough night?” he asked.

Jazmine hesitated. For a second, she almost lied.

But instead, she just nodded. “…yeah.”

He didn’t push. Just nodded once, like that was enough.

“I didn’t mean to take it out on you,” she added quietly.

“You didn’t,” he said. “You just ran into me.”

That earned the smallest smile from her.

She shifted slightly, finally loosening her grip on the leash. “I can still replace your drink.”

He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

Jazmine nodded slowly. “Okay… but next time, I’ve got it.”

He raised an eyebrow slightly. “Next time?”

She blinked, then let out a soft breath. “I mean… if I run into you again. Not like—on purpose.”

That earned a faint smirk from him. “Sure.”

Jazmine glanced toward the door. “I should go.”

He nodded. “Try not to crash into anyone else.”

She huffed a quiet laugh. “I’ll try.”

She turned and headed out, Hercules trotting beside her as the bell chimed overhead.

The cool air hit her again—but this time, it didn’t feel as suffocating.

Behind her, he watched for a second, then looked down at his shirt, shaking his head slightly.

“…Hercules,” he muttered, almost amused.

Outside, Jazmine kept walking, her steps a little steadier now.

Nothing was fixed. Not even close.

But for the first time that night… she didn’t feel completely alone.