Motorcycle Babe

Scarred and Reckless

Raven

I walked out of the diner after paying for our lunch. The early October air was crisp, the kind that made you want to pull your jacket tighter against the sudden chill. My leather jacket creaked softly as I shoved my hands into the pockets, the wind pushing stubborn strands of hair across my face. Instinctively, my fingers brushed over the jagged line of the scar near my temple—a physical map of a night I tried to forget. I let out a jagged sigh before tucking the thought away, locking it in the dark where it belonged.

Arielle was leaning against my bike, her head down and her thumbs flying across her phone screen. t****k, probably. She looked gorgeous—she always did—but as beautiful as she was, and as wild as we were behind closed doors, there was still a hollow, echoing space in my chest whenever I looked at her too long.

She wasn't it. She wasn't Gabby.

God, Gabby. Just the thought of her name made my pulse trip and stumble. Memories hit me like strobe lights—the taste of her, the warmth of her skin, the way she used to melt into my arms as if no time had passed. She was older now, a woman instead of a girl, and somehow even better. And me? I was more experienced. Maybe too experienced. Some nights, I couldn't tell if the things I'd done were for survival or just a long list of regrets.

"Babe?" Arielle's voice pulled me back to the pavement.

She tilted her head, studying me with a focused intensity. Before I could mask it, her hand was on my cheek—soft, but insistent. "You alright? You look like you just saw a ghost."

I forced a small, practiced smirk, peeling her hand from my face but holding her fingers for a beat longer than I meant to. "Yeah, I'm good. Just... thinking too hard."

Her lips curled into a half-smile. With her free hand, she brushed my hair behind my ear, her touch lingering. "You know, sometimes I forget just how gorgeous you are. You should see the way other girls stare when you walk past."

I gave a noncommittal half-shrug. Compliments like that had stopped hitting the mark a long time ago. My so-called "reputation"—the strings of flings, the sudden fights, the dark rumors—it all traced back to me trying to drown the ache Gabby left behind. Weed hadn't worked. Alcohol hadn't worked. So I’d tried bodies instead. It was a temporary cure that only ever left me feeling emptier. And yeah, it pissed off plenty of guys when their girlfriends wandered too close to me, but that was their problem. Not mine.

I almost laughed at the thought, but Arielle was watching me like she was waiting for me to finally start the damn bike. My head was always running when it should be still.

And then, I froze.

Across the street, arms loaded with shopping bags and laughing at something, was Kyle. And right beside him—her hair tied back, her cheeks flushed pink from the cool air—was Gabby.

My chest constricted, my lungs suddenly forgotten.

Kyle caught sight of me first. His eyes went wide before he elbowed her playfully, trying to play it cool. She nudged him back, rolling her eyes with a smile I remembered in my marrow, but when she turned... her gaze locked with mine.

And just like that, time folded in on itself. My heart pounded so hard it was a physical pain in my ribs. My legs went weak, like the very pavement was about to give out. After everything—after the years, the secrets, and the scars—her eyes still had the power to completely undo me.

"Baby," Arielle sing-songed, her voice cutting through the trance like a blade. "Are we leaving or not? My parents won't be home till later, and I want a quick f**k before they get back."

The words snapped the tether. Guilt washed over me like a cold slap. Right. Arielle.

"Oh—yeah. Sorry," I muttered, forcing my eyes away from the girl across the street. I handed Arielle the spare helmet and slid my own on, the visor clicking shut and hiding the storm in my eyes.

She pressed against me the second she was seated, her arms snaking around my waist and her chest flush against my back. I could barely breathe under the weight of her, the vibration of the bike, and the absolute chaos in my chest. I glanced once more across the street.

Gabby was still staring. Her expression was a mess of confusion and something else—something I couldn't quite name. Kyle, though... he just shook his head slowly. He knew exactly what was unraveling inside me.

I revved the engine, the roar drowning out the world as I pulled away from the curb. In my side mirror, their figures grew smaller and smaller. Gabby’s silhouette remained frozen in place, a tiny speck in the glass until she finally disappeared into the distance.

I gripped the handlebars until my knuckles turned white, my jaw set tight against the wind. No matter how much I tried to bury it, no matter who I let into my bed, the truth gnawed at me louder than the engine beneath me.

I still love her.