Chapter 10
975 Words
Chapter 10
Raven
We rode back in silence; the night had gone quiet, and the docks smelled of rust and rain behind us. The festival noise was gone, just streetlights and the low hum of the city settling itself.
The ride home is usually how I clear my head. The wind blowing against my chest, the engine vibrating beneath me, my eyes focused on the road, and at that point, nothing else mattered, but it felt different this night.
I couldn’t stop thinking about him. The faster I rode, the louder his voice got in my head.
“You don’t have to act all tough”. My brain flashed.
I tightened my grip on the throttle.
“Raven”, " the way he called my name like I meant everything to him.
“Birdy”, The sound of that gave me butterflies but yet annoying……Ohhhh my God!
Focus Rave!
Focus!
I kept saying to myself every time he popped in my head.
But I couldn’t stop thinking about him. The smell of his cologne, his eyes, the way he smiles…… urghhhh!
Why am I thinking about him?
Fuck!
No Rave!
I exhaled sharply under my helmet and accelerated. The engine roared beneath me like it could drown it out.
The ride back to HQ was smooth but it felt shorter than usual.
I cut off my engine and removed my helmet, shaking my hair loose. I joined hands with Jade to move the arms inside. The others were already packing things up.
“Okay,” Who is he?” Jade's voice yanked me out of my thoughts just as I was about to wander in my thoughts again, so that I didn’t even know when she came to me.
“Who?” I pretended I didn’t hear that.
Jade has known me well enough, we come from way back.
“Who is he?” She asked again casually.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I answered sharply.
She laughed. “See that?” That right there. “The pretending.”
Was I that obvious?!
She stepped closer, peering at my face. “You looked so distracted the whole time and you kept zoning out. So who is he?”
I rolled my eyes. “ I wasn’t distracted and there’s no one.”
“Mmmm,” She zipped her jacket slowly.
I rolled my eyes. “You talk too much.”
“So,” she started casually, like she wasn’t about to start talking nonsense, “Is he handsome?”
I smiled quickly and turned away, I wasn’t going to answer that.
She grinned. “Ah. So he’s handsome.”
I shot her a look, “What?”
“You are literally blushing.” She grinned wider.
“I don’t blush,” I muttered.
You are.”
She leaned in closer, lowering her voice. “You like him?”
“ I tolerate him,” I said and turned away but she wasn’t done talking nonsense.
God!
“You don’t tolerate men, you once glared at a guy for breathing too loudly.” She said laughing.
That’s true actually, that’s how much I hate men. I hate everything and anything about them.
“That’s not true.”
She said softly, “So you’re in love?”
My pulse jumped in a way that irritated me.
Love?
I laughed so loud that it echoed. “Please, that’s ridiculous.”
She softened slightly. “Do you look at him and want to punch him in the face like every other guy?”
“Not really,” I answered quietly, which I could barely hear myself.
I never want to hurt him, I don’t know why, not even when he was that close, not when he called my name like that.
She smiled gently. “Exactly.”
“You deserve soft things too, Rave. She smiled slowly.
I scoffed. “Soft things break and I don’t know how to hold them without crushing them.”
She leaned in closer, clutching her hands on her chest in a dramatic way, and lowered her voice. “Have you guys had s*x?”
What!
That would literally be the best day of my life…….I could throw a party.
I grabbed my helmet. “Go home, Jade.”
Jade is so unbelievable. I grabbed my gloves and started working out.
She followed me like a pest and made the most dramatic annoying expression. “What’s his name?”
I shot her a warning look.
“What is it? Tell me!”
“It’s just a name.” Don’t hesitate.
Jade’s scream almost shook the entire compound, God! She’s so annoying.
“Lower your voice!”
“We reached our bikes. Finally, she can let go of me and her nonsense.
She reached for her bike and put on her helmet but lifted the visor.
What does she want again?!
“Soft things break only if you treat them like enemies.” She said softly.
I scoffed lightly. “Go home, Jade.
“And the next time you call me while I’m having s*x, she added casually, I won’t answer. You were really annoying that day.”
My eyes widened. “But you answered!”
“You won’t stop calling me and you were yelling as if your life depended on it!”
“It did, that’s my bike….. my baby!”
She laughed so hard that she almost lost her balance. “Text first, lover girl!”
“I swear, I’ll kill you!” I yelled back as she drove out.
She blew me a kiss and sped off.
I stood there for a second before getting on my bike and for some reason, I was smiling.
Even in my head, his name felt heavier than it should.
Jake.
And that scares me more than guns ever could.
- Writer
