Rejected by One, Wanted by Another

The Ride

The rain was no longer drizzling, it had become very heavy. Lucy stood at a corner close to the library. She felt like a fool, her floral dress had become wet and was clinging to her skin. Every minute that passed showed how much Adrian didn’t care about her. He had promised to pick her up, just to see if she would wait.

“He’s not coming Lucy" Jonathan said.

"He... he might have had an emergency," Lucy stammered, her voice was trembling from the cold. She clutched her phone, the screen was dark, Adrian had still not responded. "The weather is bad. Maybe the car..."

"The car is fine. I saw him leave the lounge an hour ago smiling," Jonathan lied, or perhaps he just knew. He didn't care, he only cared about the girl shivering in the dark. He reached into the back compartment of his bike and pulled out a spare black helmet. "Get on. I'm taking you home."

"I can’t," she whispered, looking at the sleek but dangerous machine. "I should wait. What if he shows up and I’m gone? It would look…"

"It would look like you have an ounce of self-respect," Jonathan snapped. He stepped up the first two stairs, closing the distance between them. "Look at yourself Lucy. You’re freezing, you’re crying and you’re waiting for someone who isn’t coming. I’m not asking. Get on the bike."

Thunder shook the stone pillars behind her. The sky turned white for a second, showing the heavy downpour. The library was already closing, the lights inside began to flicker off one by one. She was about to be left alone in total darkness.

Lucy looked at Jonathan’s stretched hand. Then she looked at her phone, there was still no calls or texts. The hope she had been holding onto all day finally snapped.

"Okay," she breathed.

Jonathan didn't waste time. He stepped closer, his hands were surprisingly gentle as he lowered the heavy helmet onto her head. He clicked the strap under her chin, his knuckles brushed against her skin sending heat through her despite the cold air. He lowered the visor to shield her eyes from the rain.

He hopped back onto the bike, and Lucy followed behind him slowly.

"Hold on," he commanded over the roar of the engine.

"I am," she said, gripping the metal bars at the back of the seat.

"Not to the bike," Jonathan turned his head slightly. "To me. Unless you want to slide off when I hit the turn."

Lucy hesitated for a while before reaching forward. she wrapped her arms around his waist, her chest pressing hard against his broad back. He felt so solid, he felt so warm under the freezing cold. Under the his leather jacket, she could feel the ripple of his muscles as he gripped the handlebars.

Jonathan didn't wait for her to change her mind. He revved the engine, and they took off.

The world became blurry with streaking lights and gray shadows. The speed was terrifying and exciting all at once. Every time Jonathan tilted the bike into a turn, Lucy squeezed him tighter, her face pressed into the space between his shoulder blades.

The physical closeness wasn’t like anything she had ever felt with Adrian. With Adrian, everything felt fake… the polite touches, the distant hugs, the performance of affection. But this was different. She could feel the vibration of the engine through Jonathan’s body and into her own. She could feel his steady heartbeat against her inner wrists.

The wind blew past her helmet, but inside the small space, all she could hear was her own breathing and the hum of the man she was clinging to. Lucy realized she wasn't thinking about the Quinn business, the Matthews merger, or the wedding date.

She was only thinking about the heat of Jonathan’s body and the way he seemed to be racing against the storm just to keep her safe.

As they sped away from the campus, the rain began to fall even harder, turning the road into a river. Jonathan slowed down, his posture turning more protective as he shielded her from the wind.

He didn't head toward her dorm. He turned toward the outskirts of town, where the buildings were older and the streets were narrower.

"The bridge to the dorms is flooded!" he shouted over his shoulder. "I have to stop at my place until this thins out!"

Lucy didn't protest. She couldn't. She just tightened her grip on him, her heart racing with fear and a dangerous electric thrill she wasn't supposed to feel for a stranger.