Straddling my bike again, I slid a glove from my hand, pulled out my phone from inside my cut and scrolled to find her name.
It rang out on my first attempt, but I tried again. On the eighth ring, she answered.
“Hey, you. I missed you this morning.”
“Where are you?” I asked calmly, squinting as I stared up into the sun and closed my eyes.
“I’m at Babylon High,” she said quietly, the din of noise fading as though she’d removed herself from a group. “Just dealing with some of the usual drama. Is everything okay?”
“No, everything’s shit,” I said through a weak huff oflaughter. “Everything except you.”
“What happened, baby?”
“Last night happened, and now I’m feeling all these things again, and I need it. I needed it. It’s just… it’s overwhelming. I’ve buried myself beneath too much, and…” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Can I come and get you? Now? I need to ride. I need to feel you behind me.”
There was a brief pause on the other end of the phone before she answered. “I’ll have Libby drive my truck home. I’ll be outside in five.”
“I’ll be there in three.”
I wasted no time in weaving my way back through the streets I knew better than I knew myself, taking the backroads to avoid any traffic. I didn’t want to go back to who I’d been the day before.
I came to a stop outside Babylon High, and I looked around for her.
It took another minute, but she appeared with Libby, glancing over her shoulder at me with a bright smile before she handed over her keys and walked toward me.
“Hey,” she finally said, both of her hands pressing against the gas tank of the Harley as she leaned in to drop a kiss to my lips.
I grabbed her, cupping both her cheeks in my grip and pulling her close to me. “Hi.”
Studying my face for a moment, Ayda just took me in. Her smile was still curling the edges of her mouth, but there a small edge of concern there as she lifted a hand and ran her thumb over my bottom lip. “Where do you want to go?”
“Some backstreet diner where I can sit and look at you without knowing anyone or worrying about who could bewatching. Somewhere nobody will find us. Just for an hour. I need some time with you,” I told her honestly, my voice husky and soft. “Please.” I smirked.
Ayda leaned in close again and brushed her lips against mine in a chaste kiss, her eyes brightening a little as she answered. “I’m all yours.”
Chapter Thirteen
AYDA
Iclimbed on the back of Drew’s bike without question or fear and pressed myself against him, my arms around his waist, settling against his body. Everything inside of me eased into a state of calm and rightness, as though this was what I’d been missing all this time. Drew put the bike in gear but pressed his hand against mine in warning before he took off. I let myself just be while he navigated us out of Babylon and into the Texas country, where the two-lane highways stretched out to the horizon. I had no idea if he had somewhere specific in mind. I didn’t really care as long as I was with him.
I’d heard the silent question in his voice the moment I’d answered his call. He was falling too deep into his own head. That he recognized that was a massive step in the right direction, and I would have agreed to anything he’d asked of me then.
When he finally pulled up outside a tiny, rustic-looking cabin that claimed to be a diner, I slipped off my helmet and looked around at the miles and miles of fields that surrounded us.
“Did you know this was here?” I asked as he killed the engine.
“No. Some of the greatest things are discovered at the ends of unfamiliar roads.” He glanced over his shoulder at me. “It’s one of the best things about being on the bike.”
“You’re not lying.” I swung my leg over the bike and stretched out my legs. “I kinda like the feeling of being completely lost with you.”
I took another look around and saw two older model cars parked at the very back of the small building, which I assumed belonged to the staff. There weren’t even any houses close by, so I could only imagine where they’d come from to get here to work. This little discovery was exciting, but also a little disconcerting. I couldn’t help feeling like a bunch of strange-looking kids were about to wander from the tall plants in one of the fields.
With that in mind, I held my hand out to Drew and smiled brightly. “You coming?”
He smirked and shook his head, freeing himself of the bad joke before he raised his brows and climbed off the bike to follow me inside.
The inside of the place wasn’t how I’d imagined it to be, but I loved that it had the ability to surprise me. When the older gentleman spread his arms in greeting, he told us to sit anywhere we liked, and as always, I sat us in a booth, leaving the seat facing all exits free for Drew to take.