I was left alone. Caught in the shop. Kai told me not to move as he went to the back and signed off for the day. As I stood by myself I prepared my escape, but every direction I thought to take resulted in him running after me or catching up with me too easily. I wasn’t a runner – pre- or post-accident.
“Ready?”
I turned around. Kai appeared behind me – a little too close for my liking. He wore a black leather jacket and looked like a gothic surfer. Yet somehow it made him look cooler. I awkwardly twirled, pushed the door open – pushing away the unwanted thoughts of him and me from my mind – then stepped outside. The fresh air whipped my cheeks and the cold stung my lungs. Everything was decorated in grey. Or was that the way I painted it? Either way it didn’t matter. It was the way I wanted it be – the way I wanted it to look.
“So, where do you wanna go for you to ‘get back out there’?” Kai said.
“You heard that?”
“Your mum’s not the quietest whisperer …”
My heart sank. I hoped he hadn’t heard her earlier whispering. I looked away, embarrassed. What was I even doing here?
“So what’s your story?” Kai said.
“Excuse me?”
“What’s your deal? First you lie to me about how you got your injuries. Then you try to ditch me and use your mum as an excuse. If you didn’t want to hang out all you had to do was say.”
My eyes widened. He was bluntly honest. And somehow he seemed to read me like a book he’d read a thousand times. I was twisting with conflicting emotions. My stomach turned. I didn’t like the way he’d just made me feel. “No … I …”
“So you do wanna hang out?”
There it was again, that smug smile – like he’d forced me to admit something.
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Well, all right then.” I watched him light up like a bulb. “I know a cool place in the forest we can hang out at. I go there myself just to think. And the scenery is spectacular.”
My bones began to clatter. I felt the blood rush through my veins. For seconds my surroundings spun. I wanted my darkness. I looked to Kai’s eyes. They were bright headlights. I felt my guard rise.
“Um, no thanks. I’m not going to any secluded area for you to kill me. I’ve already escaped death this year. I’m not game for a second round.”
“Interesting. Your plot thickens. And my curiosity increases. Is that how you got your injuries?”
“That’s for me to know–”
“And for me to find out. I accept the challenge.”
“It’s not a challenge.”
“Fine. Whatever you say. Maybe one day you’ll tell me. Maybe you won’t. But I’m hoping you will.”
Incredible. Unbelievable actually. There he was again, thinking he could knock down my walls and peak inside, then ditch me and leave me lonely. He swept his hand through his thick hair and I couldn’t help but feel like I was supposed to be falling for him. Like that was a move he would use to charm other girls. But I wasn’t going to allow myself to fall.
We strolled around the corner then stopped in front of a jet-black motorbike, which would have shone if the sun were hitting it. Instead, the day was grey and smelt like it was about to rain. I glanced at him, dressed in his leather jacket, and put two and two together.
“Is this yours?”
“Sure is. Hop on.”
“Um. No.”
“Have you never been on a motorbike?” Kai asked.
I shook my head.
“Are you serious?”
I just eyed him.
“You’ll be fine. I’ll take it slow. Trust me.”
Trust him. I barely knew him and he wanted me to trust him. Who was this kid? There was no way I was getting on that thing. I had just survived a car crash – I was supposed to be scared to get in a car and for some odd reason I wasn’t. But clinging onto a stranger on the back of a motorbike was another thing entirely.
“Are we going for a ride on this thing?” Kai said.
“No. Not today.”
There it was again, that smug smile. What was he thinking this time?
“Good to know,” Kai said.
“Good to know what?”
“Well, you said ‘Not today’. That means we’ll be seeing each other again. Hanging out again. Thus allowing me to convince you to take a chance on the motorbike and maybe on me.”
He was full of himself. That cheeky smile stretched across his face and his eyes lit up like a hundred different things were running through his mind. A part of me wanted to know more about him. There was no denying he was interesting. I felt myself becoming somewhat captivated, even though I tried to fight it. I wanted to push the secrets out of him. I wanted to hear his story. To understand his deal. I also wanted to walk away and have nothing to do with him. Just leave it as the odd chance meeting and in time slowly forget about him. Liam and I would just have to find another favourite café.
My mind rustled up words as I tried to create an excuse for my departure. I latched onto one, but before I could speak, Kai spoke.
“OK, so no motorbike today. No forest exploring today. How about that picnic table over there …” He pointed. My eyes followed his fingers. “Completely out in the open. People on the road can see us; people in the shops can see us. Too many witnesses for any crime to take place. What do you think?”
I don’t remember agreeing, but the next thing I realised we were occupying the table.