“I’m sorry.” She looks over her shoulder at the railing, trouble etched in her expression.
“Is there anyone I can call for you?”
She shakes her head. A lone tear rolls down her cheek. “There’s no one.”
“Can I get you checked out at the hospital?” She shakes her head furiously, and I put my hands up in surrender. “We don’t have to. I can just sit here as long as you need.”
“I’m okay now,” she sniffles. “I’ll be okay.”
“I was only out riding anyway. Not very often I get to meet a damsel in distress.”
“And who’s my knight in shining armour?” She looks towards the bike before continuing. “Or should I say, leather with his shiny steed?”
“Knight Clay, at your service,” I reply, as I bow my head in her direction. She lets out a small laugh, and I feel the tension dissipate.
“Well, this crack case you saved is Bella,” she says, pushing her shaky hand towards me.
“Oooh, Bella, likeBeauty and the Beast?”
She laughs, shaking her head, “That’s Belle, not Bella.”
“Nah, I prefer Belle. I’m going to call you Belle because you’re going to be the beauty to my beast.”
She laughs again. “You’re no beast.”
“I was referring to my bike. That’s her name, the Beast Machine.”
She shakes her head in amusement. “What is it with you men and giving your machines names?”
“Shhhh . . . you’ll hurt her feelings. She’s very sensitive.”
“Me and her will get on just fine then,” she says, her voice trailing off as sadness returns to her expression.
We sit there for a while, and the silence isn’t uncomfortable like you would expect it to be. It’s calming. She stares out intothe distance, lost in her own thoughts. I don’t want to leave her here because I’m not certain she won’t try again, and I can’t have that on my conscience.
“Can I give you a ride home?” I ask, getting to my feet.
“I’m okay here,” she whispers.
“Nah, come on, let me get you home. You can get out those wet clothes and get some rest. Maybe things will feel different then?” I put out my hand to help her up, making it clear I have no intention of leaving here without her. She nods once and grabs hold of my hand so I can haul her to her feet. I lead her towards the bike and lift her on to the pillion.
I hand her my phone and she frowns. “I need you to enter your address, I know I might be a Knight, but I’m no mind reader,” I laugh.
She takes the phone from me, typing in her address on the sat nav. I take my helmet off the floor, placing it on her head and adjusting the straps.
“What about you?”
“I’ve been through worse, I’m sure I’ll manage the short distance to your place.”
I swing my leg over the bike and grab her hands, pulling them to my waist. “Hold on tight,” I instruct, and she nods.
We make the short journey to her home. I slow to a stop and stare up at the huge building. “Nice place,” I say, getting off the bike.
She gives an uncomfortable laugh. “Not really. It’s this tiny bedsit.” I help her off the bike and she removes the helmet, handing it to me. “It’s pretty dirty, cold and damp,” she adds, shrugging. “Thank you for the ride.”
“No worries, Belle,” I say, watching as she takes two steps up at a time to the property.
She enters the main door, turning to offer a small wave before disappearing inside. I climb back on the bike. The door closes,but I don’t move.Clay, what the fuck are you doing? I’m worrying about a woman I literally only met a few hours ago, but there is no way I can drive off and leave her until I know she’s not going to come running out the second I’ve gone and head back to that bridge. So, I decide to stay parked up for a while longer, just to make sure.
