She hugged her arms around her stomach, fingers tightening into the jersey, “It’s—nothing. I just—” She sighed, “It’s nothing.”
I stepped closer, crowding into her space until her body heat mixed with mine, as I brushed a lock of hair over her shoulder, exposing her neck. “If it’s nothing, then why is your heart beating a drum solo right here?” I grazed my finger across the pulse point on her neck.
Her breath caught, but she stayed silent.
Eli joined us, leaning against her side. “You don’t have to tell us here, but you are telling us.”
She shook her head, that stubborn streak flashing, but I could see the fear beneath the bravado. The kind she couldn’t hide or brush off.
And whatever put it there, I was going to rip it to shreds.
“Come on,”I said, sliding my warm hand through her cold one, lacing our fingers. “You can ride with Eli and I’m going to drop your car off at your place.”
She hesitated, and then nodded. “Is that why your truck isn’t here?”
“We didn’t want your car sitting here all night.”
“Okay,” she said and gave me a small smile. It was tiny and hardly made her cheeks bend, but it was real. The first real one all night.
I got in her SUV and tried not to get jealous as she jumped up into the shotgun seat of Eli’s truck and followed me out of the parking lot. We were dropping her car off at home and then going to my place for the night.
The only thing keeping me sane, battling whatever it was that was fucking Frankie up, was the knowledge that she would be in my bed tonight.
Safe.
Happy.
Cared for.
Just as we turned off the main road and came up to a curve in the road, I tapped the brakes to slow down. But nothing happened.
My stomach dropped as Eli’s headlights flashed in the mirror behind me. I pressed harder on the brakes, still nothing. The pedal went straight to the floor.
“Shit—” I cursed, gripping the wheel as the car jerked and veered into a slide. I fought it, but the corner was too sharp and the car was going too fast. All I could do was aim for something that wouldn’t kill me.
The tree came at the hood fast. Way too fast.
The impact rocked my entire body, clanking my teeth together as the airbags exploded in my face and pain ricocheted across my chest as the seatbelt locked me into place for the violent ride.
The engine hissed and clanked before the car died as everything came to a stop with the smell of burned rubber in my nose.
My car door ripped open, and Eli forced his way through the side airbag, yelling my name. “Trav, talk to me!” He leaned in through the gap as I tried to sit up from where I landed, leaning over the console. “Trav!”
“I’m okay,” I hissed, sitting up and clenching my teeth as my chest burned. My ears rang violently.
“Travis,” Frankie screamed, pushing past Eli with eyes wide and wet as she gripped my face in her hands.
“I’m fine,” I groaned, clicking the seatbelt off and trying to bend my legs through the mangled dash to get out. “Shit.”
“I thought—” She broke off, trembling so hard her hands shook against my chest as I got out, “I thought I was about to watch you die.”
Once I was out and leaning against the hood of Eli’s truck as he hung up with 911, I watched silently as Frankie’s gaze kept flicking back to the mangled car.
There was something in her eyes, sharper than fear.
“What happened, man?” Eli asked, putting his hand on my shoulder, “Did you even touch the brakes?”
“Slammed them.” I stated, glancing at Frankie, “The pedal went to the floor without slowing me down at all.”
