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I gathered my things and walked out the door, not bothering to close it. Hannah had already hurt my feelings by flagrantly making plans in front of me after classes and not inviting me to go out. Not that I would’ve been able to. Max and I had already discussed our date plans this morning. But it would’ve been nice to have been invited.
At the very least, it would’ve been nice not to listen to Hannah as she made those plans. Right in front of my face. While standing in the middle of the dorm room. Giggling her face off.
Passive aggressive jerk.
But none of that mattered. I was only seconds away from seeing Max. From throwing my arms around him and racing off into the darkness of the night. I needed this, too. I needed him. To see him. To kiss him. To touch him. To feel him.
I hadn’t seen him since our evening in the sauna.
And I was already having withdrawals.
While part of me felt guilty about the strain on my friendship with Hannah, the other part of me didn’t care. I liked Max. A lot. He was quickly becoming part of my world. And if Hannah didn’t want to accept that, then there was nothing I could do about it. She didn’t have a say in who I did or did not see. She didn’t get to ice me out in an attempt to veto someone out of my world. This is what she’d wanted, anyway! For me to find someone. Make friends. Date someone. Lose my damn virginity.
Why was she suddenly pissed off?
Just focus on your date. Nothing else matters.
I smiled. Nothing else mattered at all. The only thing that mattered was the time I got to spend with Max. I pushed my way out of the dorm and started walking across the lawn. I slipped between two buildings before crossing the road, headed for that flickering lamplight. Why the city hadn’t fixed it, I didn’t know. But as I stood there, waiting for Max to arrive, I drew in a deep breath.
My eyes rose to the dorm and I saw a shadowy figure standing at the window. Hannah. I felt her eyes on me as she stood there with her arms tucked around her stomach. As if she were holding something in with all her might.
Guilt pooled in my gut before the sound of a bike tore through my thoughts.
The curtain fell in front of Hannah as Max turned the corner. I pulled my eyes away from the building and smiled as he rode up. I slipped my purse up my shoulder and held it close to me, watching. Waiting. Vibrating with anticipation as he pulled up. His bike sputtered as his feet touched down onto the pavement. He slid his helmet off and let his eyes slip down my body. The way he licked his lips shot fire through my veins. When he reached around to grab my helmet, I finally spoke.
“Missed you.”
He handed my helmet to me. “Missed you, too. Ready to go?”
“I’ve been ready all day, handsome.”
He chuckled. “Good. Hop on, Bambi. We got a night to enjoy.”
I slipped the helmet over my head, priding myself in the fact that I was getting better at i
t. I stuck my purse in his storage compartment, then tossed my leg over the back of his bike. The more I rode with him, the more comfortable I felt. And when Max revved his engine, I saw a handful of students look our way.
Watching us as he revved his engine one last time.
I like how they stare at us.
I threaded my arms around Max’s waist and leaned against him. I shifted down the seat, feeling the warmth of my inner thighs grace his back. I laid my helmeted head between his shoulder blades and drew in a deep breath. With one last pump of the gas, he took off from the curb.
Parting the seas of the night that swallowed us whole almost immediately.
I tightened my grip and held on to him. I fisted his jacket with my hands as I smiled beneath my helmet, moving with the bike. I clenched my thighs as tightly as I could, hanging on for dear life. I relished the feeling of freedom these rides always gave me. We rode in silence, my body drinking in the feel of his as I pressed even deeper against him.
His back rumbled with his growl.
I giggled at the sharp turns and squealed with the high speeds. It didn’t take me long at all to figure out that Max took the long way to our final destinations. Not that I minded. On the contrary, I adored it. I liked the fact that he wanted to take me riding. That he wanted me there, clinging to him. Behind him. Seated against him, with him at the helm. Guiding us wherever he thought appropriate. With Max, I could let go. I didn’t have to focus on tests, or midterms, or study dates, or family plans. I didn’t have to focus on the drama with Hannah, or her expectations of me, or those stupid dorm parties I had stopped attending.
With Max, there was no pressure. The word ‘no’ didn’t come with the silent treatment or some sort of retribution. It didn’t come with failing grades or disappointed parents. All it came with was a head-nod and a suggestion of something different.
He respected my boundaries.
And I really liked that.
I felt the bike slowing down and I finally looked up. My grip around his waist loosened as he pulled into a parking lot. I heard music thumping from the walls of the building in front of us. There was a small line out the door and men dressed in black taking IDs and marking on the tops of people’s hands. My eyes searched the building for a sign. Something that told me where we were.
