“Hey!” I squeak.
Dax laughs. “Sorry. Yeah, I thought this one would be no good.”
“It’s the smallest size I have in RTX,” Hugo comments.
Dax pats the top of the helmet. “Guess we’re going with the Aria then.”
I pull off the helmet and, when Dax takes it from me, I hurriedly fix my hair back in place.
Hugo places the black helmet back on the shelf and takes the white helmet to the front desk.
Dax slides a hand across the side of my face and into my hair. “Don’t worry, Sassy. You’re still looking good.”
I blush hard. “Thanks.”
“Dax?” a female voice calls out from the back of the store.
Dax turns, finding the person belonging to the voice.
“Hey,” says a tall, pretty girl with long jet-black hair, overlined eyes, and dark maroon lips. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”
She notices me, giving me a once-over while I do the same to her. Her sheer black T-shirt is torn, her leather pants are skin-tight, and her boots have a tall, chunky heel.
Dax shrugs. “I haven’t needed anything new in a while.”
The girl’s eyebrow arches, and she nudges her shoulder my way. “Looks like you’re into something new at the moment.”
Dax motions to me. “This is Sasha.” He gives me a smile and then introduces the girl. “Sasha, this is Stella.”
I hold the confusion from my expression, and instead, give Stella a friendly smile.
“Hi,” Stella says with a wave. “New to town?”
The sarcasm lies thick on her tongue, so my mouth stays tight as I respond. “I live close enough.”
She chews her fingernail, and her eyes move from me to Dax. “Snob Falls, huh?”
I sigh hard. “Does everyone around here call it that?”
Stella sniggers. “Just a little inside joke between me and Dax.”
My skin crawls. Inside joke? Just how close are these two?
Dax turns away, joining Hugo at the front desk. “We’ll just grab the helmet and go.”
I follow him to the desk as he slides cash across to Hugo. He scoops up the white helmet and stashes it under his arm. He holds out his other arm, welcoming me in.
Giddiness bubbles inside me, and with a faint squeal I return to my rightful place, under his arm. As we leave the store, I feel two overlined eyes burning holes into my back.
Walking back to his motorcycle, I can’t help the pettiness raging through me. “So, how do you know that girl?”
“Who, Stella?” Dax asks, pulling his key from his pocket and inserting into the ignition barrel.
“Yeah. Her.”
Dax shrugs. “We grew up together. You know how it is. She’s just a person in my life.”
“A person?” I hate this green-eyed version of myself. “Not an ex-girlfriend?”
