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“I don’t need your help.” In the distance, the gate drops and the roar of twenty dirt bikes floods out the silence that’s seeped in between us. As the bikes round the first turn and head toward the score tower, I fight back tears. I am so sick of crying lately. I love what he’s done for me, for us, but I can’t live with the guilt that my situation may have put his career in jeopardy. My fingers turn white on the metal railing. “I don’t know what you thought you’d accomplish by coming here, but now I just feel guilty as hell. You need to go back, Ash.”
Ash makes a sound between a groan and a sigh. “We have to stop this, Hana.”
“Stop what?”
He makes a motion with his hand. “This . . . distance . . . between us. We both know it’s not right. You can’t seriously think that I wouldn’t do anything for you. Please stop pushing me away. My life has been shit since we broke up, and I can’t handle it anymore. Please, Hana.” Ash grabs the collar of his shirt, his hand clenching into a fist. “I love you.”
I blink and draw in a slow breath. My next words probably aren’t what he wants to hear, but they need to be said. I throw my shoulders back. “Who is that blonde girl?”
He lifts an eyebrow but the confusion leaves his face a second later. “Trinity. She’s an intern for Team Yamaha, kind of like an assistant and coffee gopher.”
“Are you dating her?”
“No,” he says immediately.
“Were you dating her?”
“It’s never even crossed my mind.” He holds up three fingers, the Boy Scout promise. “For transparency here, she probably has a crush on me and every other guy on the team for that matter. But I don’t care about her. I care about you.”
“You have her picture in your phone,” I say, putting a hand on my hip. I’m not ready to be convinced just yet. Having my heart broken once was more than enough. A second time might rip the thing straight from my chest.
Ash was never a liar, at least not in the time I’ve known him, so he doesn’t have any tells that I could be looking for. His eyes never leave mine. “She did that herself. I’ll gladly delete it for you.” He chuckles. “Hell, I’ll text her and tell her to fuck off if you want. You can watch me do it.”
I shake my head and stare at my shoes. “That’s not necessary. What do you want from me, Ash? Why are you here, doing this now?”
“I want you as my girlfriend again.” He grins, his lips twisting into a sideways smile, and the sunlight hitting his eyes just right, making them sparkle. “Preferably right this second. But I can wait if you want. I’ll do whatever you want.”
“My dad isn’t in the clear yet,” I say as a giant lump of worry settles into my stomach. “He could still die. And if he does, I’ll remember this day for the rest of my life.” Ash reaches for my hand and I let him take it. “If you don’t plan on sticking around forever then I don’t want you in these memories. If Dad doesn’t make it, I can’t look back on these days and remember that you were here and then you were gone again.”
Ash’s fingers squeeze into mine, his other hand grazing my cheek. “I’ll be here forever. I’m in this for good.” He takes a deep breath and I focus on his lips, perfect and trustworthy as always. “Every problem we had can be fixed, I am positive of that. We’ll figure it out. And I’m not going anywhere, I promise you. Okay?”
My heart flips around in my chest. My toes tingle with the excitement of kissing him again, now and forever. “Okay,” I whisper, leaning forward and lifting up on my toes.
Ash’s arms slip around me and his lips meet mine. This kiss is the opposite of the last time we’d been in this same position. It’s patient, and loving, not frenzied. I breathe in the scent of his cologne, the minty taste of his mouth on mine. My hands slide up his muscled chest, wrapping around his neck. A shiver runs through me as if this was the first time we’d ever kissed, a memory of last year that fills me up as if I am experiencing it all over again, just as perfect as I remember.
“Wait,” I say, my lips pressed to his. He pulls away tentatively, his eyes searching mine.
“What’s wrong?”
I swallow, and I’m not sure if what I’m about to do will ruin everything. “I have a secret.”
His tongue runs across his bottom lip, his brows pulling together. I hold out my hand. “It’s not as bad as whatever you’re thinking, I just—I can’t not tell you about this.”
He rocks back on his heels. “What is it?”
Despite the sudden urge to shake my head and tell him never mind, I know I can’t hold onto this secret forever. Slowly, I reach into my front pocket and let my fingers curl around the metal that sits there, like it has every single day since February. Ash watches me, curiosity and fear tugging at his gorgeous face. I pull out the necklace, the silver number plate I’d taken from the trash can, and put it in his hand.
“I watched you walk away,” I say with a little shrug. “I wanted to run after you, but then—”
“I’m glad you kept it,” Ash says, unclasping the chain. He places the necklace around my neck, sweeping back my hair in one swift motion. He leans down to buckle the clasp, and the tingle of his breath on my neck sends chills down my spine. His lips hover near my collar, where he places a soft kiss before rising. “I’ll always be number three-three-six,” he says, that seductive grin reappearing on his face. His fingers trace my jawline. “And you’ll always be my girl.”
I chuckle and then throw my arms back around him. We make out until my walkie-talkie crackles. Shelby’s voice sounds through the speaker at my hip. “Shelby to score tower. Is everything good on your end?”
Ash sneaks in one quick kiss as I reach for the walkie-talkie. “She’s gonna freak when she finds out about us,” he whispers.
I give him a devilish grin and press the talk button. “Score tower to Shelby. Everything is perfect over here.”
***
