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Reaching into his truck bed, he opens a cooler and tosses me an ice-cold bottle of water. “Stay hydrated, today. Okay?”
“Wait, did I guess right?”
“Let me have my fun, sweetheart. You’ll find out soon enough,” he says, leading me toward the sounds of revving engines. Luke walks with even more confidence than usual. Muscular chest proud, steps sure, and a permanent grin on his bearded face.
My stomach has been filled with butterflies ever since Luke asked me to spend the day with him, my mind wandering with the possibilities of what it could mean.
Luke’s been teasing and flirtatious with me since we first met, but I wrote it off as something he must do with everyone. The way he’s treating me lately feels different, more intentional. Affectionate even.
“Did I tell you how fucking cute you look in this?” Luke asks, tugging playfully on the bill of my hat. After his entirely unhelpful wardrobe suggestions this morning, I landed on cutoff denim shorts, cropped white tank top, white low top Converse that are still scuffed from the day we worked on my car, and a black baseball cap, silver anklet, and a little black backpack filled with Devon’s good sunscreen and oversized sunnies for accessories.Trying to look like I’m not trying. Not sure if I succeeded.For his part, he’s dressed the same as always, navy t-shirt and worn jeans.
“Yes, Lucas, it was the first thing you said when I opened the door this morning,” I say, his attention making me giggle.
“Good, I don’t want you to forget it.” He slowshis steps, leaning closer to me. “Stick with me today, alright?”
“Who else would I be with?” I ask him, confused.
“I’m serious.”
“Me too.”
Luke shakes his head and laughs, picking his pace up again. “They’re going to love you. Maybe too much.”
Before long, a rainbow of canopy style tents, like the ones at a BBQ or the beach, comes into view. There are trucks and trailers everywhere, a lot like a tailgate party, except this one has motorcycles peppered throughout. Underneath the tents, people are sitting on lawn chairs and drinking beers out of koozies.
“Fucking Luke!” a boisterous voice coming from somewhere in between the tents yells. “Bringing a girl to race day?” The owner of the voice appears, and I recognize him immediately as Luke’s friend Cameron. He’s hard to miss. Excessively tall with wild red hair that fades into a washed out green, and colorful tattoos covering almost every inch of exposed skin other than his face.
Cameron rushes us, like he’s about to scoop Luke up in a hug. I step back to give them room, but at the last second he turns toward me instead, wraps his arms around my waist, and picks me up all the way off the ground to spin me around in circles.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Luke says to Cameron after the second spin. “She probably doesn’t remember you, Jesus.”
“I remember Cameron,” I say, laughing as he sets me back down on the ground. Luke moves next to me, wrapping his heavy, muscular arm around my shoulder in an undeniably possessive move.
“See? She loves me,” Cameron says.
“Actually, I said I remember you,” I correct, causing Luke to smile.
“One and the same, love. One and the same,” Cameron says,every word out of his mouth bordering on laughter. “But will you call me Cam, please? Or Hack?”
“Hack?” I ask him.
“Cameron Hacker,” Cam says and then lowers into an exaggerated bow in front of me. “My mother calls me Cameron. My friends call me Cam, and my race friends call me Hack.”
“I’ll go with Cam.”
“After today, we’ll be race friends. Is this your first time racing a motorcycle?” Cam asks me.
“Wait, hold the fuck on.” I hold my palms up flat in front of me and try to step backwards away from them, but I only land more solidly in Luke’s hold. “Nope, nope, nope.”
“Quit being an ass,” Luke scolds Cam before squeezing my shoulder reassuringly and looking down at me. “He’s fucking with you. We’re only here towatchraces.”
“He’s right. I’m sorry,” Cam says, with a gigantic smile and not a stitch of remorse in his voice. “Although this shit is addictive. I’ll bet you ten bucks and a warm beer that you’ll want to try it yourself by the end of the day.”
“Those are low stakes,” I say.
“Exactly. That’s how I get people to play along with me. Did it work?” Cam asks.
“Sure didn’t,” I deadpan, causing Cam and Luke to both laugh louder than the joke deserved as we head toward the tents.
