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I felt things would be different the next time I saw Koah. Already, things felt awkward between us. Almost as if our time of talking of our pasts and telling each other’s secrets was a bad mistake—a fluke we would never allow to happen again.
He opened the door and stepped into the hallway. I held the door open for him and waited for him to say something that would ease my fears—something that would let me know things wouldn’t change once he was with his boys at The Strip. I hoped Koah wasn’t the kind of guy to deny what was going on between us, but I had to be smart. I couldn’t let myself believe this was something that it wasn’t.
The fact was, we had both faced a few demons. We had released years’ worth of hate and anger. It was an honest moment between us, and there was no telling what the following day would hold.
“I’ll see you around,” he said, shifting on his feet like he was uncomfortable.
Already, I hated the way he was acting toward me.
“Okay. Be safe driving home.”
“Will do.”
And then he was gone, leaving me confused at my door.
I locked up and woke Gracie so she could go to her bedroom. Then I turned everything off, went to my room, and relaxed in bed as I replayed everything between Koah and me. When I finally began to doze off, I did so with a heavy heart.
I had learned many things. One, my father was a sick pervert who had crushed the souls of many. Two, Koah wasn’t the devil I had always thought him to be. He was innocent; he was a survivor. And three, I liked being around Koah and how he made my body feel.
17
Tori
Therestoftheweek dragged by, and I didn’t see or hear from Koah. The cook told me the guys came in a few times a week, but the Sons of Sinister were nowhere to be seen. It made me wonder if Koah was purposely avoiding me.
I agreed when Sadie asked me to go to The Strip the following weekend. The truth was, I wanted to see Koah. It was strange how quickly things had changed between us, but I supposed that was what happened when two people exploded with truths. I understood Koah better, and I had a feeling he understood me. There would be no pressure, no pushing—just two people crossing paths with parallel pasts.
The bikers had already started racing when we found ourselves on the sidelines. I sipped a soda instead of anything alcoholic and enjoyed the races while waiting to see Koah’s yellow and pink beauty. The night was warm with humidity and a hint of rain. The familiar sounds and smells of The Strip coaxed my senses into calm.
An hour passed before Koah and his crew parted the crowd, their engines roaring onto the scene and their exhaust and neons making for a show. The group shifted toward the trio, and I followed until I was close enough to see the crosses on Koah’s handkerchief. Then he turned my way, and his eyes clashed with mine. People were everywhere, yet he had spotted me in the crowd. It made me wonder if he felt the same pull toward me that I felt toward him.
The Sons settled on their side of The Strip, and I stayed put with Sadie and continued to watch the races. It was hard keeping my eyes off Koah, but I figured if he wanted to talk to me, then he would. Things were out in the open. I knew why he had lied about my father on the stand. In a way, we had solved everything terrible between us, but that didn’t mean I would chase him. We would either be acquaintances, friends, or whatever else there was. I wasn’t going to dwell on it.
“You’re acting funny tonight,” Sadie said, pulling my attention away from the races.
“How so?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I can’t put my finger on it. You seem more relaxed.”
Was I more relaxed?
It made sense. For one, I had gotten comfortable at The Strip. For two, while my heart was broken after finding out my father’s dark, disgusting secrets, I somehow felt like a weight had been lifted from me. I had spent so many years angry that my father had innocently gone to prison and spent the rest of his life there. Even though I still loved him as my dad, I knew he deserved to be there. It made it easier to deal with.
“I think I am more relaxed. Gracie’s home doing homework with a way to reach me if she needs me, and I didn’t have to work tonight. I’m winning all around.” I smiled before taking a sip of my soda.
The start gun echoed into the air, and I turned my attention to The Strip just in time to see Koah take off from the start line. He pulled ahead and won the race within seconds, making the crowd go wild. When he began to turn tricks on his bike and work his way back toward the start line, I couldn’t help but feel a little flutter in my stomach. Suddenly, the responses he got from women made sense to me. Seeing him on his bike with his tattoos glistening with sweat and the hint of his pink neons against his tanned skin was a turn-on.
He drove back to his crew, and I turned my attention elsewhere. I knew Joker wasn’t fond of me, and I didn’t want him to catch me staring and come over and start shit.
I was almost grateful when Sadie said she was ready to go. Not that I didn’t want to be there, but it began to bother me that Koah hadn’t come over to speak to me. We packed into her car and left, and I made sure I didn’t turn around to see if Koah watched me go.
After drinking so much soda at The Strip, there was no way I would make it to my place. Halfway to my apartment, Sadie stopped at a run-down gas station to fill up, and I went inside to get the bathroom key. I retrieved the key from the cashier and went to the side of the building where the bathroom was. I paused when I saw how dark it was, but when I began to do a little dance, sure I was going to piss myself, I braved it.
The bathroom was surprisingly clean. I had a feeling it was because they kept the bathroom door locked. Still, I hovered over the toilet seat and washed my hands thoroughly before using the paper towel to unlock the door and my foot to open it.
I stepped into the darkness and started toward the front of the station. Before I could turn and get back into the light, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me back. I opened my mouth to scream, but a large hand settled over my lips.
“It’s me,” Koah whispered into the darkness.
