“That’s not what I mean.”
“I know.”He looked over at her, heat behind his words.“I’m just trying to keep it simple.But nothing about you’s ever been simple for me.”
For a second, he saw it.That flicker of longing.Then she pulled the mask back on.
“Let’s just get through this week,” Ellie said.
He nodded, but in his gut, he knew the truth.
This week wasn’t the end.This was just the start of something he should’ve fought for five years ago.And this time, he wasn’t walking away.
****
The sky was alreadybruising purple by the time they wrapped up their last stop, a small hardware store that promised a box of unopened toys from last season’s shelves.Ellie tugged her coat tighter as they stepped out onto the sidewalk.
She was tired, her cheeks pink from the cold, her mind spinning from everything.Dasher’s nearness, his easy smile, the way he spoke to the shopkeepers like nothing had changed.Like five years hadn’t passed.Like her heart hadn’t once shattered into a thousand pieces the night he chose the MC over their future.Now, here he was again, trailing close behind her, his warm voice in her ear earlier still echoing.
“We won’t let anything happen to your toy drive,” he told her.
She didn’t want to believe him, but somehow she did.And that scared her more than anything.
“You need a ride home?”he asked, his breath fogging in the cold air.
Ellie hesitated.“No, I’m good.I’ll call my mom to pick me up.”
“You sure?”He gestured toward his bike.“Not the worst way to end a long day.”
“I’m not getting on that thing.”Her tone came out sharper than she intended.
Dasher held up both hands.“All right, all right.”
But then the first snowflake fell.Then another.Within moments, the sky opened up in a gentle flurry, and the wind picked up, cutting through her coat.Her phone buzzed.There was no signal.Of course.
She glanced at Dasher, who was watching her with that half-smirk she remembered too well.It used to drive her wild.It still kind of did.
“Fine,” she muttered, pulling her scarf up.“But if we crash and I lose a limb, I’m haunting you forever.”
“Noted,” he said, already unhooking a spare helmet from the back.
The ride home was quiet.The good kind.She held onto him tighter than necessary, more from the cold than anything, she told herself.Still, the way her fingers curled against his chest, the way her cheek rested against his back, there was no denying how right it felt.How familiar.
With each twist of the road, her heart thudded a little harder.Not from fear.From remembering.
Dasher pulled up to the curb in front of her house, tires crunching on fresh snow.The porch light was on.Warm, golden.A safe haven.He helped her off, and for a beat, they stood in silence.
“Thanks for the ride,” she said, pulling off the helmet and handing it back.
He didn’t take it right away.“You okay?”
She nodded.
“About earlier,” he added, voice low.“That rival MC ...we’ll keep eyes on ‘em.You don’t need to worry.”
“I don’t want any violence,” she said, arms crossing.“This toy drive isn’t just for show, Dasher.These kids count on it.I’m not going to let some turf war ruin that.”
“Neither will I,” he said.“You have my word.”
Ellie studied him.The scar on his temple, the steel in his jaw.But also, the honesty in his eyes.She hated how easily her heart still recognized him.
