I stare at him. This stranger. This Uber driver, who just called my ex-boyfriend a cunt and told me I look good.
“You… you think I look good?”
Chapter Two
MARLEY
His eyes meet mine, and the air between us shifts, thick and electric. It crackles, sparks skating over my skin. My breath stutters when I realize he isn’t just looking at me—he’s seeing me, straight through to my soul.
“Hell, yeah.”
His smile is real, unapologetic, lighting up his whole damn face.
“So fuck him, right?” he adds softly but sure. “His loss.”
And somehow, I don’t know how, a laugh breaks free from my chest. It’s choking on emotion, small, and probably sounds half insane, but it’s real. And I don’t know what it is about this guy, this guy I know nothing about, but he’s making me feel something when I thought there was no way I could feel anything but self-loathing and sadness tonight.
“Yeah. You know what? Fuck him!Fuck that cunt!”
The words feel liberating. Like I’m taking back some small piece of myself.
The driver grins, clearly pleased, and turns back to face the front. “There you go.” He shifts the car into drive, catching my eyes in the rearview mirror. “Now, you still wanna go to the address in the app?”
“Yeah, it’s my best friend’s house. She’s letting me crash there until I figure something out.” Until I figure outwhere the hell I’m going to live, I add silently in my mind. Becauseoh God, I’m homeless now too.
He nods, and I see his brow furrow slightly. “You hungry?”
I blink at his reflection in the mirror. “What?”
“When’s the last time you ate?”
I have to think about it. “Lunch, maybe?”
He glances at the dashboard clock, 12:57 a.m., and makes a disapproving sound. “That’s what I thought.” His hand moves to the radio, and suddenly classic rock pours through the speakers. “First, we’re fixing this night. Buckle up.”
Before I can ask what he means, we’re turning away from the route to Sage’s house, heading toward what looks like a drive-thru. And then,oh my God,he starts singing.
“Just a small-town girl…” It’s Journey. “Don’t Stop Believin’.” And he’s singing it loud and completely, beautifully off-key.
I stare at him as if he’s lost his freaking mind. He catches my eye in the mirror and grins. “Come on. You’re not gonna leave me hanging, are you?”
I open my mouth to protest, but instead, I find myself smiling, actually smiling. And then, I don’t know what possesses me, I start singing too.
“Living in a lonely world…” My voice is shaky and tear-rough, but it blends with his in this perfectly imperfect way. We’re like the world’s most ridiculous karaoke duo, belting out Journey in a Honda Accord at one in the morning. By the time we hit the chorus, I’m actually laughing between lyrics.
We pull up to the drive-thru, and the girl at the window gives us a look that says she’s seen some weird shit tonight, but we might take the cake. I glance at the app, and the driver has listed his name as ‘Nitro.’ I find that an odd name, but I shake it off as he orders two burgers, fries, and milkshakes without asking what I want.
When he passes the bag back to me, I clutch it like he’s just handed me salvation.
“Thank you,” I whisper, and there’s so much weight in those two words I’m surprised they don’t pull me under.
“You don’t have to thank me for basic human decency.” His eyes meet mine in the mirror again, and something passes between us. Something electric. Something I can’t name but feel all the way down to my bones. “Eat. Enjoy. Tonight’s about you, not that fucking asshole.”
I look down at the burger in my hands. It’s greasy, perfect, and smells fantastic, but as I stare at the burger, all I can hear is Derek’s voice.‘You’ve put on weight. Obviously quite a bit.’
“Don’t you dare let him destroy your self-worth.” My head snaps up. Nitro is watching me in the mirror, his expression fierce. “He’s already taken enough from you tonight,” he continues. “Don’t let him take this too.”
I weakly smile, letting his words sink in.
