The next round begins and the competition has dwindled exponentially. I grit my teeth, my fist tightening as I watch. I can’t help the way the speed gets under my skin, how I can feel it coast through me all the way to my core. It doesn’t help that Axl’s scent is like an energy surge right to the bloodstream. He keeps lingering around me, stealing touches, drinking in my smiles like it’s an addictive gin.
I don’t blame him; I can’t stop looking at him either.
I’m not sure if it’s the alcohol running through my veins or if it’s from the titillating race, but I’m finding it hard to keep my attraction to him under wraps. There’s something so uninhibited about him, from the way he talks to the way he walks with one hand in his front pocket. How he brings that stupid soda in his hand to his mouth and swallows, his throat muscles working overtime.
I mean,seriously? Why am I attracted to histhroat muscles?
During the last round, things are a bit more chill, the late hours drawing closer, leaving everyone buzzed and tired. We all sit in the lawn chairs, nursing our drinks.
“Since we’re getting Greenwood residents out here, maybe your painter will want to come next time,” Tini says to Ledger, whose cheeks flush bright red even under the dark moonlight.
“Tini,” he whisper-yells.
“What?You’ve been in love with her since high school. And who knows? Maybe she’ll like fast cars and hanging out with us losers like this one does.”
I narrow my gaze at them, a small smile forming at my lips. “Who are you talking about?”
Neither of them say anything, and Ledger is obviously embarrassed if the look on his face is anything to go by. I turn to Axl and he folds without any pressure.
“Whitney Greenwood,” he tells me.
“Whitney?” I repeat, flabbergasted. “She’s not just a resident. She is Greenwoodroyalty.”
I’ve known Whitney my entire life—I mean, everyone has, she’s the mayor’sdaughter—but she’s quiet. No one really knows who she is. Other than the fact that she loves to paint and can rock a pair of denim overalls, she is a complete mystery.
And she readsa lot. Has Ledger even picked up a book for fun?
“Oh, shut up, I know there’s no chance.” Ledger slouches in his lawn chair, crossing his arms with a broody pout. “Don’t fucking tell anyone, though.”
“I don’t have anyone to tell,” I let slip, but then I move on quickly. “She doesn’t really hang out with anyone. I’m sure you could walk up to her table at lunch any given day and say hi?”
“I don’t know,” he says hesitantly. “Like you said, she’s royalty. Even if I could… her dad is the mayor. He is the head dick of Dicksville.”
I cough on a laugh at the same time Axl does. “A way with words this one,” he says.
A chant erupts from the bleachers, and we look up to see both finalists neck and neck on the final lap. I stand up from my seat, suddenly too pumped to sit, and strain my neck to see. It’s glorious, how the Charger inches forward ever so slightly to gain the lead, but then the Mazda behind starts to play games, speeding up just to slow back down. What a cocky shit.
“Fucking Mazdas,” Lou mutters from the truck bed.
Luckily, the car playing mind games doesn’t win, and the entire place roars in victory as the Charger takes the crown. Apparently, the driver has won the past few years and everyone was hoping he’d take it again, despite the few pessimists who wanted someone to knock him down a peg.
People seem to clear out quicker than they got here, and I turn to the group of people who welcomed me into their worldfor a few hours. “Thank you. This was amazing, literally everything I dreamed it would be.”
That got a bunch of smiles out of them, even grumpy Magnus in the corner. Tini steps forward. “Let’s do this again sometime. Hanging out with just these guys all the time can get really boring.”
“Oh, you love us!” Ledger teases, pushing her. She pushes him back, and then they are wrestling on the dry dirt.
Axl comes up beside me, his scent smooth and beautiful. “Can I walk you to your car?”
I look up at him and smile. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
The trip to my car is full of tension. We’ve known each other for years, but tonight feels different. It’s like something has been brewing for a long time, simmering below the surface, and it’s finally coming to a boil. We don’t speak, just let the energy thrum between us as we get to my car, still hidden behind the bush in the forest.
“You parked out here?” Axl asks, his tone disapproving.
“I didn’t want to stand out,” I tell him honestly. “But, you know, my outfit did that enough. I didn’t have to worry about my car.”
He laughs. “That’s true.”
