The hairs on the back of my neck bristle. I look around. Aubri is at her desk, talking to somebody on the phone.
‘You think it’s just the motorcycle?’
‘Lori, are you blind? That man is the hottest specimen ever to set foot inside the city limits. The motorcycle’s just the icing on the cake.’
I crane my neck. I can’t see what they’re looking at because there are too many heads in the way. Frowning, I walk to my right, to the main double entry doors and type in the security code. The first set slides open, followed by the second as I walk through both and emerge into the parking lot.
I look to my left and my stomach rolls over.
At first, AJ doesn’t see me. He’s over in one corner of the lot, under the shade of a tree. He’s parked his bike and is leaning up against the saddle. In his leather jacket and jeans, he’s holding a large bunch of roses, tied with a bow. It appears he can’t sit still, because he continually fidgets, running his free hand through his already mussed hair, glancing at something on his hand. He crosses and uncrosses his ankles. I start moving toward him and still he doesn’t notice me.
I slow my pace as I draw closer. He wears a white bandage wrapped around the fingers on his right hand. There’s a cut above his right eye, and one on his lip, along with a dark purplish bruise that surrounds it. I raise my brow in surprise.
When he sees me, he straightens and smiles a crooked smile.
‘Hey,’ he says when I stop in front of him.
My lips twitch. ‘You’re causing a commotion.’
He shifts his position again. ‘I’m what?’
‘I said you’re causing a commotion. The staff are distracted by your presence. The female staff.’
‘How so?’
Because… look at you. Leaning back on his bike, in his leather jacket, grasping a bunch of roses, his hair all messed up, he has no idea how irresistible he looks. Just the sight of him makes me want to put my arms around his neck and forgive him anything.
‘What happened to your face?’
‘Oh. That. It’s nothin’.’
‘It’s clearly not nothing.’
He winces and looks to the ground. ‘Got into a fight with Chase.’
I’m pretty sure I know the answer when I ask, ‘Why?’
‘Because I was mad at him. For bringing all that stuff up when we were sitting round the campfire.’
I cross my arms over my chest. ‘It doesn’t take away from the fact that all those things happened, AJ. He didn’t make it up.’
He looks guilty. ‘I know. I know that, and I can’t change what went down back then… I guess I was just hoping you could… you know. Forgive me.’
‘Just like that?’
He flinches when I snap my fingers at him, then his face falls. ‘Are you breaking up with me?’
I roll my eyes. ‘Did I say I was breaking up with you?’
‘No, but… are you?’ He swallows.
‘I’m not breaking up with you. It’s just hard to accept that once upon a time my boyfriend thought I was a loser, enough to allow his friend to lock me in a cupboard and leave me there.’
He stands and lowers the flowers. ‘I think we both know who the loser was in that situation. I’m so sorry, Hollie, I should never have done that. I’m mad at myself that I always went along with Chase’s dumbass ideas.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me that last night? When I left, you said nothing.’
‘Because I was mad at Chase! In that moment, all I wanted to do was give him a beatdown. He looks way worse than I do, by the way.’
