Eight minutes
down... two hours and fifty two minutes left
, I say to myself, looking at the clock on my dash. Of course that is the
worst case scenario. There’s a chance the road side assistance could arrive
sooner than that, but I guess with the storm, there is also the possibility
that it could be even longer. Sighing loudly, I turn up the music and let the
words drown out my thoughts.
Through the snow
falling out my back window, I see Carter’s FJ pull up behind me not even ten
minutes after I got his last text. My stomach flutters and my body buzzes just
knowing that I’m going to see him soon. I open my door and step out when he
comes jogging up.
“Hey, you really
didn’t have to come. I have help on the way.” The snow is really coming down
now. I can hardly see the trees across the street from me.
“Don’t feel bad.
Now, let’s get this tire changed.” He starts to walk to my trunk and I lean
back in my car to pop it open. A few seconds later he’s coming back towards me
and he’s holding the tire iron and a jack.
“Really, you don’t
have to do this. I feel horrible that you left class.”
“I told you, don’t
feel bad. Class was boring anyway and I was practically falling asleep.” He
smiles.
“What can I do to
help?” I ask.
“There’s not a lot
you can do. Why don’t you go sit in my car and get out of the cold?”
“I’m not just going
to leave you out here while you change my tire,” I scoff.
“It’s just a little
snow, Holly. I’ll be fine. Please, you’re just gonna distract me.” He smiles
adorably at me. I’m not sure why, but seeing him standing there with a tire
iron in his hands is totally hot. “Don’t you have a tow truck or some roadside
assistance to cancel anyways?”
Shit.
“Yeah, let me go call them and I’ll come right back.”
“Really, I’ll be
finished in just a few minutes. Just stay in my car.” This time it’s not a
request, it’s an order. I look back to his car and then back to him. I’m
starting to shiver from the cold seeping into my bones. I haven’t dressed for
snowstorm conditions, but I feel guilty for even complaining; Carter only has a
long-sleeve, thermal t-shirt on.
“Okay, just give me
a signal if you need my help or something.”
He’s already put
the jack under the car and is starting to take the tire off. “I will.” He
glances up at me for a second and shakes his head, laughing. “Go, before you
turn into an icicle.”
Running back to his
car, I jump inside, instantly feeling the warmth envelop me. I call and cancel
the roadside assistance and then feel horrible as I sit there, watching him. It
just doesn’t seem fair—me sitting in his warm car and him out there, in
practically a white out, changing my tire. Though, even through the blanket of
snow, I still have a pretty good view and I can’t help watching him, as well as
enjoying the fact that I get to stare at him for a few minutes. I find myself
staring at his arms and the way they flex with each turn of the tire iron. My
eyes trail along the length of his body as he stands and runs back to the trunk
to get the spare tire. Swallowing hard and licking my lips, I try to turn away,
knowing I shouldn’t be looking at him like this, fantasizing like this. Friends
don’t wonder what their friends would feel like with their clothes off, what
they would taste like, or how their hands would feel rubbing over my—
Holy
shit, Holly. Snap out of it!
Another minute or
two passes and it looks like he’s almost done. The snow hasn’t eased up, if
anything, I think it’s getting worse. He stands up again and rubs his hands
down his jeans and black smears are left behind from where his hands just were.
“Great, now I’m
going to owe him a pair of jeans,” I say out loud to myself. When he turns back
around, I get a great view of his ass and I find myself staring at it,
wondering what it looks like underneath those jeans. Oh, God, seriously, Holly,
you need to stop this.
Just then, I hear a
phone ringing. Looking down, I see Carter’s cell phone lying flat on the
console, and the name
Kelly
flashes across his screen. My chest squeezes
and, as hard as I try to fight it, a bit of jealousy hits me. I’m not even sure
why, it could just be a friend. I am just a friend; there is no reason to be
jealous. Friends also don’t stare and fantasize about what their friend’s ass
looks like underneath a pair of jeans, either.
Crap, I’m in trouble
. For
a long moment, I can’t take my eyes off the phone or the name on the screen.
Finally, when it
stops ringing and the name disappears, I look back up and see Carter run back
and grab the flat tire he’s taken off my car. He throws it in my trunk and
slams it shut when his phone starts ringing again. I glance down and see the
same name, Kelly, flash across the screen.
Maybe it’s just a friend, or
someone from class,
I think to myself. Still, a sharp pain stings me,
knowing that it could also be his girlfriend... or someone he wants to be his
girlfriend. With that thought, the small bit of jealousy I felt just moments
ago has multiplied and is now consuming me. In all the nights we talked, he
never told me about a girl he’s interested in. Friends talk about that kind of
stuff, right?
Carter finishes up
and jogs over to me just as his phone stops ringing. I roll down the window and
I know he’s trying to hide it, but he’s shivering cold.
“I’m going to drive
your car to the auto shop on Noel & Main. Do you know where it is?”
“Um, yeah, I think
so. Why don’t I just drive it? You’ve done more than enough.”
He shakes his head
and a shiver escapes him. “No, it’s not very safe to drive with just the donut
on it, especially with this weather. I’ll drive it; you just follow me in my
car, okay?”
I swallow hard,
feeling even more guilt wash through me. “Carter, I—”
He starts to back
away from me and smiles. “Just follow me.”
Before I can
protest anymore, he’s already jogging back over to my car.
Oh, God, then it
hits me. I look down to see a stick shift staring right at me and I have a bit
of a panic attack. There are two things my dad insisted that I learn after I
got my driver’s license; one, how to change a tire—it’s clear that didn’t go so
well—and number two, how to drive a stick shift. I totally sucked at it and
almost stripped the clutch on his truck, but after an entire summer of practice
I had kind of, sort of, gotten the hang of it.
Carter pulls out
and makes a u-turn in front of me. I curse under my breath and apply pressure
to the clutch, shifting into first gear. The car bucks and it pushes my heart
into my throat. “Please, please, just be nice to me. My day has been really,
really shitty and I just need to get to the auto shop. Please.” Yes, I’m
talking out loud to the car.
I take in a deep
breath and try it again, easing off the clutch a little easier this time. The
car jerks again, but after the abrupt bucking, the car begins to glide over the
pavement. “Thank you.” I breathe and turn the steering wheel, pulling up behind
Carter.
It’s hard not to
laugh as I glance in the rearview mirror and see my car bucking out of control.
It probably would’ve been a good idea to make sure Holly could drive a stick
before I just took off in her car, but it looks like she’s finally getting it.
Taking turns with each hand, I hold them up to the vent that’s blasting out
warm air. My fingers are frozen, they feel like they’re about to break off.
When I pull into
the auto shop, I drive Holly’s car up to the closed garage doors. Holly pulls
in a couple seconds later and parks in a parking spot near the door.
“Hey, Carter,
what’s up man?” Patrick calls out to me when I enter the small shop.
“Hey, how’s it
going?” I’ve known Patrick since kindergarten. He grew up down the street from
me and Josh.
“Oh, you know…
work, life and work.” He laughs and then his eyes shift to the front door. I
look back and see Holly making her way over to us.
“What can I do you
for you, man?” he asks, but he doesn’t take his eyes off her.
To stop looking
at her like that.
“I’ve got a flat
tire. There’s a donut on it right now, but I need a new tire put on.”
“On the FJ?” he
asks me, but he still doesn’t meet my gaze. Blood is pounding in my ears and I
want to knock him upside the head for the way he’s looking at her, but I don’t.
He’s never been too popular with the ladies and, by the way he is gawking at
her, I can see why.
Holly’s beside me
now and, as much as I want to grab her hand and hold it, I don’t. Patrick’s
eyes are still devouring her, however, I don’t want to come off as a crazy,
psycho boyfriend or anything because we’re not like that, we’re just friends.
There’s still the need inside me to protect her and, with each second that
passes, my control is diminishing more and more. It’s not until she says
something that I start to cool off.
“Hi.” She smiles up
at Patrick.
Great, a girl
smiling at him is like an open invitation. He’s going to think she’s in love
with him now. “I’m Patrick.” He winks at her and I start to regret my decision
in coming here. What the hell was I thinking?
“The flat tire is
on her car, actually,” I say a little louder than I should, hoping to bring his
attention back to me.
“What kind of tire
do you need?” he asks her, still smiling.
She looks unsure
and glances over to me.
“She has a Honda
Civic.” My voice is flat.
“Humph, let me see
what I’ve got in stock right now.” He backs up, goes behind the counter, and
finally his eyes are drawn to the computer. Then it dawns on me that I’ve been
looking at her the same way, especially that night after the Halloween party
and when she fell asleep on my chest watching a movie. Feeling like an ass, I
realize that I’m not much better than Patrick.
Reaching my eyes
over, I see her arms are crossed over her chest and that her tiny body is trembling.
“Hey, are you cold?” I ask.
Stupid question, moron. Of course she’s cold,
she’s shivering.
“A little, but I’ll
be alright,” she turns to answer me.
I’m about to go get
my jacket from my car, but Patrick comes back and I don’t feel like leaving her
alone with him.
“Okay, so I’ve
gotta order the tire from our Denver location. I’ll probably have it here later
today and can have your car ready by tomorrow morning,” he explains and we both
look over to her, waiting for her response.
Holly’s face looks nervous.
“Will that work?”
Patrick asks.
“Um, sure. I mean,
I guess so,” she answers.
“Hey, don’t worry.
I can bring you wherever you need to go,” I tell her.
“You have to get
back to school, Carter.” She tilts her head towards me. I can’t lie that it’s
so darn cute that she cares about me missing class.
I wave off her
excuse. “Really, it’s not a big deal. I’m not missing anything.” Actually, that
isn’t true. I’m missing a test review in a class where my professor has already
brought my tardiness to my attention. Doesn’t matter, though, I’d skip the damn
test rather than leave her here with the guy standing next to me. Plus, bonus,
I get to spend the entire day with her.
She swallows hard
and licks her lips. “Okay, I just feel bad,” she says finally.
“Don’t feel bad.” I
shake my head and smile.
She stares at me
for a long minute and I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from hers.
“So…” Patrick draws
out the word and clears his throat, breaking the trance we have on each other.
“Oh, God, sorry.
How much do I owe you for the tire?” Holly mutters and looks down to fumble
around in her purse.
“Don’t worry about
it. It’s on me,” Patrick says and I look over at him, wondering what kind of
game he’s playing.
“What?! I can’t let
you do that.” She looks up at him.
“Really, it’s not a
big deal,” Patrick says and glances in my direction. “I’ll just put it on
Carter’s tab. He’s rung up a big one with how often he brings in that
piece-of-shit car he’s got out there.”
I glare over at
him, though my expression drops when I see Holly’s head turn in my direction.
“He’s full of shit, but don’t worry about the tire,” I tell her. “He’s been
robbing me blind for years and he owes me a few favors. Come on, let’s get out
of here.”
Without even
thinking about it, I grab her hand and lead her towards the door. Even if we’re
not a couple, it won’t hurt to make Patrick think we are more than just
friends. We walk out of the shop and she hands me the keys to my car. The snow
is still coming down, but it’s let up a bit.
On the way over to
her house, my cell phone beeps, letting me know I have a voicemail. I don’t
check to see who’s called until we arrive at Holly’s and she’s in the bathroom.
Hell, I need something to distract the thoughts I’ve been having about her the
last couple hours.
All the thoughts of
Holly are quickly erased the moment I hear Kelly’s voice. I now see that she
called twice and there are two messages. I delete the second one without even
listening to the whole thing and shove my phone back in my pocket. It’s the
same message she’s been leaving me all week. I really don’t want to deal with
this shit right now, but I know that I can’t run away from her or my problems
forever. Raking my hands through my hair, I hang my head in my hands, trying to
drown out her words from my memory.