Dear Augustus | I Never Let Go ✓

10 | The Remnant Of Heartbreak

I spot Adrian's black Harley almost instantly as I trail into the college parking lot. Had I known I was up for another bike ride with Adrian, I would've left my convertible back home. Thanks to Olivia. She gladly took my cooper home. So, here I'm leaning against the black beast reminiscing each of Adrian's words on a loop.

My little sinner.

A shiver runs down my spine as I recall his heated whisper and light feathery feel of his whiskers over my neck. So this is the reason Charlotte can't keep her hands to herself. Because when he's around you with all that masculine charm and woodsy scent, it's next to impossible not to crave more of his closeness.

I'm still lost in my thoughts when I feel his hot breath against the back of my neck. My smile bites into my cheeks as Adrian sneaks up behind me and blows hot air into my hair. When I spin around to look at his face, he walks over to my front. He traps me against the bike, placing his hands on both sides of my waist. His arms slide close to mine, and my skin prickles as the tiny hair rising on our skin meets, the most gentle of the touches.

"You've no idea how sexy you look leaning against my bike," he grins. His ocean green eyes have regained their mischievous glint. He looks so adorable with his windblown brown hair that I brush my fingers right through them, trying to set them away from his forehead. His Adam's apple shifts as he continues, "Now I can say it was a worthy investment. Are you up for the ride?"

"Do you say these cheesy words to all the girls you offer a ride to?" I laugh, pulling my hand away from his hair, but he holds my wrist. His thumb brushes over my veins, and then he lets go of my wrist.

"What girls?" He says with wrinkled brows while he goes on to unlock the helmets, handing one to me. I adjust it on my head but struggle with the strap under my chin as he sets his helmet on and angles his neck to watch me. "You're the only girl I offer bike rides on my Harley. Other girls, they're certainly more interested in riding m-"

"Adri! That's so fucking gross," I clamp my hand over his grinning lips, letting go instantly as his soft lips touch the inside of my palm. I don't miss the pang of itchiness that hits my heart with the mere picture of him with the girls swooning over him. "I might lose my appetite if you don't stop talking about your girls."

"You started it, no," he brushes my fingers away, buckles the strap swiftly, then gives it a little tug, making me yelp in surprise. I slap his hands away and give a little push to his chest. He places a hand to his heart, releases a groan, and swings a leg over the bike.

"Hop on, my little sinner." He looks over his shoulder as I hook my thighs around his narrow waist, placing a hand on the thick bulge of his shoulder muscles. Adrian is wearing a black leather jacket over the black crew neck t-shirt that highlights every contour of his muscles beneath and tight jeans. He slides his hands back, molding his fingers around my jeans-clad thighs, and pulls me closer to his body. I'm still processing his bold moves while he does the same with my arms and guides them around his waist. "Let's go. I'm fucking starved."

He laughs and throttles the motorcycle, making me fall forward towards his body. The way his body heat works against mine, I curl my fingers nervously around him as he arrows the bike at a devilish speed. But I don't close my eyes or shudder under the impact of whips of cold evening air through my hair and the ear-deafening purr of the revving engine. At this moment, I realize that nothing feels more amazing than putting myself in the safety of his hands.

The smell of freshly baked bread and cupcakes tickles my nostrils as he pulls into the parking lot of Molly's Bakery. Suddenly I'm hyper-aware of the surroundings. The old brick building with cobblestone sidewalks and the buzz of the diverse population takes me back to our town. The place looks exactly like Smoothie Shack back in Winsbay. Smoothie Shack where I went on our first date, Augustus, where you worked, where I spent endless evenings to watch you and be around you. My fingers fist Adrian's t-shirt tightly as the similar pain washes over me, and I bury my head at his back. "Can we go somewhere else, please?"