limerence | COMPLETED

15

THE COLD AIR IS A SHOCK TO LAYLA'S SKIN AS THEY STEP OUT THE DOOR AND DOWN THE PATHWAY. She tugs Kai to a stop, her eyes momentarily fixated on their clasped hands.

"It's cold," she finally mumbles, gently pulling her hand out of his.

Kai looks at her and she uncertainly meets his intense gaze. His blue eyes are impenetrable as they search her face, but soon enough he's pulling off his Subculture hoodie and handing it out to her. Layla hesitates before she reluctantly accepts it, and when she tugs it over her head, it's warm.

In the meantime, Kai readjusts the long sleeves of his oversized t-shirt and lifts his chin to gesture for her to follow him.

They walk in silence along the street which is dimly lit by the fluorescent orange lamps. The sky is pitch black above them and the snow that falls is light. Layla doesn't notice when Kai comes to a stop and she bumps into him. She awkwardly takes a step back.

When he proceeds to spin around to her again, this time with a black helmet in his hands, she blinks. It's only now that she notices the motorbike resting next to them. Her eyes widen as she takes it in, immediately taking to the curves and deft handles and the night black colour.

"Want to get out of here?" he casually asks.

She hesitates, glancing up at him in apprehension. Kai doesn't wait for an answer though. He just carefully pushes the helmet down onto her head and fastens the metal clasp, his fingers brushing against the delicate skin of her neck.

She exhales shakily at his touch and quietly watches while he swings a leg over the seat of his bike and switches the engine on to let it run, emitting a low and quiet rumbling.

He glances back at her after he's comfortable, raising his brow in a silent challenge. Swallowing, she lightly rests a hand on his shoulder and climbs onto the bike.

"Hold on," Kai calls softly over his shoulder. At his warning, she unthinkingly wraps her arms around his waist and the bike slowly crawls forwards.

For the first few minutes, Layla keeps her eyes squeezed shut and her head tucked in behind Kai's back, shocked by the icy wind attacking her face and uneasy at the unfamiliar swaying movements of the bike. However, after a while, she slowly grows accustomed to the feeling and bravely peeks an eye open.

She didn't realise just how close she was to Kai while she desperately held on, and for a short second she's surprised by how easily she did so. However, once she sees everything quickly whizzing by and the streetlights flashing overhead, she slowly loosens her grip and straightens up, opening her eyes properly to take it all in.

The road is empty because of how late it is and the wind that first felt cold and cruel against her skin soon feels refreshing and freeing as it blows at the loose strands of her hair squeezing their way out from under the helmet. The bike hums lowly beneath them and it no longer sounds so intimidating, and Kai's back radiates warmth.

Layla tilts her head back and closes her eyes. This feels good.

They whiz through town, the streets silent and the night road open and welcoming. When Kai doesn't turn to go up the hill to their houses and continues to go straight, increasing speed as they near the edge of town, her eyes widen. Thrill courses up her spine when both the welcome and goodbye sign draws closer.

"Want to get away for a while?" Kai yells over the wind, the bike tilting to the side as they continue around the bend, closer and closer to the edge of town.

"Don't stop!" she yells back.

She doesn't need to see him to know that he's smiling. He revs the engine and before she knows it, they're whizzing past the border in no time.