Home at Last

Chapter 3

The thick, musty air blowing out of the AC was suffocating, and the smell of wet dogs only made it worse. The ride was completely silent, and I was scared to move even an inch. I had always known Lance to be a man of few words, but his odd tendencies were starting to get to me.

I had known Lance for as long as I could remember. He was always around during my childhood, hanging out with my older brother Trevor. I used to find him intimidating with his towering height of six foot four and his muscular build, but over the years I had grown used to him. However, something about this car ride was different.

Lance's blue eyes glistened like the waves in the ocean, but they were always cold and distant. It often felt funny to me how someone's eyes can reveal so much about one. His freckles, which had always seemed endearing to me, now looked like dark spots on his face. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Just as I was about to speak up and break the silence, Lance suddenly pulled over to the side of the road and enter the drive to Jace's Auto Shop. My heart raced as he turned to face me; his expression unreadable. Lance says nothing, but instead starts to get out of the truck cab. 

He stops and looks at me across the bench seat.

"Well, are you getting out or are you coming with me?" He asks as he looks across the cab at me. 

"I'm coming." I say with a firm tone and start to open the door. Lance slams the door on his side and runs over to me and opens my door. 

"Easy, I don't want to explain you being injured worse than you are." 

I nod silently, feeling a mix of gratitude and confusion towards Lance's sudden concern. With his help, I step out of the truck, wincing as pain shoots up my leg. Lance grabs my bike from the back and sets it down gently on the ground.

As we approach the entrance of the auto shop, the familiar sound of clanging metal and revving engines fills the air. My brother Trevor stands outside, chatting with one of his coworkers. His face lights up with a smile when he sees me, but it quickly fades when he notices the state I'm in.

"Belle, what happened to you?" Trevor rushes over, concern etched on his face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just had a little tumble off my bike," I reply, trying to downplay the situation. "I'll survive."

Trevor gives me a skeptical look but decides not to press further. Instead, he turns his attention to Lance, his expression tense.

"What are you doing here, Lance?" Trevor's voice is laced with suspicion.

Lance shrugs nonchalantly. "Just giving Belle a ride. Her bike had a little accident."

Trevor eyes Lance warily, but he doesn't push the issue. Instead, he turns back to me. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

Together, Trevor and I head inside the auto shop, leaving Lance behind. The air inside is thick with grease and oil, but it's a welcome change from the suffocating atmosphere of Lance's truck. Trevor leads me to the back of the shop where there's a small bathroom. He helps me clean up my wounds, his touch gentle and reassuring.

"You need to be more careful, Belle," Trevor scolds gently as he wraps a bandage around my scraped knee. "You can't keep getting yourself into these situations."

"I know, I know," I mutter, feeling guilty for causing him worry. "I'll try to be more careful next time."

Trevor gives me a small smile before stepping back to examine his handiwork. "There, good as new."

I thank Trevor for his help, feeling grateful to have him by my side. Despite everything our family has been through, Trevor has always been my rock, the one constant in my life.

As we head back out into the shop, I can't help but feel a pang of guilt for leaving Lance outside. I glance over my shoulder, but he's nowhere to be seen. I shake off the feeling and focus on helping Trevor with his work, determined to make the most of our time together.

Trevor and I step back into the bustling activity of the auto shop, I can't shake the lingering sense of unease that gnaws at the edges of my mind. Lance's sudden appearance and his insistence on giving me a ride home have left me feeling unsettled, and I can't help but wonder what his intentions are.

Trevor senses my discomfort and shoots me a concerned glance, his brow furrowed in worry. "Are you okay, Belle?"

I force a reassuring smile, hoping to mask the turmoil brewing beneath the surface. "I'm fine, Trev. Just a little shaken up from the fall, that's all."

Trevor nods, but I can tell he's not convinced. His gaze drifts to the entrance of the shop, where Lance stands, his expression unreadable.

"Lance," Trevor calls out, his voice firm but tinged with a hint of caution. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Lance looks up, his blue eyes meeting Trevor's gaze with an intensity that sends a shiver down my spine. Without a word, he nods and follows Trevor to the far corner of the shop, away from prying eyes.

I watch them from a distance, my heart pounding in my chest as I strain to hear their conversation. Their voices are low and muffled, but the tension in the air is palpable.

"What were you thinking, giving Belle a ride like that?" Trevor's voice is laced with frustration, his tone accusatory.

Lance's response is barely audible, but I catch snippets of his words as they drift across the shop. "I... just wanted to help... didn't mean any harm..."

Trevor shakes his head, his expression grave. "You know you need to stay away from her, Lance. She's my sister, and I won't let anything happen to her."

The words hang heavy in the air, a silent reminder of the unspoken tension that has always existed between Lance and me. Despite our shared history and the bond we once shared as children, Trevor's warning serves as a stark reminder of the boundaries that must be respected.I watch as Lance nods silently, his gaze fixed on the ground. His shoulders slump with defeat, and I can't help but feel a pang of sympathy for him. Despite everything, I know that Lance is not a bad person—he's just caught in the crossfire of our tumultuous family dynamics.

As Trevor and Lance return to their work, I can't help but feel a sense of relief wash over me. For now, at least, the tension between us has been diffused, and I can focus on helping Trevor with his tasks.

But deep down, I know that the uneasy truce between us is fragile at best, and I can't shake the feeling that the worst is yet to come.