Insomnia

08 | Tiramisu

LEILANI

Every single time I'm with this man, without fail, it's like I'm staring death in the face all over again.

"We are going to die!" My panicked voice is drowned out by the blast of the engine—even if Matias heard, I doubt he'd care.

The motorcycle swerves right with frightening speed, and I'm moments away from cardiac arrest when another bike nearly rams into us.

Matias throws the middle finger up at the other biker before taking another sharp turn. My arms tighten around his back, a shiver rolling down my spine.

"Don't worry sweetheart, I've got you." I can practically hear the smirk in his voice at my frantic state. Don't worry?! This madman drives as if he's an ex Formula One driver!

I try to find comfort in his words, but it evaporates when I glance to the side and notice yet another black motorcyclist racing next to us.

Are they following us on purpose? Again?!

"Eu vou matar esse cara," he grumbles, revving the engine and speeding impossibly faster down the streets of New York City. We lose sight of the other biker, but my sanity might be the next to go.
(I'm going to kill this guy.)

"Good Lord," I squeeze my eyes shut, praying someone will put me out of my misery already. Just not Matias.

Much to my horror, the sound of Matias' deep laugh fills my ears.

The crazy fucker is laughing.

I'm screwed.

He eventually slows down, coming to a stop at a red light. He glances back at me, only his eyes visible behind the sleek black helmet.

"You alright back there?" His voice drips with sarcasm, and my irritation flares.

"Currently planning your murder," I retort breathlessly. He simply chuckles at this, unfazed.

"You wouldn't be the first, nor the last, I'm afraid." Whatever the hell that means.

I wonder why he even insisted to help me this morning, let alone last night. Now that I think about it, he doesn't owe me anything. So, why?

"We're here." Matias suddenly announces, snapping me out of my thoughts. My sulky expression washes out into one of surprise when I spot the dessert parlour in the distance.

He parks his motorcycle in a parking bay, popping off his helmet. His dark hair is a little tousled, giving him that annoyingly sexy 'just-rolled-out-of-bed' look. Meanwhile, I'm still trying to figure out how to remove my own without looking like a dummy.

Before I can make a fool of myself, Matias helps me out of the helmet. I puff out a shaky breath as his large hands glide downwards, stopping at my hips to guide me off the motorcycle.

I shudder, unable to ignore the sparks that ignite at his touch.

"You sure you're not planning to kidnap me?" I quip, shooting him a skeptical look.

That signature smirk of his only spreads wider, making his already handsome face almost unbearable to look at. "You keep asking that question, princess. You must really want me to, don't you?"

Before I can reply, he captures my wrist and leads me toward the cute little parlour that's illuminated with soft pink neon lights.

My wide-eyed gaze dances around the cosy little parlour, and I can feel the sparkles glittering in my eyes. The air is thick with the scent of sweet cream and vanilla, and the ceilings are adorned with clusters of cherry blossoms.