Queen of Nothing

11. Homecoming Part 3

"That's how you got here?" I hissed. He unclasped the helmet from the motorcycle handle, and offered it to me. It was big and black with handlebars and honestly screamed "death trap" in big scary letters.

Yet, I couldn't ignore the thrill that I felt, the teenage curiosity so at odds with the rational part of me that wanted to run for the hills, screaming. I wanted so badly to know what it would feel like to have the wind on my face, to soar.

He shrugged, "Birthday present from Cole's mom. Supposed to ease the transition of moving into a new town...and what not. Anyways, hop on."

"On that? Nope," I turned to leave, and I heard him jog up to me.

"Wait, wait," he reasoned, breathless, "don't knock it till you try it."

I shook my head, "I'm not getting on that."

"What?" he chuckled, that sexy smirk playing on his lips, "you don't trust me?"

"Duh," I whispered, "I'm sure this gets the ladies back at your old school, but I would rather walk than get on that."

He rolled his eyes, "suit yourself," before turning away. I tried not to notice the way his back shifted underneath the shirt, the way he was sculpted. Something about the way he moved, the way he held himself had always wildly fascinated me.

The shy middle schooler that I once knew was long gone. In his place stood this new adult, so sure of himself, so aware of his effect on other people. In the three years that he had been gone, he became something otherworldly and wholly brand new.

I almost didn't recognize him. It was that same curiosity, that remembrance of what he used to be, that caused me to snap out of delirium,

"Wait."

He turned, slowly, with a knowing smile playing on his lips, "Yes, prom queen?"

"Fine. But afterwards, you drop me off home. No weird stuff."

He held his hands up, "Weird stuff with you? I would never. No hijinks, I promise." God, that smile, that daredevil gleam in his eyes. All the core parts of Milo were still intact, just wrapped in this new shiny package that seared me with wild with just a look.

I let myself smile a little bit, before grabbing the helmet off the handlebars, fastening it to my head. Once he mounted, I did too, my heart doing all kinds of crazy things at the proximity.

"Hold tight," he ordered.

I was never one to obey orders, much less from a man, but I also was fighting the side of me that wanted so badly to touch him. So I wrapped my hands around him, felt him stiffen at the touch. One moment passed, then two, and I noted it too, the energy between us, the way I felt like a live wire, buzzing and bold, even. Moments ago, I'd been a wreck over Cole.

And now, if you asked me to pick him out of a line up, I would have failed miserably. Not with Milo so close.

I ignored the thought as I felt him exhale a breath, gulp even, "You ready?"

"Yes," I murmured through the visor of the helmet, "I'm ready."

He revved the engine, and we darted out of the parking lot, down a series of roads, the night sky casting shadows, stretching out the road ahead of us. Normally, I would have been terrified, but something about Milo kept those feelings at bay. It didn't matter that it was nearly pitch black outside, that the moon cast an ominous glow on everything around me.

Because something about the wind, the way it felt on my skin, exhilarated me. The wind was biting, cold, but Milo was a furnace in comparison, and I found myself nestling closer unconsciously.