Seven Letter Words #Wattys2016

Part 28

Juliet

I couldn't get out of the truck fast enough. I was certain there was no oxygen left in there and the sparks between the two of us were about to ignite and burn so hot we'd never get out. The loud sound coming from my side of the truck had startled my already rapidly beating heart, and my eyes flew to Liam as he struggled to keep up from swerving off the road. He slowed down and moved to the shoulder.

"Fuck." He cursed, watching from the side mirror as the flat tire rounded the wheel and flopped against the pavement. My hand was pressed to my heart as I tried to shake off all the excitement. "Flat tire." He threw the truck in park and opened his door. I was desperate to get out into the open air again so I opened mine as well and slid out onto the pavement. We'd already been driving a long stretch that day, and the sun wasn't as hot as it had been earlier, which was a small reprieve in this shitty new situation.

Liam reached beneath the seats in the back of the truck and pulled out a bag that clinked as he moved it. The jack. I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe this wasn't so bad. He could surely change a tire. I followed him to the back of the truck and he lied down on his back and began to scoot under the bed of the truck. I looked out on the highway, nervous that someone might hit us even though we were on the shoulder of the road.

He wasn't under there long when I heard a loud and angry, "Motherfucker!" from under the truck. I squatted down so I could see Liam. Something about seeing a man with a tool bag sprawled out under a truck made it hard for me to breathe again. It was hot. I almost wanted to take a picture because it was the sexiest thing I'd ever seen as a matter of fact. His muscles tensed and he punched the spare tire while laughing a little. He let his head rest against the pavement and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Everything OK?" I asked, crouching down on all fours now so I could see his face. He seemed to freeze when his eyes noticed my body. His gazed dipped a bit and I was suddenly aware that the neckline of my shirt was hanging open and exposing the tops of my breasts due to my position. He recovered quickly and looked at me with a shake of his head.

"I should have fucking checked the spare. I just assumed your brother wouldn't be a fucking asshole and put a fucking tore up one back up here." His head had been tipped up to speak to me, but he closed his eyes and let it fall back to the ground.

"Should we call someone?" I asked. I had no idea what to do in this situation.

"What time is it?" he asked, not bothering to look up again. I pulled my cell from my pocket and checked the clock.

"Just after five."

His laugh was a bit maniacal. "Of course it's after five on a fucking Sunday." Maybe he was getting a little too delirious after our day on the road. I bit my lip nervously. It was a bad habit, but I'd had no luck at breaking it.

"Nothing is going to be open, huh?" I stated already knowing the answer.

"Not a fucking thing." He pushed his palms into his eyes and grunted. I stood up and gave him a moment. I looked down the road and saw another truck coming our way. He pulled onto the shoulder behind us. The driver's eyes were on mine, and a slow smile crept up his lips. He was young, couldn't be any older than me. Liam most have heard the gravel crunch because he moved out from under the truck much quicker than he'd gone down. He took a few steps in my direction and seemed to tuck me behind his body as the driver of the other truck stepped out.

"You got a flat?" the young driver asked.

"Yes." Liam didn't give him much information. I felt the heat from his hand as he let it rest on my hip, making sure I stayed behind his solid frame.