Taxi (Short Story)

Chapter 3

That first moment had been perfect, until he decided to open his mouth.

"What are you doing?"

Ri had never been so shocked and confused before. This guy, an extremely hot guy, gets into her taxi and inquires what she's doing.

"You got into my cab."

"Huh?"

"Look, I'm sure we both saw this cab and jumped in at the same time." Ri starts. "I'm guessing you need this as much as I do, so could maybe share the cab and split the fare? Please? I've already been soaked by a puddle and I need to get home. Please?"

That sounded desperate, even to Ri. However, apart from her sister, Nanna was the only person she kept in contact with. Even so, she hadn't seen Nanna in two years and her sister in four.

Riccardo stared blankly at the girl. She seemed so desperate, her eyes begging him to agree. He had an unusual feeling to protect her, give her anything she wanted. He'd never shared a taxi with a stranger before. Yet this person had captivated him in a way no person had before. He seemed to be drawn to her, enticed by her beauty. He'd never seen a more beautiful person with puffy eyes and a runny nose. Period.

"Sorry, that was rude of me before. Tell me your address and I'll explain to the driver." She told him the address she was going to. It was half an hour away and not too far from the hospital. Riccardo realised that she would have to pay more of the fare. He wouldn't allow that. No matter what she would say.

As the taxi sped off into the night, Ri silently wiped her eyes free of any tear stains. She had already called ahead to her old neighbour, who agreed to let her borrow his car to get to the hospital. He was an older man and informed her that he let her sister often borrow his car for some of her driving lessons, so it wouldn't be a problem. When she got home, she would pick up the keys he left under his plant pot on his driveway and take herself to the hospital. But she still had half an hour to go. Half an hour with an extremely sexy guy.

Ri looked over towards him. Light brown hair slightly damp from the rain fell on his forehead with a pair of stunning hazel eyes that seemed to consist of every colour imaginable. His skin was slightly tanned- unlike Ri's which was an unhealthy pale colour- due to past, and recent, events. He wore a dark grey hoodie over a shirt and jeans. He looked amazing. Too amazing to be real.
Ri wiped her nose and sniffed slightly .She wished she didn't look like a drowned rat in the presence of this God-like stranger. Which reminded her...

"I'm Ri, by the way." Ri turned to him, her right hand stuck out to greet him nervously.

"Riccardo. Or Ricc if you prefer." He replied, taking Ri's hand.

Neither Ricc nor Ri believed in sparks, but they couldn't deny the instant connection that pulsed through them. Their hearts thumped hard and their pupils dilated. Ricc didn't want to let go, and the feeling was mutual.

"I've never shared a cab with a stranger before." Ri stared, dragging her hand back, reluctantly.

"You from America?" Ricc asked. He noticed Ri had an American accent, yet a southern English accent was noticeable underneath.

"Um, kinda. I was born in England and moved over to America and have lived there for four years now."

"Four years? No way!" Ricc was shocked. He was sure Ri couldn't be older than eighteen. "I don't believe that. You only look fresh out of sixth form!" Ri laughed and pushed some damp loose pieces of hair out of her face.

"I'm glad someone still thinks I'm young enough to pass as a eighteen year old. Although I must inform you, I'm still not legal to drink back home."

"Nineteen?"

"Twenty." It suddenly dawned on Ri that she was telling her age to a complete stranger, yet that fact didn't bother her. She felt like she could trust him, even with her deepest darkest secrets. And that thought terrified her.

Ricc nodded. They were the same age. That fact made him happy, maybe because she wasn't a minor, or maybe because it meant they had something in common. Whatever it was, the feeling was extraordinary.

"So what's your story?" Ri asked after a few minutes of silence. "What's the reason you hijacked my cab?"

Ricc chuckled before answering. "I'm actually visiting one of my patients who's in hospital right now."

"Patients? You're not a doctor are you?" Ri queried.

"No, I work with old people. I go to their homes and look after them until they don't need me or... or until they're not here anymore." Ricc gulped. That was the one thing he hated about his job; the way it almost always ended. Many people don't deal with death well, yet Ricc decided to deal with it for a living.

"That must be really hard for you. Selfless, but hard. I remember when my friend's grandfather died. It was really hard for him. But if you do that willingly... that's one of the most selfless things you could do with your life." Ri smiled sadly. She could never do something like that. She was too fragile. She wouldn't be able to cope, mentally.

"Well, when you put it like that." Ricc smiled softly, the sadness still evident in his eyes. "I do love my job though. I love listening and learning their stories and their lives. I've learnt so much through these people. Some of them leave me things in their wills. And no matter how worthless or pointless the gift is, I can't seem to throw it away. It reminds me of the people I helped."

Ri smiled. But as quickly as it came, it faded. That could be Nanna next. The one who leaves things for people in her will. She could only hope not.

***

Almost half an hour of Ri and Riccardo talking went by. They connected instantly, talking about their friends, funny moments and other stories. Ri never mentioned her family and Ricc never asked. They had laughed like old friends who had known each other for years.

Ricc kept stealing glances at Ri as they finally settled into a peaceful silence. For the past few minutes he'd done nothing but steal glances at Ri's lips. They looked so soft and plump - kissable. Yet he wouldn't. Ricc knew it was wrong to kiss a girl without asking, even worse when you've only met the girl half an hour ago.

However, he couldn't help but imagine how sensational the kiss would be. Ricc wanted to push her against the taxi door, holding her waist. He wanted to hear her gasp as he cupped her cheek, kissed her jaw and ear. He wanted to stare into her eyes, see the lust that reflected off both of them, before delicately kiss her lips finally...

He turned towards the window, trying to expel the image away from his mind.

Ri tapped her fingers against her knees nervously. The silence was comfortable, yet tension was filling the air. She wanted to kiss Ricc. So much. She wanted to feel his lips on hers. She wanted to run her fingers through his light brown hair and kiss behind is ear. Ri found herself wetting her lips at the thought of her taxi guy.

It couldn't be right though. She was emotionally unstable. She was always unstable. It wouldn't be right for him to kiss her.

Although... what if- what if she kissed him?

Ri looked towards Ricc. He was staring out the window, ruffling his hair. Why couldn't she? The worst that could happen was Ricc rejecting her. The thought was almost unbearable. She might not be able to cope with that. The stress of her Nanna was eating away Ri's insides. In a couple of hours Nanna might not even be here.

What the hell.

Ri moved closer to Ricc, moving her hand to cup his cheek. Before he could even process what was happening, Ri smashed her lips against her surprised taxi stranger.

Here's the third chapter! Sorry it's been a bit of a wait. Hope everyone enjoyed it!
I don't mind constructive criticism. Comment and vote.
Words-N-Scars