Affinity

Breathe

My life hadn't been particularly active lately. I've had some days off, some time to chill, relax watching law and order and hanging with with Karlie, who has not stopped going on about Adam since I confessed we kissed the first time. I talked to Adam, but we didn't get it through our schedules to hang out. He was swamped trying to finish his writeup, and I had another cover shoot for billboard earlier, but we still managed to work it out for the evening.

Surprisingly enough, Adam has a motorcycle, even though he doesn't seem like the type, one he never really mentioned until I got over to his friend's house where he was staying for the time being. He had been working on it when we drove up and now has insisted on showing me through it, trying to get me to ride with him.

"Come on. You aren't scared, are you?" He asks, a wicked smile raising the corners of his mouth.

It's not that I'm scared, I just don't know how it would go. Despite my instinct, I can't resist his dare and throw a leg over the back of the bike, squeezing the frame as tightly as I can.

"Don't bend the frame." He laughs, eyes flickering in amusement as he grips the handlebars and releases the kickstand. He nods his head back and i shove back, and when I do, his legs slide between me and the front of the bike. I fumble with his shirt, desperately trying to find something to hold on to.

"Try this," He grabs my hands, sliding them around his waist until they were pressing against his chest. The warmth of his skin soaked against my mittens. Then, he reaches back to grip behind my knees, and pulls me forward until my body is pulled flush against his. I feel my cheeks lose their color.

I didn't breathe. We were touching in so many places I couldn't concentrate. His foot jammed down and the bike roared to life, vibrating the seat beneath me. Fresh nerves found their way to my pulse. My heart was pounding.

"Wait!" I yelled. "Don't I need directions, or instructions, or a safety class..!"

For a moment, his fingers interlaced with mine over his chest. His heartbeat was faintly quicker than I imagined.

"Lean the way I lean. Don't fight me, Taylor." is his words before the bike darts out from beneath us and the world around us crumbles into a slideshow of blurry pictures. My cheek burns into his jacket and I feel like my fingers might lose their grip is he goes any faster.

"Slower!" I shout and his laugh is cut and carried off by the wind. He does slow his speed but not by much, the world around me was still racing, and I wasn't completely sure it was the motorcycle that was doing it.
•
"C'mon, I promise it's not that bad. Most people that's gonna be here are too drunk to see, let alone recognize you," Adam says. He was leading by my hand, our bare skin separated by my mittens that were doing a poor job of keeping my hands warm. "It'll only be a second."

It was a house party he was leading me to. In no way, have I ever considered going to one of these. There's no will to, there's no purpose to in my being. It's not my nature and neither is it Adams' but he needed his friends' key that he hadn't left out. Our plan was to run in, get the key, and get out. I couldn't risk a headline of getting busted with police at some random house party.

We ducked inside, weaving through dancing bodies, all pulsing to the beat of the music that vibrated every inch of my body. It would have been fun had this been a controlled event, if it was a club or some afterparty event but no, this was a bunch of college kids, even some high schoolers. Adam still had my hand, tightening in protectiveness, and weaved through until he stumbled to a guy with blond hair ruffled down in a part, his cheeks flushed red as his eyes are stained the same color.

I catch pieces but i seem to make out, "Where's Tucker?" from Adam's sentence and he's pointed to a rough area of upstairs.

Adam pulls through again and almost at the same time, a loud whooping noise is heard from a makeshift stage set up from a couple tables. The man on the tables lets out another yelp and jumps into the crowd, causing an echoing affect of pushing bodies until Adam's hand is knocked from mine and I lose him in the crowd.