Page 2 of Muffin Top
I rolled to a stop at an intersection, waiting for an upcoming truck to pass. I shimmied along to Lizzo singing about being a bad bitch when the car hit me from behind.
I jerked forward in my seat, stomach crushing into the steering wheel as my car spun forward into the intersection. For a moment I wondered if this was how I died – squashed under a truck while dressed as a delicious baked good?
What a way to go.
Instead, the truck swerved as my car twirled and I slipped through after his passage. I rolled to a stop in the middle of the intersection, my hands death gripping the steering wheel. My heart felt like it was pounding out of my chest.
Am… am I alive?
Behind me there was screaming, slamming doors, screeching tires and then a woman at my window smacking her hand frantically against the glass, stealing what was left of my breath.
I rolled the window down. "Can I help you?" I asked, feeling somewhat dazed.
"Oh, my gawd." She breathed. "You nearly died. And they just… they took off."
"Cops are on their way!" A man yelled at me from the passenger door. He wretched it open, climbing in. "Don't worry, we'll get you out."
I blinked, looking down at my body. I wasn't pinned. My car didn't even seem damaged – though I hadn't seen the outside yet.
"I'm okay," I told them. "Everything is fine. I'm not even sore."
Flashing lights alerted me to the arrival of our local police.
"Over here! She's in shock!" The woman hollered as the officers got out.
I sighed, unsnapping my seat belt and moving to get out of the car.
First my parents, now this? Bad things are meant to come in threes… So, what's next? A house fire?
I staggered getting out of the car. Not because I was hurt, but because the overly helpful stranger decided I needed her to death grip my arm and haul me against her.
"Look!" She squealed, waving frantically at the cops. "The officers will help you."
I tugged at my arm, trying to pull myself free from her tentacles.
"Miss are you oka- wait. Honey?"
My spine went ramrod straight, my head twisting to the vaguely familiar voice.
Hot damn. That is a mountain of a man.
Tall and broad, the officer filled out his uniform in a way I couldn't help but like. His hands were big, his thick thighs deliciously climbable Bulky, with acres of tanned skin and dark, messy hair. The face now in front of me instantly recognizable.
"Tristan?" His name fell from my lips, tasting of bittersweet memories and unrequited love.
"Honey, shit." He came over, easily disentangling me from octo-woman and leading me a few paces away. His partner immediately assessed the situation, moving to distract the woman.
He'd grown since our last encounter. High school graduation. We'd been wearing robes that hadn't flattered anyone and smiles a mile wide. I'd been valedictorian, he'd been class president but before that we'd been friends. Study buddies. Mutual acquaintances who circled each other but never quite matched up. I'd wanted to confess my love to him before he left for college. Instead, I'd signed his yearbook with a suitably generic 'stay in touch,' followed by my cell number.
He'd never called.
Despite the time between now and then, he hadn't changed that much. Sure, he stood taller and broader, with a five o'clock shadow that didn't quit and a look in his eyes that hadn't been there all those years ago. But overall, he was still the same devilishly handsome man I'd known back then.
Maybe.
"Are you okay?"
I blinked, unable to find the words to express just how okay I was now that he was holding my hand.
