Page 23 of Ride By Your Side

“Why didn’t you wake me?” I frown, turning to glare at him.

“I didn’t know I was supposed to. Plus, it’s fine. I know how to drive in a rainstorm,” he assures, but the confidence in his voice is immediately drowned out by a loud popping noise. He does his best to stay calm as he turns the wheel, correcting the car’s out-of-control trajectory and thankfully preventing us from careening into the other lane, or worse, veering off the road entirely. While his hands clench tightly around the wheel and his knuckles turn white, his face remains cool and calm until the car comes to a complete stop on the side of the road.

“Fuck,” he curses loudly.

My eyes widen in alarm as I turn to him, my voice shaking. “What was that?” Despite the terrifying event, he somehow remains surprisingly composed, even though most of the color has drained from his face.

“We got a fucking flat,” he swears, hitting his palm on the wheel before blowing out an annoyed breath as he moves to unbuckle his seatbelt.

“Shit!” I panic. “What do we do? Do we call Triple A?” I ask, reaching for my phone as I force myself to remember what my dad taught me to do in this kind of emergency.

“No,” he grumbles. “We don’t need Triple A. I know how to change a damn tire.”

“Oh right.” I try to laugh, attempting to find some humor or relief about our unfortunate predicament. Despite being with a professional mechanic, the heavy rain pounding on the roof of the car is a constant reminder of the relentless storm outside, making it difficult to feel any sort of comfort in our current situation.

“Just stay inside and I’ll take care of it,” he assures me, opening his door. The crashing rain immediately drowns out all other sound. Obviously, I knew it was bad out, but it truly hits me how crazy this storm is when a loud crack of thunder roars from above us, one that I can practically feel in my bones.

He slams the door shut, leaving me alone with my thoughts as I nervously pick at my thumbnail. I want to find comfort in the fact that he knows what he’s doing, and while I’m sure he’s changed many tires in his day and knows how to do so quickly and efficiently, I also have to imagine he’s never been forced to do so in a downpour like this.

Before I can overthink it, I’m undoing my seatbelt, opening the door, and heading outside to help. Huge, icy pellets of rain batter my body, immediately soaking through my clothes as I rush to join him at the back of the car where I find him struggling to change the tire.

“What the hell are you doing?” he shouts, pointing toward the passenger door. “Get back in the damn car, Vee.”

I should probably do what he says, since, from the look of it, he seems to know what he’s doing, but I’m not about to be shouted at by anyone. I recently ended things with someone who constantly put me down and made me feel small, and now thatI’m free, I won’t let anyone do that to me ever again—not even Miles.

“No,” I say, planting my hands on my hips. “I came to help, and I don’t appreciate being talked to like that.”

I can see my words have had their desired effect as he seems to think better of the way he’d just shouted. He closes his eyes and tightens his fists, and it’s obvious he’s still fighting with himself not to do it again. His face contorts with barely suppressed rage, and his jaw clenches with the effort.

“You’re right. I shouldn’t yell, but I’ve got this,” he attempts to apologize. Standing up, he quickly walks toward me, placing a hand on the small of my back as he ushers me toward the front seat of the car. “It’s just… it’s a fucking shit show out here, and there are a lot of people who don’t know how to drive in this kind of weather. The last thing I need to worry about is you standing on the side of the road, someone hydroplaning into us, and something happening to you,” he explains as he opens the door for me to climb inside. “So please, just stay in the car so I don’t have to worry about you, too,” he pleads, his icy blue eyes all but begging me to comply.

I’m feeling utterly useless, but I’m also not looking to make this job harder on him, so I regretfully slink back into my chair. “You don’t even care that I’m getting your seats all wet?” I joke, despite knowing now probably isn’t the right time. Then again, I’ve never been known for my good timing or tact.

“If you staying safe means getting my seats wet, I’ll deal with it. Just stay in the car, please,” he begs once more.

“I will. Promise.”

He gives me one last, lingering look that I can’t fully decipher before shutting the door and disappearing behind the car once again.

I try not to worry, but the relentless drumming of the rain against the glass and the roof only seems to grow louder, sendingshivers down my spine with each small thud. My original worry had been being stuck on the side of the road all night, but now all I can think about is a car swerving into him, just like he’d worried about for me.

I’ve always been aware of his lukewarm feelings towards me, and I learned long ago not to let it bother me. Really, the blame is on him since he’s always made himself such an easy target, making it way too easy for me to get on his nerves. However, as I sit, I’m hit with a newfound protectiveness. I can’t let anything happen to him and it’s driving me absolutely crazy that I can’t help. So for once, I fight my natural instinct and stay out of his way, even if that’s the last thing I want to do.

After what feels like an eternity, the door swings open and he collapses inside, slamming it shut behind him. “Fuck, it’s cold out there,” he shivers. He reaches up to wipe the water from his face before running his hands through his thick blond locks, shaking them out as tiny droplets fly everywhere.

I know I shouldn’t be thinking anything other than being grateful for his safe return, but seeing him soaking wet, his shirt clinging to his body and revealing the perfectly defined muscles of his toned physique, sends my mind to dangerous places. Not to mention the water droplets falling down the side of his strong jaw. The mere sight of it sends a jolt of pure desire through me, urging me to lean over and lick them off, but I quickly push the thought away. Now isnotthe time to be thinking about that.

We’re in a dangerous storm. Pull yourself together, woman!I shake my head, trying to focus. I mean, what the hell? This is Miles Bennett. He’s my best friend’s older brother, for God’s sake.

“Will you turn the heat up?” he asks, pulling me from my thoughts as he turns in his seat to reach for a tucked away towel in the back of the car, using it to dry off.

I waste no time and blast the heat on high. “So, what do we do from here?” I ask. Maybe the answer is obvious, but as someone who’s never had to deal with a flat tire—and someone who clearly doesn’t handle emergencies very well—I’m very new to all this.

“I’d rather not have to drive too far tonight with the spare on, especially in this kind of storm, so I think our best bet is to find the closest hotel and stay there for the night until we can get a new tire tomorrow,” he explains, putting the car into drive, and slowly pulling back onto the road before taking the first exit we come to.

All that seems to be around is some hole-in-the-wall gas station and what looks to be a pretty cheap motel, but right now it looks absolutely heavenly. My nerves are completely shot, and given where my head had just gone, I could probably use a little space from Miles.

I’m sure tomorrow, when he’s no longer playing the sweet knight in shining armor concerned about my safety and no longer resembling a rain-soaked Adonis, things will go back to normal.

---