Chapter 135
“Claire p>
Edison’s voice came through, tight with worry.
Something was definitely up.
“I’m fine, Edison. I just ran into someone I know p>
Dane’s car was parked by the curb. He watched Claire quietly.
Claire pointed to her phone. “Hey, Edison, I have to go. Talk later p>
Edison finally let out a breath.
“Alright, just be careful. And seriously, you can’t keep taking that scooter to school p>
Claire put her phone away and looked at Dane.
“Dane, what’s going on? Why are you stopped here p>
Dane hadn’t expected to run into her like this.
His cool, distant face softened a little. “There was an accident. Hit-and-run p>
He glanced at the scooter. “You rode that to school p>
“Yeah, I overslept this morning,” Claire said with a little smile.
So she just skipped the whole morning?
Dane pressed his lips together. “Can that scooter carry someone else p>
“Of course. Where do you need to go p>
Claire’s scooter had a seat in the back, so it wasn’t a problem.
Dane didn’t bother asking why someone like Claire was riding around on something so basic.
He eyed the back seat. “Are you sure it’s safe p>
He looked a little doubtful, clearly not used to this kind of ride.
“Are you getting on or not? You’re taking forever p>
Without Pandora there, Claire’s patience with Dane was pretty much nonexistent. Dane just stared at her.
“If you don’t want to sit in the back, do you want to drive?” Claire offered when he still didn’t move. Honestly, with those long legs, she figured he’d be uncomfortable back there anyway. She didn’t mind switching.
Dane hesitated, then nodded. “Okay p>
Claire hopped off and let Dane try the driver’s seat.
“Have you ever ridden one of these before p>
“No,” Dane admitted.
Claire blinked. “You’ve never even tried, but you want to drive p>
Dane stayed calm. “I’ll figure it out p>
Claire almost laughed. “I really don’t have time to teach you. Should I just drive p>
“How does it work?” Dane asked, ignoring her suggestion completely.
Claire caught the spark of excitement in his eyes, even if he was trying to play it cool.
Of course. To him, the scooter was just a new toy. He wanted to try it out for himself.
She walked him through the basics showing him how to control it. Dane listened, all down
nodding like he had it t
“Alright, get on. We’re good to go,” he said, full of confidence after wobbling down
the sidewalk a bit.
Claire didn’t quite believe it, but
climbed onto the back anyway,
grabbing onto the hem of his shit at his waist.
Dane’s whole body tensed.
He’d never been this close to a girl before, and suddenly he didn’t seem to know what to do with his hands
or feet. Claire’s hand pressed, against his side, and through the thin fabric, he could feel how warm she was.
“Come on, let’s go. I’ll tell you which way p>
“Okay,” Dane replied, sounding more tense than ever.
But as soon as he started, his hands got sweaty, and everything she’d just taught him vanished from his mind.
After a shaky few meters, the scooter started swerving and picked up speed down the street.
Claire yelped, realizing holding his shirt wasn’t going to cut it.
As they turned a corner, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist. Dane froze, then hit the brakes hard.
“What was that?” Claire shouted as she smacked into his back, her nose stinging from the impact.
Seriously, this guy was built like a brick wall. Was he made of steel or something?
Dane looked back, eyes apologetic. “Sorry. I’m not used to being this close to anyone p>
He actually sounded sincere, and for a second, Claire almost forgave him for nearly breaking her nose.