Chasing Sin

10

"So... I'm sorry I kissed you last night," I say to Sin as we walk along the cobblestone walkway towards his bike. I can barely bring myself to say the word 'kiss.'

I play with my long caramel-colored hair, pulling pieces from each side together, then knitting them together nervously. I still can't believe what I did.

"No problem, Sunshine," he says, eyeing me closely.

Despite me basically trying to get him into bed last night, and him refusing to explain his lies to me today, we still feel quite comfortable around each other. There's no awkward tension.

We've clearly come a long way from our original penis pump argument if I can come onto him without getting made fun of for it.

"And thank you. For taking care of me last night, I mean. We haven't known each other for long, but I can tell you're... a nice guy. Really. Despite what your reputation may be," I say, looking pointedly up at him. He gives me a glare, his eyes suddenly dark.

"Be careful with what you think of me. I've let people down before."

"What does that mean?" I ask, knowing I'll probably get a vague answer. We're nearing his motorcycle now, and I can feel myself get excited to get on.

He sighs. "Don't worry about it."

I lean against the cold bike as the fall air swirls around us, my hair flying around a bit in a not-so-graceful way.

"Okay. You've told me a lot. And... thank you. For that. For telling me everything before," I awkwardly thank him, honestly appreciative of his answers. I feel like I've told Sin a lot about me, and now I'm glad he's done the same, even if there's a lot more to figure out.

Sin nods, and I realize any basic response he could have given me would have been wrong to say. A "you're welcome" or "anytime" would just be untrue, and I smile at the simple nod.

"Come on. I'll take you home."

We approach my house with laughter once again—mine, of course. I slide off the bike and hand Sin his helmet, my wild, over-voluminous hair pouring out.

"You know, I would have never thought I would love riding one of these," I tell him. "My parents would probably lose their shit if they saw me on one." I chuckle. The pancakes and coffee have helped immeasurably with my hangover, and the wind of the motorcycle ride home seemingly helped as well—surprisingly enough.

"Aren't you worried they could be looking out the window right now?" Sin suggests, and I shrug and half-smile, not bothering to turn around to check.

"That's half the fun."

"You know, I might ought to get another helmet if I'm having regular passengers now," Sin says, not acknowledging my previous comment in the slightest.

"Oh, well, I expect a black one monogrammed with red letters here for me by next time," I return, earning a full, genuine smile from Sin once again. They're so rare yet so breathtaking, and I cherish every one.

"Very funny. I'll see you around, Sunshine." I smile widely with the nickname as his grin fades back into an expressionless pout.

"See ya, Sinclair."

"Hey! I was serious before. People call me Sin for a reason," he shouts after me as I move towards the door. He shoots me a hard glare--one that probably would have scared someone else shitless, but I just stick my tongue out at him and unlock my front door.