The Space Between Us

Chapter Six

Over the next few days, after a lot of going back and forth in my mind, I decided that I would give him another chance. How could I not? I had liked him for such a long time, it didn't make sense to just give up on him. And I really wanted it to work with him. I wanted to trust the feelings I'd had for him over the past years.

On Wednesday morning, I called his house and Rachel answered. She told me that he wasn't home.

"He's working at the garage. You should go and surprise him," she said. I could hear the smirk in her voice at her suggestion. Oh, he'd be surprised alright.

I decided I would surprise him.

I drove my car over to the garage, parking outside on the street. I let my car idle for a few minutes, catching the air conditioning on my body before I faced the heat wave outside. Even with only my jean shorts, navy tank top, and flip flops on, I was still burning up. A minute later, I shut off the engine and opened the door. The heat hit me like a fireball and my breath caught in my throat. It was way too hot outside. I was more of a rainy day girl. I'd never liked the heat. For me, it was always easier to heat up on a cold day than it was to cool down on a hot day.

I locked my car and then turned toward the building that was Sal's Garage. It was an icon in our town. It had been there for years, passed down through the generations. It was the place to go if you had car trouble. Everyone knew it. Sal was fair and trustworthy, and his workers were always the best. It wasn't easy to get a job at Sal's. It spoke volumes that Craig worked for him, and had for the last three years.

The weather was so hot on this summer day that both garage doors were hitched all the way up, in hopes that a bit of a breeze would blow into the shop. Sal gave me a wave from the front desk of the small side office attached to the garage. He pointed to the shop. He knew who I was looking for.

I kept walking until I stood at the opening of the shop. On one side, a car was up on the lift. The other side of the shop was partially hidden by two giant red toolboxes lined up beside each other, creating a divider of sorts between the two areas.

I could hear someone tinkering from inside but couldn't see him. I knew it was Craig. I heard him mutter something to himself, followed by the loud thud of metal hitting the floor. I walked in, following the sounds until I found him bent down low over a motorcycle, a wrench in his hand.

He was wearing black overalls and steel-toed boots, and he was shirtless. The hair at the nape of his neck was sweaty as was the rest of him, no doubt from the heat of the day, and he had black smears on his arms, the backs of his hands, neck, and chest. It looked like he'd been in a fight with a can of grease and lost. I watched him for a few minutes, unable to look away. He looked strong and sure of what he was doing. Every turn of the wrench made his arm muscles twitch and pull taut. I remembered those same arms holding me tight on our first date. I wanted them around me again.

Snap out of it, Lara!

I drew in a steadying breath and made my presence known. "Ahem."

He whirled around and stared at me, open-mouthed. I shot an eyebrow upwards and smiled.

"Lara. What are you doing here?"

"Came looking for you."

He put the wrench down, grabbed a greasy rag from the counter, and attempted to wipe himself down. It was going to take a lot more than that rag to clean him up.

"Oh yeah? What's up?" He gave up with the rag and threw it back on the counter. He was as dirty as he was before he'd started.

"I've been thinking over the possibility of another date," I said as I started to walk around the shop, my fingers trailing over the counter top, touching tools and things of the trade. I could feel his eyes on me, following my every move.

"And..." he prompted when I hesitated to say more.

I turned around and faced him, leaning back on the counter's edge. "And, I guess we could try again," I said with a shrug, like it was no big deal. "If you promise not to punch out any of my friends...well, anyone actually." My heart was pounding so hard.

"Well, that's very nice of you and I think I can control myself this time," he mused.

"I hope so," I replied, grinning. "Who's bike is that?" I asked, nodding towards the motorbike he was working on.

He turned and looked at it, a big smile breaking out over his face. "She's mine," he said proudly.  "She's almost ready," he breathed.

"She?" I looked at him in surprise.

He turned to me and grinned. "Yes. She." His eyes went back to his bike. "Just look at her. She's a beauty."

I laughed. "Should I be jealous?"

He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "Maybe," he teased. And then he was coming towards me with his greasy self.

"No way." I shook my head. "You stay right there," I said as I darted around one of the red toolboxes. But he kept coming anyway.

"Come here," he said, a teasing glint in his eyes.

I held up my hands in front of me. "I mean it, don't come any closer. At least get that grease off your hands before you get it on me."

He looked at his upraised hands, twisting them to the left and right. "You're not afraid of a little grease, are you?"

He back-stepped me into the corner of the counter and grinned when I had nowhere to go. Leaning in slowly, he rested his hands on the countertop on either side of me, his face close to mine.

"So, about that date," he said. He was so close to me I couldn't think straight. All I could see was him. His gaze moved slowly over my face. I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. He noticed.

"What about it?" I whispered. I sounded so breathless. I was supposed to have the upper hand here.

"Friday. Six o'clock."

I nodded. At least I think I did. My head was so fuzzy. I was staring at his lips, remembering the last time he'd kissed me. I really wanted him to kiss me again. I knew that wasn't wise but I couldn't help it.

He leaned in even closer, his lips hovering over mine. His eyes stayed on me, watching. And then he kissed me. My eyes closed of their own accord and I heard a soft sigh escape from somewhere in the back of my throat. He leaned against me and deepened the kiss. And somehow, in that moment, I felt safer. Shielded by him. My hands came up and rested on his chest. His bare skin was hot against the palms of my hands. I'd forgotten that he wasn't wearing a shirt and pulled my hands away. This was way too intimate for me, way too fast. I broke off the kiss and pulled my head back, my eyelids droopy from all the feelings swirling in me. He looked just as affected as me.

"Man, I love kissing you," he said, and then he was grinning again.

What was with all the grinning and smiling he was doing lately? It wasn't like him at all. His friends often called him Mr. Serious because he rarely cracked a smile. He'd been cracking a lot of them lately...with me.

I slid away from him but he caught hold of my arm and let it trail through his fingers as I walked away, letting me go slowly, leaving his imprint on me.

"Lara," he called in a low voice just as I reached the outside. I turned and faced him. He was leaning back against the counter now, his ankles crossed and his arms folded across his chest. He looked relaxed, the opposite of what I was feeling. "See you Friday," he said with a wink.

Be still my heart.

Author's Note: Next up... second chance at date night! Coming soon! Don't forget to vote. Thanks for reading 😀