“We can’t leave her. She’s soaked and shivering.” Carter was speaking to Xavier.
“I know, mate, but what do you want me to do? Force her to get inside?”
While they were debating, I decided to get out of there. It wasn’t like I could get any more soaked, and I couldn’t bring myself to be near Carter. Not now. Not when my head was spinning still from Aunt Marie’s riddle. And of course, there was my whole plan to avoid him. With that thought in mind, I steered my bike back onto the road and pedalled as hard as I could.
I’d just reached the cut through to my house, where there was a footpath and cycle path running alongside a small stream, when I heard a car again. I pedalled harder, hoping with everything I had it wasn’t Carter and Xavier.
“Raine!” I heard my name called with a shout, and that spurred me on even faster. My muscles were burning and I couldn’t catch my breath, but I had to make it to the cut through, where the car wouldn’t be able to follow me.
“Stop!” I was suddenly in the grip of a large body, flailing around, fighting to get away. I screamed, and a hand immediately clamped over my mouth.
“Your girl’s got some fight in her.” I heard Xavier’s chuckle next to my ear.
“She’s not mine,” came the reply. Carter’s voice held a note of sadness, or maybe I’d just imagined it.
“You gonna stop struggling, Raine?” Xavier’s attention returned to me.
“No,” I hissed, and he sighed.
“Raine. I’m not leaving you here, so you may as well get in the car instead of wasting both of our time.”
“Fine.” A frustrated huff escaped me.
“Good girl,” he praised. “Wait there a minute. I’m gonna grab a blanket from the boot. Can’t have you dripping all over my seats.”
Of course not. “I’m fine. Home isn’t far from here.”
He looked down at me, his face shadowed by his hood.
“It’s my fault you got soaked.” He shrugged, opening the boot and grabbing a blanket, which he laid over the back seat. “Just get in the car, would you, before we’re both drenched?”
Deciding to cut my losses, I slid into the car without another word. The sudden warmth hit me, and I realised how cold I was, shivering, my teeth chattering.
“Fucking hell, Raine.” Carter’s voice sounded again. “Why do you have to be so stubborn?”
“I-I d-didn’t ask for you to give me a lift,” I managed to get out through my chattering teeth, then turned my gaze away from him, staring at the rain driving against the window. Shrugging off my wet coat, I leaned back against the seat.
“Stubborn,” he said again. As I closed my eyes with a sigh, I heard the car doors slamming, and then the space next to me was filled with Carter’s larger-than-life presence. I inched further away from him, right up against the car door.
Xavier slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine. “Your bike’s on the back.”
“Thanks,” I whispered tiredly as another cold shiver racked my body. Suddenly, I was being grabbed and tugged against a warm, strong chest, arms holding me tightly.
“Raine.” Carter’s voice was a soft caress. He stroked down my back, then brushed my wet hair out of my face, uncaring that I was dripping rainwater everywhere. “I’ve got you.” Placing a kiss on my head, he continued his soothing movements until I stopped shivering and gave in to the inevitable, letting my body relax against his, soaking up his warmth. Even though I knew I shouldn’t.
I kept my eyes closed for the entire duration of the car journey, taking this tiny, stolen moment where I could pretend that Carter was mine.
30
Everywhere I looked, she was there. No one else held my interest. In the halls at school, in my classes, every-fucking-where. She starred in my dreams, taunting me with thoughts of something I couldn’t have. I couldn’t concentrate on anything but her. Everything I did to push her out of my mind was a complete and utter failure. After I’d held Raine in my arms in Xavier’s car, I thought that maybe things would change, but I was wrong. True to her word, she’d stayed far away from me, acting like I didn’t exist. It was clear to me that she’d given up on any idea of us, and I knew it was my own fucking fault. Anastasia wouldn’t admit to anything, so the whole point of me staying away had been a failure, and I’d had to deal with Ana getting her hopes up again and then me letting her down. She could join the queue. I was letting everyone down. My head was fucked. My grades were slipping again, and the disappointment of my parents weighed heavily on me.
Everything fucking sucked. Kian and Xavier wouldn’t get off my back, telling me I was moping around like a fucking girl.
The truth? I missed Raine.
“You look like shit.” Kian threw his bag into the seat next to me.
“Thanks.”