Page 16 of All That Glitters

“It’s mostly fend for yourself, but the kitchen’s always fully stocked, thanks to Sunshine.”

She starts to say something, then looks back at me. “Shit. Sorry, I’d better go. Catch you later, Lil,” she calls over her shoulder, offering me a nod goodbye, so why does it feel like she just kicked me in the dick?

Once I get another couple of coffees in me and I start to feel my human again, I figure a ride might be the best thing for me right now.

With a wave to Lil, I head to the door, almost colliding with G, who looks me up and down.

“You heading to work?”

I shake my head; grateful it doesn’t feel like it’s gonna fall off anymore.

“Going for a ride.”

“You feel like some company?”

“Sure. But I’m leaving now.”

“Cool,” he says, falling in beside me. When we reach the warehouse, we walk over to our bikes.

“You got someplace in mind?” he calls as he grabs his helmet off his seat and straddles his bike.

I shake my head. “Right now, anywhere but here.”

I climb on my bike and start her up. The second her throaty growl rumbles through my bones, something inside me finally settles.

G pulls out, and I follow behind him. When we reach the main road, I open her up. I grin inside my helmet as I push her limits. Yeah, I’m being reckless, but I don’t give a fuck. This is exactly what I needed.

We head out of town, speeding down the empty stretch of road with no destination in mind. We don’t stop until I need gas. When I spot the gas station up ahead, I signal and pull in, parking beside the pumps. I climb off the bike and take my helmet off before filling up, and G does the same.

“You want to get something to eat?” he asks, nodding to the diner across the road.

My stomach growls at the mention of food. “Yeah, sounds good.”

We pay for our gas and ride across the road, parking in front of the huge front window so that we can keep an eye on our bikes.

The bell above the door jingles when we walk in, and the waitress behind the counter looks over. “Sit where you want. I’ll be with you in a moment.”

The place is dead. Besides me and G, the only other customer is a trucker sitting at the counter, eating a slice of pie. We slide into the booth next to the window, and each of us grabs a plastic-covered menu from the end of the table.

A few minutes later, the waitress comes over, and I order the waffles with blueberries and whipped cream, along with some breakfast sausages.

G grins at the menu, and I know exactly what he’s gonna say.

“I’ll have a stack of pancakes with syrup and a side of bacon, extra crispy.”

“Can we also get a couple of coffees?” I ask her as I put the menu back.

“Sure thing. It shouldn’t take long.”

“No problem.” G smiles at her, and she actually blushes before walking away.

“You’re so fucking predictable, you know that?” I smirk.

G shrugs. “If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it.”

“Don’t you get bored of always having the same thing?”

“Nope. I know what I like. I’m not a food whore like you.”