I watched as he dropped the objects and bent down on one knee, the rain beating down on him.
He wasn’t coming back with a gun or a knife to kill me. He had his own lug wrench, a jack, and lug nuts. Once he cranked the car up a few levels with the jack, he took the wheel off with the wrench and then stood, digging in my trunk for the tire.
He glanced at me as he took it out, putting on a subtle smile before returning to the job. In a matter of minutes, he was finished, collecting his tools and making his way back to his car again.
Flabbergasted, I walked around my car, watching as he dropped his tools in his trunk and then slammed it closed.
“Hey!” I called, rushing after him.
He stopped before climbing into the safety of his car, looking back in my direction. The rain had transitioned to a light drizzle.
When I finally met up to him, I cleared my throat and drew in a breath. “Umm…thank you for that back there.”
Rain trickled down his chiseled face, making the stubble around his mouth sparkle. It looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. Up close he looked different. Still hot, still beautiful, but different. There was sadness in his eyes—a sadness I assumed was unexplainable. It seemed to have been buried deep in those eyes of his for years.
“I wasn’t going to hurt you,” he informs me.
“I…well, I mean you never know with people these days. This world is crazy, ya know?”
“That, I know. I get it.” He put on a boyish smile.
“Well, again, thank you. As you can probably tell, I’ve never changed a tire before.”
“Yeah.” He got a kick out of that one, grinning like a schoolboy. “I can definitely tell.”
It was then that I noticed he had food stains on the white shirt underneath his jacket. The look didn’t quite fit the car he drove, and neither did his dirty black slacks and sneakers. “Just getting off work?”
He looked down at his attire, sighing as he tugged on the hem of his shirt. “Oh, uh, yeah. I’m a chef. I promise I’m not always this filthy.” He gave me another goofy, crooked smile. I laughed and it felt nice to laugh.
“Well, anyway you’re welcome. But I advise you to go to YouTube or something and watch how to change a tire. It’s not as hard as you think it is. There are tons of videos out there.”
I nodded, and I could have told him I already knew the basics, but I was completely mesmerized by the way his lips moved, how straight and perfect his teeth were. “I will.”
He turned for his car. “Have a good night, strange girl.”
My lips pressed as he started the car, shutting his door behind him. I turned around, walking back to mine and scooting in, starting the ignition. The guy sat on the side of the road for a while, way too long for me to wait for him to pull off. My car was fixed and I was already late for work. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get through my shift with wet clothes on but I had to make do.
I pulled off and went off the exit, going down another freeway until I was uptown. It wasn’t until I parked in the back and gathered my things that I noticed that same white Mercedes parking a few spots away from me.
“What the hell?” I breathed. Did he really just follow me? Now this guy was really creeping me the hell out. What was it for him? Change a girl’s tire, flirt a little, and then kill her whenever he was ready? No, it had to be: change the tire, pretend to be a nice, innocent guy, follow her, and then slaughter her ass as soon as she thinks she’s safe. He was a Ted Bundy case for sure.
I hurried for the back door of the club but he called after me. I opened the door halfway just to make it easier for me to escape if I needed to, but looked over my shoulder at him anyway.
“Are you following me?” I asked, narrowing my brows at him.”
“No—I… okay, don’t laugh,” he said, laughing himself, “but I thought when I stopped on the highway to be a good Samaritan, that I would end up helping some helpless old lady.” He paused, eyes turning serious. “But when I saw you… I…well…” He hesitated and I looked at him, doing my best to contain my laughter. Running his fingers through his wet hair, he said, “I just didn’t think you’d be so damn beautiful, is all.”
I softened for him right away.
Okay. So, I admit that although he was corny about it, it was the sweetest thing I’d heard in a long time. He wasn’t too forward like Max, but he also wasn’t afraid of letting me know his truth either.