inn'

r a full minute, chest heaving, u

very whispered lie that I didn't deserve to

e same number had s

n tomorrow morning

k of my hand and replied at on

s of a quiet private

er notification popped

ing my spare knee guards from your garage, and grab

e of my mornings had bee

g gear and pack his energy drinks, then driving an hour across half of Sout

nd felt nothing but a

old and final:

seconds later,

wer and held

" Chaim's voice was cold with disbelief. "Are you

place. Stop being dramatic and bring it over.

l," I said evenly. "I'll drop it at the track

before he

cream knit sweater and dark jeans, leaving ev

riding gear into my trunk and d

Chaim was already standing by hi

kup in tight shorts, sipping co

ed a twenty-foot dirt embankment despite a sever

s-and Chaim just rolled his eyes and sneere

was a short video an old rider-coach sent

or years-because before it, no one ha

of my trunk and dropped it in th

beige sweater, her mout

n today," she said over her coffee. "Did you come to w

" I said, hands in my pockets.

y outfit before landing on the thick whi

your leg?" he aske

d before you say it-no, I'm n

d. He bent down, rea

he said, lower

uld reach my shin, Felicity

e latch just caught my

ck from my leg, and

aid, his voice full o

ed mark, then twisted open a bottle of ice water an

lt something I had never felt before: relief. I would never

have noticed I was hurt befo

e, trying to summon hi

posted online," he said firmly. "People in the

shameless, clinging woman." He wrinkled hi

"And rest assured, Chaim-the man in

her eyes and c

hose black tungsten studs just three months

he black stud i

ud out, and tossed it into the open

tokens," Chaim said icily. "If you want t

ainst the rusted bo

im, but because I had spent three whole weeks hu

ted rim, and reached into the filthy

y injured shin, sending a blaze of pain up my leg, b

hed red with sudd

der and hauled me b

aim barked, darting panicked glanc

el like some vagrant? Have yo

lked straight to the public

d rinsed the grime off the bl

partition, I heard Cha

d. "She's been circling me like a stray dog. I paid Felicity a

eave, let her. I c

he stud with a paper towel, a

in my ha

en minutes from the café. No rush-I

he restroom with

side, blocking my pat