𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠

Chapter 4

Deena looks into the refrigerator with frustration bubbling inside of her, as her eyes sweep passed the undesirable contents represented before her. 

Unfortunately, she is a picky eater - even when super hungry - and the sight before her isn't doing her any wonders. And she cannot imagine shoving the fish salad her mother left over for her for tonight down her throat. The very sight of it already getting her nauseous. She hates fish, and she's let it be known for a long time. Her eyes shift to the boxed up mushroom soup. And her hands ball to fists. She slams the fridge door close and sharply sighs.

She'll just have to make it to her favourite Italian restaurant nearby. It can't really do deliveries, which means she'll have to physically go there to eat. Not that she minds, this house is lonely enough.

~|~|~|~|~

It's not so far away that she'd feel unsafe. She finds it quite therapeutic to walk her way there, breathing in the fresh air as her mind stays at ease.

She wonders what Leon's favourite dish is, not that she'd ever do anything about it. She's a bad cook, and she's too pussy to take him out. What if she gifts him, instead? Would he find that weird? "No, we're strangers," she opposes that thought immediately. She's not one to chase like that.

A very loud, revving noise has her averting from her thoughts. She lifts her head up and frowns as she tries to decipher where the direction of the noise is coming from. Sounds like a pack of bikers are nearby.

Deena's cellphone rings against her shorts. She slides it out of her pocket and sees that her father is calling. She inwardly gasps, her eyes widening. Her finger just hovering over the Accept button, hand getting shaky. She can feel the drastic racing of her heart, a strong lump growing in her throat.

"Dad," her lower lip quivering. Her eyes darting everywhere. She lets out a shaky breath, her other hand moving up to touch her cheek in time a tear rolls down. The continuous ringing of her phone quite literally sends a shiver down her spine.

A bright, white light flashes before her eyes. It's almost... inviting. Welcoming. As if it's promising to take her away. It is coming closer, and she nears it, too. Until it's all she sees around her. The light about to completely engulf her, or so she feels, until she hears the deafening roars a little too late.

She finally realizes.

The motorcycle speeding towards her makes a sudden brake just when she quickly leaps away. She slams and scrapes herself against the cold, harsh ground. While the motorcycle crashes away from her.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Deena curses in pain, grunting as she tries to raise herself up. She stops halfway and she watches the rider crawl off his bike. He takes his helmet off, his back still facing her. 

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" She screams. "You literally just tried to kill me!!"

The rider shakes his hair once the helmet is off.

And, now, that's when Deena squints her eyes at him. Though his back is facing her, she's sure she's looking back at Leon. His familiar yellow-black helmet.

She holds her breath, frozen in place. She wants to disappear so, so bad.

Leon tilts his head to give her a glance, and then lets out an angry scoff. "Am I crazy?! You had all the time to get the fuck out my way and you didn't! You saw me coming and even walked towards me, like a psycho! That's fucking crazy!" He angrily yells. "It's like you were asking to be hit!" He gets up, leaving his helmet on the ground to check on his fallen motorcycle which he assesses in unhappiness - his hands resting on his hips. He lets out a long sigh. And looks to her. "Are you alright?" His voice softens.

"No more better than your baby, I'm sure," Deena retorts, pointing at his motorcycle.

"Funny," Leon points his finger back at her. "Because she has it worse."

"It's a she, huh," she remarks. She tries to get up again. She hisses when she gets to her feet, feeling a painful cramp in both legs. She can't stand straight, her legs wobbly and aching, but she thinks she's okay.

Leon's eyebrows crease in what appears to be worry, staring her down. "You're bleeding," he points his finger to her knee.

She looks down to see the scraped wound on her knee bleeding. She scoffs. "Great! You just had to choose this path!" She flies her arms up the air in anger.

"It was a short cut to winning the race. Doesn't matter now because you ruined my win," he glares.

She stares at him in bewilderment. "You almost kill me and that's what you've got to say?!" She drops her jaw.

There's instant regret on his face. He looks away from her.

"And you know street racing is illegal anyway because people could get hurt! Like me!" She angrily throws her arms up in the air, again.

His face falls in his palm, before he combs his fingers through his thick, black hair. He lets out an exhale. He sees the garage convenience store just left from the other road and then looks back at her with a remorseful expression on his face. "I know, I'm sorry. Let me make it up to you."

She gives him a sour expression. "What?"

He begins lifting his motorcycle back up carefully before he tips his head at her, saying, "Come on." He leads the way as he walks his motorcycle across the road.

She lets out a small groan and starts following behind with a limp in her walk, crossing her arms over her chest petulantly. "Don't you have better hobbies to do?" She bitterly snaps.

He lets out a long sigh. "I do have other hobbies, actually," he dryly replies without looking back at her, finishing his way across the road to the garage where he picks up his pace with his bike before he carefully leaves it by the store.

She stops close to him, her arms still tightly crossed around her and her face still scowling. As she's staring at him park his motorcycle. For a couple of seconds, it feels like she's staring at nothing, until it starts settling it. She's staring at Leon, right now. Leon is right in front of her, and she's talking to him. She... is with Leon, and it's them alone. They're just together...  As this soaks in, the faster her heart beats.

She feels totally breathless now.

She immediately looks away when he turns to face her, feeling a lot of blood rushing to her face. She flinches hard when his hand touches hers - his hand grasps hers. She looks at his face in bewildered and she doesn't have time to think when he begins pulling her.

"What are you doing?" She asks in a lowered voice, following behind him as they enter through the opening automatic sliding doors of the convenience store.

He stops at the snack table by the front window, where he gently pushes her down to sit on the nearest seat, his eyes intently locked with hers. Now, she's staring back up at him in a much shorter height. 

"Stay here," he says with another regretful look on his face after his eyes sweep past her knees.

"Oh-kayy," she sings anxiously. He walks away and gets out of her sight. She wants to keep her eyes on him, so she stands up from her seat and jumps to look over the snack shelves. She sees him disappear into some backroom.