♫ Stargirl - The Weeknd, Lana Del Rey♫
"I failed the test for sure," Leo whines as we walk out of school.
"You always say that, and you always end up having the best grade in the class," I remind my classmate.
"No, but this time, I'm sure I failed," he insists, and I roll my eyes at him.
Suddenly, my feet halt when I notice that instead of my usual chauffeur Frank, Mikey is the one waiting for me in front of my school today.
He's leaning his back against his black McLaren, scrolling through his phone.
"Mikey?" I call out to him, surprised.
He lifts his gaze from his phone and his eyes land on me and Leo.
"What are you doing here? Where's Frank?" I ask him.
"Frank said he wasn't feeling well, so I offered to pick you up," he explains and I nod slowly, still a little surprised.
I turn to say goodbye to Leo. Just then, I notice his eyes slide to something behind me and his expression shift from friendly to guarded.
"See you tomorrow," I tell him.
My friend quickly mutters a goodbye and walks away, his eyes darting to something behind me one last time. I frown and turn around, finding Mickey's eyes glued to Leo's retreating figure. His gaze drifts back to me as he opens the car door. After a moment of hesitation, I slide into the passenger seat, feeling his eyes on me as he closes the door. He takes his seat behind the wheel and drives off, an awkward silence settling between us.
Suddenly, he breaks the silence, his voice low and measured. "Who was that guy?" he asks, his eyes focused on the road ahead.
"Just a guy in my class."
"He likes you," he says matter-of-factly, his eyes flickering briefly to me before returning to the road.
"No he doesn't," I reply, but the words sound weak and unconvincing even to my own ears. I, myself, have suspected Leo might like me.
"Yes, he does," Mikey insists, and I swear I catch a faint hint of jealousy in his voice, or maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part.
"Do you like him?" he then asks, his eyes meeting mine briefly.
I hesitate for a moment, wondering if I should lie to see his reaction, but I can't bring myself to do it.
"No, I don't," I answer truthfully and he brings his gaze back to the road.
Relief floods through me as the tension between us eases a bit, and I let out a small sigh, turning my head to the window to watch the city go by.
"How was your day?" he asks after a moment.
"It was good. Alumni came to talk to us about their studies and jobs. It was interesting, but I still have no idea what I want to do after high school..."
"You know, you don't actually need to have a job or a career," he says and I exhale softly.
"Yeah, I know it probably wouldn't bother my dad to take care of me for the rest of my life but-"
"Not just your father," He interrupts me, turning his head to catch my gaze.
My heart skips a beat as I catch the implication in his words.
He brings his eyes back to the road and keeps one hand on the stirring wheel while sliding one under his suit jacket. He plucks out his black credit card and extends it towards me.
"Take it," He tells me. "Go buy yourself something for your birthday. Anything you want."
I stare at the credit card but refuse to accept it. "I can't accept that, Mickey."
"Take it," he insists.
I open my mouth to refuse again but the next words never make it past my lips because Mikey extends his arm towards me and slides the black credit card under my knee-high tights, his fingers grazing my thighs. My breath hitches in my throat at the unexpected touch.
"Take it, Ruby," he insists again and withdraws his hand with a slow, deliberate movement, his fingers brushing my thigh a second time in the process. "Use it anytime you want."
My heart races as his words sink in, and I'm acutely aware of the heat that lingers on my skin from where his fingers brushed against me.
"Mikey, I can't," I protest weakly.
"Keep it," he repeats, his voice low and steady. "Take all of my money. Every last cent of it if you want. There's no one else I want to spend it on anyway."
I'm torn between the rational part of me that knows I shouldn't accept his offer and the part of me that wants to indulge in the temptation.
"Thank you," I whisper, my voice barely audible over the hum of the car engine.
I already know what I want for my birthday.
And I know exactly where to get it.
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♫ Harleys in Hawaii - Katy Perry♫
Draken is standing behind the counter of the motorcycle shop, engrossed in writing something in a notebook when I walk into his shop. As I approach him, he looks up from his notebook and flashes me a lopsided grin.
"Did you break your phone again?" he teases.
"No, not this time," I reply, stopping at the counter. I lean down with my elbows on it and look up at Draken with an excited smile as I announce, "I'm here to buy my birthday gift."
He sets his pen down and leans forward, resting both hands on the counter. "Sorry, I'm not for sale," he jokes.
I roll my eyes playfully. "Don't worry, I have my eye on something much better," I muse, pointing to the Triumph Trident that caught my attention the other night. "This baby."
Draken's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "You want to buy the Triumph Trident?"
I nod eagerly. "Yes, I do."
He hesitates for a moment before asking, "Do you have a license?"
Proudly, I pull out my motorcycle driving license from my jacket pocket and show it to him.
Draken studies it for a moment before asking, "But you told me you've never ridden a motorbike before?"
I lower my license and drop my gaze as memories flood my mind.
"Well, I have," I admit. "Just a few times."
Mikey used to take me for drives on his old CB250T all the time when I was younger. He would come pick me up at school and drive to Okamoto pier. We'd watch the sunset and eat Dorayaki together and occasionally, he'd let me drive his motorcycle.
"The Triump Trident can be pretty hard to drive, you know," Draken informs me and I look up at him again.
"I'm pretty sure I can manage. Plus," I tilt my head to the side a little, fighting a teasing grin. "Do you care about all of your customers' safety like this?"
He exhales softly, clearly fighting a smile too as he swipes the tip of his tongue across his upper teeth.
"Not all of them, no," he finally admits and looks off to the side as he thinks for a moment. "I'll tell you what. We'll take it for a ride together for a first time, and if you still want to buy it after, then I'll sell it to you," He offers and I extend a hand over the counter.
"Deal."
He shakes my hand and, just like the first time we held hands, I feel a spark of electricity run through my fingers. We both smile, holding the gaze for just a moment too long.
Draken then lets go of my hand and reaches for a set of keys beneath the counter.
"Wait, we're going now?" I ask as he walks over to the Triumph Trident.
"Yeah."
"But what about the shop?"
"Don't worry about it," he reassures me.
I follow him as he takes the motorcycle outside. He gets on first, then he turns his head to me and hands me a helmet.
"Shouldn't I be the one driving?" I ask while putting on the helmet.
"You'll drive on the way back," he promises.
I climb onto the back of the bike and wrap my arms around his torso, clasping my hands against his chest. I can feel the hard muscles that I've admired before, and my heart races a little faster.
As he drives off, I rest my cheek against his back and hold on tightly. The city blurs by around us, and for a moment, I close my eyes and forget about everything. About everyone.
I'm not sure where we're going until the landscape around us starts to look more and more familiar. We're approaching Okamoto bay. The place Mikey used to take me too.
Did Draken read my mind, or is this just another coincidence?
We slow down and park the motorbike at the pier before turning to the beach. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore fills the air, growing louder the closer we venture towards the sea.
"So when's your birthday exactly?" Draken asks as we walk side by side on the sand.
"In two days."
"You got plans?"
"I'm supposed to go out with some of my friends," I say, letting out a sigh.
Draken glances at me out of the corner of his eye. "You don't seem that excited about it," he notices.
To be honest, I am not really looking forward to it. I kind of hate birthdays. I always get hit by nostalgia and would rather stay in bed than go out.
At that moment, my phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out.
From Julia – I got picked for Mitsuya's runway show
I smile at the screen.
"Good news?" Draken asks me.
"Julia got chosen for Mitsuya's runway show," I tell him, tucking the phone back in my pocket.
I glance at him and catch him smiling to himself as he stares ahead of him.
"Did you put in a good word for her?" I guess, and he turns his head to look down at me, a smile tugging at his lips.
"Maybe."
A moment of silence passes as we pause and turn to face the sea ahead of us.
"Does that mean you'll come at the show?" He asks me and I turn my head to look at him.
He's watching me intently, waiting for my answer. I can't help but wonder if the reason he put in a good word for Julia was just so that he could see me again at the show.
"Yeah, I'll be there," I answer.
"Good," he breathes and turns his head to look at the sea again.
I have to bite the inside of my cheek to fight back another smile.