SONG OF THE CHAPTER: breathin' by Ariana Grande
"Okay, that's never happened before," was the first thing Julian said after his car decided to stop working. He swung open his door and got out of the car, moving to stand in front of the hood. He then proceeded to try and lift up the hood with his bare hands.
I opened my door and poked my head out, raising my eyebrows at him. "West, what're you doing?"
"Trying to open the hood. I want to see what the problem is," Julian explained, his brows furrowing in concentration.
I rolled my eyes. "You know there's a lever for that, right?" Leaning over the centre console, I reached down and pulled the lever, watching the hood pop open.
Julian shot me a thumbs up before he leant over and peered under the hood intently. A few seconds later, I could see he had no clue what he was doing. Sighing, I got out of the car and shoved him aside. After a quick inspection, I felt confident I'd located the problem. His engine appeared to have overheated if the smoke now billowing from the car was any indication.
"That looks scary. We should probably stand back just in case something explodes," Julian said warily, taking a step backwards.
"Nothing's going to explode," I told him, rolling my eyes at him again. I attempted to wave the smoke away so I could get a closer look at the possible cause of the engine overheating. I assumed there was either a leak in one of the pipes or something had disconnected from something else. It was a vague assumption, but the smoke was making it hard to see anything clearly, which meant I couldn't pinpoint the exact problem. "Can you grab me your toolbox?"
Julian frowned and nodded. "Uh, I'll see what I've got." He disappeared around the side of the car and I heard the trunk open and close. Moments later, Julian appeared beside me. "I found this thing," he said, waving a spanner in front of my face.
I raised my brows. "That's it? A spanner? You don't have any more tools?" I asked incredulously.
Julian was wearing a blank look. "Why would I?"
I groaned. If he had no other tools, there wasn't anything I could do to attempt to fix the problem. I couldn't believe he didn't have a toolbox in the back of his car. I also couldn't believe he didn't know where the lever was to open the hood. I was pretty sure it was something even my older sister Hudson could do, and she knew next to nothing about cars. Julian was an absolute idiot sometimes.
"Your engine overheated. From the looks of it, your cooling fan is broken. You may also have a leak in one of your pipes but I can't quite see with all this smoke coming out," I explained to him, watching his eyes widen. "Call the AAA. There's nothing I can do right now without any tools."
Julian nodded, his expression bewildered as he pulled out his phone and called the AAA. I stepped away from the thick smoke. Moving around the car, I closed the driver's side door and stood against it, waiting for Julian to end the call. Once he did, he came around to stand in front of me.
I huffed in annoyance. "I can't believe you only have a spanner. When was the last time you got your car serviced?"
He shrugged. "Uh, not sure. Maybe three years ago?"
I gaped at him. "Three years ago? No wonder you have so many problems!"
"How often do you have to get it serviced?" he asked, looking taken aback by my reaction.
"Every six to twelve months!" I shook my head at him in disbelief. "You really are an idiot."
"How do you know all this stuff?" Julian asked curiously, choosing to ignore the fact I called him an idiot.
"I'm a mechanic," I said simply.
Sometimes, I forgot it wasn't common knowledge that I worked as a mechanic. The only people at college who knew were Lia, Mikayla and her girlfriend, Yasmine. It was hard for people to understand why a rich girl like me would bother with such a dirty and strenuous part-time job. I knew a lot of people would judge me if they knew just how passionate I was about fixing cars. I expected Julian to feel the same way. Maybe it was ridiculous of me, but I'd rather people didn't know.
His curious expression turned to one of astonishment. "You? A mechanic?"
"Do you have a problem with that?" I crossed my arms over my chest, narrowing my eyes at him. The last thing I wanted was for him to make fun of me for doing something I loved. There would be no holding back on punching him this time.
"No, no. Not at all. That's...amazing. I had no idea." A wide grin slid onto his face. "So, you know a lot about cars?"
I was momentarily shocked that he sounded so genuine. There was no judgement in his voice whatsoever. "I've been working as a mechanic for a few years, so you'd hope so," I said eventually.
The astonished look never left his face. "So why can't you fix my car?" he said, gesturing to the smoking engine.
I breathed out a laugh. "As I said, you only have a spanner. Can't do much with that. Your car needs some serious help."
"Where do you work?" Julian asked, the question completely genuine that I didn't even mine the sudden onslaught of questions from him.
"Manny's Mechanics," I told him. I was still a little shocked he was being so cool about this.
Julian smiled. "I'll bring my car there to get serviced, then."
"You better. I can't believe you've been driving it around all this time and that you haven't died. It's so dangerous."
His grin morphed into a smirk. "You almost sound concerned."
I scoffed, but couldn't help smiling. "Don't flatter yourself, West. I think I'm more concerned about your car than your wellbeing."
Julian laughed and shook his head.
"Your grandparents are really nice," I said, changing the subject. "They had some great stories to tell."
He groaned. "Not again. Will you drop it? I'm not telling you the bee story."
I laughed, feeling disappointed again. "You suck."
"No, I'm just being smart. If I tell you that story, you'll never let me live it down."
I nodded, smirking. "Just like the time you walked into a pole while arguing that you were athletically competent."
"You are evil," Julian said, narrowing his eyes, the smile still on his lips. "I can't believe you still remember that."
"How could I forget? You landed in dog poo when you fell. It was probably the best day of my life. We'd only just met that week and I already hated you more than I'd ever hated anyone in my life," I said honestly with a smirk.
"Likewise. I thought you were the most irritating person I'd ever met," Julian admitted with a smirk of his own.
"It's not my fault. If you hadn't told me on day one of college that I wouldn't make it as a doctor, I wouldn't have hated you so much," I pointed out.
That moment marked the beginning of my immense dislike for Julian. His words had gotten under my skin, even though I hadn't known him one bit at the time. My parents were forcing me to study something I didn't want to study and there Julian was, telling me I was never going to cut it. I must've said something equally as biting to him in return because from then on, we had been at each other's throats.
"Do you still hate me?"
My head shot up and I met his gaze. Part of me wanted to say that I did. It would make things much easier. I should've still hated him. He was arrogant and self-centred and just plain irritating. But somewhere along the way, that hatred towards him had faded. What I felt towards him now was far too confusing to even think about. There was no way I was mentioning it aloud to him either.
"As much as I wish I did, I do not," I said truthfully.
"Neither do I," Julian said softly.
A cool breeze brushed against my bare arms and tousled my dark hair. A stray curl flung itself across my face. Julian stepped forward and brushed it aside, his warm fingers grazing my cheek. I froze, not sure what to think, let alone do. The now-familiar feeling of butterflies soared through my stomach. I wanted to look away from his eyes. I didn't want him to see just how much his touch affected me. But I couldn't bring myself to do anything but stand there and bask in his touch. Once again, my body was set on betraying me.
Julian trailed his fingertips across the plane of my cheek and down my neck before he tangled his fingers in my hair. His eyes flittered across my face as though he was nervous about something. If he could hear the way my heart was pounding, he'd know just how nervous I was as well.
"I can't seem to bring myself to hate you anymore, no matter how hard I try," Julian murmured, stepping even closer to me so that his chest was pressed against my chest. He rested his forehead against mine.
"What are you doing?" I breathed, feeling his warm breath touch my lips. My heart lurched against my ribcage, like a wild animal in captivity. I wanted to pull away, to put up walls against him, but I was frozen in place.
"I don't know," Julian whispered, right before he pressed his lips against mine.
At the first touch of his lips, I felt my whole body stiffen and my thoughts halt in their tracks. For so long, I'd been wanting to kiss Julian, and now that I was, I couldn't tell if he was screwing with me. When he deepened the kiss, I found myself responding anyway, my eyelids fluttering shut. My hand drifted up and I tugged it through his brown hair, pulling him even closer to me than he already was.
Julian made a sound at the back of his throat, his hands leaving my neck and trailing down my sides until they came to rest on my hips. His thumbs slid under the hem of my shirt and brushed against my bare skin. It felt as though flames were sweeping through my body, melting the ice within me and burning all thoughts of common sense. This was such a bad idea but I couldn't even entertain the thought of stopping.
I felt my tongue brush against his ever so gently, as though he was still teasing me. His grip tightened on my hips and this time I was the one making a noise. My heart was pounding so hard against my chest I thought I might not survive this. Even in my wildest imagination, I never would have imagined that kissing Julian would feel like this. Like we were the air we both so desperately needed to survive. I never wanted this to–
The sound of gravel crunching against tyres jolted me back to my senses. We shot apart, both of our chests rapidly rising and falling. I couldn't take my eyes off Julian, even as I heard the man from the AAA exit his van and shout a greeting to us. There was only one thought going through my head right then.
I want to kiss him again so badly.
Julian swallowed and stepped away from me, his eyes never leaving mine.
I already knew how this was going to go. I could see it in his eyes. After this was done, he was going to pretend this never happened. That we never shared one of the most amazing kisses in my entire life. So, I wiped all emotions from my face, ignoring the way my stomach swirled with discomfort. It was easier this way. Safer, too.
"Did someone call about possible engine problems?" called the mechanic. I heard him walk around the car to where we were standing.
"Yes," Julian answered, his voice hoarse. He ripped his eyes away from me and focused on the mechanic. They both headed around to the front of the car.
I exhaled shakily and tugged a hand through my hair. My thoughts were a jumbled mess and my heart was still pounding in my chest. After exhaling once more, I joined Julian and the mechanic.
"His engine overheated," I told the mechanic. My voice was equally as hoarse as Julian's, so I cleared my throat before I continued. "We pulled over just before the smoke appeared."
The mechanic didn't even glance my way. "Looks like the cooling fan is broken. That'll need to be replaced," the mechanic explained. He continued talking, but my mind was elsewhere, so I wasn't hearing a word he was saying. The mechanic then said, "You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?" That comment was directed at me.
"I do, actually. I'm a mechanic and would've tried to fix the problem myself, but this idiot only had a spanner," I told the mechanic, gesturing to Julian as I said the last part. I couldn't bring myself to look at him just yet
"And I'm a gymnast," the mechanic said wryly, shooting me a mocking glance.
He didn't believe me, then. I rolled my eyes but let it be. I didn't have the energy - mental or physical - to deal with his misogynistic views.
The mechanic finished with his diagnosis and provided a temporary fix so Julian could drive us both back home. After charging Julian a hefty fee, he stressed the importance of him taking his car to get fixed immediately. I couldn't agree more, even if the mechanic was sexist.
On the drive home, it was completely silent, save for Julian's odd playlist of music playing quietly out of the stereo. Ariana Grande's song breathin' was playing. That's what I did. I just kept breathing, no matter how much I wanted to throw myself out of the car while it was still moving and then wait for Julian to run me over. I also couldn't help but replay the kiss over and over again in my head. Every time I did, a rush of warmth flowed through my body. My heart hadn't stopped pounding the entire time.
Julian pulled up at my house an hour later. I mumbled my thanks for him dropping me home and then got out of the car as quickly as I could. I hurried up the driveway and pulled out my house key with trembling hands.
"Isa," Julian called from behind me. I spun around, startled. I hadn't even heard him get out the car. Julian reached where I was standing. It was then that I realised something. He called me by my first name, which was something he never did. He always called me Kincaid.
He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. "It wasn't supposed to happen," I blurted. Taking a deep breath, I continued. "The kiss. I get it. You were just curious or bored or you had a momentary lapse in judgement. It won't happen again, I'm sure."
I wished I didn't sound as bitter as I did, but I was frustrated with myself for feeling something and frustrated with Julian for momentarily reciprocating it when I knew it meant nothing to him. That I meant nothing to him
I shouldn't even care.
Surprise skittered across Julian's face and he smiled sadly. "I kissed you because I wanted to, Isa."
My mouth fell open. I had not been expecting him to say that. "Oh," was all I said. It was all I could say since my mind went completely blank.
Julian swallowed, the sad smile still on his lips. "Thanks for coming with me today. I appreciate it."
All I could do was watch him leave.
What have I gotten myself into?