Driving Layne

by Renea Porter

  “I don’t see a negative in looking at you all night,” he says with a smirk. “Would you want to go to my garage? I can show you around, if you are okay that is.”

  “Sounds good,” I tell him as he pulls out of the parking lot. I hope he doesn’t have any preconceived notions that I am sleeping with him tonight.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not going to try to sleep with you, tonight,” he says as if he can read my fucking mind. Well, shit! I try to keep my mind free of anything the rest of the way to his garage.

  Fifteen minutes later, we arrive at a huge garage. The garage doors are already up and I see several guys getting ready to leave the shop.

  “If they get too rowdy, we’ll leave. They can get carried away sometimes,” he says in a light whisper. I just give him a nod and follow him inside. As soon as they see me they all stop what they are doing and bring their attention to Layne. “Alright, it’s just a girl. Get on outta here,” he says, shooing them out.

  We walk in farther so he can show me around. “This one is yours, isn’t it?” I ask, sliding my hand across the hood.

  “Yea it is,” he says, walking around me to open the door. “Get in.”

  I get in behind the wheel, and notice we are now alone in the garage. A wave of nervousness washes over me. He walks over to the passenger side and gets in. I run my hands over the steering wheel and grip the leather bound wheel. “Can I take it for a spin?”

  “Hell no, you will kill us both!” he says loudly and laughs as if what I asked was a joke.

  “What’s so damn funny? I was being serious.” I ask with a huff

  “So was I.” He gets out of the car and comes over to open my side. He holds his hand out to assist me out and pulls me a little harder than I think he intended. I slam right into his hard chest, and our eyes lock for a split second before his lips crash into mine and we are exploring each other’s mouths. He presses me against the car and his strong arms wrap around my waist as he starts to roam my body. I can’t decide if I want to pull away or not. His hands feel so nice on my body, moving up and down my back and calming my nerves. His lips haven’t left mine since they merged, and his hands haven’t left my body. I put my arms around his neck, and he pulls me closer to his body. He’s completely pressed against me and I can feel all of his muscles, flexed and tense. My heart is beating so rapidly I think it might burst out of my chest and fall at his feet. I can’t think about that right now or anything else except what’s happening in this moment as we both get lost in each other. Suddenly, he pulls away, resting his forehead against mine and exhaling. “Fuck, sorry. I said I wouldn’t try to sleep with you, and here I am trying,” he says with furrowed brows. “I should get you home, so you can rest after the day you’ve had.” He doesn’t wait for a response as we walk toward his car.

  I don’t know if I should feel rejected or not. If I were one of those girls throwing myself at him, he’d probably jump at the chance. What makes me different? The car is full of tension and I’m not sure what to make of Layne this past hour. Maybe I just need to clear my head from the day and start fresh tomorrow.

  “Sorry about that back there,” he says, breaking the tension between us as he pulls outside my dorm.

  “Why? I wasn’t exactly pushing you away,” I blurt out.

  “I know. I like you, and I don’t want to ruin anything here. You should get some rest. I’m only a text or phone call away if you do need something,” he says, turning in his seat.

  “I appreciate you taking me out and getting me something to eat, and showing me your garage. It was fun,” I say, plastering a smile across my face; though all I can think about are his lips against mine.

  “Here, I’ll at least walk you inside.” He rushes over to me and puts his arm around my shoulders as we walk together. “Get some rest,” he says, planting a kiss on my forehead.

  “I will,” I say, walking the rest of the way inside. I enter the room and find it empty, Renee must have not made it back yet, or she’s spending the night with Dylan. I change into my pajamas and throw my clothes in the hamper. I climb into bed and close my eyes, but I’m wide awake and thinking about him. Why do I let him get to me like he does? I thought that one time would be enough for me, but now I’m not so sure. I know there will only be hearts broken when this is all over. As much as I want to be with Layne, I can’t risk hurting him like that. I just want to break free from all the pain I will cause. As I’m drifting off to sleep, I make my decision. Layne and I will have to end. But, as I see his face behind my eyelids within the clouds of sleep, I allow a tear to fall against my pillow at the concept of saying good-bye to him. This is going to be a nightmare.

  Chapter Six

  I wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. I decide to take a shower and grab some milk in our mini fridge to help me sleep. As I’m slipping back under the blanket, I hear Renee entering the room quietly.

  “Amber, you awake?” Renee whispers before sitting on the end of my bed.

  “I am now,” I tell her in an agitated tone.

  “What the fuck happened today? I heard you were throwing up and nearly passed out,” she asks, concerned.

  I flip on the lamp next to my bed and slide up, putting my back against the wall. “Is this why you came home? I told Layne I was fine. I just didn’t eat enough and got caught up in everything else going on,” I tell her.

  “Okay, I’m glad you’re okay. Get some rest, we can talk about more in the morning,” she says, heading over to her side of the room and slipping into bed.

  Finally, exhaustion takes over and I can sleep, but an hour later the alarm is blasting music. I throw my hand on it, flipping off the switch, when I remember I don’t have a class until this afternoon, which plenty of time to get some sleep. Several hours later, I wake up only to find I might be late for my next class if I don’t hurry up and get ready. It’s not a good way to start the school year; getting on my professor’s bad side. I rush to get ready, throwing on a pair of jeans and a shirt in a flash. I grab my books as I hurry out the door and head to class, which is halfway across where lo and behold, Chase is sitting next to me.

  “Hey,” he says with a nod. “Feeling better today?”

  “Yep, good as new,” I say just as the professor begins the lecture.

  While the professor continues his lecture, I keep catching Chase looking my way. I’ve already let Layne get too close; I can’t let Chase get that close to me, too.

  “I want each of you to partner up to the person next to you. You will be lab partners for the next six weeks,” the professor announces.

  Well fuck me sideways! I’m totally screwed now.

  Chase just gives me a look and shrugs his shoulders at me. I just shrug mine back at him. What the hell? Might as well make the best of it. At least I get some eye candy out of it. But, damn, a whole six weeks?

  After class we make a plan to meet up within the next day or so and study for the test the following week. I head straight to the cafeteria before my next class so I can eat, knowing I skipped breakfast again and passing out is out of the question today. Everyone was right about the cafeteria food not being that great, but I grab a pretzel sandwich and some macaroni and cheese, figuring it’s a safe bet. I sit at the same table as the previous days, but Chase doesn’t show up this time. Instead I have another visitor.

  “Is this seat taken?” Layne asks with a tray of food in his hand, sitting down next to me.

  “Why do you ask, when you are just going to sit down, anyway?” I ask with a smirk, and then I roll my eyes at him.

  “I just happened to see you eating here all by yourself, and I thought you’d like company. I was coming over to see how you’re doing today,” he says before biting into an apple.

  “I’m fine; trying to take care of myself. Thanks for ratting me out to Renee last night, by the way,” I tell him. “She felt the need to wake me up late last night.”

  “I was only concerned for your well-being is all. What happened y
esterday at the shop won’t happen again,” he says.

  “Promises, promises,” I say with a smile, eating the last of my sandwich. We sit in silence while we continue eating. I see Chase come in and walk right past our table. He gives me a nod, and I give him a slight wave, I watch as he gets in line to get some food. Having Layne and Chase in the same room is not good, and they are the complete opposite of each other. Layne is a little complicated and sometimes hard to read. He’s had a rough upbringing, and he had that bad boy image all around him. While Chase is more put together. He’s laid back and has a quirky personality that draws me to him. He is mysterious, yet not complicated to know.

  “Anyone sitting here?” Chase asks about the seat on the other side of me.

  “Go right ahead,” I tell him, motioning for him to sit.

  I turn and see Layne shake his head. “What?” I ask him.

  “Nothing,” he says. “You’re Chase, right?” he asks, looking past me to Chase.

  “Yep, we met at the bonfire, when Amber was sick,” he says, biting into a chip and, nodding his head. “You ready to get some studying done tomorrow?” he asks me.

  I’m frozen in place at his question and avoid looking in Layne’s direction. “Sure, I’ll meet you at the library after my first class,” I say with a smile. As the words leave my mouth, Layne jumps up and slams his chair into the table before stalking off out of the cafeteria.

  “What’s his deal?” Chase asks, cocking his head to the side.

  “Who knows? He’s up and down, and you never know which way is up.” I shake my head from side to side. Chase and I continue talking through the lunch. “Did you really not remember my name at the bonfire?”

  “I was just messing around with you. Some people say I have a dry sense of humor,” he says, adding a laugh. “I really didn’t mean to offend you, if I did.”

  “Nah, we’re cool. I just finished spending the whole lunch hour with you. You should damn well know my name, unless you really are terrible with names,” I joke.

  *****

  After my last class, I head back to my dorm to get some studying done for the next day’s class and I find Renee already there.

  “Hey girl!” Renee says in a chipper tone, hugging me. “I feel like we hardly get to hang out,” she adds.

  “I know. We need to make more girl time. I gotta get some studying done, but if you’re not hanging with Dylan we could make it a girl’s night,” I tell her.

  “Want to order a pizza, and you can tell me all about Chase?” She gives me a huge grin.

  “Let me guess, Layne? Is there anything you don’t know?” I shake my head. I wonder how I am going to explain Chase.

  “Duh, he tells Dylan and then Dylan relays it to me,” she says like I should already know this by now. “So I’ll order the pizza and you can spill it.” She grabs her phone and then sits her bed across from mine with her legs tucked underneath her. I listen as she orders us a large pepperoni pizza and I get my books out of my bag to study. But somehow I doubt any studying will get done.

  “So, spill it girl. Who is this Chase that I know nothing about?” She lays down, propping her head up with her hand.

  “Just a friend. I met him the other day during the lunch hour. And he happened to be the one holding my hair back while I threw up at the bonfire. He’s also in one of my classes and we are partners.”

  “He’s gorgeous, isn’t he?” she says with a spark in her eye.

  “I guess he’s alright; not like Layne gorgeous, obviously. But he is good looking I guess, if you’re into the preppy type. We made a plan to study tomorrow at the library. You could come along,” I tell her, so I don’t have to be alone with him. The pizza arrives right on time and I grab us some paper plates for the food.

  “I might take you up on that offer,” she says, already biting into a slice.

  “What’s up with you and Dylan? You’re usually out with him on a daily basis,” I ask, trying to change the subject.

  “Oh, he had to tune up his race car and also study so I figured I wouldn’t crowd him.” She shrugs her shoulders. “Besides, I think something is up with Layne.”

  My ears perk up when she mentions his name. “Like what?” I ask putting my pencil down.

  “I don’t know. All I do know is Dylan said he’s been acting strange. That’s another reason why we aren’t hanging out today. He thought maybe he could sort it out, whatever it is,” she says, not finishing her slice of pizza.

  I just shrug my shoulders at her comment about Layne. I never know how to take him anyway. “I thought you were hungry,” I tell her, noticing she hadn’t finished her first slice.

  “I must have eaten too much at lunch,” she says, rubbing her stomach. The girl is so skinny, I’m starting to worry about her. I grab myself another slice and hope that entices her. I grab my English homework out and start studying, and she starts doing the same.

  “Do Layne and Dylan have another race this weekend?” I ask.

  “Yes. Are you coming to watch? It’s this Friday. You can ride with me if you want, like last time,” she says with excitement.

  “Sure, sounds fun!” I say, sticking my nose back into the book.

  “So Layne took you to the garage,” she says raising her eyebrow at me.

  “Yes, he just showed me around. Can we drop the subject of Layne for the night?” I ask, flashing her a smile.

  “Fine, but just so you know, Layne never just takes any girl to the garage. I’m sure all the girls’ are so jealous of you since you’re the one capturing his attention.”

  I can’t help but wonder what’s up with Layne. He did act weird when Chase came over during lunch and I hope he’s not mad that I’m studying with Chase. I can’t help the fact that he’s in that class with me. Looking up, I notice Renee is already passed out and I feel like I’ve been a horrible friend. Maybe we need to have more girl time together. I feel like I should know more about her. Maybe she will end up going to study with Chase and me tomorrow, and we can hang out afterward. I’m just so thankful I didn’t end up with a nightmare of a roommate and we can get along so easily that we enjoy hanging out with each other. I study for a few more hours, hoping the material sticks in my head.

  I put my books back inside my bag, and lay down to go to sleep. I realize I missed my first day of work, and I start to panic. But then I just put it in the back of my mind. I don’t think I can deal with any more added stress with school and keeping up with everything else going on. I wonder how Chase thinks he knows me and start to freak out a bit, and I think about Layne and the race this weekend. I wonder if he is actually racing, or if another duel is happening. I hope I will be able to control myself around him. But what if I don’t want to, I think as I drift off to dreamland.

  Chapter Seven

  I wake up with only enough time to get to school and grab a yogurt to eat in class. Once I get to class, I realize Layne is nowhere in sight and it remains that way throughout class. It makes my mind wander. I mean, it’s unusual to miss class so early in the semester. Maybe he just isn’t feeling well, I muse. I’ll have to see if Renee heard anything.

  Class drags on and on, but finally it’s over and I can’t wait to get out of there. I make my way to the library to meet Chase to study, and it looks like I might have arrived early. I grab a table and get my book and papers out to study. Finally, about fifteen minutes later, I hear someone approaching my table.

  “About time you showed up,” I say, grinning at Chase.

  “I brought snacks,” he says, smoothing over being late.

  I point my finger at him and laugh. “Then you’re lucky I’m hungry, Mister.”

  “So, I’ve been meaning to ask, what’s up with you and Layne; are you guys like together or something?” he casually asks while getting his books out of his bag.

  “No, but it’s complicated. I don’t want to get involved that way with anyone. I’m perfectly happy with the way things are now. I came to college to experience it all a
nd not get caught up in some serious relationship.”

  “Makes sense,” he says, nodding his head up and down. “So, dating me would totally be out of the question?” he asks, looking me in the eyes.

  “Like I said,” I say, with a serious tone and a fake smile. My heart actually hurt to tell him that. He can’t know the real reason why I can’t do relationships.

  “I can respect that then,” he responds. I watch as he opens a bag of chips, as he cracks open his textbook. He offers me some of the chips and I grab a huge handful to set next to my own book. “Shall we start studying?”

  “Sounds good,” I say, feeling slightly awkward.

  Twenty minutes later, it’s as if nothing happened and things are back to normal between us. We both end up consuming most of the snacks that he brought, between the candy, chips, and cookies. Just as we’re going over some of our notes, nausea hits again and I rush to the restroom, throwing a fast “excuse me” over my shoulder toward Chase. I find the nearest stall and release all the contents of my stomach. I hope Chase didn’t realize I had to throw up; I tried to leave as casually as possible. I manage to hold my hair back with one hand while I rinse my mouth out at the sink. I splash a little water on my face, hoping to bring some color back to it. Once I dry my face with a paper towel, I make my way back out to Chase.

  “Everything okay?” he asks cocking his head to the side and expressing his concern.

  “Yes, I’m fine,” I say, brushing it off.

  He shakes his head and we get back to studying like nothing happened.

  “Should we head to lunch?” Chase asks once the hour passes.

  “Yes, we should,” I agree.

  We gather our stuff together and make our way to the cafeteria. Once in the cafeteria line, I scan for any sign of Layne with no such luck. I wonder what his deal is after his weird outburst yesterday. I shake him out of my head, knowing I’m bound to run into him at some point sooner or later.

  “Earth to Amber,” Chase shouts, nudging me forward in line.