Chapter 10
Sadie's POV
Saturday afternoon light filtered through StarNet Café's dusty windows. I sat behind the counter, English notes spread out in front of me, trying to focus on anything but tomorrow.
Tomorrow. The word sat heavy in my chest.
Tomorrow I'd move into Jake Montgomery's house.
I pressed my pen harder against the page. The café was nearly empty—most Lincoln Heights kids were at weekend parties or family brunches. Just a couple regulars in the corner booths, headphones on, lost in their games.
My phone buzzed. Mom's name lit up the screen.
Mom: Sweetie, are you sure you're okay? I can cancel the trip if you need me.
I stared at the message. She'd asked me this three times already.
Me: I'm fine, Mom. Enjoy Europe. I'll be okay.
The lie tasted bitter.
The truth was, I'd volunteered to work at the café this weekend specifically to avoid thinking about Monday. To delay the inevitable. One more day where I didn't have to see Jake's face across the breakfast table. One more day where I could pretend that summer never happened.
The bell above the door chimed. Mia rushed in, phone pressed to her ear, face pale.
"My mom's in the hospital," she said, grabbing her jacket. "I have to go. Can you cover until closing? Eleven?"
My stomach dropped. I'd planned to leave at seven.
But Mia's hands were shaking.
"Go," I said. "I've got it."
She squeezed my shoulder and disappeared into the afternoon.
I looked out the window. Dark clouds were rolling in fast.
---
By ten-thirty, the rain was coming down in sheets.
The last customer left. I locked up, turned off the computers, checked the cash drawer twice. Outside, the storm hammered against the windows like it was trying to get in.
I pulled my mint-green hoodie tighter and stared at my bike chained up outside.
You can do this.
I pushed through the door. Rain hit me like a wall.
The streets were a blur. Water streamed down my face, soaking through my clothes. My phone's GPS kept cutting out, the signal drowning in the storm.
I turned onto a street I didn't recognize. Then another.
Where am I?
My front wheel caught in a drainage grate. The bike lurched. I barely caught myself, knees slamming against wet pavement.
I crouched there, rain pounding my back, trying to yank the wheel free. My fingers were numb. The metal was slick. I couldn't get a grip.
My phone rang. Liam's name flashed.
"Hey, Sadie, where are you? Brook said your room's empty."
I tried to keep my voice steady. "I was helping at the café. I'm... on my way back. But I think I'm lost."
"Lost? In this rain? Send me your location. Now."
I fumbled with my phone, water dripping onto the screen.
Silence on his end. Then: "Stay there. Jake's driving nearby. He'll come get you."
My heart stopped. "No, I can—"
He hung up.
I stood there in the rain, shaking. Not from cold.
---
Ten minutes later, headlights cut through the storm.
A black Maserati pulled up beside me. The window rolled down.
Jake.
He was wearing a black hoodie, hair damp and curling at the edges. Those pale blue eyes locked onto me—soaked, shivering, still gripping my bike.
He got out without a word. Rain immediately soaked his shoulders. He walked over, took the bike from my hands like it weighed nothing, and lifted it into the trunk.
Then he turned to me.
"Get in."
I opened the passenger door. The interior was warm, leather seats gleaming. I hesitated.
"I'm... I'll get the seat wet."
He was already in the driver's seat. He glanced over, one eyebrow raised.
"Sit down."
It wasn't a request.
I slid in, water dripping from my clothes onto the expensive leather. He reached into the back and handed me a black towel.
"Dry your hair."
His voice was flat. Unreadable.
I took the towel. My hands were shaking so hard I could barely grip it.
The car was so quiet. Just the sound of rain hammering the roof and the low hum of the heater.
I rubbed the towel over my hair, stealing glances at him. His profile was sharp in the dashboard light. Long fingers wrapped around the steering wheel. A silver watch on his wrist.
He broke the silence.
"Your period over?"
I jerked my head up, face burning. "What?"
"Last time. At the burger place. You kept holding your stomach."
Oh my God.
"I... yeah. It's over."
He nodded once. Didn't say anything else.
But I saw it. The corner of his mouth. The smallest twitch.
---
The car didn't head toward school.
He turned onto a street I didn't know.
My pulse kicked up. I gripped the towel tighter, watching unfamiliar buildings slide past the rain-streaked windows.
Then I saw it.
A motel. Neon sign flickering pink in the rain. Roadside Inn. Vacancy.
My breath caught.
No. No no no.
My brain spun. The rain. The car. Him saying he was taking me "somewhere." That motel sign glowing like a neon warning.
And suddenly I was back in that summer. The night he kissed me. The rain. The way he'd looked at me like I was the only real thing in his world.
But he didn't remember.
And now—
"I'm not going."
The words came out harder than I meant them to.
Jake hit the brakes. The car stopped at the curb.
He turned to look at me. Really look at me.
Those blue eyes pinned me in place.
Silence stretched between us.
Then he raised an eyebrow. Slow. Deliberate.
"You're not going where?"
I couldn't answer. My eyes flicked to the motel. Back to him.
He followed my gaze. Saw the pink neon sign.
And then he laughed.
It was low. Rough. The kind of sound that did things to my stomach.
He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned toward me. Close. Too close.
His scent—rain and something clean and sharp—filled the space between us.
"You think I'm taking you to a motel?"
His voice was a murmur. Teasing. But there was an edge to it.
My face was on fire. I pressed back against the door, but there was nowhere to go.
He didn't move. Just stayed there, inches away, eyes locked on mine.
Then he reached out. One finger. Tapped my damp forehead.
"Little fool."
He sat back, starting the engine again.
"I'm taking you to buy dry clothes. Unless you want to catch pneumonia walking into the dorm looking like a drowned rat."
The car pulled away from the curb.
I slumped in my seat, heart hammering so hard I thought he'd hear it.
Jake's eyes flicked to me in the rearview mirror. I caught the look.
Something flickered there. Something I couldn't name.
He dragged his tongue across his teeth. Jaw tight.
And I knew—somehow—I'd just made things a lot more complicated.