{ Chapter 5 } : A Ride To Remember I drove around aimlessly for an hour. With no goal or destination, only one thought coursed through my mind, avoid Layla and Gabriela for the entire night. My phone was continuously blinking with texts from Gabby, and missed calls from Layla. I couldn't hear anything, though. The ringer was muted. I decided to take the longer route back home, passing through Northwind's property and Danny's Grill. When the silence became deafening, I played with the radio dials until soft rock blared through my car, blocking out my thoughts. Right when I turned onto the long road, highlighted by tall trees and a small trail leading to a nature park, I saw something unusual. A figure swaggered – no, limped – down the pathway. I thought nothing of it, fully intent on driving past it, until the silhouette turned to cross the street. It was a guy, and he was blinded by my headlights, raising a defensive hand to shield his eyes. He stopped dead in his tracks. I slammed on the breaks before I could hit him. My heart lurched in fear and jack-hammered against my ribcage. I cut the engine and stumbled out of my car, gasping. "Oh, my God!" Holy shit, I nearly killed someone. Quickly rounding the curve, I was baffled when I came face-to-face with the almost-victim or my nearly-fatal car accident. Pissed off replaced my initial dumbstruck expression. Samuel swayed a little on his feet for a moment, before rising to his full staggering height. Our eyes connected and his lips parted in something close to wonderment. "Barbie girl," he breathed. "Beer boy," I groaned, and stifled a wince at how wrong and out-of-place our reactions to each other sounded. Of all the people in this entire universe, why, oh-why, did it have to be him? "If this is hell... then I'm content staying in it," he mumbled something incoherent under his breath and I barely caught the words. I dragged my gaze over him, making sure he wasn't injured, taking in his lean cut, broad shoulders and imposing frame. Thank, God. It doesn't look like I gave him a concussion. My eyes stopped roaming when I noticed the black eye he sported. There was a small cut above the arch of his brow and his knuckles were rasped. The sight made me uncomfortable. Surely, I didn't do that? "You have a death wish or something?" I asked, my voice shaky, failing to sound annoyed. "I almost killed you." "You want to see the inside of a jail?" he replied, raising his eyebrows in mock-disbelief. "You almost killed me." I tossed my head back, counting to ten and taking deep, calming breaths. He was staring at me intently when I looked back. "Are you okay?" he asked, gruffly. Me? He asked as if he was worried that I was about to lose my shit. When he is the one who could have died. I had no interest in seeing the inside of a jail. "Are you okay? I'm pretty sure now is the time you go into shock." A smirk flitted over his lips. "I'm not going into shock anytime soon, and I'm okay. I should have paid attention to where I was going. It's a lot darker than when I started walking." Guilt clawed at my stomach. He'd been walking this whole time and I could have seriously injured him. I tried to remind myself that this was still the same asshole who tried to get in my pants. Well, shorts. There was no need to feel sorry for him - Layla's words echoed in my mind and I paused, squeezing my eyes shut. Sam shifted his weird to his right leg, looking like he was really, really uncomfortable. I couldn't believe what I was going to offer him... "You want me to give you a ride?" He did a double-take, like he couldn't believe it either. "Where?" His tone was suspicious. A sense of awkwardness crept over me and I gestured my hand in the air, saying, "To wherever it is you're going." "No, thanks." His eyes narrowed. "I'll walk there myself." "I'm being nice after nearly hitting you. Let me drop you home." I gritted my teeth. "It's the least I can do." "After yesterday? I figured I'm better off staying away from you." Like-fucking-wise. "You got a history of harming people or something? First the Pepsi and now this." I shrugged and played along, even through my embarrassment. "A criminal's got to start somewhere." Samuel's face broke out into a wide grin. "Lead the way then." Twirling my keys around my finger, I walked back to my car before quickly realizing that he hadn't followed me. He just stood there, in all his bad boy glory; jaw set and eyes sparking with a calculating look. Suddenly I felt all nervous about driving with Sam in the passenger seat. Despite our exchange last night, I knew nothing about him. He was a complete stranger, as far as I was concerned. Save for the fact that he reminded me of Joey. "How do I know you don't have a weapon in your car?" He bit his bruised bottom lip as he assessed me, resuming a leisurely stance with his arms crossed over his chest. The way his eyes crawled over me made me feel highly self-conscious and fidgety. I was never self-conscious. Nor fidgety. I always made sure my appearance was impeccable - I was confident in the way I looked. Yet I was struck with the sudden urge to rake my fingers through my hair and adjust my clothes even if I knew I looked just fine. "How do I know you aren't going to try mauling me in the backseat of my car? After all, you were the one who insinuated being around me for a lay. If there's a criminal here, then it's not me." His jaw worked irritably. "Taking girls against their will isn't my style." Then a shit-eating grin split his face. "Now watching them beg is more like it." "You're disgusting." And I'm blushing. Shit. "So... weapons. What have you got hidden?" "Nothing." "A knife?" "Nope." "A hammer?" I carried a toolbox in my trunk. "No." He clicked his tongue, pondering. "Pepsi?" "That's not even a weapon." He was wasting my time and his. I waved my hand impatiently towards my car. Now he started following me, feet gliding smoothly across the street. But I saw the limp he so desperate tried to hide. "I don't know, Barbie. With you, it could easily be considered one." "Afraid of getting a little wet?" I taunted in a sing-song voice.