Chapter 48 Flying
Melissa’s POV
The world exploded into motion.
The force slammed me back against the seat as Jason floored the accelerator. The engine screamed, a primal roar that drowned out everything else. Buildings blurred into streaks of light and shadow.
We shot forward like a bullet from a gun.
The other car was right beside us…a silver beast with neon underglow that cast eerie shadows on the asphalt. I could see the driver’s profile, his jaw was set, hands white-knuckled on the wheel.
Jason’s expression was pure focus. His eyes tracked the road ahead, calculating, and predicting his movement. His hand moved over the gearshift with precision.
The first turn came up fast. Too fast.My fingers dug into the seat but Jason didn’t slow down.
Instead, he yanked the wheel hard right. The car tilted, tires screeching, the back end sliding out. For a heart-stopping second, I thought we’d spin out completely and crash.
Then Jason stirred right, and we shot out of the turn even faster than before.
The silver car fell behind. Just slightly.
“Come on,” Jason muttered, his eyes never leaving the road. “Come on.”
There was another sharper turn he took it without hesitating, the car responding to his touch like it was an extension of his body. Every movement was deliberate. Controlled. Perfect.
The speedometer climbed. Eighty. Ninety. One hundred.
My heart hammered so hard I could feel it in my throat. Adrenaline flooded my system, making everything sharper, brighter, and more intense.
But I wasn’t scared. I felt alive.
The silver car tried to overtake us on the straightaway. Jason glanced at it once. Just once.
Then he shifted gears and pushed the accelerator to the floor.
We surged ahead.
The wind roared through the vents. My ponytail whipped around my face. The world outside was nothing but light and speed and the endless rush of movement.
Another turn. Jason took it so smoothly I barely felt the shift in momentum.
The silver car tried to keep up but failed.
We pulled ahead by a car length. Then two. Then three.
The finish line appeared in the distance…two massive bonfires marking the end of the track.
Jason’s jaw tightened. His hand moved over the controls one last time.
The car responded like it had been waiting for permission to truly fly.
We crossed the finish line three full seconds before the silver car.
Jason hit the brakes. The car slowed gradually, the world coming back into focus in stages.
My entire body was shaking.From pure, unfiltered exhilaration.
“Holy shit,” I breathed.
Jason killed the engine and turned to me, grinning. “You good?”
“Good?” I stared at him. “That was…that was…”
I couldn’t find words big enough.
Jason laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
He got out first, and immediately the crowd swarmed him. People shouting, cheering, clapping him on the back.
I fumbled with my harness, my fingers shaking too much to work the buckle properly.
Finally, it was released.
I practically fell out of the car, my legs unsteady on solid ground.
But I didn’t care.
I was grinning so wide my face hurt. Laughing. The adrenaline was still coursing through me like electricity.
“That was AMAZING!” I shouted over the noise of the crowd.
Jason appeared through the mass of people, still grinning. “Told you you’d like it.”
“Like it?” I bounced on my toes, unable to contain the energy vibrating through me. “That was the most incredible thing I’ve ever experienced in my entire life!”
His grin widened.
Before I could stop myself, before I could think about what I was doing, I launched myself at him.
My arms wrapped around his neck. My body collided with his.
“We won!” I shouted, laughing against his shoulder. “We actually won!”
His arms came around me automatically, catching me, holding me steady.
For one perfect moment, we just stood there. Me clinging to him like a lifeline. Him holding me like I weighed nothing.
Then reality crashed back.
What was I doing?
I released him immediately, stumbling back, my face flushing hot. “Sorry. I…that was…sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” Jason’s voice was rough. His hands lingered on my waist for half a second before dropping. “You’re allowed to celebrate.”
“Right. Yeah. Celebrating.” I cleared my throat, suddenly hyperaware of how close we were standing. How his chest was still rising and falling quickly. How his eyes were darker than usual.
The crowd pressed closer, still cheering, still celebrating Jason’s victory.
Someone thrust a wad of cash into Jason’s hand…his winnings.
He didn’t even count it. Just shoved it in his jacket pocket like it was nothing.
Then the first snowflake fell.
I felt it land on my cheek, cold and perfect.
Another fell. Then another.
Within seconds, the air was filled with white.
The crowd looked up, faces tilted toward the sky, as snow began to dust the asphalt, the cars, everything.
“Snow,” I whispered, watching the flakes dance in the glow of the streetlights.
“First of the season.” Jason was watching me instead of the sky. “Come on. Let’s get out of here before the roads get bad.”
“Where are we going?”
“To get drinks.” He started walking toward his regular car, not the racing one. “You deserve to celebrate properly.”
I followed, still buzzing with adrenaline, my heart still racing, snow catching in my hair and melting on my skin.
For the first time all day, the weight in my chest had lifted.
For the first time in weeks, I felt like I could actually breathe.
And as Jason opened the passenger door for me, snow falling around us like something out of a dream, I realized I was smiling.
Really, truly smiling.Just… me being happy and free.
Even if it was only for tonight.
Even if tomorrow everything would come crashing back down.
For now, at this moment, I was just Melissa.
And that was enough.