Christian adjusted the cuff of his leather jacket before turning towards the row of motorcycles parked beneath the floodlights.
The crowd was beginning to dissolve.
Riders pulled on helmets, and the engines came to life one after another, disappearing into the thinning darkness as the first hints of dawn crept across the horizon.
Someone clapped him on the shoulder as they passed.
"Tough crash."
Christian shrugged. "I’ve had worse."
"You still riding home?"
"When have I ever left my bike behind?"
The rider laughed before climbing onto his own motorcycle.
Christian reached into his jacket for his keys.
Instead, his fingers brushed something else.
He frowned. Pulling it free, he stared at the phone resting in his palm. Adrian’s call had completely taken his mind off his hard to get damsel.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"I forgot about you." He murmured.
Across the lot, Kylie stood beside Maya with her arms folded, clearly waiting for something.
He slipped the phone back into his pocket.
Without another thought, he changed directions.
Kylie noticed him immediately. She sighed dramatically. "Bloodly disturbance."
Christian stopped a comfortable distance away.
Kylie charged towards him. "My phone." She demanded, not blinking.
"No."
She didn’t even blink. "Give me my phone."
"No."
Her expression remained perfectly flat. "You realise this qualifies as theft, right?"
"I prefer temporary relocation."
"You stole it."
"I’m keeping it safe."
"From me?"
"You’ve thrown a drink at me already. I’m protecting the phone."
Kylie stared at him. "Did you hit your head harder than everyone thought?"
"A little." He nodded thoughtfully. "I appreciate your concern."
She eyed him with scorn. "I’m hoping it’s reversible."
The corner of his mouth lifted.
She held out her hand. "My phone."
Christian looked at her hand instead of the rest of her. "No."
Her arm dropped again. She hissed with pure disgust. "You’re unbelievably irritating."
He smiled.
She hated that he seemed to enjoy every insult she threw at him.
Christian’s attention drifted past her shoulder.
Maya stood several metres away beside a tall man, the two of them laughing quietly together.
He looked back at Kylie. "Isn’t that who you followed here?"
Kylie glanced over. "Yes."
"She’s leaving." He pointed out. "With him."
Kylie shook her head, and folded her arms across her chest. "Just give Mr back my phone."
Christian nodded once. "Then I’m taking you home." His eyes sharpened, staring down at her.
Kylie let out a short laugh.
"It’s nearly five." He reminded before she’d say whatever hurtful words she had left to say.
"I own a watch."
"The place will be empty in twenty minutes."
"I’ll manage."
"There won’t be any rideshares."
"I’ll wait."
He raised a brow at her. "For how long?"
"As long as I need to." She swallowed, and glanced around briefly before returning her gaze back to him.
He studied her for a moment. "I wasn’t asking."
She laughed again, this time without humour. "You’ve got confidence."
"I’ve got common sense."
"No," she corrected. "You have control issues."
One of his brows lifted.
"You’ve known me for approximately fifteen minutes."
He reached for his keys. "And somehow that was enough."
Kylie stood on one foot, visibly tured of the back and forth. "I don’t know whether you’re secretly a serial killer."
Christian looked genuinely offended. "I’d be a terrible serial killer."
She folded her arms. "I’m not getting on a motorcycle with a man whose first introduction involved sliding twenty metres across asphalt."
Christian slipped one hand into his pocket. "You introduced yourself as my girlfriend just weeks ago."
Kylie glared at him. "I needed to pee." She pointed at him. "Just stop this hell, and give me back my phone. I don’t want to fight you for it."
He pointed at himself. "Fight me? He raised both brows at her, amused.
"Yes." She deadpanned confidently, taking a challenging step towards him.
Before either of them could continue, Maya hurried over with her boyfriend. She looked between the two of them.
"What happened now?"
"He stole my phone."
Christain scratched the bridge of his nose, and turned to Maya. He imeiately exolained himself. "I borrowed it."
Kylie threw both hands into the air. "You see?"
Maya pressed two fingers against her temple. "I’ve been standing over there for less than three minutes."
"It only took him thirty seconds to become a problem," Kylie replied.
Christian looked almost pleased with himself.
Kylie’s glare sharpened. "You are not helping your case."
"I wasn’t trying to."
Daniel stepped beside Maya, slipping one hand into his jacket pocket. "Everything alright?"
"No," Kylie answered immediately.
"Yes," Christian answered at exactly the same time.
Daniel blinked.
Maya sighed. "Give her the phone."
"I will." He assured.
Kylie held out her hand. "Now."
"When I get her home."
She looked at Maya in disbelief. "Do you hear him?" She gestured with her hands. "He’s beyond infuriating. I don’t even know what he is."
"You do." Christian said. "We shouldn’t lie like that."
She spun towards him, and he shrugged lightly.
Kylie looked back at Maya.
Maya folded her arms. "There aren’t any rideshares. You’ve already been trying."
Daniel quietly unlocked his own phone. "There are no cars." He refreshed the screen, and there was still nothing. "Nothing within thirty kilometres."
Kylie frowned. "They’ll come eventually."
"Not around here." Daniel looked around the industrial estate. Half the floodlights had already been switched off.
Several transport trucks rumbled through the abandoned warehouses, reclaiming equipment from the night’s event.
Within minutes, the place already felt emptier, and less welcoming.
"You’ll be standing here alone," Maya said gently.
"I can call someone."
"With what phone?"
Kylie opened her mouth, and closed it again. Slowly, she turned towards Christian.
He patted the inside of his leather jacket. "Looking for this?"
She narrowed her eyes. "I genuinely cannot stand you."
Daniel glanced at Christian. "You heading towards the city?"
Christian nodded once. "West side."
Daniel looked at Maya. "We’re going east."
Maya nodded before turning back to Kylie. "I’m not leaving you here by yourself."
Kylie rolled her eyes at Maya. "I’m not a child."
Maya stepped closer until only Kylie could hear her. "I’m treating you like it’s nearly five in the morning."
She lowered her voice even further. "The race is over." She gestured discreetly towards the rapidly emptying lot. "The people left here won’t be the families and spectators."
Kylie followed her gaze.
The atmosphere had already changed. The excited energy from earlier had disappeared.
Only riders, mechanics, and a handful of strangers remained.
"They’ll all be gone soon," Maya continued quietly. "And then you’ll be standing here without a phone."
Kylie hated that every word made sense.
She hated it even more because Christian hadn’t said a thing.
He simply stood a few feet away, waiting, and confident she’d reach the same conclusion.
She looked back at him. "I still think you need psychological evaluation."
"I’ll book an appointment."
Despite herself, the corner of her mouth twitched. She caught it immediately and flattened her expression again.
"Kylie."
She exhaled. "What?"
"Go." Maya urged. "I’m sorry there is no ride around. Go with him."
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