I’m the only one in the locker room, so I take a hot shower, letting the water run over my muscles and force myself to relax. I get out and change, before sitting and shoving in my AirPods. I eat the lunch I packed earlier and fixate on all the ways I need to improve tonight, so that dickhead from Dirt Grinders doesn’t eclipse me in points. New York is a huge battleground that I need to win.
She isn’t here. I raced my best time and hit the Scorpion trick I’d been working on for the past couple of weeks. I grabbed the winning rose, intent on handing it off to Scarlet, only to find out she never even made it. Against AfterHours’ insistence, I bypassed the interview and headed straight for the locker room. I didn’t need to hear from Dean, Sam or Elias to know they thought I’d lost my mind. All I cared about is why she didn’t show. I needed to see her, ask her, and figure our shit out.
I took my personal bike back to the house we were renting, after sending Dean a quick text for everyone to give us some space in case we needed to hash some shit out. The place is dark when I get back and let myself in. “Scar!” I yell up the stairs where the loft is. She doesn’t answer. I jog down to the basement where our stuff is set up. Her suitcase is still on the floor, open and clothes are laid out across the arms of the couch. The bathroom door is open wide and the light is still on. “Scarlet?” I look behind the door at the tub, but it’s empty. Taking my phone out of my pocket, I hit dial again and it rings several times before hitting her voicemail.
Irritated and worried, I run back up the stairs and grab the keys off the table. I yank open the front door, hell-bent on driving around the city until I find her. I’m so pissed I even think of ways to get her phone, without her knowing, and install some kind of tacking device on it. With one foot out onto the porch, we almost collide right into each other. My hands automatically reach out to catch her when she wobbles back.
“Shit, you scared me,” she mumbles, righting herself.
My eyes rake over her, taking in the tired and agonized look on her face and the messy bun. It’s fall now, and the temps have dropped drastically here on the East coast, yet Scarlet is running around in only leggings and one of my sweatshirts.
“Where were you?” I ask, looking over her shoulder. She wasn’t dropped off, so she must have been walking.
Her eyes narrow. “I needed some time to myself. I have a lot going on.” Scarlet brushes past me and into the house.
I follow on her heels. “What do you have going on? Maybe if you shared, I could help.”
“I don’t want your help. There’s nothing you can do.” She keeps walking toward the stairs. My hand reaches out and grabs her arm, turning her to face me.
“I want to help. You’re obviously upset.”
“Or maybe I just needed some time by myself to breathe!” Her voice rises and so does my brow.
“You can have all the time you want to breathe, but at least let me know when, so I don’t worry that you’re lost somewhere or, god forbid, that something happens when you aren’t with me.”
She scoffs. “Nothing is going to happen me. I can kill a man using my thumb and index fingers.”
“I have nothing to say to that.” I shrug, a little taken back.
“Can I go to bed now?” She huffs and starts to turn around.
“Scar,” I call her name and she stops. “I was worried, okay? I get you need some time or space, but I had no idea. I couldn’t find you.”
“I didn’t go far. I shouldn’t have to tell you my every move, Trent. I’m an adult. I just needed to get away from all of this, so I could think.”
“Away from what? Me? What do you need to think about? I hardly even see you or talk to you now as it is. You go out of your way to avoid me or ignore me before I leave for training or races. I don’t even know what is going on with you.” My hands run through my hair, tugging, and I step back. My eyes burn and I want to cringe at the way I’m begging her to talk to me.
Her head turns to the side and I see her throat working. Her arms are folded defensively, but it doesn’t stop her chest from rising and falling rapidly.
“Scar…”
She huffs and stomps her way downstairs. I follow behind her, my jaw dropping when she starts shoving her things in her suitcase.
“What are you doing?”
Scarlet ignores me, moving around the room, grabbing everything that’s hers, and some that isn’t. “Scar?”
“I’m leaving,” she hisses, eyes wide, tears threatening to spill. “I can’t do this.”
“Do what? Hey, talk to me, we can figure this out. I can help you.”
“No!” she pulls away, “No, you can’t. Stop thinking you’re Superman and can fix everything all the time. You have no idea the pressure….” Her voice trails off. Tears fall freely down her face and she wipes them away with her sleeve.
“So tell me and I can at least help shoulder what you’re feeling.”
Her head shakes side to side. “Just stop, Trent.”
I’m frozen in place when she starts moving toward the stairs. My heart drops when I hear her slipping her shoes on by the door. My chest squeezes until I can’t breathe or think when the door closes behind her.
The sound of the door latching finally sets me in motion. Anger and fear are battling in my system. I only know I can’t let her go. My feet pound against the ground until I catch up with her halfway down the block, trying to hail a taxi.
“Scar!” I call her name and she turns, keeping her hand in the air.
My arms pump, propelling me forward until I reach her. I don’t hesitate, I don’t think, I just cup my hands around her face and lean down until my lips touch hers. I can taste the salty tears on her chilled lips, her nose feels cold where it touches the edge of my cheek. I use my tongue to swipe her sadness away, catching her sobs and shoving all of my feelings back into her. Her fingers feel like ice when they touch the bare skin on my arms, and I shiver, stepping closer into her body, trying to force my body heat into her.
When I finally pull back, her eyes are soft and rimmed red, her mouth is set in a pouty line, but her lips are red and she’s breathing hard. Red dots cover her cheeks from crying. Fuck, she’s beautiful. “I love you.” Her eyes widen. “You’re right, I have no idea what you’re going through. I just love you. You can trust me. I want this with you. We can make it work, Scar.”
Her head falls, a sob escaping her mouth. I wrap an arm around the back of her neck and pull her into me. She comes willingly, her arms wrapping around my middle, while her body shakes. Fuck me, it’s cold outside, I can see my breath in the air, but I stand there and hold her until she stops crying anyways. I love her. I hadn’t really planned on telling her this way, but it’s true nonetheless. I’m so in deep for this girl, I would do anything.
Scarlet pulls back, her hand reaching up to my face, she strokes along my jaw, her eyes fixated on my lips. “Take me back,” she murmurs softly, head tilting back to our rental home. I take one of her hands in mine, and with the other, I grab her suitcase. The second we make it in the door, she crashes her body into mine, arms wrapping around my neck, and I lift her until her legs circle my waist. Our lips fuse, raw, hungry and almost desperate.