"Huh?"

Lynsandra frowned as she stopped in front of Elias’s motorcycle parked in the garage. The latter was quickly looking for something on the shelf.

Moving her gaze to the big bike, she shook her head.

"Let’s use this one," she proposed, pointing at her car. "The keys... I forgot them. I’ll call the butler—"

"Nope." Elias cut in, glancing back at her. "My date, my plan, my rules."

"I don’t think dates are supposed to be like that."

"You, of all people, shouldn’t be the one saying that. You don’t know how dates work." After saying that, he casually tossed her a helmet. Though he purposely caught her off guard, she still managed to catch it midair.

A look of surprise quickly appeared on her face. She blinked almost innocently as she gazed at the helmet, her brows knitting together. It was pink—baby pink. Clearly, it wasn’t his.

Whose... helmet is this? She wondered.

Meanwhile, Elias hopped onto the motorbike. Using its stand, he turned it around with ease before putting on his helmet. He didn’t pull the visor down as he turned to where she stood.

Lynsandra hadn’t worn hers yet. Instead, she stared at the pink helmet as if studying it.

"What are you doing?" he asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. Before he could say more, something crossed his mind.

"Ah." He nodded and jumped off the bike, taking just a few steps toward her. "You don’t look at it like that. You wear it like this."

Taking the pink helmet from her, he lowered his head slightly as he positioned it over hers. Then he gently put it on.

"Stay still," he said, making sure it wouldn’t bother her. "It should fit... right..."

As he adjusted it with so much focus, Lynsandra blinked and stared at him. Before she knew it, the helmet was already secured, and he was fastening the strap under her chin.

"See? I got the size right," he intoned proudly, the corners of his mouth stretching into a smug grin. "It fits perfectly! I’m perfect!"

She deadpanned. Elias snapped his eyes at her and tapped the top of her helmet. "Let’s go."

"You should’ve let me change," she complained quietly, but his grin only broadened. "I don’t think my clothes are appropriate."

She may have been home, but Lynsandra still donned a smart casual. And her footwear were still heels.

"You should’ve told me I’d be taking Gary’s spot today," he quipped with a wink. "Get on."

"Where are you taking me?"

"I don’t know." He shrugged. "I’ll figure it out once we’re outside." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

She clicked her tongue, watching him get back on the bike. Once he was seated, he turned to her and stretched his hand out.

"Let’s go, Princess." He wiggled his hands, which he managed to covered with a black glove. She didn’t even know when he did that. "A date’s a date!"

Lynsandra rolled her eyes and took his hand. Her grip tightened as she used it for support, climbing onto the back.

"Hold me!" he yelled through his helmet. "Tight!"

"I am holding."

As if he didn’t hear her, he grabbed her hands and pulled them around his waist. Looking back, his eyes squinted.

"Like that," he stressed. "Hold like this."

Lynsandra stared at him for a moment before clutching her hands around his stomach. She pressed her body against his back, turning her head slightly so their helmets wouldn’t bump.

The bike revved up, louder than usual. When they began moving, it started slow—very slow—until they exited the garage. Once they hit the driveway, he picked up the pace, though not too fast.

As they neared the gates, Elias slowed slightly when a car was coming in. He squinted, catching sight of Virgo riding shotgun. He saw Virgo’s brows knit together before Elias twisted the throttle and hit the road without stopping.

Meanwhile, Lynsandra barely glanced at the car they passed as Elias increased his speed.

This guy... is he planning to kill me? she wondered as they kept accelerating, the side roads blurring like glitches.

Yet she didn’t tell him to slow down.

Instead, she briefly closed her eyes and leaned back slightly, tilting her head to look ahead.

"We’re going on the highway!" he yelled, leaning his head back a little. "Then we can go fast!"

"This isn’t fast for you!?"

He grinned. "Is it for you?"

"..." She pursed her lips and tightened her hold around his waist. "A snail could overtake us."

"Hah! Right?" he laughed, refocusing on the road until they reached the highway.

As promised, Elias revved the bike and picked up speed. It felt like they were flying, the air hitting them harshly, the tips of her hair tangling behind her. They swerved fearlessly from one lane to another, earning honks and angry curses.

And yet, that only made them laugh and giggle.

Elias handled the bike like it was an extension of his body. Even at top speed, she didn’t feel unsafe. If anything, as they rode down the long, endless highway, her body relaxed more and more.

She turned her head and saw the sky growing darker. As they neared the long interstate bridge, Elias began to slow down. She quickly understood why.

The sunset was breathtaking from here.

Her thoughts halted when the bike came to a full stop on the roadside. Lynsandra blinked and turned to him.

"Why did you stop?" she asked, confused. "Don’t tell me this is where you’re taking me? A date? On a bridge?"

He laughed, propping his feet on the asphalt and cocking his head back slightly.

"It looks like you want to stop for a while," he said, pointing toward the sunset view. "Let’s make a stop here."

"I didn’t want to stop."

"Your face said otherwise."

Her confusion deepened. "How?" To her dismay, he pointed at the side mirror.

"I’m paying attention," he emphasized, lifting his visor just to make her see his brows wiggling. "That’s how."

"..." For a moment, her mind went blank. Before she could respond, she looked away, staring at the sunset—not to admire it this time, but to avoid him.

Meanwhile, Elias studied her, wondering what expression she had under that helmet.

I should’ve gotten her a transparent visor when I had that one customized for her, he thought. I wonder if there’s a fully transparent one.

"Never mind," he suddenly blurted, grabbing her hand that was still clutching his waist. He stared at the sunset while balancing the bike, and she slid her gaze to him.

Enlly, she called to her wolf, staring at him.

I... want to go home.

Her wolf didn’t answer, but Lynsandra could’ve sworn she felt a light chuckle in response.

She let out a shallow breath, only for her ears to twitch at the sound of sirens behind them. Looking back, she narrowed her eyes at the approaching police vehicle.

"Is there—" she stopped when Elias panicked.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" He looked back at her. "Say goodbye to the sunset."

"Huh?"

"Those guys!" He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "They’re after us."

"What?" she gasped in disbelief, but he was already revving the engine. "Wait—I can—Elias!"

Before she could finish, Elias sped off at full throttle. Since he didn’t start slow this time, she was shoved against his back.

"Hold tight!" he yelled. "We’re going to lose them!"

Her face twisted. "Are you out of your mind!? Stop! I’ll talk to them!"

They wouldn’t arrest her for sure if they just apologized. Violating traffic laws wasn’t something she’d ever done before, but she could use her princess title to smooth things over.

"No way!" he protested. "You said you wanted to see me cross the line someday, didn’t you?"

He grinned. "I’m crossing it today!"

Lynsandra winced and tightened her hold. For some reason, it felt like they were faster than ever.

"What do you mean you’re crossing the line today?!" she yelled. "Clearly, this isn’t your first time violating traffic laws!"

"Exactly!" he winced. "And if they catch me, my license will be suspended. Worse, they’ll put me behind bars overnight—or both of us! I already promised them I wouldn’t overspeed again!"

Her eyes widened, torn between shock and disbelief.

"You’re kidding!" she scoffed, but judging by his tone, he wasn’t. She lightly slapped his shoulder. "Why are you like this?!"

She bit her tongue and looked back, her heart pounding wildly. She didn’t even know why she felt this rush. Was she enjoying it? Or was it pure stress?

Oh, God...

She closed her eyes and leaned forward, pressing herself closer to him.

I swear, if we lose them and stop, I’m going to kill him.

Her eyes blazed as she glared daggers at the man she was clinging to for dear life. Meanwhile, Elias, fully focused on shaking off the police, felt a chill run down his spine.

[She’s going to kill you.]

Draven’s voice echoed in his head, making him wince. But thinking about it, his regret was quickly replaced with lighthearted amusement.

Well... it was worth it.