Free Web NovelChapter 48: Chapter 48
Ray let out a slow breath in the car, trying to force his eyes out the window. Cindy was still chatting all casual next to him, voice light and easy. Sometimes she’d crack jokes about the night traffic, sometimes ask little questions about his mom’s new apartment he just moved into. Ray kept his answers short, flashing a weak smile every now and then so it wouldn’t feel too stiff. But his chest was still tight as hell. Every time Cindy laughed soft or glanced over, Ray would immediately look away, scared she’d catch him staring too long.
"You moved in by yourself, huh?" Cindy asked outta nowhere, still sounding friendly.
Ray nodded. "Yeah. Moving in tomorrow."
Cindy grinned big. "So I’m the first one giving you a ride home. Call it like... official welcome or whatever."
Ray didn’t know what to say. His brain was still stuck on the image from earlier today — Cindy standing quiet in the doorway, watching her own mom get railed from behind without saying much. And now the same girl was sitting next to him, all chill like nothing was weird. Ray swallowed hard. ’Fuck, don’t think about that.’
Red light hit again. Car stopped. Ray accidentally glanced sideways. Cindy had one hand on the wheel all relaxed, face glowing under the streetlights. Her short hair was kinda messy from the wind, oversized hoodie making her look fresh as hell and... attractive. That little smile on her face right now felt different from the calm look she had earlier. Ray swallowed again, harder this time.
Cindy suddenly turned. "Why you zoning out so much? Stressed or something?" She laughed soft. "But... be stressed is the new norm in this economy," she joked.
Ray gave a weak laugh back. "Ahaha... yeah, head’s kinda fucked up right now."
Green light.
The rest of the ride stayed light. Cindy didn’t push, and that somehow made Ray even more restless. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Finally the car stopped right in front of his apartment building.
"Here we are," Cindy said, killing the engine. She looked at him with that big smile. "Made it. Glad we ran into each other again, even if the way we met was... kinda wild."
Ray nodded, pulled his phone out. "Thanks. I’ll just pay through the app."
He opened the ride app, paid online, threw in a small tip, and sent it. Success notification popped on Cindy’s screen.
Cindy looked at her phone and laughed a little. "Damn, thanks a lot. Paid full and tipped. You’re a good dude, Ray."
Ray gave a thin smile while opening the door. "It’s nothing. Appreciate the ride."
They locked eyes for a second. Something in Cindy’s look made Ray’s chest feel even tighter, but she just waved all casual.
"If you need another ride, just hit me up," Cindy said. "Who knows, maybe I’ll be driving tomorrow too. Bye, Ray!"
"Bye," Ray said quiet.
Door shut. The black car pulled off slow, leaving Ray on the sidewalk. Without even realizing, he just stood there frozen, eyes following Cindy’s car getting smaller and smaller. Brake lights glowing red in the dark until it disappeared around the corner.
Few seconds later Ray snapped out of it.
"Ah shit..."
He turned around rough and walked fast toward the building entrance. Head was racing, brain lowkey stuck on that fine shawty named Cindy.
She’s the one...
She different from the others...
Ain’t no thot, probably got a normal body count...
All that bullshit whispering in his head.
Ray shook his head hard. ’This is dumb as fuck. Don’t start acting weird.’
He headed up the stairs, staring blank at every step. Cindy’s face kept flashing — that wide smile, the way she held the wheel all relaxed, that messy short hair that somehow made her look even fresher. Even her friendly voice from earlier was still echoing in his ears.
Ray gritted his teeth.
Finally reached his floor, walked quick to his unit. Unlocked, slammed the door behind him kinda hard. Leaned against it and let out a long breath. Still couldn’t stop thinking about her. The way she looked at him from behind the wheel kept mixing with the memory of her quietly watching her mom get fucked earlier.
Ray rubbed his face rough. Once again he told himself not to give in to that impulsive shit.
He walked to the couch, dropped down all slumped. Then let out a dry laugh that sounded empty in the quiet studio.
"Met her once and I already fucked her mom today... now I’m catching feelings for the daughter. Shit’s actually hilarious..."
Ray shook his head again, slower this time. Yeah, he was into Cindy. That heart-racing feeling was kinda like the start of some perfect love story.
But Ray wasn’t giving in. He just acknowledged it without turning it into something special. He already closed that door on falling in love again.
He wasn’t about to let himself get trapped in that mess.
Ray got up, went to the bathroom, splashed cold water on his face. In the mirror his eyes looked tired but still restless.
"Focus on the next mission," he muttered to his reflection. "Stop thinking about girls. Especially ones that are... complicated."
But when he came out and saw his phone on the table, his mind drifted right back to Cindy’s smile from earlier — light and genuine as hell.
Ray let out a long sigh.
"Hmmm... Maybe ’cause I barely meet girls like her anymore?" he asked himself. He’d been working too long at that gym full of jacked dudes. There were some women around, but none really hit different. At most Lena, who was lowkey annoying back then.
----
Ray finally pushed those thoughts out of his head and started packing his shit.
’Man, I just paid rent and now I’m moving... but whatever, I’ll figure the money out later,’ he thought.
He didn’t have a ton of stuff, but he still needed a car to haul it all.
’Maybe I can hit up Karl,’ he figured.
So Ray called him. Karl was down, but only if Ray helped him go over some stand-up material later. Ray said yeah, no problem.
After hanging up, he leaned back on the couch. "Karl’s really locked in on this comedy thing. Least I can do is support him a bit," he muttered to himself.
---
It was getting late. Ray was too wired about the move to fall asleep.
Then suddenly...
Thud... Thud...
Someone was banging on the door like they were pissed the fuck off.
Ray got up and opened it.
’God damn it,’ he thought the second he saw who was standing there.
