The engines roared louder than her heart, the wind rushing past her face as she sped down the track. Jairus Carter had been racing for as long as she could remember. Every curve, every twist of the road was a challenge she met head-on, each race a victory or defeat that felt too fleeting to hold onto. But today wasn’t about the race. Today, her mind was miles away from the track, caught up in something far more personal.
She wiped the sweat off her forehead as she finished another lap, the tires squealing against the asphalt. Her focus was sharp, yet her thoughts kept drifting to her past, back to a night that had never quite left her. A night with Savien.
Savien Montenegro was always the wild card. Their fling had been brief but intense—one night full of passion, fueled by too much alcohol and too many feelings that neither of them wanted to face. It had been a mistake, but not in the way Jairus had convinced herself it was. She hadn’t expected to see Savien again, not after that night. The sudden, unexpected connection between them had caught her off guard, and she had convinced herself that it was a fluke—nothing more than a fleeting moment. But a part of her wondered if she had been lying to herself.
Jairus leaned back against her car, trying to shake off the memory, but then she saw a familiar figure in the distance. Her heart skipped a beat. Savien.
Savien was standing by the pit stop, her arms crossed, watching her with that familiar smirk. Jairus hadn’t seen her in months. Maybe longer. Savien was always full of energy, confidence, and something more—something dangerous. The kind of spark that could light a fire in anyone’s heart, and leave them burned out when it was over.
Jairus' breath caught in her throat. The air felt too thick, the track too loud. She felt herself standing still, as if her feet were glued to the ground, even though her body wanted to run.
Savien caught her eye and pushed off the fence, walking toward her with that confident stride that used to drive Jairus crazy. The way she walked was like she already knew she had the world in the palm of her hand. Her dark hair was a little longer now, but it still framed her face perfectly. Savien's gaze never wavered, locking on Jairus like she had been waiting for this moment.
"Jairus Carter,” Savien said, her voice smooth and playful, as though they had never been apart. “Still tearing up the track, I see.”
Jairus swallowed, her throat dry. “I didn’t expect to see you here,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady.
Savien's lips curled into a knowing smile, the kind that made Jairus' heartrace for all the wrong reasons. “Well, you know me. Always popping up when you least expect it.”
Jairus shifted her weight, trying to hide the unease swirling in her stomach. “How’ve you been, Vien?”
“I’ve been good,” Savien replied, stepping closer, her voice lowering. “You?”
Jairus shrugged, her arms folding across her chest in a subconscious defense. “Same old. Nothing too exciting. Just racing, you know?”
Savien nodded slowly, eyes flicking over Jairus' form as though taking in the years that had passed. “Yeah, I can see that. You’ve changed a little.”
The comment was casual, but the weight of it lingered in the air between them. Jairus wasn’t sure if it was the years that had changed her or the distance she had created between herself and everyone who had ever meant something to her.
There was an awkward silence that followed, the kind that made everything feel too loud, too exposed. Jairus wanted to say something, to fill the empty space with something other than the unspoken tension, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Savien broke the silence first, her voice quieter now. “You know, I didn’t expect it to end like that.”
Jairus looked at her, confused. “What do you mean?”
Savien hesitated, then took a step closer, the distance between them shrinking. “I thought that night… I thought it would be one of those flings, you know? Something casual. But when I woke up and you were gone, I realized maybe it wasn’t just that for me.”
Jairus' pulse quickened. She hadn’t expected Savien to open up like this, especially not after months of silence. “You didn’t expect it to mean anything?”
Savien looked at her, her eyes serious for the first time. “I didn’t. But it did. And when I couldn’t find you after that night, I realized I fucked up. I should have stayed. I should have said something.”
Jairus' breath caught in her throat. She had never expected this. She had told herself the whole thing was a mistake, that Savien was just another one-night-stand in a long line of racing victories. But hearing her speak like this—honest, vulnerable—it shook something inside her.
“I didn’t want to hurt you,” Savien continued, her voice soft now, almost apologetic. “I just thought I needed to walk away, that it would be easier for both of us.”
Jairus didn’t know what to say. There were so many words she had kept locked inside for so long. Words of frustration, of hurt, of wanting more than what they had. But now, standing here, she wasn’t sure if it was too late to say any of them.
“You could have stayed,” Jairus said quietly. “You could’ve called me. But you didn’t. You just disappeared.”
Savien's expression softened, regret filling her eyes. “I know. And I’m sorry. I really am. But I’m here now, Jai. And I’m not asking for anything. I just want a chance to make things right.”
Jairus' heart was pounding in her chest, the words hanging in the air between them like a delicate thread. She wasn’t sure what to do with it. She had moved on, or at least she had tried to. But seeing Savien here again, so close, the intensity of their past relationship creeping back into her mind—it all felt too real.
Savien took another step closer, her hand brushing against Jairus' arm, the touch sending a wave of electricity through her. “I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I can’t walk away again without at least trying.”
Jairus' breath caught, her heart beating so loudly she could barely hear anything else. She stared at Savien, unsure if she should run or give in. She wasn’t the type to open up, to let anyone in, but there was something about Savien—the way she made her feel alive, like she could burn with her, or crash and burn at the same time—that made it impossible to look away.
The distance between them seemed impossibly small now, and Jairus' didn’t know how to step back, how to protect herself from the pull she had always felt. Instead, she leaned in, her lips brushing against Savien's in a kiss that was as familiar as it was electrifying.
When they pulled apart, both of them breathless, Jairus finally found her voice. “You still have that effect on me,” she murmured.
Savien smiled, her hand resting gently on Jairus' cheek. “You always were easy to read, Carter.”
Jairus' heart raced, her mind spinning. “I don’t know what this means,” she said, her voice quiet but uncertain.
Savien's gaze softened. “It means whatever we want it to mean. No more running.”
Jairus didn’t know what the future would hold, but standing here with Savien, she knew one thing for sure—they weren’t done yet. The fire between them was still there, burning bright, ready to burn the rubber of their hearts once again.
Before Savien could speak again, Jairus walked away from her, smiling ear to ear. That's when she felt her phone vibrated, seeing a text from the latter.
Jairus Carter
Hey,
I’m swaying through the streets, but all I need is where your heart beats. Can we make this night complete?