Being around cops was intimidating enough, but being pulled over by one was even worse. People got tickets all the time, but this being Skylar's first, made it difficult to bear. How would she explain this to her mom?
As she apprehensively waited for the officer, she wondered what she had done to be pulled over. It was almost impossible for him to know she had been texting. Her mind reeled with unpleasant thoughts. What if he was a bad cop? What if he planted drugs in her car and made it seem like they were hers? More what-ifs circulated through her head-watching the news and bad movies had definitely affected her mindset.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Skylar jumped, startled by the sound. "Sorry, officer," she whimpered, starting the engine just to roll down the window and then quickly shutting it off again. The flashlight shone brightly, hindering her view, but she got a breath of the hot, sticky air that clung to her skin. Having the air conditioner on in her car, she had forgotten how humid it was out. Even at night the weather was intolerable.
Hoping not to offend him or her, she moved a little to the left and got a clear view of his gorgeous young face. With instant combustion, her heart fluttered a mile a minute and her stomach churned nervously. She felt her face grow hot as she flushed and her body temperature shot up, either from the sight of him or the searing weather-perhaps the combination of both. Whatever it was, he was the gravity pulling her in. She was wrapped in his invisible force, taking in all of his hotness, and she was almost sure he was looking back at her with the same intensity. Breathe . . . breathe . . . exhale.
She had heard of love at first sight, but this was more like lust at first sight. What is wrong with me? Stop staring! Sheepishly, she unglued her eyes from his beautiful greenish-blue ones. She couldn't tell exactly what color they were. Trying not to stare, she saw a pearl drop of sweat trickle down from his hairline. She didn't want to stare into his eyes again for fear she may get lost in them and not be able to look away.
Shifting her view, she focused on his uniform. It fit perfectly to the curves of his muscles. His clean-shaven face brought out his high cheekbones and every part of him looked flawless, from his hair to his broad shoulders, and all the way down as far as she could see. She had seen good-looking cops, mostly on TV, but for goodness sake . . . sizzle!
"Could I see your driver's license?" he said flatly in a low masculine voice.
Pause.
Even the tone of his voice made her heart race. Get a grip! Do you have a girlfriend?
"Your driver's license?"
Pause.
"Your license?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, but this is my first time being pulled over. Did I do something wrong?" She blushed, focusing on his name tag-Officer Doug.
"I need to see your driver's license."
She reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet, then her license. "Here. It's really not a good picture."
The officer's lips formed a thin line. "We don't judge." He winked.
OMG! He winked at me. Skylar felt her cheeks flush again, and she wondered if he noticed.
"Skylar Rome?"
"Yes, that's me." She pointed to her license.
After staring for some time, he handed it back to her. "You're new to this town, aren't you?"
"Yes. No. Well, yes. I mean-" Oh my gosh, I can't even talk.
"Can't make up your mind?" The officer chuckled, obviously amused by her nervousness.
Skylar giggled. "I visit my cousin here every summer. I was on my way there. Did I do something wrong, officer?"
Skylar wanted to know what she had done to get pulled over so she wouldn't do it again, though she wouldn't mind being pulled over by him again.
The officer didn't answer her, even though she'd now asked twice. He seemed flustered, looking intently into the empty darkness around the gas station as if he could see something there.
"Ms. Rome, can you open your trunk?"
"Oh, sure. I only have my bags in there." She did as he requested and popped the trunk from the inside. "Should I come out?"
"No," he said, a little too sternly. "Stay there and don't move."
His tone startled her at first, but she didn't think much of it. After a few seconds, he came back. "Skylar."
"Yes?" She looked into his eyes and blinked, mystified. She could've sworn his irises had pulsated and turned the color of silver.
"Just be careful," he warned and walked away.
Skylar exhaled a deep breath she hadn't realized she was holding. With a sigh of relief, she placed her driver's license back inside her wallet. When she cranked the engine, she looked to the left to make sure it was safe to make a U-turn, but she jumped again when she saw the officer standing beside her car where he had stood before. Did he change his mind and decide to give me a ticket?
"Don't text while you're driving. It's dangerous. It's also against the law, if you didn't know," he scolded.
"Oh, okay. I'll remember next time." She smiled. "Thank you." How did he know?
With a nod, he turned away and headed back to his car.
Skylar looked in her rearview mirror, but he was already gone. That really happened, right?
She took out her phone and read a text from her cousin. Can't wait!
Skylar texted back: I got pulled over by a gorgeous cop. He let me go. Explain when I get there.
Ecstatic that she hadn't been given a ticket, she put her foot on the gas and drove back onto the freeway.
Kayla lived in a two-story house. All the houses on that block were cookie-cutter homes, built practically touching each other. It was difficult to tell which one was Kayla's, especially since there were hardly any streetlights, so Skylar looked for not just her address, but also the white mailbox that glowed in the dark.
The first thing Skylar did when she arrived at her cousin's house was run to ring the doorbell. Kayla swung the front door open and pulled her cousin in for a tight squeeze. "I'm so glad you're here."
Kayla wore a gray tank top and cotton shorts. Her brunette hair brushed Skylar's face, and she noticed that it was longer than it had been on the last visit, now passing her shoulder blades. "You grew your hair?" Skylar said, pulling her back. "I love it."
"Me too." Kayla giggled, flipping her hair. "Your hair got longer too. Great minds think alike." Kayla giggled again. "Enough about our hair. Sooo, what happened? A hot-looking guy pulled you over?" Her eyes were beaming with curiosity.
Skylar nodded with a shy smile. "Hottest guy ever."
"Did he give you a ticket?"
Skylar swiped her hand across her forehead. "Nope. Thank God or Mom would've killed me."
"You got lucky. He probably thought you were cute and let you go."
"What?" Skylar blushed, thinking how cool that would have been if those thoughts had run through his mind, but what did it matter anyway? What were the odds of seeing him again? She figured the chances were slim to none.
"It's not a big deal. I got my first ticket about a month ago. You have to go to traffic school to get it off your record. You can even do it online. So did you ask him to cuff you?" Kayla snorted.
"I wish I'd thought of that. I was too busy trying to get my mouth to work. I was staring at him like an idiot." She shook her head, thinking how silly she'd acted. "Let me get my bags."
"Do you need help?"
"Nope." Skylar ran out, clicked the remote to unlock the doors, and came back in with two duffle bags and her purse.
"That's it? Just two bags?" Kayla exclaimed.
"I'm only staying for three weeks, not a year. I'm not like you," Skylar teased. "So where's your mom?"
"She's still at work. We keep the diner open until midnight during the summer, don't you remember?"
"Yes, of course, but for a split second I had forgotten."
"I bet I know why." She smirked. "So, did you get his name? Maybe I'll run into him next time, and I'll tell him my cousin has a crush on him."
"You wouldn't dare." Skylar slapped Kayla playfully and ran upstairs with her bags in her hands and Kayla at her heels. After Skylar had settled into the guest room, the girls sat on the bed and discussed their summer plans.
The sun's rays seeped through the window, warming Skylar's face. From the intensity of the heat, she knew it was going to be another scorching day. Squinting against the brightness, she let out an irritated moan. Grrr . . . is it morning already? She wasn't ready to start the day.
The moon had been full and brilliant last night, captivating her gaze. She'd left the curtains halfway open, wanting to escape in the beauty as she lay in bed. Unfortunately, she had forgotten to close them before she fell asleep. Moving a bit to the right to dodge the light helped her have a slight chance of getting a few more minutes of sleep. But then she smelled eggs and bacon which made her stomach rumble with hunger. Instead of taking her time getting out of bed, she sprang right up.