Chapter 4 - "Ride Safe ❤️"

Two weeks later.

Two weeks had passed since the accident. Riley's bike had finally been fixed, the repairs taking a lot longer than he expected. But, like the saying goes, "the water returns to its way" - things were slowly returning to normal. The panic, the fear, the endless worry that had consumed Damon ever since that night seemed to be melting away, replaced by a quiet relief.

But for Riley, it wasn't that easy. She had kept her distance, retreating into herself in the aftermath of the accident. She needed time to process everything. Her body had healed from the bruises, and the adrenaline rush had faded, but the emotional scenes weren't so simple to erase.

The day she finally opened her phone, she didn't know what to expect. The screen was filled with notifications - tons of messages from friends, family, and, of course, Damon.

Her heart gave a little flutter as her eyes landed on his name. He had been texting her every day, checking in, asking how she was, telling her to take care. The sheer number of his messages told her how worried he'd been, how much he cared.

She clicked on his thread first. The messages were filled with apologies - apologies for the accident, for not being able to do more. They were full of questions about how she was, and how she'd been holding up.

The sincerity in his words hit her harder than she expected. She didn't know why, but it made something inside her shift. Maybe it was because she hadn't really been honest with him yet. Maybe it was because, for the first time in a long time, she felt like she wasn't carrying the weight of everything alone.

She typed her response, her fingers moving hesitantly at first.

"Damon, we need to meet."

She paused before adding a little heart emoji.

"Ride safe ❤️"

She quickly sent the message along with a location - one that she knew he'd recognize, a familiar spot where they had spent time before. It wasn't a big gesture, but it was enough. Enough to say everything she hadn't been able to put into words until now.

And now, the ball was in his court.