Gasolina - Klance Mechanic/Racer AU

Part 3

After almost being hit by some grumpy-looking dude with a motorcycle outside the café, I angrily pushed my way through the door, the gentle tinkle of the bell calming me a little. The smell of pastries and coffee enveloped me.

"Welcome!" A kind voice said from the counter. Romelle, one of the staff, smiled at me. "Oh, hello Lance!"

"Hey Romelle." I replied. I visited the café so often that all the staff had learned my name. I didn't bother flirting with Romelle anymore, though. She had turned me down more times than I could count.

"What can I get my favourite customer today?"

"One vanilla latte, and a cinnamon roll." I sighed, looking around the café. It was quieter than usual.

"Coming right up." She sang, and got straight to making the latte. She hummed along to the soft music that played from a radio on the counter.

"Romy?" Luka, the manager, said, appearing from the back. "Allura just called in for her usual."

"Okay! I'll take it over after I've finished with Lance."

"Hey Luka." I said, waving. She disappeared without saying anything. Luka didn't like me too much.

"I can take Allura's order back if you want." I said as Romelle handed me the latte and slid my cinnamon roll into a paper bag.

She shook her head. "No, I've got time. It will be nice to get out of the café for a little while, anyway."

She continued to get Allura's order ready while I leant against the counter, then appeared from behind with two to-go cups and a paper bag.

We chatted idly while we walked back to the garage. I was surprised to see the back door propped open. When Romelle and I headed inside, I saw Hunk wheeling a familiar-looking bike through towards one of the workstations.

"New job for me?" I hollered, putting down my cup on the worktop. Romelle headed straight towards the office, knocking on the door. Allura came out and invited her into the office, closing the door behind them.

"Yeah, just came in." Hunk replied. "Pidge is dealing with him. He seemed pissed off."

"I would be pissed off too if my bike looked like that." I huffed. "I'll go introduce myself." I specialised in motorcycles; my older sister had one while I was growing up, so I was most familiar with them.

I headed into the office area, stopping dead when I saw the grumpy tattooed dude who'd nearly run me over. His inky hair was covered with a red beanie, and tattoos were visible on his neck, above the collar of his red plaid shirt.

His eyes widened when he saw me. He probably remembered how he'd nearly run me over.

We stood in silence for a moment, unsure of what to say to each other.

"Do you two know each other, or something?" Pidge interrupted, crossing her arms.

"N-no." I stammered, holding out my hand awkwardly. "I'm Lance. I'll be the one working on your bike."

"Keith." He tentatively took my hand – his were softer than I expected. "So you're the motorcycle expert I heard about."

"I wouldn't say 'expert'..." I laughed nervously.

"How long will it take?" He asked bluntly, putting his hands into his pockets.

I rubbed the back of my head, thinking for a moment. "A week, maybe two?"

"Can you do it in by friday?" He asked, his face completely serious. I was afraid to laugh.

"Erm..." It was Monday...there was no way I could get it done in four days. Still, looking into his wide eyes, I felt like I couldn't say no. "Sure. Yeah, I can do that."

"Great. I'll come collect it at 4pm on Friday." He started to leave, rummaging in his pockets for something.

"Wait!" I called. He turned back, his brows furrowed with confusion. "Erm...you should call in, first. I don't want you to come in if its not done."

He blinked a few times. His face was unreadable.

"How about I just give you my number?" He said calmly, pulling his wallet out of his pocket. He took a business card from inside, and scribbled a number on the back with Pidge's pen, then pushed the card into my hand. His soft skin brushed against me again, sending shocks through me. "Text me any updates you have, okay?"

"Yeah..." I mumbled. "Sure."

"Cool." He said gruffly, leaving in a hurry. When the door shut behind him, I collapsed back on one of the chairs in the office.

"What the fuck was that?" Pidge demanded, standing over me.

"What?"

"You. That." She laughed. "I've never seen you so nervous before. None of your other crushes ever made you act like that."

"What?!" I shouted. "T-That's not what's going on here! I like women. End of story. I'm just uncomfortable with him because he nearly hit me with that bike earlier!"

"Sure..." Pidge teased, dragging me back into the garage and leaving me near the busted bike. When she walked away, I couldn't help but wonder: why did that grumpy guy make my heart beat so fast?