LOGINShare
Chapter 4: Thunder in July
publish date:
2025-12-17 01:55:09It was a Saturday and Rae had just learned she wouldn't have anyone to work third shift. She looked at the hours on the computer and knew she was going to have to work the shift. Rae got herself up and made sure everything was set for the next day. She knew the little things to look for that no one else noticed. She knew she would have everything done. She just knew she was going to have to mentally prepare since it’s been a long while since she has worked an overnight shift.
Once she got her manager duties done, she left the job around noon. She went home and took a shower. She ate lunch and chilled on the couch. While she was chilling on the couch, her phone started blowing up with text messages. It made her wonder what was going on. She unlocked her phone and saw over ten messages in the group chat. As she was reading, she figured she should just get up and go to the job. She knew right then that she was just going to have to stay on the clock. When she got there, the girls had two long lines out the door. The floors were a mess. The trash was piled high and she was in distraught. She knew she had her work cut out for her. She clocked in and started grinding. She tackles everything one step at a time. By the time they got everything done, it was around 8pm. Raw decided she was just going to stay there and keep working. She made sure she went through the list of shift duties. She did breaks for the girls and was restocking the whole store. Around 10pm, the girls went home. Rae went outside and double checked to make sure no one was smoking by the pump. She put up signs by the registers. She wanted to go spend some time in the cooler. She was glad that the Mash gin was working. As she was working in the cooler, she had her music playing. She was doing First in, First out. She was on a roll. Every now and again, she would check the sales floor. She noticed it was dead. When she got done in the cooler, she swept and mopped the sales floor. She put on a vest and went and swept outside. She knew she was going to have to keep an eye on both the inside and outside. She knew what the rules were, yet she wanted everything to be clean. She didn’t want anyone to say anything, even though she is the boss. She understood that no matter what level you were, someone was always going to say something about your work ethic. By the time 2am came around, most of the work was done. She had made sure she touched base on everything. She was glad she could still put in the workload. As time was flying by, it started to rain. All of a sudden she got a notification on her phone. She looked and it said there was a flood warning. She knew she was going to have to make sure all the exits were secure and she didn’t have too much on. She knew she was in a safe place. She knew if it got too bad, she could hide in either the bathroom or the office. Rae sent her location out to the group chat and Mason. She knew if anything happened, they would be able to get her help. All of a sudden, Mason came through the door. She was so excited to see him. He said, “I just saw you shared your location. I didn’t think you would be here.” What happened?” All of a sudden a strong lighting bolt hit the ground by the door. The power went out. Rae had a nervous look on her face. “It’s alright. We can go hide in the back and you can fill me in.” Rae shook her head and they headed to the office. When they got to the office, Rae knew she was going to have to tell him everything. When they sat down, Rae filled him in on her day. Mason was laughing at some parts. Mason and Rae were sharing laughs and longing looks after that. As the thunder and lighting hit the top of the store, Rae got up and curled up next to Mason. Mason gave her a hug. “It will be okay. We also need to get down to some level of comfort with each other.” “What do you have in mind?” Another stroke of lighting hit. Rae got up and went to check the sales floor. She was wondering if she should put the closed sign up. She made a dumb founded look. She knew she had to because there was no power. She turned the sign and scurried off to the office. She saw beside Mason and the closer they got, the more Mason started stirring. He knew it was time to just come clean about what he was thinking. Rae and Mason spent the next two hours just talking away. When the rain finally stopped, Mason could see Rae was tired.
Latest chapter
High Octane Hearts Chapter 11- Second Chances and Gasoline Dreams
Part One- Mason moved into the station, the way the weather moves in gradually, then all at once. First, it was tools. A red metal toolbox appeared beside the compressor in the bay. Then a duffel bag landed near the office couch, “temporarily,” according to the man who said temporary, as it had no history of becoming permanent. Then boots by the back door. The coffee was already brewing when Rae came downstairs. Then he, shirtless, was in her kitchen at six in the morning, making eggs in a skillet too small for his ambitions. She stopped in the doorway and started. “You're in my house.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Apartment.” “You're shirtless.” “You say that like it's criticism.” He plates eggs with insulting charm. Rae crossed her arms. “Who permitted you?” “You left a key.” “I gave you a key to lock the bay after hours.” “Exactly. I locked it. Then unlocked this.” She narrowed her eyes. He slid a plate towards her. “Eat before you get meaner.” “I
High Octane Hearts Chapter 10- Breaking Ground
Part One- Rain turned the lot into a sheet of silver. Rae stood in the middle of it, soaked through in seconds, arms hanging uselessly at her sides, while twenty versions of the past rearranged themselves in her head. Letters. He had written letters. Months of silence she’d worn like proof had maybe been built on someone else’s lie. The thought hollowed her out. “Rae.” Mason’s voice cut through the storm. She kept walking toward the road because the movement felt easier than thinking. Water splashed around her boots. Mud sucked at the edges of the gravel. Headlights passed in a blurred hiss. Then Mason caught her wrist. She spun hard. “Don't touch me.” He let go immediately, palms raised. “Fine.” Rain streamed off his hair, down the planes of his face, and soaked his shirt to the skin. “You lied to me,” she said. His jaw tightened. “About what?” “You said you left because staying felt like drowning.” “That was true.” “You also said you chose work.” “Th
High Octane Hearts Chapter 9- Morning and Doubt
Part One- Morning arrived with all the facts of a tow truck through the plate glass. Rae woke on the office couch with a Crick in her neck, one boot still on, and the sharp awareness that she had made several questionable decisions in under seventy-two hours. The power had come back sometime before dawn. The desk lamp glowed dimly in the corner where she must have left it switched on. Rainwater still dripped from the awning outside in slow, irregular taps. Then memory returned in bright, dangerous flashes. Smoke. Fire. Mason’s hands on her waist. His mouth in the dark. The way she had kissed him back like she’d forgotten caution existed. “Fantastic,” she muttered to the empty room. She sat up too quickly and regretted it immediately. Her hair was a mess. Her spine objected. Her heart, traitor that it was, seemed in suspiciously good spirits. The couch opposite hers was empty. No Mason. Of course, no Mason. He hadn’t stated. He’d left sometime after midnight when the rain soft
High Octane Hearts Chapter 8: Gasoline Meets Fire
Part One: Since Rae couldn't lie down, she decided to sit up and read. She took the time to read a couple of chapters. Once she was done, she put her bookmark in the book and set it on her nightstand. She tried to lie down again, and she was okay. She knew she just needed to give her food a chance to digest. Rae went to sleep soon after. When she woke up, it was around 3pm. She went, reaching for her phone. She saw it was on 7%. She hurried and plugged it in. When she saw it had a decent charge, she decided to check through her messages. She saw she had over 20 text messages. She was wondering what was going on. She went through her messages and hurried out of bed. She found out the store was vandalized. Rae got into her car and tried not to speed. She knew she didn't need a ticket on top of everything else. She got to the store, and it was in shambles. There were cops and yellow caution tape everywhere. Rae locked her car and ran inside. She saw all the employees on one side
High Octane Hearts Chapter 7: Cracked Foundations
Even though they had a whole makeout session, Rae was not going to forget about what he told her. She was going to be watching him very carefully. She didn’t know if she could trust him just yet. They had only been together a month and a week. She didn't want to take any chances. She didn’t want anything crazy to happen. She knew she was going to have to be on full alert now. As the night went on, Rae and Mason had great conversations. It was fun and Rae was truly enjoying herself. She just kept thinking in the back of her mind. She knew worrying and complaining weren’t going to get her anywhere. She knew she was going to have to grind to keep both her business and man. Rae was in the moment. She was enjoying Mason’s company. She was enjoying the blissful moments. She knew these moments were fleeting. She just knew she had to work even harder to keep both parts of her life. Having a relationship and a job is tough, but what she has going on makes it even tougher. As time was passi
High Octane Hearts Chapter 6: The Deal
Rae wondered why he looked like that. She thought it was strange. She didn’t know what brought him to see her either. “What are you doing here?” “I came to see you. I need to talk to you about something very important.” “I’m getting ready to leave. We can talk on the way out.” Mason was wondering how he was going to tell her that his company is the one that is fighting for her land. He wants to be with her and not have any secrets. Yet, he is holding onto this big secret. He didn’t know if Rae would understand or not. He knew he was just going to have to come out with it. When they got outside to her car, he told her everything. Rae got really quiet. He didn’t know what was going to happen next. Rae went to speak and Mason knew he was going to be in for it. “ I have been meaning to tell you. I just didn’t know how to tell you. The first item on your list was complete honesty. I just know that this gas station was your mom’s livelihood and it’s now become yours. It’s not
High Octane Hearts Chapter 5: Wrenches and Words
Mason saw Rae looking as if she was about to doze off completely. Mason went to get up. He leaned her over to where she was leaning on the desk. He got up and went to look outside. He could see the street lights flickering. He knew the lights would be back on soon. He unlocked the door and turned t
High Octane Hearts Chapter 3: Under Fluorescent Light
The days after seemed to be running together. At the same time, Rae just kept on smiling. She was feeling over the moon inside. Yet, in the back of her mind, she knew she needed to keep things a secret. She didn’t want anything to get ruined. She wanted to enjoy the moments when they were together.
High Octane Hearts Chapter 2: Welcome back to Nowhere
By the time 10 o'clock came around the next day, the whole town was buzzing about Mason being back in town. It seemed like everywhere Rae went, someone was talking about him. Rae was trying her hardest to act like she didn't care. She was shocked that it had spread so quickly. She thought it
High Octane Hearts Chapter 1: Gasoline and Ghosts
Everything happens for a reason. We all know this to be true. We have to work hard and become something for ourselves. We have to be someone our parents can be proud of. We all have responsibilities that we must attend to. We all know these days we must work to pay rent and take care
You may also like
