THE BIKER SHE WASN’T SUPPOSED TO NOTICE

Kai had never looked like a man people would approach for help.

At twenty-nine, he was tall, heavily built, and broad-shouldered, with a rugged angular face, dark brown eyes, short black hair, light stubble, and a thin scar cutting through his left eyebrow. His faded black leather jacket, dark jeans, heavy boots, black gloves, and matte-black motorcycle made him look like the kind of man people crossed the street to avoid.

But Kai had one weakness.

He couldn't walk away when someone needed help.

It didn't matter if he was tired. It didn't matter if he was late. It didn't matter if the person was a complete stranger.

If someone was struggling, Kai stopped.

One rainy night, Kai was riding home when he noticed an elderly delivery rider trying desperately to push a broken motorcycle through a busy intersection. Cars honked around him while people simply drove past.

Kai slowed down.

He looked in his mirror.

Then he sighed and turned around.

He parked his motorcycle, removed his helmet, and walked toward the old man.

"What's wrong?"

The old man explained that his motorcycle had suddenly died and that he was already late delivering his final order.

Kai didn't ask any more questions. He simply grabbed the back of the motorcycle and helped push it through the traffic.

Once they reached the sidewalk, Kai crouched down and examined the engine.

A few minutes later, he fixed the problem.

The old man tried to pay him.

Kai refused.

"Go home. Someone's waiting for you."

The old man smiled.

"Thank you, son."

Kai nodded, put his helmet back on, and rode away.

He didn't notice the black luxury car stopped at the intersection.

He didn't notice the woman inside staring at him.

Jenny did.

She was twenty-seven, elegant, beautiful, and accustomed to getting exactly what she wanted. Long dark-brown hair, expressive brown eyes, delicate features, expensive clothes, perfect makeup.

She also had a very low tolerance for inconvenience.

And tonight, everything had inconvenienced her.

Her dinner had been terrible.

Her shoes were wet.

Her driver had taken the wrong road.

And now she was watching a giant biker standing in the rain fixing a stranger's motorcycle for free.

She watched Kai reject the man's money.

Her eyebrows lifted.

"Who does that?"

Her driver glanced at her.

"Do you know him?"

"No."

She watched Kai disappear into the rain.

"He looks like trouble."

The next evening, Jenny saw him again.

A young delivery rider had crashed his bicycle outside a convenience store.

Kai was already there.

He was kneeling on the pavement, repairing the broken chain while the young rider nervously explained that he couldn't afford to pay.

Kai didn't even look up.

"Then don't pay."

Jenny happened to be walking out of the store.

She stopped.

Again.

The same biker.

The same strange habit.

When Kai finished, the delivery rider thanked him and left.

Kai stood up.

Jenny watched him walk toward his motorcycle.

As he passed her, their eyes met.

He gave her a polite nod.

Nothing more.

Then he put his helmet on.

Jenny frowned.

She had expected him to recognize her.

Or at least say something.

Instead, he simply started his motorcycle and left.

She stared after him.

"Rude."

She didn't know why she was annoyed.

She barely knew him.

A week later, Jenny found herself sitting inside Kai's motorcycle workshop.

She claimed she had brought her car because it was making a strange noise.

Kai looked at her.

"Your car isn't here."

Jenny paused.

"I know."

"Then what's wrong with it?"

"Nothing."

Kai raised an eyebrow.

Jenny placed a coffee on his workbench.

"I brought you this."

He picked it up.