Chapter 3 Midnight Showdown

The neon OPEN sign in the lounge window flickered off as Eva pushed through the heavy wooden door into the cool night, Gia and Noah's laughter surrounding her.

"Well, that was definitely a birthday I won't forget anytime soon," Eva chuckled, digging in her jacket pocket to ensure she hadn't lost their valet ticket.

"Right?" Gia crowed, looping her arm through Eva's affectionately. "I told you parties with me were definitely epic. Even if cocky Mr. Hayes didn't see the vision."

Noah pulled his keys from his pocket with a good-natured eye roll. "Well in his defense, I doubt many people anticipate impromptu champagne showers." He said with a chuckle. Keys jangled as he added, "But the night was certainly...unforgettable."

Eva shook her head incredulously recalling the arrogance of that man.

Soon they were piled into Noah's worn but reliable Land Rover. Backing slowly out of the cramped lot, he cranked the wheel towards the exit when the engine let out an unhappy grind.

Eva and Gia shared a worried look as Noah tried restarting. Her heart ached a bit, having teased him before about the car.

After so much trial, the engine finally roared to life, and Noah pulled out of the tight parking spot. They started slowly driving down the jam-packed street, on the lookout for a new space to temporarily park. After twenty minutes with no luck and Noah's forehead beading with sweat, Eva leaned forward sympathetically from the cramped backseat.

"Maybe if we just drive a bit further out from the busy club area?" she suggested hopefully.

Noah nodded, focused intently on scanning for spots. Just then Eva spotted brake lights ahead as a car pulled away from the curb.

Eva leaned forward sympathetically from the cramped back as Noah craned his neck left and right. Maybe if they just drove further...

Suddenly she spotted movement up ahead.

"Wait, someone's pulling out!" She exclaimed eagerly.

Sure enough, a sleek black sedan that had been parked a few cars ahead had its reverse lights on. The car slowly backed out of its tight spot along the crowded street.

"Oh thank goodness," Noah breathed, inching his car forward. Just as the sedan cleared the space, the loud roar of a motorcycle engine shattered their anticipation. Before anyone could react, a rider on a chrome bike shot backward into the space, blocking them.

"Hey! We were clearly waiting, man," Eva protested angrily. But without even a glance backward, the cyclist revved his engine and zoomed into the space.

Gia smacked Noah's arm wildly. "Did that jerk just swipe your spot??"

Fury mounting as Bike Guy casually climbed off and removed his sleek helmet, Eva threw open her door.

"Be right back. Who does the hell does he think he is? We clearly waited there first!" She said as she tossed over her shoulder, ignoring her friends' protests.

Storming down the sidewalk, she planted herself stiffly between the man and the road. Hands propped challengingly on her hips, she cleared her throat as he looked up. And up...Wow was this dude tall.

"Ahem, sorry to interrupt your very important night but you just stole a spot we patiently waited for first," she informed him pointedly.

Slowly removing his gloves,Tall and Rude paused then lifted one questioning brow. "Is that right?"

His bored tone made Eva bristle. Clearly she'd interrupted a far more important matter than proper parking protocol here.

"Yes, it is," she snapped. "My friend's car was clearly edging out waiting when you illegally swooped in."

"Hmm. Can't say I recall anything of the sort," the man murmured casually. "I simply pulled into the most available open space as soon as I got here. Anything beyond that is none of my concern."

He gazed indifferently up the street at Noah's rust-flecked vehicle trying to angle out of traffic. "Perhaps waiting mid-lane instead of fully pulling in shows how unsure your driver is from the start?"

She felt her eyes narrowing. Why was he being so dismissive? Was this jerk actually criticizing Noah's driving when he'd just openly stolen a spot??

As he made to brush past without another glance, her temper erupted. Eva stepped defiantly back in his path.

"How about you ditch the arrogance and just admit you deliberately cut us off? You could have simply gone just one street over instead of taking this route and being inconsiderate?"

Those dark eyes swiveled back slowly, skimming over her challenging stance. For a second she thought she felt cool consideration sharpening his features before the indifference returned.

The stranger looked Eva up and down, his expression utterly bored. "I don't have time for this," he said dismissively. "Excuse me."

He brushed past her, striding towards the restaurant entrance. Eva hurried after him, grabbing his arm.

"Hey! Don't you walk away from me," she said angrily. "We were clearly there first. You need to get your bike out of the way."

The man looked down at her hand on his arm with distaste.

"Don't touch me," he said coldly. Eva stepped back but didn't break her glare.

Just then, Noah jogged up. "Everything okay here?" he asked Eva, eyeing the man warily.

"No, it's not," she replied.

Noah turned to the man. "Look, I know parking is crazy around here, but we were clearly waiting for that spot before you took it. Do you think you could move your bike so we can park there?" he asked reasonably.

The man looked at them impatiently.

"Feel free to call the authorities if you insist, but I won't be wasting any more time discussing this."

With that, he turned and strode quickly into the nearby restaurant, the door swinging shut behind him, leaving Eva and Noah stood staring in disbelief.

"Can you believe that guy?" Eva fumed, throwing up her hands.

Noah just shook his head, irritation etched on his face. "What a piece of work," he muttered. "Come on, let's get back in the car."

Just then Gia poked her head out of the Land Rover window. "What's going on? Did you tell that creep off?" she called out.

Eva stomped back to the car. "That arrogant dude completely brushed us off!" she vented, getting into the back seat and slamming the door.

"Ugh, I can't believe this night," Gia groaned.

"First that lame party pooper, now parking spot stealers. These obnoxious men are really out in full force today!"

Noah sighed, putting the car in drive.

"Well, nothing we can do about it now. Let's just get out of here." He says as he pulls the Land Rover away from the curb, the stolen spot disappearing from view as they headed into the night.