Hard Rider

“Well…yeah,” he sheepishly admitted. “Honestly, I’ve never been the type to look out for number one. When I rise and reap the rewards, I take care of my own. I’m fine being Team Grandpa so that they can get up to trouble that doesn’t directly hurt the rest of us.”

I nodded as I took another bite.

He can be a cocky bastard…

Possessive, dominating, quick to anger…

But he can also be a seriously upstanding man.

“And people say men are simple,” I smiled.

“People are wrong,” he grinned back, a toothy, cocky grin stretching across his face.

After breakfast was over, we headed further into town on the rest of our trip. The sun was high in the sky as he took me straight to a few luxury-clothing stores.

As he followed me inside, I turned quizzically.

“You’re coming in? I couldn’t imagine that watching me try on outfits all afternoon is going to be terribly exciting. Anything in town you need to do?”

Trent smiled wickedly, his cap and glasses still on.

“Seriously? There’s nothing I’d rather do than watch you try on all sorts of sexy little outfits for me.”

And so the afternoon went on.

I piled up on clothes, always being careful to pick only a couple of things. It was only at his insistence that I stopped bugging out at the price tags.

As I continued being modest, he shook his head and snatched a few tops, shorts, or leggings off of racks and added them to my arms. When it came time to try everything on, the garments he had chosen looked great on me – and they were even the right size.

He certainly had a good eye.

I’d always been way more jeans and a tee than cute sundress, but I had to admit that I liked how these outfits hung on my body. It was something special to see myself change under the mirror to someone who could embrace who I was, rather than improvise with thrift store jeans and old shirts from years ago.

I poked out from the dressing room, doing a slight twirl for him in a silky black dress he’d plucked from a rack.

“How do I look?”

“Positively ravishing,” he nodded. “I’d tear into you right here and now if I could.”

I could feel myself blush a little.

I still wasn’t used to so much attention.

“He’s right,” a passing attendant commented. “That’s a fantastic look for you. Although…I would prefer that you didn’t do that in my store.”

Trent and I shared a smile, and the attendant started to walk away before she paused, peering at him closely. Recognition flashed across her face, all of a sudden.

“You’re…Trent Masters?”

Trent instantly looked displeased, glancing over at her from beneath the concealment of his glasses and hat.

“I’m very surprised you noticed me.”

“It’s the voice,” she smiled. “Although you always wear the same hat and glasses everywhere, so you kind of stick out.”

He grumbled, and I stifled a laugh.

“It’s a huge pleasure to meet you. I’m Jamie – I’m a really big fan of your band! I just love Extra Kings from your EP!”

I disappeared back into my dressing room as they briefly chatted, although Trent looked highly uncomfortable to have been spotted.

I went ahead and redressed in my street clothes, packed everything up, and stepped back outside.

He turned and rose to smile at me, but I spotted the attendant a short distance away. She was trying to inconspicuously snap a smartphone picture of us.

“Wait… that girl…”

Trent followed my line of sight, and caught her fumbling to hide the phone. Angrily, he stomped over towards her and held his hand out.

“Phone. Now.”

She looked like a deer, caught in headlights.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I saw you,” he explained. “She saw you. Delete whatever pictures you just took of us, right this fucking minute...or I’m finding the number to your district manager.”

“Okay, fine, fine, calm down,” she muttered self-importantly, pulling her phone back out. She swiped to her photos app and showed us the pictures.

It was four or five shots of him sitting there, and then one of me coming out and him standing. His hat had slipped a little, exposing enough of his hair to reasonably identify him.

“Delete them,” he growled.

“Maybe I don’t want to,” she insisted suddenly.

He whipped his glasses off, glaring down into her eyes. I could see her visibly shrink under his fiery gaze.

“Delete them right this fucking minute, or I’ll have your goddamn job in under five minutes,” he glowered. “You had one chance to meet your idol, as you so put it a few minutes ago, and you royally fucked it up. Now I know who you are, and I’m pissed.

“So, delete those fucking pictures in front of me or, so help me god, I will show you why you never want to meet your heroes.”

Her lower lip trembled.

The poor girl looked like she was about to break down into a heaving fit of tears.

Instead, with trembling hands, she deleted the pictures in front of us.

“Good,” he finally whispered. “The worst part was, I was gonna hook you up with some backstage passes for the next tour. But now? Fuck it, and fuck you.”

She was still standing there, speechlessly, as we strolled towards the nearest counter. As I walked quickly beside him, holding what was probably thousands of dollars in clothes, Trent slipped his glasses back on without a single word.

Trent

My father used to say there’s no rest for the wicked. That’s primarily because it was true.

And I was plenty wicked.

Not even a full two days after being back home, I had to disappear off to make a press appearance with the rest of the band. We were going to be interviewed and placed in a bit part for an upcoming summer film.

Apparently, the director was a big fan.

He’d written this scene where we were performing onstage at a concert for the protagonists. We were more a set piece than anything, but even I couldn’t turn down the opportunity.

I hated the idea of dragging Angel along, though. After all, she’d been trapped in the back of a bus for the tail end of our nation-wide tour.

I felt she could probably use the rest.

When I pitched this promo to her, she agreed.

“It’s only a couple of days, right? Would it be okay if I just relax down here? Go have fun, and I’ll be waiting for you when you come back…”

“I’ll hold you to that,” I smiled wickedly, climbing across the couch to kiss her deeply.

But I had to get my rest that night, since I was hopping a plane at 4 in the fucking morning.

Instead of tearing her apart in bed, I got a halfway decent night’s sleep.

She was still curled up beside me, sleeping away, when I kissed her goodbye on the forehead.

“I love you,” she murmured quietly.

I paused.

What?

She rolled over, deep in sleep, and I was left to deal with what that meant to me…what it meant for us.

Oddly?

I wasn’t bothered with the idea. In fact…

Hearing it cemented something in my head.

Something strong.

Something we could build a foundation from.

I whispered loving words in her ear, watching a dopey, slumbering smile cross her lips.

With that, I quietly slunk downstairs and picked up my packed bags, stepping out the door. Locking it tight, I threw my shit into the trunk of my car and gunned it for the airport.

It had apparently rained overnight. The streets were slick with overlooked rain; the reflections of the streetlamps so late in the morning gave the roads an otherworldly glow.

I liked it.

Lights, rising from the darkness.

Reflected in all that was her

e.

It suited me.

I dropped the car off at a private lot near the airport, handed the keys to the valet, and strolled towards my destination with my suitcase in hand.

My chucks splashed indiscriminately through my own reflection in the puddles.

The night was cool, and greatly refreshing. A light mist hung around from the passing of the rain. After so much time on the bus, it was nice to have this rejuvenation in the air.

“Hey, bud.”

I growled inwardly.

Someone was nearby…

But I couldn’t tell where he was.

“Bud. Talkin’ to you.”

There.

Some tall, lanky guy in dark rags was loitering in the shadows just ahead. Hanging out near the airport. Stepping out from the dark to confront me. Looking for easy prey.

He thought that I fit that bill.

I almost laughed.

“Your wallet and your phone,” he growled, flicking out a particularly vicious switchblade.

I continued walking up, and he took a step towards me. As he saw that I wasn’t going to comply, he assessed me briefly, deciding that I was somehow bluffing in my confidence.

Fucking strung-out junkie.

I was half a foot taller and a lot broader.

“Stop,” he growled again.

“Fuck off,” I replied coolly.