Biker's Virgin

"I didn't either. Sorry for making you wait."

"I'm just glad you showed."

Silence. I wasn't used to this, being awkward around Ron. We had never had that problem, not even when we had just started out dating.

"I haven't been here since..." She stopped herself. I remembered the last time we were together here. Thinking about what we did was probably going to just scare her away. We had to work back up to that.

"Were you busy today?" I asked. She broke a piece off her brownie and ate it.

"I was actually at school," she said.

"Yeah? Why?"

"Library. I took some courses for the summer session."

"That's great."

"Is it? I think it is, but some people think I should be backpacking around Europe, not sitting in class."

"If it's what you want, it's great that you're doing it," I said, shrugging. "Besides, not a lot of people make school their first priority, even when it should be."

"It'll pay off in the end, that's what I keep telling myself," she said, with a small smile. "What about you?"

"What? Class?"

"You always had classes during summer training," she said. I liked that she remembered that. I liked that familiarity we had with each other. We had been a couple, but all that time we spent together, all that time talking, had made us friends, too. It was the kind of friendship I didn't get from Don or anyone else. We were close physically and emotionally – it was everything together.

"Stuff's a little weird right now," I said.

"How so?"

"I would have to reenroll if I wanted

to play for the school again, but since I took time off, I don't know whether it would be worth trying to get drafted this year. Football was always what I wanted to do. I feel like I'd rather concentrate on that than split my time with academics."

"That sounds risky," she said.

"It is. Any professional sports career is risky. Barely any of the people in college for football actually end up in the league."

"Only the best?"

"Yeah, and the ones lucky enough not to get injured.”

"I hope you get in. I know how much being making it into the pros meant to you." She broke her brownie in two, eating another piece.

"Thanks. I hope so, too."

"Looks like we're both where we want to be," she said with a small smile. If she meant here with her eating brownies, then yeah, I agreed.

"In some ways," I said. I thought I saw her blush.

I asked her what courses she had picked up for summer session. I liked to think I had at least a slight working knowledge of psychology from talking to her about her school stuff. She avoided talking about my deployment when I'd mention it, but loosened up. The sun moved and we moved the blanket with it. The timid way she started lingered, but it wasn't unbearable. Two hours later, she had to head home.

"I had a good time," she said. She helped me fold the blanket back up.

"Thanks for coming. I want to see you again, Ron." Uncertainty crossed her face and she bit her lower lip a little.

"I don't know," she said.