The One who got Away

“Yeah, it should be fun, right?” I smile brightly at her. “And it’ll be good to get you on the back of my bike.”

“Your bike? Oh, my goodness, but aren’t you known for being a bit of a speed demon?”

Of course, I am! Anyone who rides a bike wants to push it and see how fast their machine will go, that’s just a natural thing, but with Leah on the back I’ll be careful. I was gentle with her before, the first time that we slept together, and the same will apply here. I won’t make her do anything that makes her uncomfortable. I’ll persuade her to try new things, because I think that’s what she wants and needs, but I’ll never push her.

“I won’t drive fast, I promise you. And look…” I have a secret job that I’ve been working on when she isn’t here, and I’m so excited to reveal it to her. Ever since Leah dived back into my life again, I’ve wanted her to have her very own bike helmet so that she can ride with me whenever she wants. “I made this for you.”

I’ve custom designed it using a deep, velvety color for the base and I’ve designed a lilac weaving pattern over it. I didn’t have any plan in mind when I started this creation, I simply filled my head with Leah and I got to work. This is how she is to me, glamourous and sexy without knowing it, not too pink and girly, but not too tomboyish either, just the perfect blend of everything to make the most wonderful woman in the world.

“You made this for me?” she gushes in shock. “I cannot believe that you did this.” She takes it from my hands and runs her eyes all over it. “It’s absolutely beautiful, I love it… and I suppose it means I have to come now.”

I laugh. “Yep, that was my intention. So… do you fancy it?”

Leah nods and drags the helmet down over her head. Her ash blonde hair flicks out at the bottom of it, making her look utterly adorable. She might not have the typical biker chick look, but she pulls it off something wonderful. My heart leaps up into my mouth as I stare at her, just feeling how wonderful she is.

“I’m ready. At least, I think I am… yes, I am, let’s do this.”

We walk downstairs and out into my yard. All I want to do as we go is slip my hand into hers, but I know that I can’t here. I don’t think there’s much chance of Brandon popping by at this time of night, he hasn’t exactly been over much anyway, but we can’t be too careful. It isn’t just Leah who wants to keep things private. We both have a lot to lose. I might not see Brandon much, but he’s been a constant in my life for much too long.

I climb onto the bike, pull my own helmet on, and indicate for Leah to do the same. She looks nervous, almost as if she isn’t sure that this is something she should do, but in the end, she does. She climbs behind me, pushes her body up against mine, and wraps her arms tightly around my waist. I’ll admit, when I wanted to show off I would take girls for a ride back in high school, but that’s a long time ago now. It’s been a while.

Once I think she’s set, I bring the bike to life and I slowly pull it out of the lot onto the road. Leah is still clinging to me, holding onto me life she fears for her life, but I don’t let that distract me. As long as I drive carefully and slowly, everything will be fine. She’ll soon see that I’m a man who can be trusted.

The only problem is, the moment she begins to relax, I can’t stop myself from wanting to push things just that little bit further. When her arms loosen ever so slightly around me, I up the speed just a tiny bit. I don’t think I’m pushing her too far because I keep hearing little gleeful squeals coming from behind me. I’m simply introducing her to a bit more danger. There’s no way that she can actually get hurt, but I like to hear her scream.

That’s just one of the things that I like about her. The list is continually growing. If I’m not careful, I’m going to end up head over heels in the L word with her. Then we’re going to have to really work out what to do. If that day ever comes, we’ll have to start being honest with the people in our lives, no matter what the consequences are, but for now everything is absolutely perfect as it is. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Eventually, I pull up next to the Mexican place and I order our food using the drive through window. We take up onto the hill, under the willow tree which has always been my main ‘thinking place’, at least it was before I had an apartment of my own, and we take our seats to watch the sun slowly setting in the sky. The warm evening air whips around us, highlighted by the red and orange glow, making it feel like we’re in the middle of a perfect summer date. It’s been hot for Autumn time, and today I’m gladder of that than before.

“This is perfect,” Leah declares breathily as her eyes scan over everything, drinking it all in like it’s the view from a tropical island or something. “I can’t believe I live so close to this place and I haven’t been here before.”

“It’s so easy to get stuck into life and to forget to take adventures. We should do this more often.”

Leah looks at me, and I can see there’s something deep going on in her eyes. I can’t help but hope that she’s working out just how perfect I am for her, because that’s what I want to be. We lost out on many years, which may be a blessing in disguise since I wasn’t grown up enough then, and I don’t want to lose any more.

“That sounds amazing,” she eventually replies. “Being here with you makes me really happy.”

We sit in silence for a while, just letting the view claim us. It’s a comfortable silence, which I think says a lot about us both. There aren’t many people that I feel like I can just be myself around. Maybe the ‘L’ word will come quicker than either of us expect it to…

“Where else would you like to go?” I ask quickly, needing to talk about something before any much too serious words fly out of my mouth. “Is there anything in the world that you’re desperate to see?”

“I would love to see the seven wonders of the world, but I think that might be quite a common one.” She shrugs her shoulders and smiles. “But I would also like to see a lot of Europe, the history there fascinates me, I’m sure it would be able to give me a lot of inspiration for my creative writing. And also…” A redness tinges her cheeks as if she’s embarrassed about what she’s about to say next. “I haven’t ever been to Las Vegas and I would love to go. I know that’s pretty different from everywhere else that I said, but I think it looks cool.”

I make a vow to myself to make at least some of that happen. I might not be able to take her around the world just yet, not unless I start making some serious money anytime s

oon, but Vegas might just about be manageable. I want to help Leah with her adventures. I want to be by her side as she has them. Always.

Chapter Twenty Five – Leah

I open and close the front door as quietly as I can manage as I walk through the door after a morning working in the printer place, and an afternoon of college work in Zane’s apartment. I don’t like all the lies, it isn’t comfortable for me to hide so much of myself away, but I don’t feel like I have any choice.

“Leah, is that you?” My heart sinks as Mom calls out to me. “Can I talk to you a moment, please?”

I make my way into the kitchen, feeling a little bit like a teenage girl about to get into trouble. Ironically, as a teenager I didn’t do much wrong, I was always very well behaved, the only one thing I did do out of character, no one ever found out about. Now though, I’m doing all sorts wrong, even if it is for the right reasons.

“You okay, Mom?” I try my hardest to sound innocent. “I didn’t know that you were home today.”

“I just tried calling your work.” Shit! That’s something I never expected to happen. “Because you weren’t answering your cell phone.” To be honest, I haven’t even looked at it! “And another girl answered your desk number. Apparently, you haven’t worked there for a while now. Is there something you want to tell me?”