A Thousand Words

Chapter Nine: Nothing Like It

O L I V I A

"I'm not sure about this..." Olivia murmured, holding onto Lewis's arm like her life depended on it, which... if they went through with his plan, it would.

"Come on, Sunshine. Trust me. This'll make you feel better, I promise." His voice was so gentle that she was almost inclined to go along with this. Almost.

"I don't know... What if I fall off? What if you don't notice I'm gone, and you just leave me there? What if-"

Lewis's finger pressed against her lips, effectively silencing her. When she'd stopped talking, he chuckled. He left his finger there as he spoke again.

"It's going to be okay. You're not going to fall off, you're going to hold onto me. If you did fall off-" Olivia opened her mouth to speak up, but he rushed on before she could, "-which you won't. I would definitely notice. I won't leave you, ever, Sunshine."

She was quiet, considering this. If she went along with this, there was a decent chance she could die... but, despite the voice in her head saying no, she trusted him. Crazy as it was...

"Promise you won't let me fall?"

He rested his hand on top of hers gently and she could sense the smile on his lips.

"I promise, Sunshine. Now come on."

Leading her away from the school, Lewis came to a stop next to the most prized possession of his life. Slowly as if stretching her hand out to pet an animal for the first time, Olivia ran her fingers over the smooth exterior of the well-kept motorcycle. The metal and plastic were both warm from having set in the sun all day, but not too hot thanks to the cool autumn air. She ran her hand up the bike gently until her fingertips brushed the handlebar. It seemed like such a simple machine, but she knew the inner workings of it were far beyond anything she could understand.

"Wanna drive?" Lewis asked playfully, his hand resting naturally on her shoulder.

Olivia grinned and elbowed him in the side. He laughed as he pulled away. Leaning back in, she smiled, herself, catching his contagious smile for herself.

"Okay, how do I get on this thing?" She knew how to mount a bike, but without being able to see, the process was a bit more difficult. Besides, it wasn't like she'd mind having his hands on her waist again.

"Hold on to the handlebar there," he gripped her hand over the right handle. "Then you're going to swing your leg up like this..." She raised her leg to step over the bike and Lewis gently caught her calf and lifted it high enough to clear the top. Once she adjusted her body weight, she was on the motorcycle. As Lewis let go of her, Olivia let out a surprised laugh and gripped the other handle tightly. It felt so foreign to be on the machine, but it was quickly becoming too late to go back.

"Hang on... Something's missing."

"What? What do you mean?" Olivia turned her face towards him again, but a moment later, she felt the weight on her shoulders. "Is this-"

"Your very own leather jacket. Should keep you warm on the ride. Here." He helped her slip her arms into the jacket without letting the bike fall over on top of her. It was big and heavy on her shoulders, leading her to guess it was an extra jacket of his. All the same, she pulled it closer to her and breathed in his familiar scent.

Very carefully, Lewis raised himself over the bike before lowering onto the seat. He sat on her a little before she shuffled back to give him space, feeling the heat attack her cheeks. They both laughed, though, easing the tension as they relaxed into each other.

"Here..." Something covered her head and when she raised her hand to touch it, she realized it was a thick helmet. It was heavy and kind of stuffy inside it, but Olivia had to admit she did feel a bit better.