Red

Part 17

Mallery

"Red, you gotta ease up on the throttle if it's too much for you; don't just let it go. That's why you keep stalling." Bucky walks over, patient as ever, to check to see if I'm okay. The sun is blazing down on us, and the late June breeze is making me sticky.

"Right, okay. I swear I can do this," I say as I struggle to stand the bike back up and sit astride again. I huff out a breath.

"Hey, I know you can." He clasps a hand to my shoulder and smiles. "You've almost got it. A couple of full circuits around here without stalling, and we'll call it a day."

"Can we go swimming?"

He laughs. "We can do whatever you want, Red."

The bike roars to life when I start it, and I take a deep breath. I can feel the power beneath my palms, waiting for my command; I haven't felt this kind of control in so long. I kick into gear, ease the throttle back, and take off slowly through the school parking lot.

I'm taking it easy; I don't want to let my fear take over and stall again. I can see Bucky watching me as I circle a wide berth around him. He calls out for me to pick up some speed. I speed up slightly, making sure I can control the machine. I can see him nodding, smiling as I pick up more speed around him.

I'm doing about twenty-five in the parking lot, and Bucky calls out for me to pull up to him and stop. I make a few more laps before I pull up next to him, fairly smoothly. I kill the engine, prop out the kickstand, and pull my helmet off.

"Well?" I want his approval. I want him to be proud of me—the woman I am now.

"I'd say you could drive us home." He smiles, picking up his helmet by his feet. "But we need to take it slow. You need more practice; we'll get you on the road soon."

By the time we make it back to Steve and Tash's house, I'm a sweaty but excited mess. On one hand, I'm excited because I finally mastered the ride, even if I'll continue to practice. But there's the added excitement of being wrapped around Bucky as he drives us to my brother's house. I couldn't be the thing he wanted all those years ago, and I don't think I can do it now ... but I could be something for him; for us.

"You guys were gone for so long; we ate lunch without you," Tash tells us as she comes out to the front porch when we pull into the driveway.

"Sorry, she was doing so well I wanted her to keep at it." Bucky smiles and presses a kiss to her cheek before mentioning a shower and disappearing inside.

"How do you feel?" Tash asks me as I grab both of our helmets and follow her inside.

"Good. A little powerful," I say with a grin, and she winks.

"You've always been powerful." I'm a little taken aback by her comment and the offhanded way she says it. Natasha has always been the strong, graceful woman I've always wanted to be. To hear her tell me that is ... empowering in and of itself. She sighs and leads me into the kitchen. "I'm sure you want a shower too, but can we talk?"

"Of course. Do you want me to come back here or ...?"

"I'll come out there. I was going to help you get packed anyway." She smiles softly, but it doesn't meet her eyes.

"Is everything okay?" My voice is barely above a whisper, and I realize that I haven't seen Steve or Grant.

"Things are fine. I just need to fill you in on a few things and ..." She sighs again, and I see how tired she seems. "I know I don't do girl talk often enough. Maybe it's time."

"Okay, give me twenty." She nods once, and I head out to the pool house to shower quickly. The tiny one-bedroom is already filled with boxes, but Tash wants to help me finish packing. I think it's her way of saying goodbye or maybe she's going to give me advice. I don't know, but now hearing that she wants to fill me in has me nervous.