I stare at myself in the mirror. I'm going on a date with Nora tonight, so I want to make sure I look good. Nora and I decided to give dating a try to see if we work out. I hope it does. I really like Nora.
I've got myself all dolled up for tonight. I've had a shower, brushed my teeth, put on some proper clothes, etc. The real surprise is going to be Nora. I don't know for sure if she's going to like what I have planned.
I check my appearance one last time before taking a deep breath and leaving my room. Nora's out on the balcony smoking a cigarette. I walk out and stand next to her. I light up a cig and take a drag.
"Are you ready to go?" I ask and smile at her. I think you're going to have a lot of fun." I take a hit of my cigarette.
"I'm all yours, Nate. So what do you have planned?" She flicks her cig off the balcony and kisses me on the cheek.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" I stick my cigarette in my mouth and take her hand. "Come on you, follow me."
I lead her through the apartment, down the building, and into the underground parking garage. We walk down the rows of cars, most of which are bland. The only ones that really stick out are the ones belonging to the building's owner.
We walk for another minute or two before I stop in front of a sports bike—a Kawasaki ER-6—my baby.
"Is this yours, Nate?" Nora is holding onto my arm. It's nice feeling her this close.
"Yep. That, right there, is my precious girl. It's a Kawasaki ER-6 with a top speed of 131 miles per hour. It goes from zero to sixty in three and a half seconds. This bike right here has gotten me through so much. Tonight, I want to show you that." I look from the bike to Nora. Her smile is from ear to ear. She's practically jumping up and down.
"Really!?" Her voice can barely contain her excitement. "You're going to take me for a ride!?"
"That's the plan ye-"
Before I can finish, I feel her body slam into mine. Her arms wrap around me, and she laughs with excitement. "You're so cool! Are we going to go fast? Can we please go fast?" I look at her and kiss her forehead. She reminds me of myself when my dad took me for a ride for the first time.
"Of course, we are going to go fast. Are you kidding me?" I take my backpack off and pull out a couple of helmets. I hand on to her and set mine down on the seat of my bike. I stash the bag behind the tire of the car next to us.
I go to help Nora put her helmet on. "Hold still, you goofball." I manage to get hers on, and then I put mine on. "Okay. When I sit on the bike, you're going to step up and sit behind me. When we start riding, hold on to me from behind. Make sure you lean with me, okay?"
"Okay!" She's practically vibrating with excitement.
I sit down on the bike and motion for her to get on. She manages to sit down behind me with a little struggle, but she did it. I press the ignition, and the bike roars to a start. I can hear Nora laugh behind me. She puts her hands on my stomach, holding me from behind. I put the bike into gear and we ride out of the parking lot. It's Monday night, so the streets aren't too busy.
I take her around the city for a little bit, letting her get used to the feeling of leaning on the bike. The city is beautiful at night. This is what got me through everything—my parents' deaths, my girlfriend leaving, all of it.
We soar down all the different streets, weaving in and out of traffic, utilizing the bike's mobility and size to get where we want to go.
I turn onto a long stretch of road. It's empty. Somehow, I can feel Nora smile through her helmet, so I give her what she wants. I crank the throttle, and we pick up speed. Every second, we go faster and faster. The engine roars as I let it out of its cage like a rabid dog.
