Night Out

Part 2

The ride to Tesco sure had been fun. Who knew that two drunk people could ride on the same bike? She was lucky he found her down King’s street some time after the last club closed. Her feet in those high heels were killing her and she still couldn’t walk straight. There was still enough alcohol in her system to prevent her from feeling the cold out there but she was all too aware of how far away her house was, when suddenly she heard a guy calling her name at the top of his lungs. Cath turned around and saw Chris riding a bicycle that was a bit too small for him, coming her way. “Hop on,” he said, “I just borrowed that from some twat and I think he’s after me!” Cath laughed, took off her shoes and tried to get on board by stepping on the short metal rod that went through the axle of the back wheel. Chris helped her by firmly grabbing her hand and pulling her closer, and stood up above the frame and on the pedals as she tried to sit on the saddle right behind him. He was close enough that she could feel his warmth through his white shirt. He smelled of tobacco smoke, chips, beer, and a faint whiff of perfume. She instinctively held on to his waist, and he tried to ride around the roundabout down King’s street that way, but they nearly crashed into the flowerbeds. Instead, she gripped the saddle and he stood up straighter and headed back to campus. As they were flying down a hill he asked :“Where do you live, by the way?” She could feel a chilly breeze on her face. “Park Barn,” she replied. “Cool, I’m going there anyway. You’re a fresher?” Cath nodded, then realized he couldn’t have seen her and said out loud : “Yeah. You ?” “Me too.” He then stopped talking because he was cycling uphill to the bridge above the railway, and was carrying the weight of two people. They cycled through campus in silence, passed a couple of fellow drunk undergrads walking home or heading to the only kebab shop still open after club closing time. The smell of grilled meat was mouthwatering for a few minutes, until, coupled with a series of sharp turns and bumps near the park, Cath started to feel sick. Chris wasn’t though : “I’m so hungry right now,” he said. “Let’s stop by Tesco, it’s on our way.” Cath focused on looking straight ahead. The back of his neck. After staring maybe a bit too long, she didn’t feel any better but had a bad case of goose bumps. Soon, they got to the underpass to avoid the highway, and she hopped off the bike with a sigh of relief. They walked side by side, slowly so she could be careful of broken glass or anything that could harm her bare feet, while Chris was pushing the bike on his right side. He cracked a few jokes, she made a few others, they laughed, until she tripped. She would have fallen hard onto the ground if he hadn’t caught her hand at the last second with an iron fist backed by a strong arm. “Wow, thanks.” “No problem.” Even after she felt steady on her feet again, she didn’t want to let go of his hand, so she started walking again, with a slight apprehension. Was he going to ask for his hand back? After a few steps, she finally felt him pulling his hand away and felt a throb in her chest; but his hand was in hers again within seconds and he intertwined their fingers. She tried not to look at him to hide her smile, and so they walked hand in hand through the almost empty parking lot, Cath, Chris, and the bicycle. About mid-way to the store they almost got run over by a student riding a trolley at full speed, screaming in the night. Finally, they reached the yellow light at the entrance where a cashier stood, smoking in the cold, holding her cigarette through her gloves, which only made Cath feel more aware of the cold than she was moments ago. The happy high of alcohol was starting to wear down, and she started to feel her whole body a bit too much. Chris put the bike down at the entrance and walked into the store, looking for some ready to eat food. Cath checked the huge clock over the doors. It had only been an hour since the club closed. If not for Chris and his stolen bike, she would still be staggering past the station at that time of the night, or she would probably have tried to sleep on a bench there or in the park by the river bank.