A Bittersweet Life (1st draft)

Chapter 20

An uneasy feeling smothered me as I drove up to Ryland's house. He told me to meet him outside, but what if his dad was around? It's not like we could talk about what we saw in front of that unwanted bystander. As I threw my truck into park, Ryland appeared in my line of vision. He stood next to his motorcycle with his charcoal helmet secured around his head, covering his entire face. My door creaked open and I only placed my toes on the ground. The soles of my feet planted on the ground once he revealed his face. I slammed my door shut and walked over to him with much more ease, even though my palms were wet with nerves and stomach filled with angst.

"Ready to go?" As he picked up another helmet from the ground and held it out to me, my heels dug into the gravel of the driveway.

"Why don't we take your car?" A forced smile crept onto my lips.

"I took her in to get new rims." He shrugged, still insistent on me taking the helmet.

Glancing back at my truck I said, "how about I drive." A laugh exploded from his gut. "What is that supposed to mean?" My eyes narrowed with offense to his reaction. Was he another sexist asshole like Holden? Women aren't good for anything. They are only needed for their breast and their ability to pleasure a man. God forbid she can drive a truck and have a meaningful conversation.

"Woah, okay." His hands went up in defense. "I just thought we might have some fun riding my motorcycle. Considering the conversation we are about to have." My angered body relaxed, but only slightly. "Now, if you want to drive that truck that sounds like it might burst into flames in two seconds, let's go. I just figured you could use a little fun." Ignoring the jab he just threw at my truck, I took the helmet and shoved it on my head, a couple of hairs falling in front of my eyes. He grinned for his victory and slid onto his bike with me close behind following his every move.

As the motorcycle started, my arms instinctively snaked around his waist.

"Just don't throw up on me this time, okay?" I rolled my eyes at his irrelevant comment and tightened my arms, purposely, causing him to let out a small grunt.

Goosebumps exploded from my skin as we sped down the winding roads. As the sun began to set, a mix of orange and pink hues surrounded us. My arms began to loosen as I became more comfortable with this new adventure. Ryland would occasionally yell back to me asking if I was alright. I would give him a squeeze for my answer and he would speed up. It took all of my strength to not rest my head on the back of his shoulder. This wasn't a date. It was dinner and a conversation. Nothing more. No matter how much I wanted it to be.

We slowed our pace as the road became flat and the sky blackened. Ryland maneuvered the bike in a small parking lot, and once in park, he took off his helmet before assisting me with mine. He led me up the wooden steps of the restaurant. As I glanced around the inside, he asked the hostess for a table. She led us outside where strings of white lights hung above us. We sat at a table that looked out onto the water. A couple of boats were parked along the dock all lit up with the same white lights.

"This place is really nice." My hands folded in my lap and my thumbs flicked against each other. He didn't have to go all out. As I said, this wasn't a date.

"My dad used to take my family here all the time when I was younger." He eyed his menu but I was too in awe to tear my eyes away from the breathtaking scenery

"So, why do you still live with your parents? You're old enough to have your own place."

"I could ask you the same question." His brows arched as he peeked over his menu. "Being a teaching assistant doesn't pay a lot. And I just needed to be home..." His voice trailed off. I didn't think that question would make him so uncomfortable. I just wanted to stall on the real reason why we were here.