Reminisce With Me

Chapter 13: Bob Marley?

The trees stood tall, an army of green protecting the headquarters. I tiled my head up, attempting to find the sky between the branches, but the leaves fell over us like a blanket. Turning around, the building appeared small compared to the trees – inconspicuous to the outside world. Green vines climbed its way along the dark grey bricks – a strategic design to allow the building to blend in with the forest. I didn't have to be an architect to know that the building had been here for decades. It aged beautifully.

A sudden rumble, low at first, startled me. I glanced back to find Aiden on a motorcycle, spinning a helmet in one hand. There were about fifteen bikes parked along the side of the building, each one with a license plate from different cities.

"Are you ready?" he asked and I scoffed, shaking my head.

"Absolutely not." I crossed my arms against my chest, making it clear that my mind was made.

Aiden grinned, slowly riding towards me. I moved out of the way and he stopped right in front of me. "I don't want to be here any longer, get on, Shore."

I gave him a are you kidding me? look. "Aiden, I am not getting on. I've never been on one before."

Aiden didn't seem convinced. "Please tell me you're joking."

I dropped my gaze, embarrassed. "No, I'm serious. And, you don't have to take me out – Faye isn't around anymore."

I needed him to know the last part.

Aiden chose to overlook my comment about Faye. "Aubrey, where have you been all this time. You should know how to ride a motorcycle. We were taught that at fifteen."

I simply stared at him. Maybe this was the day my cover was going to be blown. But, luckily, he moved on from my lack of experience in everything Black Onyx related and grabbed my arm instead, pulling me closer. "You seem to have no interest in this firm, so I'm going to have to change that."

I stood so close to him; I almost lost my breath. I noticed how he had streaks of amber in his grey eyes. A storm, with hints of lightening. If only he knew how much I loved the rain.

I stepped back, which only made him smile. "Aiden, why?" I pleaded and he pointed to the seat behind him. I shook my head, a child refusing to eat her vegetables.

Aiden sighed, getting off the bike. "I can either force you on here or let you do it yourself." I pouted, hoping he would give up. "That's a cute face, but I'm not falling for it. Get on, Aubrey."

I groaned loudly, looking back at the building. A shadow caught my attention and I sucked in a handful of air. Micah stood by a window; a drink clutched into one hand while his eyes locked onto mine.

The more I saw him, the more cautious I was. My gut told me he was bad news.

I looked back at Aiden and slowly got onto the bike. "Now, wasn't that easy?" he asked, handing me the helmet. I put the helmet on and held onto the seat for support. "You might want to hold onto me."

"The seat works, but thanks," I said, feeling Aiden's back against me. I felt lightheaded being this close to him. I told myself that I would keep my distance from Aiden, but that was inevitable. The more time I spent with him, that feeling of desire kept growing.

Why did you get on the bike if you knew how you felt about him? My mind groaned.

Aiden laughed and the engines roared as the bike took off. My hands slipped from the seat and I could feel myself falling backwards. I wrapped my arms around Aiden's waist in time. Without thinking, I leaned my head against his back and closed my eyes shut, inviting the wind to embrace us.