Fourteen
FOURTEEN
MALIK
I feel like a fool. I came on too strong and now she’s disappeared.
I’ve been checking my SecretFan messages all day, hoping to see a response from Soleil. I took a real risk sending a voice note. There was a chance that she would recognize my voice since she knows it well. But I practiced changing my inflection until I felt like it could pass as someone else.
I should be asleep, getting rest for my day as Mr. Dare, but I can’t get her off my mind. If I was a braver man, I’d just come right out and ask her on a date. But my fear of rejection coupled with having to face her for the next eight months deters me from doing that.
My eyes close, my brain working overtime to fall asleep, but it just doesn’t work. Maybe a ride will help me relax and I can come back home and drift off into dreamland.
Climbing out of bed, I quickly throw on some gear, all black of course. I grab my keys on the way out to the garage and stare at both of my bikes. There’s my BMW M 1000 wrapped in a finish that looks like a prism with its iridescent shine of different hues of purple and pink and blue depending on which angle you view it from. It is not an inconspicuous bike whatsoever, and everyone knows who rides it when they see me. D_King. Then there’s my Ducati Streetfighter V4 Lamborghini all black bike that allows me to be anyone and blend in with the night. It’s an expensive bike and not at all necessary in any world, but who wouldn’t want a sweet fucking Lambo bike?
I climb on my Duc and start the motor. Walking it out of my garage, I grab my phone and tap on my music app. I don’t open my playlist that is light and fun and what most will usually catch me listening to. Tonight I need a song to fit my mood, something dark. So Cold by Breaking Benjamin echoes in my helmet and I set my phone in the holder. I stare at the screen, trying to talk myself out of doing something I know is wrong, but I just can’t be bothered to care anymore.
I flip through saved files on my drive, and I find what I’m looking for. I hold down the highlighted words and they open a map. With one last deep inhale, I click the gps route and follow turn by turn as it directs me into a realm I never thought I would exist in.
When I reach my destination, I slow my bike and turn it off, quickly silencing the loud turr that will surely wake the entire neighborhood. I shuffle my feet until I sit across from the white HardiePlank home with the black roof and wide front porch. It’s a very classic coastal home in an older, more established neighborhood. It looks cozy and exactly what I pictured their home to look like.
A soft glow pours from the window and sheer curtains let me see only a shadow of a figure. I can’t stand to be so far away, but getting caught peeping in her window would be so much worse.
I lean on the tank of my bike and flip open my visor, squinting to get a better view. The woman stands and begins to pace around the quaint room. She stops and lets her head fall back as if she’s exhausted. She rights herself and falls to what I assume is a sofa beneath her.
The street is narrow, giving me a better view from fifty yards away, and I lean in slightly to take in more. She looks to be typing on a computer, presumably working since it’s late and Dahlia is probably long past asleep. I rest my chin in my hand and admire her from afar.
I feel the buzzing of my phone and see a notification from SecretFan. Pulling off my gloves, I swipe it open and see a message waiting for me.
It’s Soleil.
If I were a sixteen year old girl with a crush, this is the part where I’d giggle and kick my feet. But since I’m a man, my first reaction is a twitching dick. Just the sight of her name puts me on edge. I’m embarrassed to say that the photos I’ve stared at from her social media account have done much more than make me twitch.
I open the message, not a voice memo unfortunately, and read what it says.
SG: Hi King-
I apologize for not responding to you yesterday. I was a little freaked out. In all honesty, I still am. I’ve never spoken to a stranger before and for all I know, you’re catfishing me with your masked face and disguised voice. I assume it’s disguised because I’ve never met anyone who talks like that. But what do I know?
So I guess I have my first question to ask. Will you show me your face?
Sunny
I smile, raising my head to stare at her once again. I love how cautious she is, always the mom. But I can sense she likes the mystery. I can tell she wants more.
K: Hi Sunny girl-
Boy am I ever happy to hear from you. I thought maybe I scared you away with my forwardness. So thank you for responding.
To address your concerns…
I am not catfishing you. I’m just a man who likes to make new friends with no ulterior motives.
You are correct in assuming I disguised my voice. I have a recognizable voice that, because of my proclivities, I don’t want people to know. It’s also the reason why I cannot show you my face. I have to protect myself from those that would want to damage my reputation.
Now for a question of my own.
Do you have a boyfriend or husband, Sunny?
I see the moment the message hits her inbox and she begins to read. She pauses, looking around the room, and I sink further into the shadows of the night. Head down, she focuses back on her computer.
SG: But you saw me. That hardly seems fair, King. Shouldn’t this be an equal relationship? And no, I have neither of those.
Her words have me biting my lip.
K: A relationship. Is that what we have, Sunny girl?
SG: Not that kind of relationship. I should’ve said friendship. Or at least the possibility of a friendship.
K: Well friend . I will show you anything you want…except my face
SG: Anything?
K: Anything, beautiful. Just ask. The only thing off limits is my face. Do you want to see more?
I wait for her response to come but after a few moments, I know I really did it this time. I sigh and replace my phone on the holder and resign to going home. I watch her for one more minute, telling myself this is best.
I flip the kickstand with my heel but don’t make it further than that when my phone buzzes.
SG: Not tonight. I need to know more. But for now, it’s late. Good night, King.
K: I’m an open book with a dark cover. All you have to do is ask. G’night, Sunny girl.
I watch her stand and flick off the lamp, taking my light away, but I’m filled with excitement. The kind only a ray of sunshine can bring to your life.
My Sunny Girl.