Chapter 24 #2
Our topic moved from the guys to summer break and beach vacations, and before we knew it, dinner was ready. We gathered around the picnic tables, and the tension the guys were carrying earlier seemed to have faded a bit.
When everyone started eating, Walker leaned in with his mouth close to my ear and asked, “You having an okay time?”
“I’m having a great time.” I leaned in a little closer, slightly nudging him. “Thank you for bringing me.”
“No need to thank me. You’re the one doing me the favor.” He gave me a wink. “Focus is all on you and not me for a change.”
“Glad I can be of service.”
“I’ll make it up to you later.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
An hour later, we’d said our goodbyes and were back on his bike, heading to his place. I was a little nervous and excited about seeing his place for the first time.
The wind caught my breath when Walker whipped out onto the highway.
Without thinking, I tightened my arms around him, holding on with all my might.
I could feel the engine rumbling beneath us as the streetlights blurred past us like falling stars.
I didn’t know the roads he was taking, but I wasn’t afraid.
I was somewhere past afraid and deep into something I couldn’t name.
His place.
We’d been alone before. We’d even made love.
I don’t know why going to his place changed anything, but it did.
We were taking a new step, and it was both exciting and nerve-racking.
The night stretched out ahead of us, wide open and full of possibilities.
And I couldn’t help but wonder what the night had in store for us.
Whatever it was, I wasn’t turning back.
When we pulled up to the house, it was dark. No porch light or even a streetlight. But that didn’t slow him down. He killed the engine and removed his helmet as he announced, “This is it.”
I slid off the back, pulling my helmet off and handing it to him before looking up at the house. “It’s a little hard to see.”
“Probably for the best,” he scoffed. “You’ll get a better look at it in the morning.”
I nodded and followed him up the steps. He unlocked the door and waited as I went in first. He flipped on a light, and to my surprise, the place was pretty bare.
There was some furniture here and there, but no personal effects.
It was clean and organized, but there was no real sign of him putting down any real roots.
He told me from the start that he hadn’t planned on staying in Little Rock. But it hadn’t hit me that nothing was truly holding him here. He had no family here, and like Jenna said, he wasn’t a member of the Little Rock chapter. There was just me and possibilities.
I wasn’t sure if that was enough, but I played off my doubt and smiled, “It’s nice.”
“I know it’s a little bare, but it’s got potential.”
“It definitely does.”
I didn’t ask what came after this place. I wanted to, but something told me the answer wasn’t simple. And I wasn’t sure I was ready to hear it. He reached out and took my hand in his. “Come on.”
He led me out to the porch, and under the moon and stars, I could see that the property was massive. It seemed to go for miles. I leaned over the rail and smiled. “I really enjoyed tonight. Your friends are really great.”
“Yeah, I always thought a lot of them, but I didn’t think being with them would feel like this.”
“Like what?”
“Like I was with family.” He shrugged. “But they have a way of pulling ya in.”
I saw what he was talking about tonight. The way they were with each other, and the way they were with us. They didn’t treat us like outsiders. Instead, they made us both feel like we were one of them.
“They certainly do.” I glanced over at him, and he was looking off in the distance. “The girls seemed a little worried about you guys… They thought something might’ve been wrong.”
“Is that right?”
“Well, I could see why they were worried. You guys seemed pretty tense.”
“Everything’s fine. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“Good.” Since I’d already brought up the topic, I decided to mention, “Jenna said something about you possibly moving your patch here. Is that something you would ever consider?”
“Possibly. It’s something I’ve been thinking about.”
“So, you’re thinking about staying?”
“Unless you don’t want me to.”
“No, I definitely want you to, but I don’t want to pressure you or anything.”
Something shifted in his expression. It was subtle, but I felt it. And then he was leaning toward me. His hand came up, and my breath caught when his lips met mine. The kiss was soft at first, like he was giving me a chance to pull away, but I didn’t.
Instead, I leaned into it, kissing him back.
His other hand found my waist, pulling me close until the space between us completely disappears. I pressed my hand lightly against his chest, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breathing, grounding myself in it.
When he pulled back, it was just enough for him to look down and ask, “You okay with staying the night?”
I didn’t trust myself to say the right words, so I answered the only way I could. I inched up and pressed my mouth to his, kissing him tenderly. That’s all it took. He reached down, took my hand in his, and led me back into the house.