Chapter 27
Elias maneuvered his bike into a parking spot.
The event was already in full swing. They’d opted to check in at the hot springs resort before arriving.
He helped Eri off the bike before getting off himself and securing both helmets.
He took her hand and led her to the festivities.
He knew his cousin and Avian were already there, and they would run into them eventually.
They’d barely stepped into the center area, where there were a few booths, when Rhys, the president of the motorcycle club hosting the event, stopped them.
“Didn’t think we’d see you this year with all the work you’ve been getting,” Rhys said.
“I make time when I need to,” Elias responded.
Rhys’ eyes slid to Eri. “I see you and Marco both brought pretty little backpacks this year.”
“Backpacks?” Eri asked.
“It’s nothing,” Elias responded. “Rhys, this is my girlfriend, Eri. Rhys is the president of the club hosting the gathering.”
“Nice to meet you,” Eri said.
“You too. Head in, check everything out. Have fun,” Rhys said, stepping aside.
“Backpack because I ride behind you?” Eri asked when they were a few feet in.
“Yeah, because you hold on, cling like a backpack.”
Eri pursed her lips. “I guess it’s cute.”
“What do you want to do first, Amate?”
“It doesn’t matter to me. We’ll be here for the next several hours.
So we have time to do everything.” She paused, looking around for a moment before pulling him towards a table selling handcrafted jewelry, and he refrained from chuckling.
She didn’t care where they went first, but seemed to know exactly where she wanted to go.
They perused the jewelry, and Eri chose three pieces: a pair of earrings, a burnt orange beaded bracelet with a single black bead, and a black beaded bracelet with a single burnt orange bead.
“I got it,” Eri told him when he pulled out his wallet to pay.
“Okay, here.” He handed her his wallet, and she pursed her lips. “We’ve been through this already, Amate.”
She sighed, but didn’t fight him on it as she took some cash from his wallet and paid the lady. She bagged the items and handed them to Eri. His girlfriend gave him his wallet back after thanking the woman, and they headed off.
Eri pulled him off to the side and removed the bracelets from the bag. She put the orange one on and slid the other one on his wrist.
“What if I want that one?” he teased, gesturing to her bracelet.
“We can swap, but not now.”
Elias chuckled as he leaned down to kiss her. “Thank you.”
“I don’t know why you’re thanking me since you insisted on paying for it.”
“You paid for it, baby.”
“Handing her the money is not the same thing,” Eri countered.
“Sure it is,” Elias replied, smirking, and she pinched him.
“Come on. Let’s look at more tables.”
They looked at several more tables over the next hour, only purchasing something at one. They were headed toward the grills to grab some food when they ran into Marco and Avian. The four got food together before taking up residence at an empty table.
“What do the two of you have planned for your stay this weekend?” Avian asked as they ate.
“We’ll probably relax in the hot spring tonight. I’m not sure about tomorrow,” Eri responded.
They weren’t leaving until tomorrow afternoon, and while Elias proposed they stay to relax, he didn’t mind them doing something else while they were there.
“You two aren’t staying?” he asked as Eri reached over and stole one of his fries.
“No, I’m choreographing a routine for a bride and her bridesmaids, and the only time all of them can get together is on Sundays.
So, I’ll be doing that for the next two weeks.
Three if I think they need it, but I don’t mind.
They’re each paying for the class, and the bride is paying me extra for working with them outside of my normal appointment hours,” Avian replied.
“It’s at nine in the morning, or we might have stayed and left tomorrow. ”
“Have you had any interest in the posts you put up, Eri?” Marco asked.
“I’ve gotten two people so far. Both projects were pretty simple, but they made me feel like going into business for myself is possible. I know I need to advertise more and not just rely on the gig sites to bring me business. I’m going to start doing that after the event.”
“That’s a good idea, Amate. Then you’d have a proven success under your belt on a semi-large scale.”
They continued to converse while they ate, and once they finished, Eri and Avian wandered over to a table that was doing henna and temporary tattoos.
“Nice bracelet,” Marco teased when they were alone.
“I’m sure Avian would enjoy getting a set for the two of you,” Elias responded.
“I’m sure we’ll leave here with something similar,” his cousin replied. “Honestly, I’m shocked she hasn’t picked something yet.”
“She hasn’t found anything she likes.”
They sat at the table as they waited for the women to return.
When they did, twenty minutes later, it was with small flower henna tattoos on their middle fingers.
Eri held her hands up so he could get a better look at them.
There was a daisy on her right middle finger and a daffodil on her left.
She tilted her head like she was waiting for him to get something, and Elias could admit he had no idea what it was.
He glanced at his cousin to see that he was having the same issue.
“Men,” Eri teased.
“I would expect someone who proposed to me with flowers would have gotten this,” Avian added.
“You want to let us in on what we’re missing, then?” Marco asked.
“Daisy, my birth flower. Daffodil, yours,” Eri responded.
“Violet, yours. Rose, mine,” Avian supplied.
“Yeah, I don’t think we would have ever gotten that,” Elias admitted. “But it’s cute, Amate.” He kissed her temple.
“I recall you saying something to me about whether I thought getting our wedding date tattooed was a good idea, and you went and got birth flowers,” Marco picked at his wife.
“Mm, I don’t recall doing that,” Avian responded. “But these will wear off in a week or two, anyway.”
“I’m sure you don’t,” Marco said, shaking his head.
“Baby?” Eri stated.
“Yeah, Amate?”
“There are games over there.”
“You want to go play?” he asked. She nodded, and he allowed her to lead him to a balloon-pop game. Avian pulled Marco along behind them.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Eri sank down into one of the smaller hot springs.
The water felt perfect against her skin in the cool evening weather.
There were a few people out, enjoying the other one she could see, and she assumed the two she couldn’t were occupied since they were closer to the main cabins.
She’d chosen the one closest to their private cabin which also happened to be empty.
Elias joined her a few seconds later after putting their towels on one of the lounge chairs nearby.
They had an hour before they needed to vacate the springs for the night, but that was more than enough time for them to relax.
She’d enjoyed the day. Eri had always been one who wanted to know and experience what the people she cared about enjoyed doing; today, she’d gotten a glimpse into something else that her boyfriend enjoyed.
“What time is your consultation on Monday?” Eri asked softly. Afraid that speaking any louder would ruin the serenity of the night.
“It’s at two, but it’s gone from a consultation for one motorcycle to three.”
“That’s great, baby. Are they all for the same person or…”
“His siblings decided they wanted one, too. So they’re coming in together.”
“That means you won’t be taking on new motorcycle commissions until those are finished?”
“Right. Normally, I don’t work on more than two at a time when relatives order. Since they’re coming in together, they’ll know the overall time frame. I think it’ll be fine.”
“You’ll do amazing, baby.” She moved to sit on his lap. “Since you’ll be busy soon, why don’t we lounge in bed until we have to check out, and then have a movie marathon when we get back? I promise not to make you watch The Powerpuff Girls.”
Elias chuckled. “If you want to watch it, Amate, I don’t mind. But I am curious now as to why you enjoy it so much.”
“My mom and I used to watch it together all the time. It’s a fond memory. I even almost convinced her to paint the Rowdyruff Boys in my little brother’s nursery.”
“Wait. What?” Elias asked, turning her to face him.
“Right. I didn’t tell you that.”
“No, you didn’t, and I remember asking you if you were an only child.”
“Technically, I am. You know my mom passed, but she and my brother died in childbirth five years ago. I never got to meet him.”
Elias wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in closer, and Eri rested her chin on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Eri.”
He’d known about her mother’s passing from a conversation from before they were dating, but Eri seldom spoke about losing her little brother too.
There were only a few people who knew. Not because it was something she was ashamed of, but because it was a reminder of a life he’d never get to live.
A bond she never had the chance to build.
She knew people often found situations like that bittersweet.
Not truly knowing someone before they passed gave you the ability to compartmentalize more.
To deal with it more easily, but that hadn’t been the case for Eri.
Both losses devastated her, and she knew that would never change.
She didn’t know how she could love someone she’d never met so much, but she did.
She didn’t want to sour the mood or for her emotions to dip into sadness, so she pulled back to look at him, but before she could speak, he did.
“When you’re ready. I’d like to meet them someday.”
The swell of emotion that took over Eri’s chest was immediate, and those butterflies that he could always send into flight took off like a whirlwind in her stomach.
She kissed him, closing her eyes against the onslaught of emotions that consumed her.
Their lips moved slowly as she drowned in waves of sentiment she’d never felt before.
At least not in this way, and she had no intention of breaking the surface.
“I’d like that,” she whispered against his lips before giving him a final peck and pulling away. That culmination of blue and green stared at her, and she decided it was time for them to go back to their cabin. “Let’s go inside,” she suggested.
They exited the hot spring and dried off.
Eri wrapped her towel around her and promptly found herself swooped up into Elias’ arms. He carried her back to the cabin and then into the bedroom, placing her on the bed.
Eri pulled him down on top of her into a kiss.
All she wanted to do was feel him. Allow him to steal the air from her lungs over and over again.