18. Aasim
AASIM
Ihad a few surprises for Rory today. First up, we were going to go to the community center.
Mr. Jacob and the kids meant the world to me.
It was important to me that the woman I loved understood their significance in my life.
Rory surprised me when she threw on her motorcycle jacket I got her.
I loved that she wasn’t afraid to ride on the back of my bike anymore.
The ride over to the community center was short. Rory’s grip wasn’t as tight as it was during our last ride. With each ride, I could feel her becoming more comfortable. When we pulled up to the community center, I asked, “You think you’ll be ready to ride your own bike soon?”
Rory smirked, then shook her head. “What if I just like riding on the back of your bike? I like the closeness it gives us.”
I couldn’t argue with that. We walked toward the door of the community center, and I pulled it open. The first thing I saw was some kids running back and forth.
“Aye, stop running inside! Y’all know better than that!” I yelled out to them. At the sound of my voice, they stopped in their tracks then ran over to me.
“Aasim, did you bring us some candy?” Ronnie asked.
“Aasim, are you going to race with us again?” Kevin asked.
“What did I tell y’all about manners? We should start with hello, and then you need to speak to the woman beside me. Let’s try again, fellas,” I said.
In unison, they said, “Hi, Aasim. Hello, ma’am.”
I looked over to Rory, who laughed at the kids.
“Ronnie, Kevin, this is my lady, Rory. I didn’t bring candy today, but here’s some cash for the candy store. We can race another day. I can’t stay long. Cool?”
“Cool,” they both said as they took the money from my hand.
I shook their little hands and walked to the back of the center.
Rory looked around, taking everything in.
There were kids filling just about every inch of the place.
The older kids had a basketball game going on.
Some of the younger kids were in a corner drawing.
There was another group having what looked like a dance off.
They filled the place with their smiles and laughter. I loved it here.
When I reached Mr. Jacob’s office, I gently knocked on the door. He looked up and jumped out of his seat to hug me.
“There goes my boy. Where you been, son?” he asked as we hugged.
“You know… handling business before I transition,” I said.
“I hope you came by to tell me that transition is happening soon. I’m an old man who’s not getting any younger, you know? These kids are running me ragged.”
“Soon, old man. I’ll be here real soon. Let me introduce you to my ol’ lady. Mr. Jacob, this is Rory. Rory, this is Mr. Jacob,” I said.
“It’s nice to meet you. Aren’t you a beauty?” Mr. Jacobs said.
“Nice to meet you as well, Mr. Jacob. I love what you’ve done here. The kids are so happy here,” Rory replied.
Mr. Jacob didn’t hesitate to offer Rory a tour of the place.
We spent the rest of the afternoon with the kids.
The bright smile I loved to see on Rory’s face never left.
She was attentive to each child we introduced her to.
When one girl asked what she did for a living, Rory truly lit up.
She went from watching the kids from afar to telling about her journey to become an attorney.
This was exactly what I wanted. A lot had changed for her since our first meeting.
I wasn’t sure if she could go back to her job.
If she didn’t, that would be fine with me.
Whatever she did, I just wanted her to be happy with her decision.
We stayed until it was time to close the center.
Rory looked tired, but our night was just getting started.
Rory stood beside the bike while Mr. Jacob and I locked up. When we were alone, he said, “She’s the one, son.”
“How do you know that, old man?” I asked.
“The way you look at her.”
“And how is that?”
“Like you’ll kill a man for even thinking about looking her way,” Mr. Jacob said.
We shared a knowing look, then laughed. Mr. Jacob knew what I was capable of.
It never needed to be discussed. “Now that you’ve got her, don’t let her go.
When you meet the person you’re meant to share this life with, it’s a pivotal time.
You two can change lives. That much I’m sure of,” Mr. Jacob expressed.
“Thanks, old man… for everything… I mean it,” I said sincerely.
We hugged each other before going our separate ways. I made sure he was safely in his car before I walked to my bike. Rory and I hopped onto the bike, then headed to our next destination. Instead of going back to the clubhouse, I took her to my brownstone.
When we pulled up and hopped off the bike, she finally asked, “What are we doing here?”
I wanted to show her instead of telling her, so I waited until we were inside.
The minute I opened the door, I knew she would love it.
Jaxx knew a chick that did party planning.
I paid her to come over and decorate the living room.
There were beach chairs with towels with our names on them laid against the chairs.
They filled the living room with beach balls, balloons, inflatable palm trees, and buckets of sand.
“Oh my God, Aasim. What is all of this?” Rory asked in a high-pitched tone.
“You asked me for a trip to a white, sandy beach. I chartered a private plane and rented a private villa in Aruba. We leave tomorrow afternoon,” I explained.
Rory jumped up and down in excitement. Eventually, she landed in my arms. She bombarded me with kisses all over my face. When she kissed my lips, I kissed her back, matching her passion.
“This is too much. All of this is too much. I’m just so happy,” she said in between her cries.
“Shhh. It’s okay, sweetheart. All I want is to make you happy, to see you smile. If you want to go to the beach, that’s what we’ll do. This is nothing compared to what our life is going to look like. I promise.”
“Thank you,” she said.
I looked down at my watch and realized the time. “I’ve got one more surprise for you. Come on. I think you’ll love this one too.”
“I don’t think I can take any more surprises for today. Today has been a lot, in a good way, of course.”
I kissed her lips and smacked her ass. “We’re going to have some fun. I think we both need it.”
An hour later, we were standing around with the rest of the crew.
Tonight, Rory would experience her first drag race.
She stood beside me, taking in the crowd.
Two of the best racers were getting ready to ride.
There was twenty thousand dollars on the line tonight.
Bubbs was our current reigning champ. Torque was up and coming, but he’d given Bubbs and a few others a run for their money in the past.
There were hundreds of people lined up to watch. The crowd was live. Our deejay made sure the music was loud. It was so loud that it vibrated in my chest. Alexis came over and grabbed Rory. I watched as they stood off to the side, talking and laughing. Their budding friendship was great to see.
A little while later, some chick made her way into the middle of the road in a bikini and high heels. She carried a flag. Once she swung it, the race would start. Bubbs and Torque lined up in their respective spaces.
I took the time to walk over to Rory. “The race is about to start. Who do you think is going to win?”
“You wanna bet me? I’ve got my money on Torque. I love a good underdog story,” she said.
“I say Bubbs is going to take it. If I win, I don’t want your money. I think a nice back massage would work.”
“I’ll be massaging something, but it won’t be your back.” Rory winked at me and diverted her attention to the race.
The chick in the bikini waved her flag as the crowd went wild.
Rory jumped up and down full of excitement.
She was enjoying this a lot more than I expected her to.
Rory embraced this life a lot better than I initially thought she would.
It felt good having her be so open to everything, especially after her initial reservations because of her uncle.
As Bubbs and Torque sped around the last corner, the race was too close to call. Torque pulled ahead at the last second to get ahead of Bubbs.
“I won! I won the bet!” Rory said, jumping up and down.
“You never told me what you wanted,” I said.
“I want to go home. The club house is great. I love the guys, but I want to be in our home.”
“We can sleep at your condo tonight, sweetheart.”
“I was actually referring to your brownstone. Can we stay there? I don’t know. That feels like home to me.”
I smiled at her. “Let’s go home.”