Chapter 17 Jericho
JERICHO
Raiden calls the next day, asking me to turn on the news channel. I never watch it, most of it is nothing but rumors and speculation. But as a picture of him flashes across the screen, his dark hair a shock when I've grown used to the different color, I realize what I’m seeing.
Popular Dancer, Raiden, announces his divorce from husband, Josh Monroe, founder of XOT, the upcoming social media app set to release next month.
This comes directly from Raiden himself, in an instagram post. In the post, Raiden acknowledges Monroe and their time together, but has said it’s time for them to go their separate ways.
We’re waiting to hear from Monroe himself, but fans are already speculating about what could have caused the split. Stay tuned for more updates.
“I did it,” he says. His words are light, the weight of the world is off him. At least for the moment until the repercussions of his actions kick in. I can already see the news apps on my computer blowing up with suspected reasons for the split. Cheating. Distance. Cheating because of the distance.
Who cares about the why? Don’t people think it’s weird to want to know every detail about someone’s life when they don’t know them?
There’s still a line that shouldn’t be crossed, and my anger grows with every pop up that comes across my screen as I try to read the latest case file Hollis sent me.
My mind is all over the place, and even if I wanted to, I’m not able to focus on the details that need my attention.
I close my laptop, and listen to Raiden as he goes through the sit down interview he had with News Today, a popular local radio news station. He reached out to them to cover his story and they’re working on editing the clips. It’s set to release next week.
“They were so nice to me, Jer. I was surprised. I didn’t want to bash Josh, even though he’s done nothing to deserve my kindness, and they understood that.”
I make a noise of agreement in the back of my throat as I leave my spot on the couch and go to the fridge to get a beer from the crisper. I pop the top on the side of my counter, letting it fall into the trash can.
“I expected the worst, but all I’ve been seeing is support. My label hasn’t reached out yet, and I don’t know if that’s a good or bad sign but I don’t want to put my life on hold while I wait for their guillotine to drop on me. You know?”
“I know, Raiden. What do your mom and dad think?” I take a swig on my beer, letting the cool liquid flow down my throat and settle in my stomach. The warm feeling growing inside of me with every sip I take.
“Dad wants to fight Josh.” I chuckle at the image of Rodney trying to fight anyone. I love the man, but he would get knocked out cold in one punch. “And I think mom is silently cursing him, like some old school shit. I saw her with her Omamori last night. She’s getting down to business quickly.”
“At least they have your back,” I say, meaning it. He needs a support system, he’s always been so reliant on the people around him and I’m happy for him that his parents didn’t write him off.
“Yeah, me too. What are you up to today? I want to drive around and get my mind off things. I saw the Carpenter’s decorated hardcore this year for Halloween.
” Halloween is this coming Thursday. The Fall Fest that Liam wants to see starts tomorrow night and we made plans to be there as soon as it opens.
The Carpenters have lived on the outskirts of town for ever since I moved to town at thirteen. The old couple doesn’t have any kids, or grandkids, but every year they decorate their house and their front yard from top to bottom. The themes grow more and more elaborate each year.
The road out to their house is my favorite one to ride my bike on.
My bike has been my trusty steed since I bought it, me and my dad working on it until it was in pristine driving condition.
The Honda 1300 was something I never thought I would have the ability to have after the military, but I was luckier than most when I got to come home.
The breeze flowing against my body as the rush of trees rush past me.
I haven’t gone on a ride in a while, mostly because Liam worries about me and I hate causing him to worry.
It's from an unfounded place though. He is concerned over my leg, whereas I’m worried about becoming roadkill because people don’t check twice for bikes.
I want to now, the bone deep desire to feel the breeze against my face and feel the rumble of the pipes underneath me.
“I can pick you up, if you want to ride on the bike with me.” My fingers tingle with excitement, knowing that I’m about to be doing the one thing that sets me free. That gives me the sense of capability and reminds me I’m just the same as I was before.
“Bike?” Raiden asks, hesitantly.
“Bike,” I confirm. He blows out a long raspberry, his lips flapping together as he considers my offer.
I don’t want him to turn me down. I want him to accept the offer and take on my excitement.
We can put all of our issues behind us for now, the excitement at having my friend again and being able to ride my bike is too good to pass up.
“Fuck it, come pick me up from my parents’ in thirty. Do you have a helmet for me?”
“Yes I do.” I think.
I start my bike up, feeling the purr of the engine underneath me as I back it out of the space I store it in.
It doesn’t get ridden as much as I would like, but the feeling of it underneath me is an excitement I thought was lost. I navigate between my car and the single person canoes I have hanging on my wall.
When I’ve cleared the obstructions, I back the bike out to face the road that leads out of my apartment complex.
I give the bike some power, twisting the throttle and letting it coast through the lane between the tall buildings.
Getting out of the complex, I gun it. Letting the bike take me where I need to go, weaving around the potholes and batches of leaves that have fallen in the road.
It's still relatively early enough in the morning that not a lot of people are out, and that bodes well for me so I don’t have to worry about as many idiot drivers.
When I pull up to Raiden’s parents, I see my parents' car is in the driveway at their house. I knock on Raiden’s door and wait patiently for him to come out.
Raiden opens the door, smiling shyly. He’s dressed more lowkey today, in a pair of light washed ripped jeans and a tight, long sleeve red t-shirt. His hair is half pulled up into a ponytail, the darkness of his roots paving way for the auburn.
“I’m gonna run over and see my parents real quick, do you want to come?”
“I’ll wait out here,” he says, going over to stand by my bike and stare at it like it’s going to reach out and bite him.
“I’ll be right back, but you can sit on it and wait if you want.
I have a helmet for you in their garage.
” Raiden trails his fingers across the body, his bony fingers tracing across the intricate lines I painted right after I bought it.
He doesn’t say anything, so I leave him to it while I run into my parents’ house.
I open their front door, hollering out for my mom while I make my way to the garage to let them know it's me and not some stranger breaking in and trying to rob their house.
“Sweetheart! What are you doing here? Is that your bike I heard?” She sets the rag she was using to dry dishes with on the counter and wipes her hands down the front of her apron.
“Yeah mom, me and Raiden are riding out to the Carpenter’s house to see their Halloween decorations.
” I open the door to the garage, rummaging around in one of my old boxes for my spare riding gear that I keep over here in case mom wants to go on a ride with me.
Last time she went, she vowed she would never do it again.
I guess she didn’t enjoy the close call we had when an old lady ran the stop sign and pulled out in front of us.
I could hear my mom shrieking from inside my helmet.
I see her raise her eyebrows in question, but she doesn’t say anything, so neither do I.
“Me and dad went out there yesterday. I won’t tell you what theme they chose this year, but it was amazing.
I asked him to go by tonight when it’s fully lit up.
We’ll probably do that then come home and watch Frankenweenie.
Do you and Liam want to come over?” My mom steps inside the garage, picking a box and thumbing through it. “What are you looking for?”
“I’ll ask Liam about tonight, he had a small workload today so I’m sure we’ll be over later. Are you going to bake cookies? And I’m looking for a small helmet that’ll fit Raiden.”
“Aha!” She grabs the helmet that was tucked under an old Christmas blanket that I brought back from deployment, a gift that was sent from a family in Austin as part of an Adopt-A-Troop campaign.
The little kid drew all over it with a sharpie, and in the letter the parents wrote, they told me they considered not sending it.
But every time I saw it when I laid down for a few hours of sleep, I pulled that blanket tight around me and hoped that the kid was tucked safe into their bed without a hint of worry for the world.
Mom hands me the helmet, and I tuck it under one arm and wrap my other one around her shoulders. She tilts into my side, bumping her hip against mine.
“What are your plans for Halloween night?”
I shrug my shoulders, letting my arm fall to my side and walking back into the kitchen. “Liam wants to hand out candy at his house with Jojo. But that’ll only take a few hours because the City Council is doing a Trunk-Or-Treat Downtown.”
“We’re handing candy out there, but it's supposed to be over by seven. Do you remember Sophie from high school? She’s supposed to bring her little boy, Damon, over after they get done trick or treating. I didn’t know if you wanted to see her and catch up for a little bit.”
I raise an eyebrow at her and she smacks me on the shoulder, laughing.
“I’m not trying to set you up with her! Christ, Jericho.
She just moved back to town and she’s been bringing Damon into the library after she picks him up from school.
” Mom has been volunteering at the library for the past few years.
She claims it's because she gets bored sitting at home but I know it’s because of her secret love for books.
She sucks at keeping secrets anyway. The amount of times I’ve walked in on her reading a romance and she’s tucked it under her pillow to hide away is comical.
“Is it cool if I bring the guys? We can have a small cookout. Hollis and Connor have been fighting over who’s your favorite, so if you could politely pick one so they’ll leave me alone, I would appreciate it.
” Those two will bicker over anything and everything.
And as soon as my mom does pick a favorite, whoever loses will try to rile up the other one just for shits and gigs.
“I am not picking a favorite. Besides, even if I did have a favorite, which I’m not saying I do, I wouldn’t tell them.
I like all of your friends equally.” She nods her head definitively, proud of herself for her answer.
I know it won’t be enough for Connor or Hollis, so we’ll have to see how they react when it comes time for them to confront her about it.
I bet they’ll challenge each other to a duel.
Last time they bet they could beat my dad in an arm wrestling match, not knowing that he had beaten Liam the day before when we had come over for dinner.
Watching my dad smoke both of them was the highlight of my month, and watching them slink off to go lick their wounded egos in privacy away from us was the icing on the cake.
“Whatever you say mom. We’ll be back in a little bit. Is it cool if Raiden comes over later, too?”
My mom nods, but her eyes and lips are tight as she looks at me. Worry lining her features.
“We’re fine mom, he’s going through a lot and we have boundaries. We’re just friends, and it's going to stay that way.”
She doesn’t look convinced, and I’m not sure I convinced myself, but that’s how it has to be.
Raiden has hurt me too many times for me to bury the hatchet, the same one he’s embedded in my back time and time again.
The hatchet might be out, but the wounds are still healing.
And maybe they always will be, I’ll hold a special place in me for all of the fun times we had together and mourn the space between us now.
“Be careful,” she says, pulling me into a hug and squeezing my shoulder. Her meaning comes across loud and clear. She doesn’t mean on the bike, she means with my heart.
“I will mom, tell dad I stopped by but I’ll see him later.” I walk out of the front door, closing it behind me. Raiden is sitting on my bike, his toned legs straddling the seat as he stretches his arms high above his head. He’s a vision.
No. I can’t think like that. Not about him. Not now.
“You ready?” I ask, offering the helmet to him and watching him slip it over his head. The face shield is pulled up so I can see his lips form a grimace as he situates it over his head.
“Here,” I pull the helmet back off his head gently, trying not to pull too hard and hurt his neck.
I tug on the hair tie holding his hair back, watching as the strands fall into place, surrounding his face in a halo of auburn.
“That might make it more comfortable.” I slide the helmet back on his head, waiting for him to get situated.
When he’s done, I fasten the chin strap, making it tight enough if anything were to happen it would protect his head.
My fingers graze the column of his throat, brushing against his Adam’s Apple as I tuck the strap into place. He swallows, the knot in his throat bumping against my hand.
I slap the side of his helmet, smirking at the mock glare he tries to give me but I push the visor down to protect his eyes before I straddle the bike and pull my own helmet on.
His hands wrap around my waist, dainty fingers digging into my lower stomach. I tense at the feeling, a bolt of arousal shooting through me from the pressure so close to the top of my jeans. His body is pressed up against mine, and every breath that saws out of him reverberates through me.
This was a horrible idea. I almost call the whole thing off as my dick hardens in my pants against the zipper.
I push those thoughts away, trying to focus on ones that won’t turn me on.
I’m reciting the twenty-fifth president’s name by the time I feel in control enough to ride.
I knock the kickstand up, and Raiden flinches against me. I smooth my hand over the back of his, feeling the knobs of his knuckles from how hard he’s holding on to me.
I squeeze his hand tight before we take off down the road.