twenty-eight #3
He encourages me to take them from him, and when I do, I then tip the bike from side to side, feeling it shift under my body.
Once I’m comfortable with that feeling, he has me apply pressure to each handle.
“This sort of mimics counter steering,” he explains. I nod, not understanding what that is. “But you don’t have to worry about counter steering today. That’s more for when you’re on the road. Maybe you can get your own bike after tomorrow…” He trails off, his voice thick before he clears his throat.
He clears his throat, “All you need to remember is press right, go right. Press left, go left.” He demonstrates with his warm hand over mine.
“Okay… are you ready to turn it on?” he asks.
“No,” I answer, voice wavering.
“Come on, Princess, I thought you liked having a beast between your legs,” he chuckles and my cock twitches.
“Here, put these on.” He smacks me in the chest with some leather biker gloves.
I slip them on my hand, trying to get used to the feeling of something covering my fingertips.
I’m a very tactile person, so I don’t love the feeling.
“I don’t know about this,” I say, staring at the button on the right handle bar that he said turned the bike on.
“I promise. I won’t let you get hurt. Trust me?” Leo asks, his eyes wide, and I do trust him. Fully and completely.
I trust this man with my life. I kind of already knew that.
I knew that when I made the decision not to leave with Daron last night.
I knew I trusted Leo when I chose to stay with him and go to my parent’s house with a bomb strapped to my chest.
However, until now, I’ve managed not to actually think about the implication of those words.
I trust Leo so much it makes my arms shake and my stomach flutter.
I swallow around the lump in my throat, nodding. “So, I just check if I’m in neutral, then press this button?” I ask, pointing to the red button on the right handle bar.
“A star student,” he says, and I blush with his praise. I take a deep breath, then push the button. The bike roars to life, deafening in the echoing of the garage. Now I understand why the doors were cracked, it allows some of the air to be released.
“Okay… now put it into first gear. Do you remember how to do that,” he gestures down to the pedal in front of the left footpeg.
“Yeah, I think so,” I say, using my foot to awkwardly shift it into first.
“Okay… so now we are going to play with the friction zone. Which is all your left hand,” he taps my left hand for emphasis. “Rest your right hand on the throttle, but don’t try to turn it. Let the clutch out until you start to feel the bike creeping forward.”
I slowly release the clutch, and when the bike starts moving forward, my breath leaves my lungs and my stomach drops. Panicking, I remove my hands from the handles, standing up. The bike doesn’t fall to the ground like it should have.
I crack my eyes open to find Leo in front of the bike, leaning over and holding it up.
He’s gazing up at me, his eyes more blue than gunmetal gray right now.
Like the sky, on a stormy day. I never thought he would see the sky below him like he does now.
His eyes are the sky, and he is the sun, and I am falling into them.
Falling into the sky and being burned alive by the sun. I’m fine with that.
“It’s okay, that’s what it was supposed to do. Wanna try it again,” he asks, smiling encouragingly. I shake myself from my thoughts, and my nerves, and nod. I do it again, this time not panicking.
“Do you hear the engine dipping a little?”
Leo asks, yelling over the roar of the engine.
When I nod in confirmation. He says, “That’s the friction zone.”
We play with the friction zone for several minutes, letting the bike rock back and forth.
I’m getting to the point where I can let it out more quickly, comfortable with the feeling of it.
Leo watches, pride written all over his face, but he never walks too far away from me. His warm hand rests on my back, and I have never felt so safe. “Okay… I think you’re ready to ride.”
“In here?” I ask.
“You’re not gonna go fast. There’s plenty of space.” He gestures to the open space, concrete floor below us. He’s right. His garage is huge and it’s only partly taken up by tools.
“All you’re going to do is slowly let the clutch go, then you’re going to walk with it. Come to a stop, using your front brake, then we’ll back up and do it again.”
I take a deep steadying breath and do as instructed. He walks behind me, hand never leaving my lower back. It makes me feel both safe and like my body is on fire. The desire to be bent over this bike is so strong, I can’t take it.
I do this for a while, and when the bike is idling, it’s not that loud, so we get to talk.
I tell him more about my childhood, and the private boarding school I attended in Italy.
Leo shares stories about Daron, Evan and Fletcher, making me laugh so hard, I almost fall off the bike.
It’s the most fun I believe I’ve ever had, and I don't want it to end.
When I’m able to put my feet on the pegs and ride across the garage, it is the most rewarding feeling I’ve ever known. Maybe I will get a motorcycle, if I survive tonight.
“Okay, I think that’s all we can accomplish in my garage. Let’s eat some lunch, then it’s time for the next activity,” Leo says, with a huge smile. I stop, swinging my leg over the bike and kick on the stand. I smile in response.
Leo looks so proud, his chest puffed out and eyes sparkling in the glow of the fairy lights. He looks so beautiful, my heart flutters, like it doesn’t know how to process this exact image. I nod, sad to stop doing this new activity I’ve come to enjoy, but curious to see what else Leo has planned.