Chapter 14
“Do you like it?” Eri asked as she watched him closely.
“I do.”
She pursed her lips, crossing her arms over her chest. “Be honest. Don’t just say you like it because you think you’ll hurt my feelings if you don’t.”
Elias shifted his eyes from her laptop screen to her. “I don’t have a reason to lie to you, Amate.” He kissed her, and Eri wondered when she’d get used to the feeling of his lips on hers. “Okay?” he asked.
“Okay,” she responded. “Since you like it, you should probably send them out soon; your birthday is in a week. I can come early to help you set up and decorate.”
His birthday was just around the corner, and it had taken Eri longer than she would have liked to make the invite for him.
Not that he really needed one. He said it would be small, so she assumed their usual group would be in attendance, along with maybe a few other people.
However, she’d wanted him to like it and had scrapped almost everything she thought of for three days.
She’d anticipated being able to complete it in one day once he gave her the information.
“Send it to me, and I’ll send it now, then we can go.”
Eri sent him the invite, closed her laptop and took it into her bedroom.
She put on her shoes, then grabbed her crossbody and a jacket before exiting the room.
Her phone buzzed in her back pocket, and she figured it was him sending the invite to everyone.
It wasn’t like she needed it. She’d made it for him and had all but said she’d be there by volunteering to arrive early to help set up.
She found Elias standing at the front door, and they exited the apartment. Eri paused briefly to lock the door, and once they were in his car, they headed towards his shop.
She was excited to see it. It was her first time going, and she was interested in seeing the type of environment he liked to work in.
Sure, Eri had seen him working in the tattoo shop a couple of times when she’d gone with Avian to drop something off for Marco, but that was different.
While they each had their own stations, the shop had a singular overall theme and vibe.
This would be his curated space, and Eri had always been interested in seeing how others preferred to work.
They pulled up to a nondescript building twenty minutes later, and she was a bit disappointed.
She wasn’t sure what she was expecting it to look like, but it wasn’t the plain warehouse-style building that sat in front of her.
The address number sat above the door, but aside from that, there wasn’t even a sign.
Elias led them to the front door and unlocked it. Then he keyed in a code to turn the alarm off while Eri stood just inside the doorway. What the building lacked in presence from the outside, it made up for with the entrance alone.
A large mural of a motorcycle cruising down a scenic route with landscaping on either side was painted on the wall behind the reception desk. It was drawn so that the person standing in front of the desk felt like the rider.
“Did you draw this?” she asked, taking in the details.
“I did. Do you like it?”
Eri nodded. “It makes you feel like you’re there.”
“I’ll take you one day. It’s the route to Wheeler’s Peak.”
She turned, noticing the dirt bike hanging on the far wall across from the desk. It was blue and black, and it appeared to be in good condition, likely for a teenager.
“Is this the bike you and Marco fixed?”
“Yeah. I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it when I outgrew it, and when I opened this shop, it felt right to pay it tribute,” Elias responded. “Come on. Let me show you the rest and how far I’ve gotten on the bike.”
Eri allowed him to lead her through another door, and the vibe of the room was much like the one they’d left.
More murals on the walls. While it was where he worked on the bikes, everything was organized and in a specific place.
It was nothing like any of the other garages she’d seen, where things were strewn everywhere.
She assumed that was a luxury of working alone and only taking on clients he wanted.
She also understood why the outside of the building was so nondescript.
She was no expert in vehicle parts, but she assumed they cost a pretty penny, and he had a multitude of them. Not to mention whatever custom parts he might need. It was safer for it to look unexciting from the outside.
Elias pulled the covering off one of the two covered motorcycles, and Eri walked over to it. She was fascinated by what she saw. It was clear he wasn’t finished with it, but it was easy to tell how amazing it would look once it was all put together.
“What color are you painting it?” she asked.
“Forrest green.”
Eri nodded. That was going to be nice. Its chrome accents already stood out, but in contrast to dark green, they would complement nicely. She also liked that the color chosen wasn’t black.
“I bet it’s going to look great when it’s finished. You’ll have to be sure to show me pictures.” She turned to the other covered bike. “What’s that one?”
“It’s a frame. There’s nothing special about it, but I cover everything to protect it in case I don’t come here for a few days,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “You still want to go for that ride?”
“Yes, are we going now?”
Elias kissed her neck. “If you’re ready.”
“Lead the way,” she responded.
Eri followed him through a set of double doors to a small loading bay. His bike sat to the side, with a helmet on the seat. He grabbed a box off a shelf and held it out for her to open. She reached out with a furrowed brow, removing the lid. She pulled out an iridescent helmet in shades of orange.
“This is pretty, but I take it you didn’t have this just lying around.”
Elias set the box to the side, taking the helmet from her. “Technically, I did. It was black, though.” Eri let those words sink in. He’d customized the helmet for her. The butterflies in her stomach took flight, and Eri surged onto her tiptoes with them to kiss him.
“Thank you,” she responded, sinking back onto her heels.
“You don’t need to thank me, Amate. If you’re going to be riding with me, you need a helmet.”
“You make it sound like I’ll be riding with you often.”
“Whenever you want to,” he replied, helping her into the helmet.
A minute later, she was seated on his bike behind him as the bay door rose, and he pulled out, the door going down behind them.
It was a nice day, and Eri didn’t know where they were going.
She also didn’t care as she wrapped her arms more securely around his waist, and she prepared to enjoy the ride.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
When Elias told her he’d take her for a ride, he had no actual destination in mind.
So, they’d driven to the city’s outskirts and down back roads that were seldom used before heading back to the park in the city’s center, where food trucks and other vendors liked to gather on the weekends.
He’d known there would be far more of them with the warmer weather out to play.
Eri pulled him through the others in attendance, stopping when they came to a food truck.
“You want pizza?” he asked with a raised brow.
“Not just any pizza. The best pizza in town,” she responded, turning to look at him.
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“Are you telling me you’ve never had pizza from Gilmano’s?”
“I haven’t. Usually, when I want pizza, I make it.”
“Well, you’re in for a surprise. I’ll order for you if you want.”
“So you can order two things you want?” he teased.
Eri glared at him playfully. “So you get the best experience.”
They waited in line, and when it was their turn, Eri ordered several slices of pizza, an order of pasta, and drinks. Elias pulled out his wallet and paid. He was prepared for the protest, so when she turned to him, he dropped a kiss on her lips.
“Next time,” he responded.
“You said that last time.”
He smirked at her. “And I’ll say it again next time.”
“Okay, when I start telling you to pay for everything, don’t act like you didn’t bring it on yourself.”
Elias pulled her into his chest as they stepped to the side to wait for their food. “I don’t mind, Amate.”
“You say that now,” she responded, draping her arms over his shoulders. “What do you want for your birthday?”
“I don’t need anything.”
“A need and a want are two different things. I didn’t ask what you needed; I asked what you wanted.”
He stroked her cheek. “I have what I want.” Elias felt heat under his thumb before color bloomed on her cinnamon cheeks.
“I’ll think of something to get you,” she responded. “But it’s your own fault if you don’t like it.”
Elias allowed the subject to change and didn’t call her out for ignoring what he said.
He found it adorable when he could fluster her and she tried not to show it.
He took it as a sign that she was opening up a little more because she’d been better at hiding it with irritation before he’d started pursuing her openly.
She’d dropped that trigger response, and he liked to look at it as progress.
When their food was ready a few minutes later, Elias grabbed the three containers while Eri took the drinks, and they found a nearby picnic table. They opened the containers, and she picked up a slice of pizza and held it up to him.
“Try this one first. It’s Greek pizza with feta.” He took a bite, and Eri waited for him to swallow before raising a brow at him. “It’s good, right?”
“It is. I see why you like it.”
“Is it better than what you make?” she teased before taking a bite from the same slice.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
“You should make it for me one day,” she replied, picking up a different slice.
“You tell me when, Amate.”
They continued eating, and Elias wasn’t sure Eri realized she was feeding him most of the time, but he didn’t bring it up. He knew her well enough to know that teasing her about it would have one of two results: she would deny it and stop, or ignore him and stop. He didn’t want that.
When they finished eating, they threw the containers away, and Eri pulled him towards an ice cream cart.
“Will you share a cup of dots with me?” she asked.
“Sure, Amate.”
“What flavor do you want?”
Elias pulled her back against his chest. “Eri flavored.”
“Rainbow sherbet it is, then.”
He chuckled as she stepped up to the vendor and placed the order.
“Does this count as next time?” she asked.
“No,” he responded.
“Then pay the man,” she commanded playfully, and Elias chuckled.
He paid for the dessert, and she retrieved it from the vendor.
They walked around and checked out some booths selling goods.
Eri found a few stickers she wanted to add to her laptop between feeding him bites of ice cream, and Elias didn’t miss the way her eyes would drop momentarily to his lips when she did.
With her stickers secured in a little bag hanging off her wrist, they looked at a few more booths as they finished the ice cream, but neither found anything else that caught their attention.
“I’ve been thinking about getting a new tattoo,” Eri said as they walked around the pond.
“Any ideas what you want?” Elias asked, draping his arm over her shoulders.
“Sort of. I’ve been playing with some graphics to create it, but it isn’t finished yet. I’ll show it to you when I finish, and you can help me tweak it before you do it. If you have time.”
“Let me know when, and we’ll make it happen.” He was booked out, but he’d do it whenever she wanted him to.
They made an entire lap around the pond before heading to his bike. Elias unlocked both of their helmets, helping her put hers on. He got on the motorcycle, helped her on, and when her arms were wrapped securely around his waist, he exited the parking lot.
He took the longest route back to her apartment, enjoying her arms wrapped around him and the subconscious stroke of her thumb over his abdomen every so often.
Elias didn’t make it a habit of riding with someone.
Being on his bike was where he lost himself, where he felt peaceful, and he seldom wanted to share that with anyone.
But there had always been this desire to ride with Eri.
Now that he was, he would take her for a ride as often as she wanted, as often as he could talk her into it.
Feeling her pressed against his back, arms anchored around him, the trust she was putting in him to keep her safe as they rode, compounded with her slowly letting her walls down, were all steps towards where Elias saw them going.