Page 24 of The One Where They Fall in Love

“It’s not because you’re a woman, it’s just because you’re small! If you crashed, you’d go flying!” He’s actually getting himself worked up about this. Is… is he concerned about my safety? Seriously? That’s what’s happening here?

I lead us to a bike docking station and get set up. I swing my backpack around to my front and pull out a travel pack of disinfecting wipes and hand one to Oliver, who is standing awkwardly next to a bike. He looks at the wipe suspiciously, and then catches my gaze and gives me a look I can’t quite identify. Maybe he’s surprised that he’s not the only one who thinks about germs? Or by the fact that I knew he would need one without him saying it? He watches me wipe down the handlebars on one of the bikesand blinks a few times before speaking.

“I’m a big girl. I can handle a bicycle. I’m a very experienced rider.” I shoot him a wink as I throw my leg over the bike, putting one foot on the pedal and leaving one on the ground until Oliver makes his mind up.

“I would be happy to pay for an Uber.”

“Come on, live a little.” I’m worried about pushing him too far out of his comfort zone, but I can tell in this instance, he needs a little shove. I decide not to give him a choice and begin to pedal, giving him a chance to catch up by waiting at the next intersection.

“I’d like to state for the record that this is a bad idea,” he says, riding up beside me. I cackle when I see Thor strapped into a basket on the front of the bike. His tongue is hanging out the side of his mouth and he looks like he couldn’t be happier.

Oliver on the other hand…

The only way to accurately describe how Oliver looks on a bright blue bicycle is like a clown on a tricycle. His knees look like they might knock into his chest every time he pedals, and his brows are so furrowed I’m surprised he can see from underneath them. I have to stop looking at him after a while, because laughing distracts me from paying attention to the road.

There’s not much traffic until we get more into Midtown, at which point Oliver shouts, “We should be wearing helmets! This is a bad example for the children!” He yells so loudly you would think we were in a convertible sports car with a revving engine and blaring wind, rather than a relatively calm city street.

While I do agree with him that helmets should be more common practice, I take the opportunity to jab, “Dulynoted,Grandpa!”

When we park our bikes on 34th Street, about a block from the Highline, I feel like I could go home happy for the day.

“I’d say mission accomplished already, right?” I joke, as I watch Oliver awkwardly get off the bike. His foot lands in one of the many puddles against the curb and he curses. I try not to laugh. When he gets up on the sidewalk, he puts his hands to his knees and lets his head hang. I put a hand on his back, my stomach clenching a bit when I feel the grooves of his spine. I pat him gently. “You made it, buddy.”

“That was way too stressful,” he says on an exasperated breath. I shake my head and start walking. I’ve found that if I keep moving, Oliver catches up eventually. I think he intended for this day to go differently, but clearly he hasn’t seen the full-force of the hype girl that is Elle Thompson.

When Oliver finally recovers from his ordeal, I lead us towards the steps that go up to the park. I’m trying to remove the smile that is plastered onto my face from watching Oliver ride a Citi Bike down 10th Avenue, but failing miserably. I start talking instead.

“So this used to be an elevated subway line. It was built in the 1930s and was used up until the 80s. It was supposed to be demolished because people thought it was an eyesore. It was overgrown after not being used for years, and that’s what inspired them to make it a public park.”

“Do you just walk around with this knowledge in your head?” Oliver asks as we reach the top of the stairs and emerge onto the platform.

“Yeah, me andGoogle,” I deadpan.

I’ve been here too many times to count. It’s one of my favorite places in the city. I much preferred it a few years ago, before the final stages were finished and it was less popular. But still, it feels like a hidden oasis perched above the craziness of downtown. I love the history of it too. As we walk, the old rail tracks follow alongside us, now covered with short grasses and small plants. The old lining the pathway to the new.

Thor zigzags in front of us, sniffing every inch of the platform that he can get his nose on. I watch him for a few moments, before returning my gaze to Oliver, who is looking over the edge of the platform, and up at the buildings that tower above us.

“This is pretty cool,” he murmurs. I nod and stifle my “I told you so,” until later.

“It would be different if we came in a month or so, everything would be in bloom,” I say, gesturing to the bare trees.

“I still think it’s pretty beautiful. It’s like we’re in a different universe, even though we’re only a few stories up.” I look down and smile at how similar his thoughts are to mine. “What is that?” he asks, pointing to the large structure to the left of us.

“It’s called The Vessel,” I say, stopping to lean against the railing. “This is Hudson Yards. It used to be a rail yard that was empty for as long as I can remember. They built all these new apartment buildings and shops here over the last few years.”

“And what’s the point of it?” Oliver asks, skepticism on his face.

“You climb up it and get good views of the city,” I saywith a shrug. We keep walking as the path narrows between several blocks of buildings.

“It feels like the world was just built around this,” Oliver comments, gazing up at the buildings that feel so close to us we could touch them.

“Yeah, I think it’s cool that they’ve repurposed it instead of demolishing it. It’s a nice place for tranquility in the midst of all the chaos that comes with living here.” I close my eyes for a moment and let the wind brush past my face. When I open my eyes, Oliver is watching me. I offer him a small smile and keep walking.

We walk in silence for a while, until the pathway opens up again to reveal some modern art structures and a pavilion with benches.

“This would be a great place to go for a run,” Oliver says, gesturing to the pathway ahead of us.

I scoff. “Well, you have fun with that.”