Page 19 of Seasons of Love
As we walked past it, I noticed for the first time the gate to a small alleyway with a staircase at the end.
"It's nice being so close to the shop, but I miss riding to work. Where are you staying?"
"At the Old Mill."
"Oh yeah? Nice place. If the shop hadn't come with its own place, I'd have definitely considered those apartments."
The road had a curve at the end, so it wasn't until we'd gotten closer that I saw it didn't lead to another street but to a forest. A river ran between the trees and the houses, like a border to separate man from nature.
"This must be the river that runs past my apartment," I said.
We crossed the small bridge toward the forest where there was a path running alongside the river.
"That's right. We can stay on this side almost all the way to the Old Mill, then we cross again," Slade said. "If you talk to me about what was bothering you earlier, I might even buy you dinner at Benny's."
His voice was soft and low, like a caress.
I focused on the rapid flow of the water so I wouldn't have to look at Slade as I spoke.
"It's nothing big, really. My mind just went from zero to a hundred and I was overwhelmed. It happens sometimes when I can't process information in a way that makes sense. My brain is wired for storytelling. And don't get me wrong, I love research, but if I can't fit it into the story in my head, then it's like…I don't know, frustrating. "
"Which part overwhelmed you?"
A hollow laugh escaped me. "All the nuts and bolts. You mentioned all the parts and suddenly my brain realized that I'll never know enough to write a credible character."
Slade put his hand on my shoulder.
I stopped and stared at him, happy to see understanding in his blue eyes. He wasn't going to make fun of me.
"That's not true, Aiden. Do you have a medical degree? Because Doctor Misha could give me a physical any time."
I laughed at his reference to a character in one of my books.
"You should see who I used for inspiration."
"Hmm, maybe not, I'd rather imagine him in my own head. But am I right?"
I shrugged. "I guess."
"Why don't you tell me a little about your character and your story? I promise I won't share it with anyone. I don't even have a social media account."
Damn the man and his thoughtfulness.
I needed to remember that it was only acceptable to find him attractive. He was the definition of a hot silver-fox. Books should be written about how soft his beard looked, how blue his eyes were, or how the muscles in his arms moved under his white work T-shirt.
But that was it. Just because he was sweet and thoughtful didn't mean anything other than he was a decent human being. And just because my life, until I arrived at Chester Falls, lacked in the decent human being department, it didn't mean I was going to latch on to Slade. And his sexy beard, or his arms, or…fuck.
"It's a second-chance romance between a biker and a teacher. They grow up together, then separate, meet again in their early twenties and have a fling, but something happens and they separate again. They meet ten years later when the biker has lost his husband to heart disease."
"That sounds like a great story. As long as you get the terminology right, no one will care to read the names of the parts. It's all about the love story, and that, I know for a fact, is something you excel at."
We continued walking, and I let his words sink. The path wasn't always close to the river and in some parts it went farther into the forest before winding back to the water’s edge. At some point we came across a set of steps leading down to the water.
"Do people swim here in the summer?" The water flowed quite fast, but where the river wasn't as deep the sand bed beneath was visible and it didn't seem too dangerous.
"Yeah. I've seen kids jumping in and messing around, but only on really hot days."
What would it be like to use the world around you as your playground growing up? I'd lived in New York all the way until I escaped the claws of my parents' expectations and moved to San Diego. I'd traveled a lot, but I didn't remember ever feeling that free to explore the surroundings.
