Page 32 of Seasons of Love
I jumped when the bike started and felt Slade laughing behind me. I'd have elbowed him, but I was too scared of what was coming to focus on payback. He'd have that later, with a cherry on top.
And by cherry, I meant me.
Slade's height proved useful because he was tall enough to reach the side of my head and talk to me. He also helped me to get going by showing me how to use the handles and the brakes. It was a little weird at first, but as soon as we got on the road, it was much easier, and I found my own stride.
"Woohoo!" I shouted. "Let's get home and get naked!"
Oops, did I say that aloud?
13
SLADE
Okay, I was officially impressed. Not only had Aiden learned how to ride the bike in no time at all, but he also seemed to be a natural.
Curves were tricky for a beginner, and I'd been ready to help him, but he seemed to have figured it out all on his own.
Not that the road to Chester Falls was particularly challenging, but damn, I was so proud of him.
I was also fucking hard to the point of being painful.
We had to contend with the town traffic, but forty minutes after leaving the roadside bar, we were pulling up at the Old Mill.
Despite having openly flirted with Aiden, I didn't want to make assumptions. Hell, flirting wasn't even it. I'd categorically said I wanted to fuck him.
He'd been partially correct, I was trying to distract him. It just so happened I was also telling the truth. After that first kiss, I knew there was no way I could resist Aiden. If he was up for some fun, I wasn't going to say no.
When Aiden stopped the bike, I helped him turn it off and lock it.
He removed his helmet and ran his hand over his hair before turning his head around. His eyes were filled with anticipation, heat, and uncertainty.
"Um…do you want…would you like…um, do you want to come up for a coffee?"
I smiled and removed my own helmet. "I'd love to."
We walked silently side by side to the main entrance of the building.
Ollie, the town gardener, was on the lawn in front of the building watering the flowers while barefoot.
"Hey, Ollie, how's it going?" I asked when he waved.
"Good, good. Always good when the sun is shining and the flowers are thirsty. Growing takes a lot of effort," he said.
"You're preaching to the choir, Ollie."
He turned his head sideways, his gaze going between me and Aiden. "Mmhmm, I don't know, sometimes growing can be a lot of fun too."
He reached out to a box he had nearby and took out a small bag. “Here you go. Plant these in a pot by your window. They’re tough little plants, so even if they don’t get lots of attention growing up, they always seem to shine through in the end.”
I took the bag from Ollie, unsure of what to say.
He waved us off and we waved back. Ollie was a funny old character. No one was quite sure how old he was because with every conversation he always imparted some bite of wisdom, but he also looked weirdly youthful. Maybe that was what working with nature did to you.
I followed Aiden through the main door of the building and into the elevator. Throughout the ride up, he kept moving his weight from one foot to the other.
Everyone knew coffee didn't really mean coffee, but what if he really meant coffee and now he wondered if I thought we were having coffee or having coffee?
I hadn't been with someone in such a long time that I'd forgotten all the rules. To be honest, I'd never played by any rules because I'd never played.
