“You really truly frickin love that girl.” She looks shockingly surprised. Why is it that me loving someone is such a mindbogglingly concept? I’m not sure what I feel yet – my dick loves her, my heart misses her, but my mind is still rebelling.
“Awwww,” the ladies chirp.
And … I think it’s time to go. I’m really not comfortable discussing something my brain can’t comprehend yet with complete strangers. I get up.
“Nice to meet you, ladies,” I manage without feeling too embarrassed. Thalia smiles and waves. She hooks into my arm as I head straight to their table. I didn’t plan to, it just happened.
“Hi,” Thalia says holding out her hand, “You must be Mel.” There’s a slight tease in her voice. “I’m Thalia Green.” Mel looks as unsettled as I feel.
Knowing my manners I nod at the dude sitting with her, making sure my expression displays my exact feelings – utterly pissed off. There’s something in his diamond-blue eyes, something I can’t place, something familiar, something begging for recognition. And that something makes my skin crawl.
“Girl, I LUUUVV the dress,” Thalia says to provoke me. She’s pretty good at that. Always has been.
“Thanks.” She sounds unsure. But my dick is pretty sure that dress is shouting out for wicked, unrighteous, sexual behavior.
“Mel,” I say like a lovesick idiot. Our eyes meet and it’s like a one-two punch in the gut.
“Damion.” Feeling winded and having a little trouble controlling my little man, I walk away before anything embarrassing happens.
“Well, someone just fell flat on his face,” Thalia teases and I hit the side of my bike, sending her into a rage of laughter. She can thank her fanny that she’s not a guy right now or her nose might be bleeding.
I help her with her helmet and then we pull away with screeching wheels, going down Jefferson Street, my mind going to places it shouldn’t while driving – mostly to an image where I’m pulling down the little zipper of her dress.
Thalia jerks me from behind, just in time for me to get out of the way, almost hitting a boat trailer that fishtails into our lane. The bike sways, but I manage to save and correct.
Fuck, that was close!
I’m going a little faster than I should – 70 miles/hour – way too fast for the rather small street.
I pull the brake to slow down, my mind now clear and on something completely the opposite. What if something happened to Thalia? I won’t fucking survive another demon.
Wait, we’re not slowing down!
I pull the brakes again … nothing happens.
“Fuck!”
A cold cleat slowly starts to cover my body, starting from the top.
The brakes are not working. Fuck! What now?
I gear down, but the clutch doesn’t seem to work either. Dammit.
Thalia is clinging to me like a tick as we’re nearing the end of the road. Then it’s only a cement walkway running along a thin piece of beach.
We’re going to fall. Fucking hard.
I take a deep breath. I need to stay calm and think. I look around, contemplating my options.
The beach. If I hit it at the right angle … and lowslide … and pray … we might make it out.
I aim for the sand and at the very last second, I let the bike’s wheels slide out.
The force drags us over the tiny strip of sand into the ocean where we come to a stop.
I jump up and stand in the low waves for a few moments, to catch my breath … I’m fucking drained!
“Thalia …” I shout out, turning my head to look for her. She sits in the shallow water, struggling to take off her helmet with shaking hands.
“Are you okay?” people shout while running to us. I remove my helmet and hold up my hands to show them I’m good. I help Thalia to stand up and unbuckle her helmet.
“Are you hurt?”
“I will survive.” I notice she’s holding her left wrist. It might be broken. “What happened?” Frustrated, I throw my helmet onto the sand, where it hops a few times and then rolls to a halt.
“No brakes.” I pat down my body to look for my phone and notice lots of missed calls from Mel and Axel. What do they want so urgently?
I phone my dad to come and pick us up, sending him our location. I help Thalia to the walkway and we sit down on the ground. People are standing around in different states of shock and curiosity.
Then I dial Axel back.
“Hey dude, we had a little accident. You were looking for me?” I listen as he explains the message from D. I stare at the bike, people are pulling it from the waves.
The fucker tampered with my bike. Fucking asshole! This could have gone very badly. Thalia could have died or something.
I reassure Axel that we’re okay, mainly scrapes and bruises, and tell him that my father is on his way to pick us up.
“You had us worried, dude,” he says and then whispers softly, “- especially Mel.”
So at least she worries about me … does that mean she cares?
“Dude, please look after her for me,” I ask.
After he hangs up, I stare at the ocean for a while, not really thinking about anything … just a little about Mel … and the douche that’s terrorizing her.
“So, again I ask, do you love this girl?” Thalia breaks the silence, but I open my mouth, close it again, and keep surveying the ocean.
“Precious. Can I film this?” Thalia continues after a slight pause. “Damion Grimm at a loss for words.” I blow some wind through my nose and bite my jaw.