Fluorescence: The Complete Tetralogy (17 page)

I grinned shyly.

“I didn’t know you liked blue so much,” I said, running a finger over the metallic blue gas tank.

“What can I say? It’s been growing on me.” He did spirit fingers with his left hand and laughed. I smiled. “Besides, it reminds me of your eyes. Not quite as pretty, though.”

I probably blushed. Thank God I wasn’t diabetic. Brian was sweeter than sugar.

Seriously.

My phone chirped again.

SAM: Still alive? You stopped messaging me

ME: YES!!! Sorry!!! Brian came over. Will TTYL about it!

I snapped a picture of his bike and texted it to her.

SAM: OMG Lucky!

ME: ;) Yes! TTYL! Weeeee!

I couldn’t contain myself even in a text. It was like Christmas
all over again. I think every girl’s secret fantasy is to have a motorcycle-riding boyfriend. Apparently it was one of mine.

“So you got your license?” I brushed off the seat and gave him a cute little “can I?” look, batting my lashes for effect. He nodded and lent me a hand to help steady myself as I lifted a leg up over the bike to sit on the seat. It was warm from the sun, but firm.

“Hell, yeah. Like the week after my birthday. You have to apply for a motorcycle one separately, so I wanted to make sure I had everything I needed.”

“Drive it much yet?” I curled my fingers around the handlebars, squeezing the rubber grips.

“A friend of mine back in Montana used to have a sweet dirt bike he let me ride on the weekends. But I’ve had this one for a few weeks, actually. Been riding it every single night for as long as I can.” He drove a hand through his hair and shrugged. “I wanted to make sure I felt comfortable with it before I asked you to join me.”

I grinned like a Cheshire cat, shaking with excitement.

“I’m sorry it took so long for me to tell you. The best news is, you won’t have to take the bus to school anymore if you don’t want to.”

My jaw dropped. “That would be so cool!” I clapped. Being able to go to school with Brian would be a-maaaazing. Other girls would be so jealous.

“I know I asked you to dress nice and I understand it’s hot out, but you’re going to have to wear this.” He handed me a brown leather jacket. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

I slid my arms into the sleeves and shrugged it over my shoulders. It fit snugly but wasn’t tight.

“Here.” He tossed me a helmet. Metallic dark purple with a pair of black leather gloves inside.

“Yay! Purple! Thank you!” I beamed, polishing the top of the helmet with the hem of my shirt. I swept a loose lock of hair from my face and shoved the helmet on my head. “Aw. This is not as sexy as it is in the movies.”

“Neither is being dead,” he said, and flipped down the clear visor on my helmet, then adjusted it a bit.

“True.” I shoved the gloves onto my hands and tugged the fingers taut.

He flicked his head back to get his hair out of his face and then shoved his black helmet on.

“Can you get up for a minute?” He gestured for me to move back. Then he sat on the leather seat in front of me and motioned for me to sit back down. “Now I’m going to walk you through this, because it’s going to be something you’ll need to adjust to.”

“Okay.”

“And if you don’t mind, I want to ride a couple of blocks here in the subdivision so I can get used to the weight difference, too.”

“Are you calling me fat?” I chuckled, the sound muffled by my helmet.

He looked over his shoulder at me, his face darkened by the tinted visor on his helmet. “No. But this bike is going to handle differently with two of us on it. I want to make sure I
get a feel for it before we head onto the main road.
I’ll explain it as we go, okay? You can hold on to the sides of my jacket, or whatever you can. Just make sure you don’t make any sudden movements. This thing’s going to lean into the turns and it’s something you’re going to have get used to.”

“Right.” I nodded, reaching to clutch onto the sides of his jacket. “Talk me through it.”

He was serious. I had always thought riding a motorcycle
would be fun and carefree, but there’s a learning curve. It’s definitely not something they tell you in the movies. Hop on, hold on and let the wind blow through your hair. IRL, hit the ground and end up in pieces. Road rash, bikers called it, as Brian had politely informed me.

I had no idea steering a motorcycle was such an art.
Who was I kidding, though? I hadn’t even gotten my
learner’s permit or set foot on a gas pedal yet. He had much more experience under his belt thanks to his dirt bike riding friend in Montana.

Brian handled his bike like a pro. Not that I had anything
to compare it to, but he seemed like a natural. Turns were gentle. Stops were smooth. You’d think he’d been riding for years.

I listened and I learned.

He was careful. Confident.

It was easy to trust him with my life.

Chapter 25

B
rian took my jacket and pulled out a chair for me.

“I hope you don’t mind me bringing you here,” he said. “I thought it’d be nice for you to see where I work.”

I sat. “It’s fine. Really.” I sniffed the air. It smelled of fresh-baked bread and burning firewood. There was a brick oven across the room in an open area of the kitchen. Flames were licking up through the metal grate inside.

He draped his jacket over the back of his chair and sat across from me.

“You look great, by the way.” He smiled. “Sorry I didn’t say anything earlier.”

I looked around. We weren’t the only people wearing jeans,
but I felt underdressed. White linen tablecloths. Fabric
napkins. A real tea light candle burning
on the table—not one of those LED ones. I lifted the burgundy leather-backed menu and cracked it open. The fancy parchment-style pages even had raised text.

“Do you need a suggestion?” Brian asked, peering over his menu at me.

“Maybe?” They had a lot of seafood. Not my thing.

“I’ll order you something then. How’s that?”

“Oh, a surprise. Sure.”

Our server, James, returned with a serving tray. He set a tall glass of iced tea in front of each of us and pulled two straws out of his black apron. He placed a set of cutlery to the side of our plates, followed by a basket of steaming-hot rolls in the center of the table.

“I’m guessing you don’t have any questions about anything,” James said. “Have you decided what you’d like?”

“Yeah.” Brian put down his menu and reached to take mine. “We’ll both get the house specialty.”

“Alright, then.” James scribbled down something in his notepad and tucked it into his apron. “I’ll get that out to you shortly.”

“So, what did you order me?” I reached across my plate to grab a roll from the basket. I broke it in half. Piping hot with a delicious smell.

“A burger.”

“What?” I stared at him, doubtful.

“Just kidding. I know you don’t like burgers. I got you the house chicken special. It’s chicken roulade with mango chutney and brie.”

“Um, you lost me after chicken.” I nibbled on my bread. Buttery with a hint of sweetness I couldn’t place. Honey, perhaps.

“All you need to know is that I think brie is the best cheese in the world.”

“I see.” I licked my lips.

. . .

After dinner, our server cleared the plates from our table and brought us a sharable slice of French chocolate cake. Dark chocolate sprinkled with a dash of powdered sugar and served with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh raspberries on top.

“That looks really
good.” I nibbled my lip in
anticipation. Mmm, chocolate. “I would eat the whole thing if I hadn’t eaten too much already.” I laughed.

“That’s why I ordered one and not two. I’m not going to eat the whole thing, either.”

I fished around my plate for the dessert fork.

That’s when Brian’s hand came across the table, sliding something toward me.

“Happy birthday, Alice,” he said, lifting his hand from a small white jewelry box.

“Oh!” I gasped. “But you’ve done so much already.”

He smiled and shrugged. “I’m behind a couple of
holidays.”

What a gorgeous box! White brocade with a silver ribbon tied on the lid. Just looking at it made me nervous. And excited and…

“I hope you like it. Go ahead. Open it.”

I cupped the box in both hands and stared, admiring it. Imagining what might be inside. Then I lifted the lid and squealed out loud. Someone nearby cut a glance at me and I ducked down, bashfully.

“I love it!” I untangled the silver chain from the indentions in the box and lifted out the pendant—a silver dolphin curved in a crescent shape with a purple amethyst faceted between its fin and tail. “It is
perrrfect
. I love it.” I couldn’t keep my voice down.

“I showed your mom and she agreed it was something you might like.”

“She
was
right! It even matches my top.” I pried open the lobster clasp with my thumbnail and put the necklace
around my neck. “Thank you. It’s wonderful.” My eyes
watered a little. Brian smiled, looking quite pleased with himself.

“I’m glad you like it. I’m sorry I had to miss your actual birthday, though.”

“I’m sorry I had to miss yours, too. Sixteen is a big one. I would have liked to have been there. I…” I looked down at my dessert plate. “I want to do something nice for you, but I don’t know what.”

“I can think of a few things,” he said with a smirk, raising
an eyebrow.

“Excuse me?” I squinted.

“No, not
that.
” He rolled his eyes and chuckled. “That’s
out of the equation for now. I’m totally aware.
But, seriously. You spending time with me means a lot. If you wanna go out riding with me once in a while, that’d be cool, too. I just want to spend time with you.”

I exhaled, my gaze softening, my lips settling into a contented smile.

I picked up my helmet from the chair beside me and swapped seats with it so I could sit closer to Brian.

“It looks nice on you,” he said, glancing down at the necklace.

Our eyes met, then I brushed my fingers over his ear and kissed him.

“Thanks, Brian,” I whispered, cutting it short because we were in public.

His eyes opened slowly and he sighed. “You’re welcome, Alice.”

. . .

“Enjoy your evening?” Brian asked.

We were sitting on the top step of my porch.

“Yes.” I fiddled with the dolphin pendant, tangling the chain around my fingers. “I lost a shoe on the way back, but otherwise, it was really nice.”

“Sorry about that. Lace-up shoes next time.”

I nodded. “For sure.”

Our fingers intertwined and he stretched his other arm behind me, resting his hand on my waist.

“I just had the best night of my life,” I said.

“Really?” He gazed at me.

“You’re a wonderful boyfriend, Brian. I only hope I can repay your kindness somehow.”

He held my hand, massaging his thumb over my knuckles. “You don’t owe me anything.”

“Sometimes I feel like I’m not doing enough. Like, I’m not good enough or…”

He let go and pressed two fingers onto my lips. “Don’t even finish that. If you want to know what you can do to make me happy, then learn to love me. Okay?”

I stifled the urge to laugh. “What does that mean?”

“You heard me. I love you, Alice. I’ve said it before, and I’m not afraid to say it as many times as I need to. But, I expect to hear it from you, too. Someday. When you’re ready. Then I’ll be happy. Then every second I’ve spent with you will make that day all the more rewarding.”

I batted my lashes, glancing into his eyes. “Will you wait?”

His forehead wrinkled. “For?”

“For me to say it? When I feel it’s right?”

“Yes. I’m not rushing you. I’m just saying, I would really like to hear it from you eventually. You know?” He weaved his fingers through my hair and kissed my cheek.

“Yeah.”

I rested my head against his chest and exhaled, relieved.

Chapter 26

A
summer thunderstorm hit late Friday night. Water
droplets splattered against the glass of my bedroom
window, distorting my view. Lightning skittered across the sky and thunder crashed. Every few minutes, the room would flash white, rattling my bones, reminding me of the horrible drop we’d endured each time the Saviors called for us.

It was barely past midnight and I had just lain down to
go to sleep, when the doorbell rang. My
heart almost jumped out of my chest. I threw on my robe, jogged downstairs and met my mom in the living room.

“Who is it at this hour?” she asked, a frightened look glistening in her eyes.

I shook my head and crept over to the living room window. Peeling back the blinds, I peeked out at the porch. The
curtain of torrential rain made it difficult to see anything
but
I recognized a distinct glimmer of blue metal in
the driveway.

“It’s Brian!”
I ran back over to the front door and
double-checked through the peephole. “Yeah. It is.”

Mom came up behind me, tightening the belt on her green terrycloth robe and folding her arms.

I flung open the door. “Brian? Are you okay?” He stood hunched over, hands tucked into his elbows, bracing himself against the rain blowing down through the overhang. Soaking wet locks of his hair lay plastered against his face.

“Can I come in, p-please?” He shuddered.

“Yes. Of course!” I backed away from the door, shielding my face from the gust of rain that blew in behind him. “Do you need us to put your bike in the garage?”

“It’s not a big deal, but if you can…” He looked at me through flattened spires of dark brown, his face a shade lighter than usual. My heart sank.

“I’ll get it for him,” Mom said, snatching her keys off a hook on the wall in the kitchen.