Learn to Fly (41 page)

“
You’re
quiet, Lenna. Does your food taste okay?” Her father
interrupted her thoughts. His face was relaxed and not pinched and
worried like it had been for the past two years.

“
Yeah,
it’s good…I was just thinking.” Lenny answered
softly, not wanting to break the quiet ethereal spell that had seemed
to settle over the table.

“
What
were you thinking about, honey?” Her father genuinely wanted
to know.

“
I
got on a board today.” She let the words hang in the moment.

Her father sat up a
little straighter in his chair and a smile began to stretch across
his face. He was proud. It was always obvious when he was proud.

“
And
she did great,” Luke added.

“
You
got to see it?” Her father asked in an excited whisper.

“
It
was just a short demo ride.” Lenny couldn’t hold back
her delight, “but it felt really good.”

The guys started to
bombard her with questions, suddenly sensing that the subject was no
longer taboo. They knew Lenny’s dad didn’t know she had
been riding again so they had been trying to be careful. Apparently
they had a lot they had been wondering about. Lenny gladly answered
their queries and told some stories she hadn’t thought about in
a while.

***

Luke loved seeing
Lenny’s face glow with enthusiasm as she finally spoke about
her most cherished pastime. He could never imagine giving up music
for anything. Her return to snowboarding was obviously liberating.

“
It’s
because of you.” Lenny’s father leaned over and spoke to
Luke without the others overhearing. “Don’t think I
haven’t noticed the remarkable change in my daughter since you
entered the picture.” He took a drink of his water and
replaced his napkin on his lap. “I hope you stick around.”

Luke watched Lenny’s
bright expression and replied, “I intend to.” He knew,
without knowing how, that the love he felt was so much more than
anything he’d felt before.

He also knew that it
was Duke, and not himself, that had pushed her to trust herself
again. That gnawing feeling was still in the pit of Luke’s
stomach. Duke and Lenny had a connection that couldn’t be
explained and Luke didn’t know if he would ever be able to fill
that role. Duke had boldly encouraged Luke to pursue Lenny; he
seemed pleased with the arrangement. But Luke had been able to sense
Duke’s underlying feelings for Lenny, even if Lenny didn’t
know about them. And wasn’t it ultimately Lenny’s
decision in the end anyway? Or could two men, both in love with the
same woman, just decide between them who would get her?

Lenny wasn’t a
piece of property that could be passed back and forth, exchanging one
master for another. She would have to decide. She was the only one
who had that power.

Luke looked at her
from across the table and tried to relax. She was his girl right
now. He chose to focus on that.

When dinner had
ended, Lenny said farewell to her father and climbed into the shuttle
van with the rest of the band. She slid the door closed behind her
and took a seat in the middle next Luke, who rolled his eyes at the
argument taking place behind him. Lenny looked over his shoulder and
saw Mike with his arms crossed over his chest and a glower on his
face. Sway was against the window, his focus on his cell phone. And
poor Harrison, squashed between them.

The van was quiet as
it bumped along the road, returning them to the hotel. Lenny wasn't
sure why it seemed so tense and awkward; obviously something had
happened when she wasn't looking.

“
I
didn't say you were hiding anything. I just asked a question.
That's all.” Mike broke the silence. Lenny felt Luke sigh
heavily next to her.

“
It's
none of your business, so back off!” Sway snapped.

Lenny's head whirled
around in surprise but Luke put his hand on her knee and signaled her
to not get involved. The van stopped and Luke gestured for Lenny to
exit quickly. The rest of the guys bailed out behind them.

“
Sway-”
Mike tried again.

“
Seriously,
Mike! Stop being so fricken' insecure!” Sway cut him off. “I
have a freaking friend! Can't I have a
one
freaking friend
outside of this
stupid
band?!”

Lenny stood stock
still. The guys argued sometimes but this was intense, even for
them.

“
Okay,
Sway and I are going to see if we can catch that half-pipe shit.”
Blake calmly put an around around the bassist's shoulders and
directed him away from the group. Sway threw a final glare in Mike's
direction.

“
He's
overreacting.” Mike tried to defend himself but Luke just
shook his head at his friend.

“
You
guys push each other's buttons, you always have.” Luke placed
a hand on the small of Lenny's back.

Mike's brows pushed
together and his mouth formed a hard line. Harrison clapped a hand
down on Mike's shoulder, drawing his attention.

“
C'mon,
man.” Harrison's eyes filled with compassion. “Let's
take a walk.” Mike's jaw clenched momentarily before he
relented and followed his friend.

Lenny looked up at
Luke, completely confused. “What was that all about?”

Luke directed her
back to the hotel and opened the door for her. “They have a
rocky history. Some wounds take longer to heal than others. They'll
be fine, Blake will talk Sway down and Harrison will figure out
what's eating at Mike. They'll all be best friends again in no
time.”

Lenny frowned, Luke
seemed pretty sure of the outcome but she had never seen Sway that
pissed off before. They walked to her hotel and she opened the door,
still thinking about the scene she'd just witnessed. Luke sat on the
couch and patted the seat next to him so she'd join him.

“
Don't
let it worry you. They can act like they want to kill each other
sometimes, but its short lived.”

“
I
guess I have to take your word for it.” Lenny pursed her lips.
“I don't know them as well as you do...obviously.” That
last thought troubled her. She had been under the impression that
she'd gotten close to these guys, but there was still so much she
didn't know. She rested against Luke's side as he switched on the
TV, she would probably never know them as well as Luke did.

“
You
said...” Lenny bit the inside of her cheek, not sure if she
should allow her curiosity to get the better of her. “You said
something about old wounds...?”

Luke sighed and
raised his eyebrows. “Yeah...a few years ago, Mike had a
girlfriend.”

Lenny adjusted
herself on the sofa and laid down with her head on Luke's thighs.
She folded her hands across her stomach and waited patiently for him
to continue.

“
Her
name was Ilsa. She was a model from Berlin.” Luke rubbed his
stubble with one hand and placed the other hand across Lenny's.
“Mike was crazy in love with her but she was...undecided. She
had a problem with him using and she went to Sway for...advice.”

“
Oh.”
Lenny breathed as she followed that train of thought.

“
Yep.
Long story short, Sway and Ilsa got closer than friends and she
dumped Mike for him. Mike overdosed the next day.”

“
Damn.”
Lenny had no idea. No wonder they had issues. That would be hard
to move past. She felt guilt cramp in her stomach having the
information inside of her now.

“
Hey,
don't feel bad.” Luke ran his finger across her hairline.
“They would've told you eventually, you're part of the band.”

“
It's
so personal, I feel like I shouldn't know.”

“
That's
because you have a good heart.” Luke smiled down at her and
Lenny involuntarily blushed.

He stared down at
her for few minutes, not speaking, a look a pure contentment on his
face.

“
I
like this.” He said quietly. His deep voice vibrating through
his chest and into Lenny’s shoulder.

“
What’s
that?” Lenny asked.

“
Just
being here with you.”

Lenny closed her
eyes and smiled. She liked this too. Finally, after all the drama
that had occurred during the past few days, they had time to
just...be. Together.

His hand traveled
down hers and his fingers worked their way into her own. They had
nowhere to go, no one expecting them.

“
What?”
Luke asked her.

Lenny opened her
eyes. “What?”

He grinned at her,
“You’re smiling. I wanted to know why.”

“
I
guess I’m just happy.” Lenny answered honestly.

“
You’re
not gonna jump up and run away from me?” Luke teased.

“
Nope.”
She chuckled lightly. “Not today.”

***

Luke was just about
to say something when there was a knock on the door, interrupting
their cozy moment.

Lenny sat up and
went to answer it. Luke watched her move with more self assurance
than before. Getting her back to the sport she loved was still
multiplying in subtle improvements. Luke had to wonder if he could
handle all of Lenny at the top of her game. He sure wanted to try.

Lenny opened the
door and Harrison stood before her, eyes wide.

“
What’s
up, Harry?” Lenny asked and Luke smiled at how sweet she was
to his friends. He got off the couch and joined her at the door.

“
I
thought maybe I should come and get you.” Harrison’s
voice was nervous and Luke suppressed a chuckle. “Cody’s
calling you out.”

“
What
do you mean?” Lenny's eyebrows drew together.

“
She
finished her event and set a new world record and she’s
challenging you to come out and beat it.” Harrison was
positively giddy with excitement. “She’s really working
up the crowd.”

“
That’s
ridiculous, Harrison. I’m not registered for an event.”
Lenny was shaking her head. Luke rested his hand on her back,
letting her know he was there.

“
Maybe
you should try to talk to her,” Harrison shrugged.

“
I
was gonna have to deal with it eventually.” Lenny rolled her
eyes as she grabbed her coat and hat.

***

The air outside was
electric as Lenny made her way through the crowd. With the sun down
it had grown considerably colder than it had been that afternoon.
The sky was clear with stars making sharp pin pricks in the night
sky.

Lenny made her way
up to the small press booth at the top of the X Course. It was a
long walk and she had time to get an idea of what she would say to
Cody. She would probably have to apologize for slandering her to the
media. She again pictured
Patrick, paperwork in hand.

The crowds started
out overcharged and exuberant but as Lenny trekked through the
terrain to the top of the hill, they quieted considerably. Luke and
Harrison were flanking her. It was eerie, Lenny noted, like they
were all watching her walk fatefully to her demise. She laughed off
the thought internally. Sports always brought out the dramatics in
people.

As she approached
the booth she recognized Brad from earlier, Cody of course and Shane,
not surprisingly. They would have to provide a united front to the
public, Lenny supposed. A handful of others stood around and nearby
either with the media or with the X games organization itself. Sway,
Mike and Blake waited with their arms crossed, whatever previous
quarrel they may have had was forgotten in this moment and they were
once again united.