Ch.7 - First, The Bike
“No.”
“Melanie.”
“No!”
His eyes widened with her defiance, and his lips broke into a silly grin.
“Do you want to see Sunny again or not?” he asked in a voice similar to a parent soothingly giving an ultimatum to their child.
She pouted and crossed her arms across her chest.
“I am not a child,” she said.
He raised an eyebrow and said nothing. There was no need. She was acting like one.
She rolled her eyes.
“Why?” she demanded.
He closed the gap between them and laid his hands on her shoulders.
“Because I know you’d like to see Sunny again.” He rubbed his fingers in circles over the curves, watching how they moved. “You guys hit it off. I can’t drive you into town every day, and it’s going to take a lot longer to fix up the car than it did the bike.”
She sighed, finally allowing him to steer her towards the bike propped up against the mailbox.
“So, just give it a try,” he encouraged.
She eyes it as if it was a poisonous snake.
He lowered his lips to her ear and whispered, “It won’t bite you. I promise.”
As if he had read my head, she thought.
“Looks like a kid’s bike with that horn you put on the front,” she grumbled.
He easily yanked it off and tossed it across the yard, neither agreeing nor denying how it managed to land on the handlebars.
“I’ll fall,” she insisted, grasping at straws.
He laid his hands on her shoulders from behind.
“I won’t let go until you say so,” he insisted. She turned her head to look at him. “I promise,” he assured her. She turned back around to look at the offending two-wheeler.
“There should be training wheels at least…shouldn’t there?” she asked as she reluctantly let him pull her over to the bike. He patted the seat and she paled, swallowing hard. “I mean, shouldn’t—”
“Melanie,” he deadpanned, torn between frustration and the very strong urge to laugh.
“How am I even supposed to stay on when it’s all gravel and dirt here?” she asked, gesturing to the area around them. “Even grass is lumpy. The road isn’t even paled till at least two miles down the road. That’s probably ten minutes. By car.”
“You won’t fall,” he said calmly, “because I will be holding onto the back of the seat and the middle of the handlebars. All you have to do is sit and hold on. You don’t even have to pedal right away if you don’t want to.”
She let the information sink and finally nodded.
“Okay.”
Hesitantly she walked over to the bike. He followed and ran soothing circles over her back when she stopped, encouraging her and reminding her of his presence. Finally, she swung one leg over the seat – which was difficult given her size. She was so focused she didn’t realize that Jared was holding her up. The bike started to tip and she whimpered, scared.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” he said. “I’ve got you.”
She looked down abruptly, and realized to her astonishment, that he did have her. Entirely. As in, in mid-air above the bike. The bike itself was trapped between her dangling legs and did not tip any farther.
“Do you trust me?” he asked after a few seconds.
She couldn’t seem to speak, still in shock, but she nodded and slowly he lowered her to the seat. He held tightly to her right side and pinned his hip to the left side of the seat so the bike stayed straight.
“You okay?” he asked.
She took a deep breath.
“I…I think so.”
“Put your hands on the handlebars,” he instructed. They were already there, but she gripped the bars more firmly. “And your feet on the pedals,” he said next. She fumbled a bit with her feet but managed it.
He lowered his lips to her ear again and whispered, “Now sit tall, face ahead, and just trust me.”
She swallowed, looked up and took a deep breath. One hand firmly on the back of the seat and the other gripping the center of the handle bars, Jared guided the bike out onto the empty dirt road. Melanie was tense and a little shaky, but she didn’t say anything. Of her own volition, she began to pedal.
“Don’t let go, okay?” she said when they were about a third of a smile down the road. “Not today. Just…hold on. Okay? Promise you’ll hold on.”
“I promise,” he said softly. “I won’t let go till you say.”
……………
Jared headed back to his truck, Melanie beside him, their hands brushing against each other as they walked.
“Are we going to do this every day?” she asked as casually as she could manage.
“Every day until you can do it on your own.” He nodded and then smiled. “Then I’ll get started on the car.”
Her lips twisted ruefully.
“I probably should’ve been able to pedal on my own today.”
“Nah.” He brushed it off instantly. “It was your first time. You didn’t want to fall.”
The excuses sound even worse out loud, she thought.
“No excuse,” she said stubbornly. “I’ve seen the movies, heard the stories… The parents hold for about five minutes and then their kid is riding on their own with no assistance whatsoever.”
“And then the kid is on the ground ten seconds later because he lost his balance and fell with his bike,” Jared remarked. She shrugged it off again.
“So he gets a few scrapes, maybe some minor bleeding. They put on a bandaid and he’s at it again. Within the half hour he’s on his bike again, no help required, and if he does start to fall he can catch himself.” She paused, thinking about it. “Most of the time.”
He turned to face her when they reached his truck.
“Are you always this hard on yourself?” he asked, looking both concerned and amused somehow.
“We were practicing for an hour, Jared,” she deadpanned. He sighed.
“Look, earlier you complained about not having training wheels when we started, right?” She nodded. “Well, chances are most of those kids we’ve been referring to had training wheels before their parents pulled a fast one on them and let go likely seconds after the kid started to pedal.
“The training wheels however, were not so dishonest. They didn’t let go until they were physically taken off.” She considered that. “So, think of me as your training wheels. I won’t let go until you give me the green light, and I won’t judge you if it takes all summer.”
She shook her head at him in wonder and disbelief.
“What?” he asked, a small smile playing on his lips.
“I just can’t believe you’re the same guy I met two days ago. Where’s the guy that treated me like he was the king of the jungle and I was the ant lucky not to be squashed beneath his feat?” She meant to play it off as a joke, but shadows filled his eyes anyway.
“I hope you never have to see that guy again,” he said quietly, sounding so stern and tortured she wanted to reassure him. She laid a hand gently on his forearm.
“I’m sure I won’t,” she said softly. Then her mind switched gears back to the problem at hand. “I am still worried about the bike thing though.”
He frowned. “Why’s that?”
She dropped her hand.
“I just…” She blew out a puff of air, preparing to explain herself. “Sunny said the fair goes till the end of the week, and that there are fireworks Saturday night. Even if I do conquer the bike thing before then, it takes at least twenty minutes to get into town by car. I’d have to be really energized and really confident. Plus, riding home in the dark…” She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut, irritated already that she’d voiced her fears. What kind of girl was afraid of biking home in the dark?
“I know it sounds ridiculous…” she muttered.
He held her arms still and stroked his thumbs along them soothingly. Finally she stopped shaking her head and opened her eyes.
“Hey, no. You’re fine. I wouldn’t want to bike home in the dark either, no matter how safe the neighborhood is.”
She looked up at him, her eyes searching.
“Look, on Saturday we’ll leave right after dinner and go to the fair in my truck, take a break from our projects for a night. I’m sure Kyle will be working the bar again. He can direct you to Sunny and when you guys are done, I’ll take you home.”
Her lips parted, hesitating again.
“What is it?” he asked, this time with some laughter in his voice.
She bit her lip.
“I kind of wanted to stay to see the sunrise…” she said slowly, then let the idea sink in and came alive. “Wouldn’t that be cool?” she asked excitedly, her eyes aglow.
His smiled because she was infectious.
“It would,” he agreed. “However…” His lips twisted ruefully. “If Sunny consumes any alcohol – which she probably will – I doubt she’ll last long enough to see it.” Melanie frowned. “It just isn’t the same seeing it by yourself.”
“You could see it with me!” she blurted without thinking. Her eyes widened in horror at her lack of discretion, so she almost missed the heat she could have sworn sparked in his eyes at the suggestion.
“I could,” he said, a beat later than she would have liked.
“You don’t have to.” She swallowed hard, trying to gauge all the reactions to everything they were saying to each other. “I don’t have to even. You can just take me home right after—”
“Melanie,” he quieted her, closing the distance between them. “I want to see the sunrise with you.” He waited till she looked up at him. “Ok?”
She nodded, and then smiled a little.
“See you tomorrow?” she asked hopefully – did that sound desperate?
He relieved her fears instantly with a smile and a wink.
“You bet.” He stepped away from her and rounded the vehicle, sliding inside and lowering the window.
“Goodnight, Melanie,” he said.
“Goodnight,” she said, smiling softly.
She waved to him as he drove away and watched the truck until it turned the bed in the road. Then she sighed dreamily to herself.
“Oh Jared…” she murmured. “It would be very easy to fall in love with you.”
After awhile, she shook herself from her reverie and headed back inside the house.
“Melanie.”
“No!”
His eyes widened with her defiance, and his lips broke into a silly grin.
“Do you want to see Sunny again or not?” he asked in a voice similar to a parent soothingly giving an ultimatum to their child.
She pouted and crossed her arms across her chest.
“I am not a child,” she said.
He raised an eyebrow and said nothing. There was no need. She was acting like one.
She rolled her eyes.
“Why?” she demanded.
He closed the gap between them and laid his hands on her shoulders.
“Because I know you’d like to see Sunny again.” He rubbed his fingers in circles over the curves, watching how they moved. “You guys hit it off. I can’t drive you into town every day, and it’s going to take a lot longer to fix up the car than it did the bike.”
She sighed, finally allowing him to steer her towards the bike propped up against the mailbox.
“So, just give it a try,” he encouraged.
She eyes it as if it was a poisonous snake.
He lowered his lips to her ear and whispered, “It won’t bite you. I promise.”
As if he had read my head, she thought.
“Looks like a kid’s bike with that horn you put on the front,” she grumbled.
He easily yanked it off and tossed it across the yard, neither agreeing nor denying how it managed to land on the handlebars.
“I’ll fall,” she insisted, grasping at straws.
He laid his hands on her shoulders from behind.
“I won’t let go until you say so,” he insisted. She turned her head to look at him. “I promise,” he assured her. She turned back around to look at the offending two-wheeler.
“There should be training wheels at least…shouldn’t there?” she asked as she reluctantly let him pull her over to the bike. He patted the seat and she paled, swallowing hard. “I mean, shouldn’t—”
“Melanie,” he deadpanned, torn between frustration and the very strong urge to laugh.
“How am I even supposed to stay on when it’s all gravel and dirt here?” she asked, gesturing to the area around them. “Even grass is lumpy. The road isn’t even paled till at least two miles down the road. That’s probably ten minutes. By car.”
“You won’t fall,” he said calmly, “because I will be holding onto the back of the seat and the middle of the handlebars. All you have to do is sit and hold on. You don’t even have to pedal right away if you don’t want to.”
She let the information sink and finally nodded.
“Okay.”
Hesitantly she walked over to the bike. He followed and ran soothing circles over her back when she stopped, encouraging her and reminding her of his presence. Finally, she swung one leg over the seat – which was difficult given her size. She was so focused she didn’t realize that Jared was holding her up. The bike started to tip and she whimpered, scared.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” he said. “I’ve got you.”
She looked down abruptly, and realized to her astonishment, that he did have her. Entirely. As in, in mid-air above the bike. The bike itself was trapped between her dangling legs and did not tip any farther.
“Do you trust me?” he asked after a few seconds.
She couldn’t seem to speak, still in shock, but she nodded and slowly he lowered her to the seat. He held tightly to her right side and pinned his hip to the left side of the seat so the bike stayed straight.
“You okay?” he asked.
She took a deep breath.
“I…I think so.”
“Put your hands on the handlebars,” he instructed. They were already there, but she gripped the bars more firmly. “And your feet on the pedals,” he said next. She fumbled a bit with her feet but managed it.
He lowered his lips to her ear again and whispered, “Now sit tall, face ahead, and just trust me.”
She swallowed, looked up and took a deep breath. One hand firmly on the back of the seat and the other gripping the center of the handle bars, Jared guided the bike out onto the empty dirt road. Melanie was tense and a little shaky, but she didn’t say anything. Of her own volition, she began to pedal.
“Don’t let go, okay?” she said when they were about a third of a smile down the road. “Not today. Just…hold on. Okay? Promise you’ll hold on.”
“I promise,” he said softly. “I won’t let go till you say.”
……………
Jared headed back to his truck, Melanie beside him, their hands brushing against each other as they walked.
“Are we going to do this every day?” she asked as casually as she could manage.
“Every day until you can do it on your own.” He nodded and then smiled. “Then I’ll get started on the car.”
Her lips twisted ruefully.
“I probably should’ve been able to pedal on my own today.”
“Nah.” He brushed it off instantly. “It was your first time. You didn’t want to fall.”
The excuses sound even worse out loud, she thought.
“No excuse,” she said stubbornly. “I’ve seen the movies, heard the stories… The parents hold for about five minutes and then their kid is riding on their own with no assistance whatsoever.”
“And then the kid is on the ground ten seconds later because he lost his balance and fell with his bike,” Jared remarked. She shrugged it off again.
“So he gets a few scrapes, maybe some minor bleeding. They put on a bandaid and he’s at it again. Within the half hour he’s on his bike again, no help required, and if he does start to fall he can catch himself.” She paused, thinking about it. “Most of the time.”
He turned to face her when they reached his truck.
“Are you always this hard on yourself?” he asked, looking both concerned and amused somehow.
“We were practicing for an hour, Jared,” she deadpanned. He sighed.
“Look, earlier you complained about not having training wheels when we started, right?” She nodded. “Well, chances are most of those kids we’ve been referring to had training wheels before their parents pulled a fast one on them and let go likely seconds after the kid started to pedal.
“The training wheels however, were not so dishonest. They didn’t let go until they were physically taken off.” She considered that. “So, think of me as your training wheels. I won’t let go until you give me the green light, and I won’t judge you if it takes all summer.”
She shook her head at him in wonder and disbelief.
“What?” he asked, a small smile playing on his lips.
“I just can’t believe you’re the same guy I met two days ago. Where’s the guy that treated me like he was the king of the jungle and I was the ant lucky not to be squashed beneath his feat?” She meant to play it off as a joke, but shadows filled his eyes anyway.
“I hope you never have to see that guy again,” he said quietly, sounding so stern and tortured she wanted to reassure him. She laid a hand gently on his forearm.
“I’m sure I won’t,” she said softly. Then her mind switched gears back to the problem at hand. “I am still worried about the bike thing though.”
He frowned. “Why’s that?”
She dropped her hand.
“I just…” She blew out a puff of air, preparing to explain herself. “Sunny said the fair goes till the end of the week, and that there are fireworks Saturday night. Even if I do conquer the bike thing before then, it takes at least twenty minutes to get into town by car. I’d have to be really energized and really confident. Plus, riding home in the dark…” She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut, irritated already that she’d voiced her fears. What kind of girl was afraid of biking home in the dark?
“I know it sounds ridiculous…” she muttered.
He held her arms still and stroked his thumbs along them soothingly. Finally she stopped shaking her head and opened her eyes.
“Hey, no. You’re fine. I wouldn’t want to bike home in the dark either, no matter how safe the neighborhood is.”
She looked up at him, her eyes searching.
“Look, on Saturday we’ll leave right after dinner and go to the fair in my truck, take a break from our projects for a night. I’m sure Kyle will be working the bar again. He can direct you to Sunny and when you guys are done, I’ll take you home.”
Her lips parted, hesitating again.
“What is it?” he asked, this time with some laughter in his voice.
She bit her lip.
“I kind of wanted to stay to see the sunrise…” she said slowly, then let the idea sink in and came alive. “Wouldn’t that be cool?” she asked excitedly, her eyes aglow.
His smiled because she was infectious.
“It would,” he agreed. “However…” His lips twisted ruefully. “If Sunny consumes any alcohol – which she probably will – I doubt she’ll last long enough to see it.” Melanie frowned. “It just isn’t the same seeing it by yourself.”
“You could see it with me!” she blurted without thinking. Her eyes widened in horror at her lack of discretion, so she almost missed the heat she could have sworn sparked in his eyes at the suggestion.
“I could,” he said, a beat later than she would have liked.
“You don’t have to.” She swallowed hard, trying to gauge all the reactions to everything they were saying to each other. “I don’t have to even. You can just take me home right after—”
“Melanie,” he quieted her, closing the distance between them. “I want to see the sunrise with you.” He waited till she looked up at him. “Ok?”
She nodded, and then smiled a little.
“See you tomorrow?” she asked hopefully – did that sound desperate?
He relieved her fears instantly with a smile and a wink.
“You bet.” He stepped away from her and rounded the vehicle, sliding inside and lowering the window.
“Goodnight, Melanie,” he said.
“Goodnight,” she said, smiling softly.
She waved to him as he drove away and watched the truck until it turned the bed in the road. Then she sighed dreamily to herself.
“Oh Jared…” she murmured. “It would be very easy to fall in love with you.”
After awhile, she shook herself from her reverie and headed back inside the house.
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