Page 54 of I'd Never Date my Brother's Best Friend

“Not really.” I grab one of the bikes and walk away from the station until we’re in a safe spot. “It’s just the same mechanism as a normal bike. You can ride a normal bike, right?”

“Yes.”

“Good. It’s the same technique, really.”

“So, who stays in front?” She asks.

“You can. So you have more control.”

“Okay.” She climbs the bike, her legs set on either side. When I’m sure she has complete control of it, I let go and climb behind her.

“You ready?” I ask.

“Yes. You ready?”

“Yup. Let’s go!”

Jessica starts peddling, and I join the pace. She’s laughing as we rise across the field, past laughing children and excited dogs.

“You see, it’s quite easy,” I note, and Jessica nods.

“And it’s so fun! I can do this all day.”

We continue to ride for a little bit longer until our legs are tired. After returning the bike to the station, we fall onto the grass, trying to catch our breaths.

“Oh heavens, that was exhausting,” I say between gasps.

Jessica rolls onto her side and then smirks at me. “You can’t really be that out of shape. And one would think you’re the fit one!”

“I am the fit one!” I counter. “Everyone knows that you don’t work out or exercise.”

“Whatever!” She rolls onto her back again, staring at the sky. I am in awe of her, and the more time I spend with her, the deeper I dig myself. I like that she’s not afraid to roll in the dirt and play like a kid, and in turn, make me comfortable enough to be myself.

“Look, there’s ice cream!” Jessica is on her feet again, walking quickly across the grass. “Come on, Sean.”

Groaning, I follow her to the ice cream stand. She pushes a large cone into my hand, and surprisingly, it’s my favorite flavor. I take one lick and narrow my eyes at her.

“How do you know my favorite flavor?”

“Duh,” is the only reply she gives to me. After collecting her cone, she directs me back to the bench, where we quietly finish our ice cream. “Why did you stay away for so long, Sean?”

I pause, wondering how she manages to ask deep questions that require genuine introspection. “I don’t know. I guess I lost track of time.”

“Hmm.” She shakes her head. “Five years is a long time.” She doesn’t sound judgmental, but I feel adequately reprimanded anyway.

“I know. It won’t happen again.” There’s still a twinge of guilt within me, but I shake it off. “Now that I’m home, it’s clear what I’ve been missing all this time. You know, when you’re away, the focus becomes success. You want to be successful so badly you ignore everything else until you feel you’ve attained the goals you want.”

“I understand.” Jessica nods. “The one time I traveled to the city, I was amazed. I love it there, but I don’t understand how people can live there for such a long period. It’s so stimulating. I found it completely overwhelming.”

“Yeah.” I laugh heartily. “I’d like to take you with me, though. To show you my life.”

“We’ll see about that.”

I’m about to respond when the little girl with the ball returns. This time, with a friend. “Would you like to play with us?” She asks, holding out the ball.

Jessica and I glance at each other before shrugging and nodding. “Yes, sure. We would love to. Let’s go.”

When we leave the park, the sun is already setting, and there’s a golden glow in the town. Where do children get so much energy from? After only one hour of kicking the ball around, Jessica and I were exhausted and could barely stand straight, yet the kids kept nagging for a few more and more until we finally had to call it quits. Even now, as we walk back home, the kids are still playing.

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