Page 33 of Rocky

“I’ll be out.”

I ended the call and rushed from the kitchen. However, my sisters were petty and wouldn’t miss the opportunity to tease me.

“You’ve been keeping secrets, big sis,” Rosemary said.

“Big secrets, too,” Daisy added.

“You let that man eat—” Blossom began before I cut her off.

“Mind your business,” I told Blossom before responding to Rocky. “I’ll be outside.” I slipped on a pair of slides, which may or may not have been mine, and rushed from the house with just my phone.

My steps slowed to a stop, and my stomach sank when I saw Rocky standing next to his bike. When he saw that I wasn’t walking toward him, he came to me.

“I hope you don’t think I’m getting on that thing,” I told him before he could speak.

“Actually, I was hoping you would.”

“Rocky—”

“Rue, my truck is at home, and I don’t live too far from here. It won’t be more than a ten minute ride.”

I started walking backward and shaking my head. “Rocky, I can’t. I’m too scared and?—”

“I need you to trust me. I’ll go slow and take the side roads.” He reached for my hands and pulled me into his chest. “I promise we’ll get there safely.”

Against my better judgment, I agreed. After going back inside to put on more clothes and a pair of gym shoes, I put on the helmet he had for me and climbed onto the back of his bike behind him.

“Please go slow, and don’t?—”

“Rue, I got you. Hold on tight.”

I held on for my life and closed my eyes, not opening them until we stopped moving and the engine turned off. It felt like I didn’t take a breath until my feet hit the ground, and I quickly removed the helmet because it felt like I was suffocating.

“Oh my God!”

“Calm down, Rue. We’re here, and you’re safe. It wasn’t that bad, was it?”

I took a moment to calm my nerves and inhale a few times. “It wasn’t that bad, but I don’t want to do it again… at least not any time soon. Okay?”

He wrapped me in his arms and rubbed his hand up and down my back in a soothing manner. “Okay.”

Rocky’s truck was parked in front of his house. He led me to the passenger side and opened the door for me before helping me secure my seat belt. “How you feeling? Is your shoulder sore?”

“It’s better than yesterday but still a little tender when I make sudden movements with that arm.”

“Good.” He pressed his lips against mine, letting them linger before pulling away. “You ready to take a ride with me?”

“As long as we’re in this truck and not on that bike, I’ll go anywhere you want to go.” He looked surprised as he closed the door and walked over to the driver’s side.

Once on the road, I was tempted to ask where we were going but decided to go with the flow. We rode in a comfortable silence for a while before Rocky asked about my day.

“It was interesting. I met your grandparents.”

“No shit? How’d that happen?”

“They came to the flower shop to order arrangements for your mother and brother.”

“Oh, that’s cool. I’m sure you were able to help them.”

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