Page 12 of The Road Ahead
I was fascinated by the entire process. Mom didn’t wear makeup. Teresa did, but she had always just appeared in themorning with it already applied. None of my boyfriends over the years had ever worn it, and so I’d never actually seen anyone putting it on. Rio had an entire metal case full of creams, lotions, powders, brushes, sponges, and more, which they expertly applied.
Their bronze skin was naturally flawless, free of blemishes and acne, so I was curious as to what the makeup would achieve. As Rio chatted to me about the modifications they’d made to the ’86, I watched as their face was subtly transformed. Their cheekbones became more prominent, their nose a little less harsh. Color bloomed across their cheeks, and their eyes smoldered from behind dark eyeliner and a blend of eyeshadows. When they smeared a pink gloss over their lips and rubbed them together, I had to close my eyes and remind myself to breathe.
“Alright, I’m done,” Rio announced, carefully wiping the brush they’d just used on a tissue and putting it away in the case. They pivoted on the stool to face me and rose gracefully to their feet, putting one hand on a hip and using the other to gesture at themselves. “Do I clean up okay?”
“You look amazing,” I said honestly, unable to look away as I got off the bed.
“Awww, you’re too sweet,” they said, then put a hand to the back of my neck and drew my face down so they could kiss my cheek.
“Just telling it like it is.” I cleared my throat. “Shall we see if the others are ready to go?”
Teresa and Brad werenotready to go. Brad was outside on the phone, and Teresa was fuming. “I have no idea how long he’s going to be,” she spat, glaring at her boyfriend through the window. “He hasn’t even showered yet.”
“It’s okay,” I assured her. “It won’t matter if we’re a bit late.”
She shook her head. “No, you two should just go ahead. We’ll come when he’s finished. There’s no point in all of us missing half the program because Brad can’t keep his promises.”
Rio frowned. “It’s not fair that you miss out either,” they said. “We don’t mind waiting with you.”
Teresa forced a smile. “Honestly, it’s okay. Just go. I’ll be fine.”
“Ter—” I began, but she cut me off.
“Coop, please. I’m sure we’ll probably end up fighting, and I don’t want you both here for that. Just go. I’ll text you when we get there and we can meet up then.”
I sighed, but nodded. “Okay, fine. But please try not to let him ruin your entire day.”
“I won’t.” She hugged us both and then shooed us out the door.
“I feel terrible,” Rio said softly as we made our way down the porch steps.
“Same, but there’s not much we can do except be there for Teresa if she needs us.” I sighed. “I hate seeing my baby sister upset, though.”
“You’re a good brother,” Rio told me. Then asked, “Want me to drive?”
The squeal that left my mouthmayhave sounded like a happy baby pig, but I didn’t care. “Fuck, yes!”
Rio grinned, showing off that damn adorable chipped tooth, and I gaped at them for a long moment. Then they were hurrying over to their car, and I quickly followed. I had to wait for Rio to get in and lean over to unlock the door, but then I was sliding into the passenger seat and breathing in that heavenly scent once again. They turned the key in the ignition, and the engine roared to life. It wasn’t as throaty as other cars I’d heard, but she still thrummed with power. Rio reached over to the aftermarket sound system and pressed a few buttons. Soon we had some tunes pumping, and we took off down the dirt track.
Rio wasn’t a reckless driver, and for that I was profoundly grateful. As a paramedic, I’d seen too many car accidents to not be a little hesitant. I knew they were skilled, but even highly skilled people made mistakes. Rio showed off the car, but didn’t show off themself—a distinction I appreciated. We took a few corners a little faster than I would have done in my truck, but at no point did I ever feel unsafe.
It was as we were heading over the pass, towards the small general store that serviced the area, that I became curious enough to ask, “Do you ever just push her limits on roads like these?”
“Sometimes,” they conceded. “But never during the day.”
“Why not? I would have thought it would be more dangerous at night?”
“For the sort of driving I do, it’s the opposite. When you drift, you cross lanes and use the entire road. That’s way too dangerous during the day, because you have no idea what’s coming. At night, you can see the headlights of approaching vehicles. It’s not foolproof, and it’s still dangerous, but the risk is a little lower.” They glanced over at me and reached out to squeeze my knee. “I’m always as safe as I can be.”
I nodded, swallowing hard. Rio justgotme. I didn’t have to go into lengthy explanations about how my job had made me paranoid, or how worried I got over their safety. They just knew, and they went out of their way to reassure me.
“Thanks,” I eventually managed to say.
“Maybe on the way home tonight, if there’s no one else around, I can show you what my baby can do?”
I nodded, a littletooenthusiastically. “Yeah. That’d be great.” I might be cautious, but I was still excited to see the ’86 at her full potential.
Rio grinned once more. “I promise you’ll have fun.”
