Page 41 of The Road Ahead
Maybe tonight once we were in bed together. That could work. I smiled to myself, and decided. Before the sun rose I would have told Cooper I was head over heels in love with him.
What could possibly go wrong?
Chapter 18
Cooper
By the time we reached the lookout, there was hardly room to pull into the bay overlooking the lake. There were cars idling everywhere, and Rio squeezed their ’86 behind Chantelle’s Skyline. Up ahead, I could see a guy wearing a bright orange vest walking down the line of cars, speaking to each driver. When he got to us, I rolled down my window so he could speak to Rio.
“Hey,” the guy said. “I’m Dante—Jimmy’s second. Won’t be too long and we’ll be starting the downhill. Jimmy’s just dealing with something, then I’ll give the signal to go.”
Rio lifted a brow. “Anything we need to worry about?”
Dante shook his head. “Nah, just some douche who thinks he’s driving at NASCAR. Troy has been warned several times to reel it in, but I think this will be the last straw.”
From up ahead came the sound of an engine revving, and then a Mustang GT500 pulled out of the line of cars. The driver—Troy, I was guessing—spun the rear wheels, sending up a wave of smoke, and then did a one-eighty until they were facing us all.With another roar of the engine, he then floored it, driving down the line of cars and swerving close to Jimmy’s S15. Dante yelped and flattened himself against my door as the Mustang flew past us, barely missing him.
Rio and I twisted in our seats to watch as the Mustang disappeared back down the road and then exchanged an incredulous look. “What a fucking dick,” Rio muttered.
“Yeah,” I agreed. I turned back to the window and reached out to grasp Dante’s arm. “You okay, dude?”
Dante looked shaken, but nodded. “Yeah. Fucking hell. I’m glad I don’t have an ass to speak of, though, or I would have lost it.” From down the line of cars, Jimmy called to him, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. Dante gave him a thumbs up, and then patted the window frame. “Right, we’re good to go. Just follow Chantelle, and I’ll send the others after you.”
“Thanks,” Rio said.
As I wound the window back up, I asked, “Is that common? People like that guy?”
Rio nodded. “Yeah, you always get one or two. They think because they’ve got a powerful car, they rule the road. They normally just end up ruining it for everyone else. I’m just glad Jimmy sent him on his way so we don’t have him behind us on the downhill.”
“Yeah, totally,” I agreed. “I’ve had to deal with his sort more times than I can count at work.” I saw Jimmy’s S15 pull out, followed by the twin RX-7s driven by Darren and Ravi. We followed Chantelle out, and then the others filed in behind us.
My heart began to beat faster as Rio’s foot pressed down harder on the gas. I could tell already that this would be a lot more intense than what I’d experienced the other night when we’d gone for a drive. Rio seemed much more focussed and was pushing the car harder. I wasn’t sure if it was their competitive streak coming out, or that they’d gone easy on me the first timeround to get me used to driving in such a manner, but whatever it was, tonight they were dialled up to eleven.
We crested the final part of the mountain road and then it was all downhill from here.
Literally.
I felt like I was on a roller coaster. My stomach flew upwards and lodged in my throat, and I automatically grabbed hold of the “oh shit” bar. Rio braked suddenly, and their hand was a blur as they shifted through the gears, before throwing the car into a corner. The tires squealed as we slid around the bend, and I fought against the instinct to squeeze my eyes shut.
I trusted Rio’s skills, and I knew they wouldn’t put me in any unnecessary danger. They weren’t like that Mustang driver, Troy. I knew I’d have major regrets if I closed my eyes and waited for it to be over. I had dreamed of driving like Takumi ever since I’d watched my first episode of the classic anime. I might not be the one behind the wheel, but I was still in an ’86 as it drifted around corner after corner. I wanted to be able to remember every single moment of this, and so I forced my eyes to remain wide open, taking it all in.
If I was asked afterwards whether I’d screamed like a toddler several times, I would deny it until my dying breath. Right at this moment, however, with the guardrail being—right fucking there, holy shit, we’re going to hit it, we’re going to hit it, fuck, fuck fuck!So, fine, I may have let out atinylittle scream. And clenched my sphincter so tightly I would probably be shitting diamonds for the next several days. Then we were past the rail, car intact, and Rio was laughing maniacally like some cartoon villain.
I couldn’t help but join in with their laughter, though mine was slightly more hysterical, but I was hopped up on adrenaline and the road ahead was full of possibilities. With Rio at my side, I feltinvincible. As we approached the next corner, I let go of the “oh shit” bar and put myself completely in Rio’s capable hands.
By the time we pulled into the Home Depot parking lot, my heart rate was somewhat back to normal. I couldn’t stop grinning, though, and I felt like I was high. “That was so fucking awesome,” I told Rio as we pulled to a stop next to Darren’s RX-7. “Thank you so much.”
Rio leaned over and kissed me. “I’m glad I got to share it with you.”
I reached up to cup their face and deepened the kiss. When I pulled back, I told them earnestly, “You are amazing. Did you know that?”
Rio laughed. “No, I’m not.”
“You are,” I insisted. “And you’re all mine.” I dropped a kiss on the tip of their nose.
“Okay, Mr. Neandathal,” Rio teased. “Come on. Let’s go check out some cars.”
We got out of the car, but were immediately jumped on by Chantelle. “Pop the hood!” she demanded playfully, clicking her fingers. “Let me check out your beauty.”
