Page 54 of Faux Real
“Just put it on, will you?” I ask. “I’ll drive slowly, I promise. Plus, we’re not going that far.”
“I don’t know,” she murmurs, concern plastered on her face. “If it’s close, maybe we can just walk.”
“It’s notthatclose.” I cock my head to the side and push myself off the bike. Taking the helmet from her hands, I position it over her head and push it down, giving it a little tap. “Right then, all set.”
Kennedy frowns, sweeping the trapped hair out of her eyes as she shakes her head. “It feels loose,” she notes. “I think it’s too big. Maybe we should—”
“Relax, Kenny, okay?” I let out a labored sigh. “Big helmet is better than no helmet, agreed?”
“Yeah, I guess,” she mutters begrudgingly as I straddle the Triumph.
“Alright, get on.”
“Uh—” she stammers, hesitating for a second before swinging her leg over the bike. Smart girl, she put on pants. She shifts behind me, the heat from her body radiating into my back. “Where do I um...put my hands?”
“Right—” I reach for her hands and wrap them around my torso. “Here.”
“Oh,” she whispers, her fingers locking and unlocking as if she’s not sure how to hold on to me. “Okay.”
I let out an inaudible chuckle. She’s nervous, it’s almost cute. “Hold on tight, yeah?” I say as the engine hums to life and Kenny’s thighs tighten around mine, her grip around my body tense. “Nottootight though, I’d like to be able to breathe.”
“Sorry.” Kenny expels a nervous giggle and loosens her hold. “Is this better?”
I find myself relaxing into her arms for a second before clearing my throat. “Yeah, that’s good,” I murmur, kicking off of the ground.
“Oh my God,” Kenny whispers as we accelerate down the street. I make sure to keep my speed slow enough that she doesn’t start freaking out but fast enough that we don’t topple over. “Oh my God.”
“Kennedy, you can probably run faster than the speed we’re going right now,” I comment, amused by her panic. “Stop freaking out.”
“I can’t help it,” she whines as her face burrows into my back. “This is terrifying.”
“Just try and enjoy the ride,” I suggest as I subtly accelerate but Kenny notices right away, her grasp tightening around me.
“Ho-ly shit,” she whimpers as we turn a corner. “I’m going to throw up.”
“Please don’t,” I say with a laugh. “I happen to like this jacket.”
For the next ten minutes, Kennedy lets out a combination of curse words and exclamations of adrenaline, slowly but surely, getting more comfortable as we ride to our destination. I’ve never ridden the Triumph with another person, but it’s quite entertaining. I park on a residential street and turn off the engine, helping Kenny dismount the motorcycle.
“So?” I ask as she removes the helmet, her body semi-swaying. “How was it?”
“So great,” she sings in a shaky tone, forcing a smile as she fixes her messy hair. “Loved it.”
“You’ll get used to it,” I say with a snort, hooking the helmet to the handlebars and running a hand through my hair. “Right so, the garden is this way.”
“I didn’t know there was a park here,” Kenny muses as she follows me down a cobble-stoned path toward a rusted gate. “How did you find this place?”
I shrug, opening the gate and ushering Kenny through. “Had a lot of time to just ride around this past summer, found a few cool spots. This is one of them,” I explain. “Turn right.”
Kenny rounds the corner and a sunken garden full of various flowers—roses, daffodils, and...irises—comes into a view. Maybe it’s an orchid...I don’t know, some sort of fucking flower.
“Wow,” she breathes, taking in the sharp colorful beauty and the fragrant smell of all the blossoming florals. “This is amazing!”
“Yeah, it’s not bad,” I say with a smile as I watch her prance toward the...irises? Maybe I’ll look it up later. “Well, go on now, take some photos.”
“Okay!” Kenny pulls out her phone just as a melodic whistle echoes in the distance.
Oh, shit. They must be back.
