THIRTY-EIGHT
COLE
Every further moment with Sophie does strange things to me. I don’t even recognize myself anymore. I don’t know who this guy is who falls asleep with her in his arms, feeling peace. At the same time, though, I don’t allow myself to think about it. I don’t care what happens outside this bubble we’re in. Nor do I think about the fact that we’ll have to leave it at some point. I don’t give a shit about anything else. And even though I know all of this seems far too easy, I ignore that in order to feel—at least for the moment—something that comes damn close to happiness.
"How did you get the motorcycle up here?"
I follow Sophie’s curious gaze, which is directed at the Kawasaki standing in the corner of the room.
"With the freight elevator. See that wall over there?" I point at a part of the wall that consists only of white-painted plywood panels, and Sophie nods.
"Behind it is a freight elevator. The floor used to be much bigger, but I don’t need that much space, so I divided it."
Sophie gets up and walks over to my bike. "Why don’t you ride it?"
I follow her and stop next to her while she looks at the 200-hp beast.
"It has engine trouble." I shrug.
Sophie gently runs her fingers over the gray-and-black bodywork, then turns her head toward me. "Can’t you fix it?"
Sighing, I let my gaze slide over the machine. "I could."
"Then why don’t you?"
I grimace. "After the accident, I just… didn’t care."
She glances at the motorcycle before coming over to me and wrapping her arms around my waist. As I return the hug, the heaviness that had threatened to settle on my heart instantly disappears.
"Did you like riding it?" Sophie mumbles against my chest.
I give a short laugh, not missing how broken it sounds. "Fuck, yeah."
"How fast does it go?"
I don’t hide the smirk as it spreads over my lips. "Pretty damn fast. Close to 200miles per hour."
Astonished, Sophie looks back at the bike. "How does that feel?"
How do you describe the feeling of racing across the asphalt at full speed on a Kawasaki Ninja?
"Like flying," I reply softly, hugging her a little tighter.
We remain silent for a while, each lost in our own thoughts, until Sophie slightly pulls away from me. Lowering my eyes, I look at her as she gives me a smile that almost knocks me over.
"You should fix it," she says firmly. "If it’s like flying, you should fix the motorcycle and put it back where it belongs. On the road."
Her eyes literally sparkle at her words, and I answer without even thinking about it for a split second. "You know what? I will."
She lets out a squeal of laughter as I lift her. "Really?"
"Yes," I say before I kiss her briefly but fiercely. "Right now. We’ll get the parts, and I’ll get the baby back in shape."
"Can I ride it then, too?"
I chuckle as I head for the stairs with her. "Get that idea out of your head. Fast. There are way too many reasons against it."
"Like what?" she asks, challenging me after I put her down.
