“Kitchen cabinet.” He nods.
“I’m just gonna use the bathroom, okay?”
He nods, and he leaves the room. I wash up and decide I can’t leave him like this, alone. Walking back in, he’s sitting on the bed with a glass of water, knocking back the painkillers. I head over and lock the door,
“What are you doing?”
“Staying. I’m not leaving you alone. I have to leave early to get back to the race, but I’m not going anywhere right now.”
I start to undress, and I see his eyes trail over my body. I work out a lot. I have tattoos, a lot of tattoos. According to Jay, I have the ‘poster bad boy look’, and I chuckle to myself when I drop my t-shirt. Lee’s eyes fly to the other side of the room like he’s just been caught doing something he shouldn’t. I strip to my boxers and slide under the covers.
I hear him sigh, and he starts to undress himself. He flicks the TV on and turns off the light before sliding in beside me. I’m laid on my back with my arm behind my head, but Lee slides in, staring at the ceiling, pulling the covers up around his neck.
“You okay?”
He just nods. I hear a slight sniffle and sharp inhale, and I reach over and pull him to my chest, wrapping my arms around him and rubbing up and down his back. “Hey, you’re gonna be okay. I’ve got you. Just get some sleep, okay?”
He nods against me and goes to pull away, but I hold him against me. I keep rubbing up and down his back. I kiss his head. He’s smaller than me, real slim, about five-foot-nine at most. He has dirty blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He’s… handsome, I suppose you would say, and it feels… nice to have someone this close. I’ve not really had time for relationships. It’s always been bikes for me. I mean, I kissed a few girls, fooled around a little at school, and realised girls weren’t for me. Then with the bikes, it’s track sluts or bunnies as some prefer, but relationships? No. Quick fucks at most, normally. Mainly in the shower blocks is about all it boils down to. But it works, for the most part.
I hug him to me, and whisper into his hair, “Get some sleep, okay?”
He nods and sniffles, but his breathing eventually steadies and evens out as he drifts off. I stay awake a little longer before giving in myself.
Arch
Chapter 4
I head out of the motorhome and stretch, looking over towards his decrepit van, for want of a better word. There’s no sign of him. In fact, I watched him work on his bike for a few hours before I saw him head to the shower block. He was gone a while. When he came back, he was dressed… nicely, I suppose, and then he left. He hasn’t been back since. Maybe he’s given up, and he’s not coming back. A slight smile tugs at my lips, but it almost feels alien. It’s conflicting with the… disappointment I feel.
I hear a vehicle coming, and I turn to see a rusted old Vauxhall Nova pulling up, and I screw my face up. “Ugh, how vile.”
He steps out of the passenger side. Leaning back in, he says something to the driver, shuts the door and then taps the roof before the car drives off. He’s still wearing the same clothes as last night, but his jet-black hair is wet, like he just showered, making his waves more prominent. He turns and looks at me from head to toe before lifting his middle finger and climbing into the back of the van. I head back inside the motorhome but sit near the window, watch, and wait. The van gently rocks back and forth for a while before he steps out, dragging the bike out and placing it on the stand.
He checks it over, and it’s not long before the man who was with him yesterday shows up with a few boxes. I’m assuming it’s his dad, an uncle, clearly a family member with how close and comfortable they seem around each other. As they hug, he ruffles Ryder’s hair, even though Ryder is a good few inches bigger than him. Ryder smiles down at him. The way he smiles is not something I’ve seen from him all weekend. I’ve just seen his scowl.
Looking back, I see that they look nothing alike either, but I can’t help but feel envious of their relationship. There’s something there, love and respect, and I start to hate him a little more, which I didn’t think was possible. They pull the boxes open and start working, laughing and shoving each other. They seem to know what they’re doing and seem to enjoy it, too. I don’t think I’ve ever even held a spanner.
Once they have finished the bike, it’s still questionable at best, but they start it up, and it purrs. Ryder revs the engine, and as he lifts his head back up, he tosses his jet-black hair back, the sun behind him. He rips his t-shirt over his head, and I gasp. He’s covered in tattoos, and I find myself leaning closer to the window to see if I can get a better look. He rubs the t-shirt over his hair, then over his chest before rubbing it under both arms, then tosses it at the guy’s head who’s with him before throwing his head back and full-on laughing. The guy picks his water bottle up and throws it over Ryder, who throws his arms out and laughs again, he’s, he’s…
“Mr Bartholemew, your breakfast is ready, sir.” One of the staff breaks me out of my daze as I snap my eyes at them. I cast them a glare. Before they place the breakfast down and walk away, I turn to look back at Ryder, but he’s gone.
I finish up my breakfast, but I feel weird, empty maybe, dull, unfocused, and I can’t quite put my finger on what’s wrong. I head to the shower. I’ve got nothing to do till the race this afternoon. The team are preparing my bike and cleaning it. I get that feeling again, envy. I’m here alone, yes. I have a team, but they’re here because they’re being paid.
I grab my phone and pull up the contacts. I send a group text to the skirts; that’s what I call them, the girls who hang around. Maybe I can get one of them to come over. Maybe sex will help me get ready for the race.
There is a knock on the motorhome door, and two of the skirts are standing there. “Hey, babes.” I grin at them. “Come in.”
I step back, letting them in, before pushing them towards my bedroom, “End of the hall, ladies, you know where to go.” I grin, stepping into the room. One of them turns to me, then looks at the other girl as I stalk towards her. “You’re wearing too many clothes. Take them off, both of you.”
“Both?” one of them questions.
“Yeah, both! Take them off.” The first one strips naked, like her clothes offend her. I push her onto the bed and lean over her. She leans in for a kiss, but I turn my face to the side. I don’t kiss. It feels too intimate, too close, too much. I push my fingers roughly between her legs, and she’s wet. I turn and look at the other one, who’s now naked.
“Condoms,” I bark. “Top drawer.”
She scurries over and grabs a few, dropping them on the bed beside me. I slide one on, glaring at the other girl.
“Kiss her!”
