I grab my silverware and start cutting. I take a bite and melt on the spot. These are amazing. I am definitely coming back here for these waffles.
“I told you they are good. Your face says everything.” Bear laughs, his face smug.
We don’t talk while we eat, but it’s a comfortable silence. I put my fork and knife next to each other on my plate and push them away.
“Do you want to stay here, or do you want me to drop you off at the motel?” he asks.
I signal here. It is really peaceful, and I don’t want to leave yet. Bear isn’t bad company either.
I am still nervous about him. His comment about my quick descent from his bike felt like an insinuation, but his apology has me thinking twice about him.
“Okay. How about we get to know each other? Does that sound good?” Bear questions.
I nod. I am starting to get a little more comfortable around him. He leans over and reaches into his back pocket, pulling out his phone. He unlocks it before handing it to me.
“You can type on this. I’ll go first. What made you want to be a mechanic?”
My dad was a mechanic, so I grew up in a garage and eventually fell in love with the idea of being able to fix something that is broken, I type.
“That’s pretty cool. Did you ever work with your dad?”
I got to work with him for a year before he passed away.
It has been four years since my parents died in a car crash, a drunk driver hit them head-on, and no one survived.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” he says sincerely.
I wave my hand before typing on his phone.
What’s your real name?
“Not many people know my real name. Only a couple of people in the club know it, but I’ll tell you. My real name is Leo. Don’t go around telling anyone, but you can call me Leo,” he replies.
His real name is Leo. It suits him, as does Bear, since he is a big man. I don’t think I’ll call him Leo, though. He was introduced as Bear, and it has stuck with me now.
What made you want to join the club?
“Um, I came back and got medically discharged from the Army when I was twenty-two. I needed a place where we all trusted each other and where I could be myself. My friend, the president, saw that and told me that I could join the club,” he explains.
Knowing that he served in the Army and is now in the club makes him ten times hotter. A man in uniform is always a turn on, especially looking like Bear, covered in tattoos and strong.
That’s pretty cool. I don’t know much about clubs, but it seems like you all are close to each other.
“I can always explain everything about the club to you,” he offers.
Maybe another time. I need to go get a couple of things right now.
I try to change the topic. I don’t want to know much about the club. After tonight, I am hoping to distance myself from the club, going back to my routine of working and going home. I don’t need them trying to involve themselves in my life; my life is already complicated as it is.
“What do you need? Maybe I can help, and figure out the best places to go,” he offers, standing.
He takes his wallet out of his back pocket and drops some money on the table.
I just need a phone right now.
After reading it, Bear smiles and looks back up at me before he starts to walk toward the front door. I follow after him, waiting for him to respond.
“I know the best place to get a phone. The owner is part of the club and loves it when he gets new customers,” Bear says. “I can take you real quick if you want. I don’t want to pressure you into anything
