She turned, noticing the dirt bike hanging on the far wall across from the desk. It was blue and black, and it appeared to be in good condition, likely for a teenager.
“Is this the bike you and Marco fixed?”
“Yeah. I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it when I outgrew it, and when I opened this shop, it felt right to pay it tribute,” Elias responded. “Come on. Let me show you the rest and how far I’ve gotten on the bike.”
Eri allowed him to lead her through another door, and the vibe of the room was much like the one they’d left. More murals on the walls. While it was where he worked on the bikes, everything was organized and in a specific place. It was nothing like any of the other garages she’d seen, where things were strewn everywhere. She assumed that was a luxury of working alone and only taking on clients he wanted. She also understood why the outside of the building was so nondescript.
She was no expert in vehicle parts, but she assumed they cost a pretty penny, and he had a multitude of them. Not to mention whatever custom parts he might need. It was safer for it to look unexciting from the outside.
Elias pulled the covering off one of the two covered motorcycles, and Eri walked over to it. She was fascinated by what she saw. It was clear he wasn’t finished with it, but it was easy to tell how amazing it would look once it was all put together.
“What color are you painting it?” she asked.
“Forrest green.”
Eri nodded. That was going to be nice. Its chrome accents already stood out, but in contrast to dark green, they would complement nicely. She also liked that the color chosen wasn’t black.
“I bet it’s going to look great when it’s finished. You’ll have to be sure to show me pictures.” She turned to the other covered bike. “What’s that one?”
“It’s a frame. There’s nothing special about it, but I cover everything to protect it in case I don’t come here for a few days,”he said, wrapping his arms around her. “You still want to go for that ride?”
“Yes, are we going now?”
Elias kissed her neck. “If you’re ready.”
“Lead the way,” she responded.
Eri followed him through a set of double doors to a small loading bay. His bike sat to the side, with a helmet on the seat. He grabbed a box off a shelf and held it out for her to open. She reached out with a furrowed brow, removing the lid. She pulled out an iridescent helmet in shades of orange.
“This is pretty, but I take it you didn’t have this just lying around.”
Elias set the box to the side, taking the helmet from her. “Technically, I did. It was black, though.” Eri let those words sink in. He’d customized the helmet for her. The butterflies in her stomach took flight, and Eri surged onto her tiptoes with them to kiss him.
“Thank you,” she responded, sinking back onto her heels.
“You don’t need to thank me, Amate. If you’re going to be riding with me, you need a helmet.”
“You make it sound like I’ll be riding with you often.”
“Whenever you want to,” he replied, helping her into the helmet.
A minute later, she was seated on his bike behind him as the bay door rose, and he pulled out, the door going down behind them. It was a nice day, and Eri didn’t know where they were going. She also didn’t care as she wrapped her arms more securely around his waist, and she prepared to enjoy the ride.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
When Elias told her he’d take her for a ride, he had no actual destination in mind. So, they’d driven to the city’s outskirts and down back roads that were seldom used before heading back to the park in the city’s center, where food trucks and other vendors liked to gather on the weekends. He’d known there would be far more of them with the warmer weather out to play. Eri pulled him through the others in attendance, stopping when they came to a food truck.
“You want pizza?” he asked with a raised brow.
“Not just any pizza. The best pizza in town,” she responded, turning to look at him.
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“Are you telling me you’ve never had pizza fromGilmano’s?”
“I haven’t. Usually, when I want pizza, I make it.”
“Well, you’re in for a surprise. I’ll order for you if you want.”
