He placed it aside as she grabbed the remote, draping her legs back over his lap. They had a couple of hours to kill, and he knew she’d continue the series they’d started together a few days ago.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Eri took in the scenic beauty as Elias wound through a back road she was sure she could never find on her own. They’d been riding for almost two hours, and she’d been able to keep up with where they were going until they’d made it out of Santa Fe. He’d gotten off on a back road, and she hadn’t seen a sign since, and only two other vehicles.
She’d been trying to be patient, but curiosity was getting the best of her. Just as Eri was about to ask him where they were going, they rounded the bend, and she was immediately reminded of the scene painted on the wall of his shop.
It was breathtaking imagery that he’d captured damn near perfectly. When she’d seen it on the wall, she’d felt like she was there. Now that she was, it gave the feeling of being free. A feeling she knew was only compounded by the freedom of being on the motorcycle. Eri doubted she would have the same sense of immersion were she in a car.
After several minutes, he pulled off onto a road. They passed a sign Eri couldn’t make out, and about half a mile later, they were pulling into a little town. He took a right at the first turn they came to and pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant. Elias helped her off the bike, and Eri removed her helmet. She took in the brightly colored building and cute sign as she adjusted the straps on her backpack.
“Where are we?” she asked, handing him her helmet to lock up.
“Peñasco,” he responded.
Eri had never heard of it, but it was a quaint little town from what she’d seen of it.
“We’re going to order lunch to go, and then I’m taking you there,” he told her, pointing to a landscape of elevated trees.
They entered the restaurant, and she took in the decor. It was eccentric and welcoming. There were a few people seated at tables, eating or waiting for food. Elias led her to the counter, where they took a couple of minutes to look at the menu before ordering.
As they waited, Eri ventured to the mounted bookshelf in the establishment’s corner and looked through the variety of books. She took out one about Spanish art and sat on the stool beside the shelf. Elias joined her a minute later, looking at the book’s title before leaning against the wall beside her.
“How did you find this town?” she asked, flipping through the pages.
“I was riding one day, with no destination in mind, and decided to get lost for a while. I took several roads I hadn’t taken before and ended up here. I’ve found a few places that way.”
“We should get lost together,” she responded, looking up at him.
“Whenever you want to, baby.”
When their food was ready, they placed the bottled drinks in the side pocket of the backpack before putting the two bags of food inside. It now made sense why he’d asked her to bring an empty backpack.
It didn’t take them long to go where Elias wanted to take her. He pulled off the dirt road and drove on the flat plain right in front of the tree line until they could overlook the entire town. He pulled a blanket out of his motorcycle bag and spread it out.
Once they were situated with food around them, she took in the beauty of their surroundings, and she couldn’t help but take her phone out and snap a few pictures. Nature had always intrigued her because it was such a funny thing. Sometimes serene and beautiful. Other times, chaotic and ugly.
“Take a picture with me,” she requested. One turned into six before Eri put her phone away. “It’s so pretty here,” she said, picking up the wrap she’d ordered. “I wonder how long the town has been here.”
“A long time,” Elias responded. “Three small Spanish settlements founded it in the late 1700s.” Eri raised a questioning brow at him. “After I found it, I looked it up. I wanted to know about the little gem I’d stumbled on.”
They ate in comfortable silence for a few moments. The sounds of birds and the wind rustling through the trees played as a soft melody.
“Did you find all the furniture you wanted?”
“For the most part,” Eri responded. “The bedroom furniture will be delivered on Friday, and everything else over the course of the following week.”
Since she currently lived in campus housing, none of the major furniture belonged to her, and she had to go shopping to furnish her new apartment. She was moving the following weekend, and wanted to ensure that, if nothing else, the bed she’d chosen made it there before she did. She was fine with everything else trickling in slowly.
“I’ll come by when I finish working on Friday, and put it together for you. Don’t try to do it yourself.”
Eri laughed. “Trust me, I won’t. This is exactly what boyfriends are for,” she teased.
Elias chuckled. “If you say so, Amate. Do you need help packing this week?”
“I think I can manage. Since none of the furniture belongs to me, aside from small accent pieces, it should be fairly easy.”
He nodded. “Okay. We’ll be there on Saturday morning. My dad was all too happy to lend us his truck.”
