Feeling her head resting in between my shoulder blades was a sensation I could get used to.
We rode for a while until we ascended to the lookout point. Wrecker pointed to the right before he peered over his shoulder, so I pointed upward, letting him know that Jasmine and I would go up so they could go right.
Jasmine’s voice came alive in my helmet when we parted ways. “Is everything all right? Aren’t we supposed to stay together.”
I chuckled. “Just trust us.”
Eventually, we wound our way to the top of the lookout point. Redd Valley was surrounded on two sides by hills and pseudo-mountains, and there were many nooks and crannies where kids in the town could get into trouble. Our crew had long since carved out pathways up this particular mountain. There were plenty of perch points, and as I eased my bike to the edge of ours, I put the kickstand down.
I gazed out at the moon-drenched town of Redd Valley.
“Wow,” Jasmine said breathlessly as my Bluetooth headset that connected our helmets came alive again. “It’s beautiful up here.”
I killed the engine so I could listen out for them. “One of my favorite spots in all of Redd Valley.”
“Really?”
I just nodded.
I expected her to stop holding me. I expected her to get off the bike, maybe want to walk around and stretch her legs. After all, I knew she wasn’t a fan of motorcycles. She made that pretty clear in the parking lot of that grocery store I stalked her to. But instead of getting off, she kept her arms around me. She kept her hands splayed out over my abdomen.
And eventually, my hand gravitated with a mind of its own until it rested on top of hers.
“Where did they go, anyway?” Jasmine finally asked. “Amanda and Wrecker?”
“Probably to fuck.”
She choked on her own damn tongue, and it made me chuckle. I patted the tops of her hands before I wiggled off the bike, hating how I lost the warmth of her touch. I needed my helmet off, though. I wanted to feel the breeze on my face.
Even if I couldn’t flip up my mask.
“Fuck!” Amanda cried out.
Jasmine gasped as I plucked my helmet off just as a breeze kicked up. I closed my eyes and tilted my face toward it.
“Goddamn it, Amanda. Give it to me,” Wrecker growled.
“Told you,” I said with a grin as I turned my attention to Jasmine, only for her wide eyes to have already been focused on me.
“Jaz?” I asked.
“Oh fuck,” Amanda squeaked out below us.
She puffed her cheeks out with a heavy sigh. “Man, you weren’t joking, huh?”
I just chuckled as I reached my hand out for her. “Want to get off the bike?”
She took my hand and let me slide her off the bike, though she stumbled a bit. My bike sat up a bit higher than most because my legs were so fucking long, most regular bikes felt like trike-bikes to me. She squealed a bit, and I held my arms out to catch her, making sure she didn’t hit the rocky soil beneath us.
“I gotcha, you’re okay,” I said as I wrapped my arms around her.
Her hands clung to my shirt.
Once we stood up, I fully expected her to release me. But she didn’t. I gazed down at her. She gazed up at me. And for a moment, I watched the moonlight sparkle in her eyes. Did she even know how beautiful she was in the moonlight? Herwarmth, drenched with the cool temperatures that always came with the darkness here in Redd Valley.
An angel, meant for the darkness.
For a moment, nothing else mattered.
