“That’s fine, Doll. I just want to be in your life. If all you can give me is your friendship, then that’s what I’ll take. The only thing I want is for you to be happy and know that you are one of the best women I’ve ever met. If I could go back and change everythin’ from our past, I would without any hesitation. You light up my world and chase away the demons that have haunted me for longer than I’ll ever tell anyone. Even when we were apart, all I had to do was think of you and everythin’ seemed a million times better than they were,” I say, leaning down and pressing a kiss on the top of her head.
“Just promise me we’ll talk about these things moving forward, Rex. That’s the only way I can start slow with you. If we don’t, I won’t be able to be friends with you,” she says, sitting up and looking me in the eyes so I can now see the truth of her words.
“I’ll give you whatever you want, Doll. For now, I just want to hold you while we watch this movie. Well, I’ll watch the movie and you’ll be asleep in the first five minutes,” I say, making Taleah laugh because this is one of our many inside jokes. My girl can never make it through an entire movie. She barely makes it past the opening credits.
“We can lay down on the couch. I slept here last night and it’s really comfortable,” she says, moving farther away so I can lay down before she settles in front of me.
I hold Taleah in my arms with her back pressed against my chest. Taleah starts the movie after covering us up and making sure I can reach the table where my drink and the snacks wait for us to devour. Like I said, she falls asleep just as the movie starts and I hold her tighter against my body. I don’t bother paying attention because I’m exhausted and for the firsttime, I have a feeling I’ll be able to sleep. Taleah has always been the calm I need to keep me sleeping when my mind won’t shut off. Closing my eyes, I breathe in the familiar scent of lavender and nature. Sleep claims me faster than normal and I dream of a future with Taleah.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Taleah
OVER THE LAST two weeks, I’ve spent every single day with Master. He usually comes over to my house once he’s done with work for the day. If the club has church, he comes over later, but always lets me know. Part of me feels as if he’s treating me the same as before. We always hang out in private and don’t speak in public unless he stops in at Fantasy Realm. The girls who work for me love it when he shows up at the shop because he greets them all and spends time getting to know them. Not because he’s interested in them, but because he knows I like them and they’re important to me. Before Elara was the only important person in my life and he already knew her. Now, there are more people he has to get to know. This time, he’s making the effort so that’s different than before. This is something I’m going to have to talk to him about because it’s kind of driving me insane.
Link fixed Bhodi’s bike. The fuel pump shit the bed and the battery also needed to be replaced along with the connection wires. He told me once those were fixed, the bike started right up and ran with no issues. Once the bike was running, he called and asked me for permission to take it on a test ride to ensure nothing else was wrong with it. I hesitated for a long time because only two people have ever ridden this bike—my brother and now me. After he assured me he would remain in Glendale, I finally relented and gave him permission to take it out. I’d ask Master to do it, but he still can’t even say Bhodi’s name. I can’t see him riding his bike no matter what the situation is.
Later that day, I was able to finally pick up the bike. Sarah gave me a ride to the garage and dropped me off so I could take the bike out. I brought all of my riding gear with me and they allowed me to change in the bathroom. Link pointed out the repairs and new parts so I knew he didn’t put on a used fuel pump or battery. Then he made a comment about my riding gear because it’s the first time he’s seen a girl dressed in pants, boots, jacket, and gloves along with a full helmet. Everything is brand-new because I replace my things once a year. I still have the original set Bhodi helped me buy. It’s hanging in my closet in an apparel bag so it doesn’t get damaged. My original helmet is on a shelf in the garage. I’m waiting for a clear case to come in so I can place it there to keep safe.
When I left the garage, I passed Master as he was pulling in. He didn’t follow me and I knew he wouldn’t. I told him during my lunch when he called I was planning on going for a ride because Link was done with the bike. He’s not ready to see me on Bhodi’s bike and ride along next to me. Rex doesn’t know I’ve taken the courses and passed my tests immediately. I was already practicing before Bhodi died because he was ready to go buy a bike with me. I saved every penny I ever made or got as a gift. Plus, I have my inheritance and my parents agreed I could buy a bike as long as I only rode with Bhodi or Rex and didn’t go out on my own until one of them said I was ready to ride by myself. I agreed to their terms and kept saving up for the bike so I wouldn’t have to use that much of my inheritance. I still remember the conversation about my brother’s bike after his death.
I was sitting in the living room with Elara. The TV was on, but we weren’t paying attention to it. Bhodi has been gone for two weeks now and it still doesn’t seem real to me. I keep expecting to see him walk through the front door after footballpractice with Rex trailing behind him. Instead, the house remains eerily silent and Bhodi will never walk inside again. My parents left today to get groceries and prepare to leave on another business trip. I’m supposed to be staying at Elara’s house, but I don’t want to. I want to stay here at home where I can feel close to my brother.
“Sweetheart, are you home?” my mom calls out as she comes in the house.
“Living room,” I respond as I don’t move or look in her direction.
“Your dad and I were talking on the way home about Bhodi’s bike. We don’t know what to do with it. The only other person we know who rides is Rex and I don’t think he wants it. We didn’t see him at the funeral and that’s not something we ever thought would happen. They were always so close,” my mom says as I sit up straighter on the couch next to Elara.
“You want to get rid of Bhodi’s bike?” I question my mom as she moves to stand in front of me.
“We don’t want to. It’s something we need to think about though. Your brother loved that bike and someone else should enjoy it as much as he did,” she says as my dad walks in the house and stops next to my mom.
“Bhodi wouldn’t want it sitting around collecting dust forever, Baby Girl. So, what do you think we should do with it?” he asks as the tears start falling once again and I know exactly who should have the bike.
“I want it. I’ve got my motorcycle license and have been riding practice bikes for a long time now. Bhodi has watched me ride and instead of buying a brand-new bike, I want his. I’ll take care of it the way he did and will make sure I alwayswear my gear. Please, let me have it,” I beg my parents because getting rid of the bike will destroy what is left of me.
“Are you sure you don’t want a smaller bike? One you can handle easier?” my mom asks because this is a conversation we had with Bhodi when I first started talking about getting a bike of my own.
“No. Bhodi has let me sit on his bike and I can reach the ground. I have to use my tip toes, but I’m able to hold it up on my own with no help. Please let me keep it?” I ask again as my parents simply continue to look at me. When none of us say anything, I almost believe they won’t agree to me keeping it. It’s not until my dad steps closer to me and leans down before I realize they’re about to agree to my request.
“You can keep it, Baby Girl. If you go for a ride, you’re to wear your gear and I don’t want to see you riding with a passenger. You’re not ready for that. And you can’t ride it after dark. Promise?” he asks me as I smile in response before nodding my head.
“I promise. For now, I’ll only ride it to and from school. On the weekends, I’ll remain in town and won’t go far in case something happens. That way Elara or her parents can get to me immediately. Thank you,” I say, jumping off the couch to give my parents hugs. For the first time in two weeks I’m showing signs of life again instead of moping around the house as I mourn my brother.
“You know where the keys are,” my mom says, turning and following my dad into the kitchen so they can put the groceries away as I sit back again and think of all the rides Bhodi’s bike will be able to get taken on even though he’s no longer here to ride himself.
Clearing my head from memories, I pick up my laptop and get back to work. Today I stayed home to work on the paperwork instead of going into the store. It’s the first day I haven’t been at Fantasy Realm in the last two weeks. I buried myself in work because I haven’t been there as much. The girls don’t really need me there every day, but I always feel as if I should be since I’m the owner. Sarah laughs every time I tell her that and assures me I’ll be okay to take time off. My store won’t close and if anything happens, they’ll call me. So, I decided to stay home so I can think about everything and figure out how I can talk to Rex about my new set of concerns regarding the two of us. I don’t want him to feel as if I’m pressuring him, but we did promise to talk to one another about things.
“Doll, you’re already home?” Rex questions me as he walks in the house and resets the alarm before moving into the living room to sit with me.
“Stayed home today. I’ve been trying to catch up on paperwork. You’re here early,” I return, setting my laptop down and turning to face him.
“Good. So, I was wonderin’ if I could take you on a date tonight?” he asks me as I take in his appearance and realize he’s nervous.
“I don’t know, Rex. We’ve been at my house for the last two weeks. I was just thinking about how to talk to you about this. It feels like you’re hiding me away from the world. From the people you’re the closest to,” I say, not sure I should have just blurted it out like that.
“That’s why I want to take you out to the local diner, Doll. We’ll have dinner and then I thought we could do somethin’ we haven’t done in eight years. I want to take you to this amazin’ field on the outskirts of town to look at the stars. You usedto love star gazin’,” he says and my heart melts because he’s actually willing to take me out where others can see us together.
