“Garage, too, if you need space,” Riley calls out. He pulls his helmet off. We catch eyes, and he gives me an impressed nod. It sends a tingle through me, but there’s no time to process.
“You heard the man!” Riley barks out. “Let’s get moving!”
Quickly, everyone jumps into action. Enough people have gathered to form two lines, and as boxes of art start to appear, Riley directs the mechanics, keeping a steady motion as theyload their carts and haul everything off to safety. We’re moving fast, but I keep glancing up the block, where the large flow of lube continues to gain on us, glistening destruction in its path.
“Finn!” Kavya calls out. She runs my way. “The art! This is a disaster. Is everyone safe?” she asks.
“I think so,” I answer. “And we’re working hard to save the art, but it’s going to be a direct hit on the center.”
Kavya, alarmed, looks at the building, then tilts her head to the side as she glances around. It causes me to pause for a moment and take the scene in as well.
The entire gayborhood seems to be activated. Neighbors are efficiently handing off the boxes while a couple people from the center organize them, shouting instructions. Riley loads up another cart and slaps the back of the motorcycle, a signal for Pirate Bill to take off. By the time the next few boxes arrive, Ali is in position to receive them.
“I need to get down, help prioritize,” Kavya says, and hurries in to join the crowd.
When I glance back up, I see the Glube carry a park bench, headed for a slow-motion collision with Little Joe’s motorcycle.
“Move, move, move!” Riley yells, hurrying everyone out of the way just in time as Little Joe veers. Riley jumps on his own bike and gestures for people to hop in the cart he’s hauling. Kavya comes running out with a bird sculpture in her arms, and I take it from her and load it in the cart while she climbs in behind.
Harry comes running out of the craft center. “The time is nigh!” he screams. “The time is nigh!”
“What?” Clay asks, confused as he holds a box in his arms.
“It’s curtain call!” Harry replies. “The last hurrah! No time for an encore!” A few more people stare at him blankly, and he thrusts his finger toward the lube. “The Glube has arrived, abandon ship!”
That snaps everyone into motion. People flee in every direction, and as we watch from the sides, horrified, the flow finally reaches the building. It gloops and burps and slimes all over, pushing through the door.
Xander falls to his knees on the sidewalk. “My Glube,” he cries out. “My precious Glube.”
Kavya lets out a deep breath of relief as she watches Clay deposit the last box. “We got it all,” she says.
I realize my hands are shaking, but when I glance around, it seems that no one is hurt. The street itself is covered, wet with lube and significantly damaged. Shrubs are destroyed, lights toppled over, and every building on the way seems to have taken a hit. The bulk of the lube, however, continues straight into the building, where I’m sure it’s filling the basement we raced to empty.
Emergency services arrive, and the crowd eases back to give them space.
A hand lands on my shoulder, and when I turn, I see Riley has returned. His face is flushed from exertion. For a moment, the only thought in my mind is that I’m happy to see him.
He retrieves his hand. “Good call getting the mechanics,” he says, his voice low and rumbling. “Looks like we didn’t have a minute to spare.”
I nod. “Thanks for pitching in.”
“Glad we could help.” He looks over to the flooded building, then back to me. “I know this isn’t the best time,” he says, “but I need to apologize for how I acted the other day. At the café.”
“Oh.” I’m relieved to hear him say that, and hope bubbles up in me. Maybe he won’t run away after all. “Yeah. You fled before I had a chance to talk to you.”
He furrows his brow. “I know I did. And there’s no excuse for acting like that, and especially not for saying what I said. That was wrong, and I didn’t mean it. You deserve better treatment.”
I’m grateful that he’s taking accountability so directly. “Apology accepted.”
“Good. But there’s something else I need to say to you, too.”
“I’ve been hoping to talk to you as well.”
Riley swallows. I realize he’s nervous. He doesn’t seem to know that I’m the person at the other end of those messages, so what could he want to talk to me about?
“In that case, maybe we could step somewhere private?”
I nod. “Sure. My apartment is over by the park.”
