EPILOGUE
FINN
One year later...
Riley throws his arms wildly backward, windmilling as he wobbles in slow motion and takes tiny steps on the rollerblades. “Oh fuck! What the fuck! Hell no!”
I laugh as I glide up next to him and take his padded elbow. “You got this,” I tell him. “Just stop trying to walk and let the rollerblades roll.”
“I’ve got on more damn armor than when I ride my bike!”
He nearly tumbles, but I manage to right him.
“Good thing,” I say, still laughing. Riley looks adorable, and in this abandoned parking lot outside of town, there’s no audience to ruin the fun. “Now roll!”
Finally, he huffs a deep breath and stops walking. I guide him forward gently by the elbow, demonstrating as we move.
“Left, right. Left, right, you got it!”
When I let go of his arm, Riley goes slowly, slowly rolling down the parking lot, cursing up a storm. I follow along beside, sometimes spinning in circles or turning backward, grinning the whole time.
Once the lesson is finished, he’s good enough that we stand there on our blades for a minute, kissing and slowly spinning in a circle. He only wobbles a few times.
“I don’t think I’ll be making the local roller derby team,” he jokes as he puts his boots back on.
“You don’t have to be good. The deal is that you learn to rollerblade, and I learn to drive a motorcycle. Once we have the basics down, I fully intend to continue full-time as your passenger.”
“Good.” He smiles. “That’s what I like to hear.”
I switch my helmet, take up my familiar seat on the back of Riley’s favorite cruiser, and wrap my arms around my man. He takes it easy as he guides us back toward town, always a careful driver. Even when we’re soaring down the highway, I feel stable and secure, grounded in Riley’s strength as forests fly by.
He and I have been together for about a year, and it’s been the happiest of my life. We’ve each seen constant change, and not just from our new relationship. I’ve been extra busy representing The Scoop as the featured business, Riley has joined the local queer motorcycle club and a couple of book clubs, and the gayborhood has entered a sort of renaissance. After the lube-alanche, a renewed sense of community and collaboration took hold, and the organizations, businesses, and neighbors are thriving.
We cruise by The Scoop on our way home, and I see the block as busy as ever. The seats outside the ice cream shop are filled, Kenneth’s music pumping, and I spot a few customers wandering over to Liberty Garage to check out Jade’s purple bike, which Pirate Bill rolls out to her from the rear. The trees that now line the pavement are quickly growing in, and a few have begun to flower, blushes of pink and white. Leon waves to us from outside his barbershop, where he’s welcoming a couplemechanics in for a shave, and from the back of the bike, I return the wave.
I expect Riley to take us straight to my place. He’s still running out the lease on his apartment, but he spends almost every night with me. Instead, though, he takes the long way around the park, driving us directly to his place.
Riley swings his legs off the cruiser, and I hop off after him. “What brings us here?” I ask after removing my helmet.
He pushes his visor back. “Got a surprise for you,” he says.
“Ohh, mysterious,” I say, following him inside. Surprises aren’t exactly my man’s go-to, so I resist the urge to guess, deciding I should let him take the lead on this.
Inside, he gestures to the couch. “Take a seat,” he says, “and I’ll be right back.”
I flip through a sci-fi novel that’s sitting on the coffee table while I wait and, a minute later, hear the bedroom door swing open. When I turn, I let out a surprised laugh.
Riley stands in the doorway wearing nothing but his black leather jacket, a black jock strap, and a pair of red demon horns, his beefy body on full display as he poses. I sit up straight, delighted as I realize what he’s doing.
“Relix?” I ask. “You’re dressed as the vampire from our stories?”
“Hwf fwampaw,” he says, his mouth full with fake fangs, which he quickly pulls out. “Half-vampire,” he says again. “Fuck. Can’t talk with these.”
“You put on a costume for me?”
He grabs a pair of sparkly fairy wings from the bedroom, which he tosses my way. “I finally finished the last chapter in the story. Thought we should do something special to celebrate.”
I immediately pull my shirt off and slip the wings on. “Hell yes,” I say, turning to catch a glimpse in the mirror. “I love it.”
