FlipFlops & Parker

Chapter 6 Do You Believe

"Do you trust me?" I asked.

"Yes." She answered without hesitation. I released the breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding.

Jay

Just like that I realised that yes I did trust him. I'd been going around in circles for hours picking apart what Loaf had said. I'd questioned my own ability to read people. My naiveté. My stupidity. How little I knew him. How obsessed I had become.

Yet just by answering a simple question, the answer was simple as well.

Yes I did trust him. He had plenty of opportunities to capitalise on my situation. He could've just left me as both Loaf and Taylor had done or dragged me off before talking to potential witnesses. Yet he hadn't. My hand in his felt right.

Yes maybe that's exactly how the fly felt moments before the spider devoured it but I felt safe with him. Going with the feeling rather than the constant barrage of thoughts, was definitely scary, but also blessed relief. I felt a little charge of excitement.

I had never ridden as a passenger on a bike before. How did I get on? On the back? How would it work? What if I fell off? I started over thinking again.

"Jay, listen, the easiest way for you is to sit on the handlebars, feet out in front to balance and keep out of the way of the front wheel."

Swallowing hard, I boosted myself up and felt Parker hard behind me. His breath was in my ear.

He started to paddle along at first, before gaining momentum to pedal.

We wobbled precariously gaining a little speed. My hair whipped up into his face and I was sure he couldn't see anything. Feeling the balance go, I couldn't help from shouting out

"Slow down!"

As the bike slowed I leapt up off from the handlebars with a grace I didn't even know I had. My heart was hammering in my chest. How the hell was this going to work?

Parker was trying not to laugh. "I know it feels weird. I know you want to go slow but believe me, with this, it's much better to speed up. It will be so much easier to find balance the faster we go. I promise."

He wasn't cross, or even annoyed, as far as I could tell. He was definitely amused and not giving up on me.

I breathed deeply. "You can't see a thing with me in the way and all of my hair is in your face."

"I'm not going to comment on how much I like your hair my face Jay, but it's true, it would be easier if you put your hair back."

Was he flirting with me? It was so hard to tell. The British have such a dry sense of humour.

I didn't have a hair band so I had to stuff my hair inside my hood. Not the most attractive of looks.

I tried again, boosting myself up using the front wheel. Settling back into Parker, I lifted my legs trying to find balance and held on tight as he pushed off and pedalled.

We were travelling with a little speed now across the car park. A vision of me on the front of his bike with my hood up popped into my head and I kinda looked like E.T. I couldn't help it, I snorted with laughter and the shaking my shoulders made the bike wobble more.

"What's so funny?" Parker breathed in my ear.

"I look like ET" I burst out. I was laughing hard now, the wind in my face. The ludicrous picture we made and the stress of the evening all floating out into the night with my rising giggles.

I could feel him smiling behind me.

"You're saying I look a little like that kid Elliott?" Parker grunted. I became aware of the exertion he was under. Pedalling. The muscles he had on his triceps and biceps were testament to how much cycling he obviously did.

"No, you definitely don't look like that kid. Cute doesn't even begin to cover it."

I couldn't believe I said that out loud. I breathed harder. The mood had definitely changed between us. I was super attentive to everything. Trying to keep my concentration, I stared down and focussed on his hands. He had a rubber wristband holding a small shiny key. I tried to guess what it might be for? Locker? Safety deposit? Handcuffs? God my vivid imagination was definitely not helping.

My ass was getting numb on the handlebars. My legs were starting to ache from holding them out. Thank god for all the calming yoga I'd been practising over the past two years. This was going to hurt like hell in the morning. Right now, in this moment, I could think of no place I'd rather be.

We rushed along the deserted promenade. The sound of the waves, the spokes of the wheels turning and Parker's breathing pushing us on.

I knew this had to be the longer route, but definitely the safer one as there was no traffic on the Seafront walkway.

The fact he was trying to take care of me made me feel a little too much.

My legs were really tired now. I could only imagine how Parker's must've felt peddling my extra weight. We had gone far enough. I knew where I was now. I could get home from here quickly and safely enough by myself. I couldn't put him through anymore.

"You can stop Parker. Here is far enough." My voice sounded husky where my throat was dry.

Parker slowed down and looked around confused.

"Since when did you live here?"

I jumped down from the bike without the grace of earlier. My legs were so shaky I had to sit down on the ground for a moment.

Parker stared down at me. His face was shadowed in the darkness but I could tell it was set, his mouth a straight line.

"I said I'd take you home didn't I?" He showed no signs of exertion at all and I suddenly felt weak and stupid.

Any moment I had imagined earlier had definitely passed.

"There's a cut through to the back of the house on the estuary. It's not that far really, it's just you can't ride. The path is only there when the tide is out and the bank is wooded.

"I have been to the Bays before. It hasn't got street lighting either that way and it's pretty much pitch black right now." He fiddled with his key chain removing a mini torch that was attached to it. He threw it over to me "you can lead the way. Don't worry even with this light no one will see me."

Parker

It shouldn't have pissed me off but it did.

Sneaking in the back way.

I locked up my bike which I would come back for later. It was dark but I could see the moon through the trees and I knew where we were headed. The houses in the Bays all had at least two things in common. They were big and expensive. Most backed onto the estuary and allowed for private boat access.

What was I doing?

Following a girl through the woods in the middle of the night?

A girl who didn't want me to be seen. A girl whose parents would never want me to be seen with her.

A girl who knew nothing about me or she wouldn't have trusted me.

A girl I was supposed to be avoiding. A girl who had arrived that party tonight with my best mate.

I was just asking for more trouble.

Trouble which just wasn't worth risking all I had worked for.

I'd slowed up and she'd kept going. She now noticed. Turning around she called back to me. "It's just up here on the left."

"Good night Jay" I whispered, turned and headed back. It was for the best.

Hope you liked it. Please comment with any suggestions or thoughts. I'm here to learn and share.