Philautia || Amour Éternel Series BOOK ONE ||

Fifteen - SHANNON

They gathered their things and Shannon went to the front desk to check out while Callie went out to get the bikes ready. By the time he came back, Callie had checked everything out and was waiting with her arms crossed.

"Want to give mine a try?" he offered. "I think you'll like it."

"You sure? You won't sue me if I crash it?" she asked.

He chuckled and tossed her the keys. "You're not gonna crash it. I trust you."

Callie smiled and gave him her keys as she walked around the two bikes. "On your own head be it," she replied.

Shannon mounted her bike, noticing the subtle differences between his own bike and hers. The grips on the handlebars were formed to her smaller hands, the leather seat almost felt too small for him, and the vibrations from the engine were different. He almost laughed as he noticed everything, things that someone who didn't have a good feel for a specific bike would never notice. He nodded for her to take the lead and he followed.

They rode for about twenty minutes before coming up on Fort Bragg. The military presence was felt through the entire town, with Jeeps and uniforms everywhere you looked. Shannon had seen his fair share of the military growing up and he had no need to stop and relive those memories. They blew through the town and continued down the coast line.

The landscape was a mixture of flat fields and cliff sides that looked out to the ocean. They came to a stop for lunch in the small coastal village of Sea Ranch. The town screamed "vacation destination", with its small seaside cottages carved into the coastline. Each house seemed to blend in with the landscape, embracing the natural wilderness instead of dominating it. Walls and roofs were shingled in weather-beaten woods and the houses lined picturesque cul-de-sacs with sweeping yards and grand views of the ocean. They managed to find a cute cafe for lunch and settled in for a little while to relax.

"Enjoying the ride?" Shannon asked, leaning back into the booth.

Callie smirked. "How many times have you asked me that in a different context?" she asked.

He chuckled and let out a little moan as he thought. "In my dreams? Dozens."

"I'm enjoying it, for the record. I think its gorgeous. Its making me want to come up here for a vacation. I could get lost in wine country," she responded.

"The first time I came through this part of the state, Jared was on the hunt for good surfing after a tour," Shannon smiled. "It was early in the band's day, and we were barely known. We were working on getting our name out there, you know? So anyways, we finished a leg of the tour and Jared wanted us to drive the coast on our own. Said it would be a good way to clear our heads and maybe come up with some good song ideas."

"I don't think wine country has good surfing beaches," Callie said.

"It was a ruse on his part," Shannon said. "Turns out he just wanted to keep an eye on me after the tour was done. I had a drug thing going," he explained.

"Ah."

"It was a nice little trip. This place was one of the highlights, if I remember," he said, gesturing to the sidewalk through the window behind him. "The houses were what interested me the most. They're all so cool and different, even though they all sort of blend together. I was so amazed at how they could incorporate so many modern ideas in with the land." He let out a low whistle. "It blew me away, man."

"Is that where the love of mid-century modern came from?" she asked. He raised an eyebrow in question. "Your house. Its the mid-century modern style, isn't it?"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah. I guess I just like the way it all looks," he smiled. "I like how it's not flowery or crazy. Everything has a function and a purpose."