BREATHE FOR ME

Chapter 13: The Garden Of A Thousand Lights

"And you," I say, walking past him, "don't know how to create a discreet arrival." Looking over my shoulder, I indicate towards the house where we can just see two little faces in the upstairs conservatory windows. I awkwardly groan, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks, whereas Lorrie fashions his sweetest smile, waving enthusiastically up at them. Even from here I can hear them swooning. "Okay come on you." I laugh, dragging him away by the sleeve.

When we reach the bike, across the yard, my insides begin to fizz a little. I like the look of his bike in my yard. I like the look of his bike all together.

"I brought you my sweater again, is that alright?" he asks, holding out his family merchandise. I grin, reaching for the black material of his sweater. He hands it over, chuckling deeply as I trace my fingers over the red embroidery on the back.

"Sure, what's with the car parts and motor dealers thing?" I ask, tugging it over my head, inhaling his familiar smell.

"My Papa's American job, the job that he does on the side I guess, is a mechanic. We own the garage on Rose Street, getting motors from around the world requesting for my Papa's repairs. He's very gifted when it comes to cars and bikes. He's the reason I have this beauty." He beams fondly at the Harley in front of us.

"Now that is cool." I match his smile, picking up my helmet from beside him and sliding it over my head. He lifts his hands, going for the clasp, but I bat them away playfully, doing up the clasp by myself. That's right Gen, you show him who's boss. Smirking, he taps me affectionately on the helmet, creating a little thud. My heart goes, as Teddy would say, poof.

......

"Keep your eyes closed and for goodness sakes, stop peaking." Lorrie says, chuckling in the silence. Everything is dark with his warm hands cupping my face, concealing my vision. It feels like ages since we were on his bike, laughing and screaming as the darkness and luminous lights of the city zoomed past us, throwing us into our own dimension. The euphoric feeling of travelling so quickly with my arms wrapped around Lorrie, still buzzes through my veins, giving me a kick of energy. It's something about the danger of it all and the breaking out of my comfort zone, revealing a new exciting part of myself, that seems to latch on to my heart.

"I've tripped four times now!" I fake outrage, earning a little shove from him. "Oi, don't take it out on the blind girl. It's my faulty navigator's problem, not mine." I say with a light, teasing tone. Behind me, I can feel Lorrie's chest gently shaking with a soft laughter. He guides me through what sounds like a set of big doors into a cold, earthy-smelling room. We turn right, then left and then left again, making our way through a maze in the darkness. Lorrie tries his best to focus, muttering memorized directions to himself quietly. I make it a lot harder for him by constantly tripping over things, recoiling away from ominous objects that touch my body, and bursting into fits of giggles when we get lost, having to start again from the beginning. It takes us at least three times before he becomes confident with his navigating.

"If you'd stop complaining and just let me concentrate. I'm trying to find the right spot." We turn abruptly left and something damp brushes my cheek, leaving a line of moisture across my face. Out of shock, I jump backwards into Lorrie's chest, pressing myself up against him. His hands remain clasped around my eyes, tightening slightly so that I cannot see.

"What on earth just touched my face? Oh my goodness, I'm going to be eaten alive by something slimy." I squeal into the darkness.

"Okay, you're impossible. Stop being such a wuss, I wouldn't let you get eaten alive... I'd definitely make sure that you're dead before you were eaten. Okay now where is that damn light switch..." his hands loosen across my face and for a second, I'm pretty sure that I can see something flickering in front of me, like a dying ray of light. The gentle trickle of water can be heard in the darkness, creating a peaceful atmosphere, and the smell of pine and cherry slowly begins to diffuse into my lungs. Where are we?  Suddenly, Lorrie's body jerks as he jabs at something, using his elbow. A click runs through the area we are in, a light buzz following it. From behind his hands, a yellow glow shines, highlighting the pink tones of his skin.