Cycling for the last two hours through the picturesque hills of Napa had been the perfect backdrop for Mark to try out his new toys. The Fuji bike had been on his wish list for a long time alongside his new cycling kit. Sabotage Cycling had always caught his eye while looking through his Instagram feed. The signature navy base color of the jersey and bib shorts with their emblematic neon blue, yellow, green and pink stripes where an eye stopper for anyone.
Mark had not been able to ride outdoors much while he had been enlisted in the Marine Corps, his days at Camp Pendleton usually consisted of endless watches, drills, and field exercises. Or least they had been upon returning from Afghanistan; at base camp, there had always been a stationary bike as part of the fitness equipment. Mark had gotten used to riding on it, at first as a way to reduce his stress and ease his nerves over the horrors seen on the field, eventually he grew to like spinning his legs until they gave out like jelly under pools of sweat.
The hills of Napa where nothing like the monotony of a stationary bike, he had been back to civilian life for some time already. Yet transitioning completely had been difficult, the last two years he spent in San Diego working at Camp Pendleton had been of good use, he had attended community college and gained his A.A. degree. To Mark's surprise, his subsequent application to Stanford had been approved, his grades had been good, his recommendation letters just right, and his determination unwavering. These were his last days back home before he had to endure long hours of a full-time student in the most prestigious university west of the Mississippi.
When the sun reached its apex across the blue skies above hilly Napa, Mark's calves brought him back into charming downtown. Riding alongside Riverside Drive he made a left on Brown St. in order to make his way to the best taqueria in town, Rosita's. After passing Third Street the traffic cleared giving him one chance to hit the pedals hard. At the moment, Mark was reaching his speed swing, a short guy in a pale pink shirt, trying to get a better picture of the street stepped back out of the sidewalk right into his path.
Mark swerved to towards the right, squeezing the breaks right on his fingertips. It wasn't enough to stop him, his left elbow slammed the tourist who let out a shriek of fear as he was rammed. Mark's face slammed against the pale pink shirt which smelled of hairspray and musky Hollister cologne. His bike caught between his legs and helped to bring both of them down, his cleats unlocked from the pedals just before slamming the hot afternoon asphalt.
"Robert! Are you ok?" broke in a voice from the sidewalk. Pedestrians stopped to watch the curious spectacle of a cyclist crashing against a distracted tourist.
Mark quickly rose, with only a minor scratch on his forearm, he picked up his blue polarized Oakley sunglasses from the street and turned around to give the man in the pale pink shirt a hand. He was short about five seven, husky, with neatly manicured hair, he had no scratches or cuts on him; however, his glasses had both lenses cracked.
"Are you ok man?" asked Mark as he returned the cracked glasses.
"Yeah I'm fine. I'm sorry about that I didn't see you coming."
"It's ok, it was only a fall. Sorry about your glasses." Mark saw how much this stranger was trying to not show his embarrassment. His eyes quickly examined him up and down, Mark then felt the embarrassment climb through his back. He was being checked out.
"Mark Rainwater? Is that you?" called out a voice. Mark turned towards the sidewalk and standing with a cup of coffee on his hand was Jake O'Brien. Mark had not seen Jake since their high school graduation seven years ago, he knew Jake had join seminary in order to become a priest and had been studying in some school in Oregon. The previous day he had received a text message from him, inviting him to a wine tasting at some castle deep within the valley. He had not gone, mainly because he wasn't sure he would fit in with his old group of friends anymore. After graduation, everyone had gone their own ways. The summer before Jake left for seminary Mark made many attempts to meet up one last time with Jake, and for one reason or another Jake had never the time, or never showed interest to meet up.
"Jake?! Wow! What a surprise." Forgetting the stranger, Mark walked towards the sidewalk where he stretched out his hand to salute Jake. Jake pulled him by the forearm and gave him a hug, Jake smelled like lavender soap, just like the one Mark remembered he would use in the showers after swim practice.
"Where have you been? I called you yesterday. Went wine tasting with the guys yesterday. Did you get my text?" the answered made Mark blush. He had to come up with a good excuse fast.
"Well, I got back a few days ago back from San Diego. I am out of the military finally. Yeah, I got the text, sorry I wasn't able to make it. I moved in for a while to my mom's old house, been helping her repair the place. Now that she is alone she needed an extra hand, had to fix some leaky faucets and clear her garage." Mark saw how Jake was following his lips as he shared his false excuse, those lips were still the same fine ripe fruit color like always.
Robert Anderson, stood on the street seething, looking at his glasses waiting anxiously for acknowledgment once more.
"How is your mom? I haven't seen her in years either." Not only were Jake's eyes still a ripe fruit, Mark noticed how his eye were still wells of compassion.
"She is doing good, just getting old like all of us. You seem to be doing just fine yourself. Are you almost a priest?" Mark's hands were sweaty, he could feel as the moisture slid past his fingers, a gut on his stomach announced he was excited.
A faint smile rose and went on Jake's lip when the question was asked, almost as if he had just forgotten to do an important errand. Jake fixed his eyes just beyond Mark's shoulder and blushed. Mark turned around and saw that Robert was standing behind him, his arms crossed and looking rather flustered.
"Mark, this is Robert Anderson, a fellow seminarian. We both study at St. Joseph's. Although I think you two have already met each other." Jake said the words as if he had just been chastised for not introducing Robert in proper time. Mark stretched his hand once more and greeted the short man noticing his irritation, it seemed the fact that Jake had stopped and talked to Mark instead of tending to him had infuriated him. Jealousy? Thought Mark.
"Well how about I take you two to lunch? A good falls stirs my appetite!" asked Mark in an attempt to lessen the mood on Robert's face.
"We just had lunch Jake, and I. " Snapped back Robert, a territorial tone on his voice.
"We came to have lunch before Robert left for Davis actually, he was just taking one last picture before leaving." Jake, clearly saw how inappropriate Robert had turned all of a sudden, and his statement was a kind you need to leave now.
"Actually, before I leave could you take a picture of Jake and I." Robert said as he handed over his phone to Mark. Mark smiled at the request and responded with a sarcastic sure. Robert immediately scurried to Jake, threw one arm over his shoulder and apprehensively smiled. One of those smiles from when you meet your favorite celebrity on the street and cannot possibly let them escape before you snap even the smallest snap of their ankles of possible.
"Here you go I took several pictures, you can choose the best one." Mark returned the phone to Robert, in the background, Jake stood looking at him with a sly smile.
"I'll make sure I tag you Jakey. Now I have to go I need to meet with an old friend back home. It was nice to meet you, Mark." Robert shook one last time Mark's hand and went on to give an enormous hug to Jake. Jake simply patted Robert on the back and wished him farewell.
Mark picked up his bike and with displeasure notice it had more scratches than he had originally anticipated. Robert ran across the street where his white Prius was parked, with careful articulation, started his engine and to the soundtrack of Jessy and Joy drove out.
"Jakey?" laughed in Mark once Robert had driven out of earshot. "Are you two.....you know?" Mark teased.
"What? NO, No. We are not. He just has this weird way of calling everyone by a pet name...Marky." Jake explained, making sure to accentuate the punchline to his joke. Mark only laughed and saddled back to his bike, clicking his left red cycling shoe onto the pedal.
"Well how about we meet up for dinner later tonight? Since you have already eaten with little Robert."
"Actually, I can't tonight. But I would be willing to accompany you right now." Mark felt both pleasure and embarrassment at Jake's request. Jake had always been the popular kid in high school, the kid all girls wanted to date. Not only had he been a swimmer and Waterpolo player, but he had ventured into triathlons, been involved in the robotics and the academic decathlon, eventually reaching as high as prom king on their senior year.
"Well, that works too." Replied Mark smiling. "Well, do you remember where Taqueria Rosita is at right? I'll meet you there." Mark clicked his right cycling shoe into the pedal and headed out into the street. For reasons, he could not understand his heart was racing and his hands were sweaty. He put back on his blue polarized sunglasses and buckled his helmet. His skin like a gooses. Mark noticed how Jake watched him while he got ready on his bike, many people often stared at him when he went cycling, especially since his muscles would stand out underneath the soft lycra cycling suit. However, Jake's looks were different, he liked them they were soft and gentle.
Jake crossed the street and got into his car, a black enameled Acura RSX. Mark was nervous he finally accepted it, he felt as his legs screamed it so to him. Jake's engine softly growled on the street, and with a swift skid of tires reached Mark at the intersection. There, waiting on the red light both Jake and Mark stopped next to each other. Jake lowered his window and to get a better view of Mark, cocking his eyesight on him.
"Want to race bro? I got that V-tech." joked Jake.
"Oh yeah? I got fifty horse power right here underneath my thighs. Are you sure you want to do this?" They both smiled and laughed. Before the light turned green Mark dashed forward at the first break from the traffic, his legs spinning on congruent control and speed. The wind whistled at his ears, as his legs felt the increasing tension of the changing gears. Five seconds later Jake passed him, smile ear to ear.
When Mark got to the taqueria, Jake sat on the table on the sidewalk. Two glasses of water and menus already on the table. Mark's heart was racing, before freshman year started he had met Jake at the local gym where he worked as lifeguard. Mark had first seen him sleeping on the lifeguard's chair, Mark had actually played a prank of drowning to which Jake fell. They had been friends ever since that day. In their senior year of high school, Mark began to feel different towards Jake yet he never had the courage to express that, for fear of being rejected. Now seven years after high school, here he stood once more with him, about to have lunch with the guy he had always had an impossible crush on.