Before Alden could even ring the doorbell, the gate opened and Maine greeted him with a huge smile.
"Hi!"
"Hi!" He answered, his smile widened showing his dimple. "You ready?"
"Yup!" She replied and pointed to the small knapsack on her back. "Got everything I need right here."
Alden gave a short chuckle but checked how heavy the bag was. He didn't want Maine to be burdened with anything, however light the bag might be. He was trying to take the bag from Maine when her parents approached them. He greeted both of them respectfully and when the pleasantries were done, Ted said, "how long will you be out?"
"Two hours at the most, sir," Alden answered. "Mom made us some snacks and said to enjoy the place first before we head back."
"Rio's right," Mary Anne said mostly to her husband than the two teens. "It's Maine's first time outside without either Jenny or us, so she should enjoy. Well, both of you should enjoy yourselves."
"Just take care," Ted added. "Alden, we trust you with our daughter."
Alden nodded, understanding the deeper meaning of what Ted had said. It wasn't just about the bike ride. He stood straighter and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before replying, "I will never betray that trust, sir."
Ted gave a warm smile after that. Alden, after finally taking the bag from Maine led her outside where the bike was left. While Alden was strapping the bag on the handle, Maine came up behind him eyeing the basket.
"Are we also going out to feed the hungry?" Maine inquired. "We could feed an army with that."
"Nope," Alden smirked. "I was informed that we could only feed ten people at the most with this."
"Alden," she replied. "I don't eat that much."
"I don't eat that much either, Maine," he remarked and gave a short chuckle as well. "But apparently, mom thinks that we can."
Maine laughed at the statement as Alden finally strapped the backpack properly on the handle. He handed Maine a bike helmet and helped her wear it, adjusting the straps so that it wasn't choking her. He donned on his helmet as well and got on the bike. Maine followed suit and sat at the back, her arms went around Alden's waist immediately as she tried to get comfortable on the seat.
When Maine finally stopped moving, Alden looked down to the arms wrapped around her waist. He placed a hand on one of her hands that settled on his stomach and gave it a tight squeeze.
"Ready?"
"Yup," she answered. "Let's go, Alden."
With a last wave to Maine's parents, he kicked off and started pedaling towards the route that would take them to the park. True to his mother's words, Maine leaned on his back as she tried to listen to the landmarks that Alden was showing her. He could hear her giggle and feel her body shake as he told her some stories of his childhood when they moved there. The mood was light and Alden kept the moderate pace, making sure that he took the better pavements, avoiding potholes and slowing down on humps.
It wasn't long before they've reached the park. It was mid-afternoon but surprisingly, there weren't many people there on a Sunday. Alden took her to one of his favorite spots at the park, a huge oak tree with the roots creating a make-shift nook underneath it. The fallen leaves created a nice covering on the ground that mats or blankets weren't necessary.
Alden parked the bike underneath the tree, and he and Maine got off. After helping her take off her helmet and taking off his own, he led her to that nook underneath the tree, instructing her to take a rest while he set-up their little picnic.
"This is my favorite spot in the park," he said after giving Maine her bag and settling down to check their food. "It's a bit secluded and I think I'm the only one who uses this nook. I go here sometimes to read. Natural light are the best time keepers. If it gets too dark to read, then it's time to go home."
Maine laughed at his statement. She then watched as Alden took out container after container of food from the bag that they've brought.
"Tita Rio went all out with our snack," Maine commented.
The spread consisted of chicken fingers, ham sandwiches, sliced apples, and mac and cheese. There was also a two-liter thermos with iced-tea. Alden handed her a disposable cup of iced tea as she sat on the leaf-covered ground of the nook.
"Sometimes I wonder if mom is a chef in her past life," he chuckled as he was filling a plate with small amounts of everything and handing it to Maine. "Or just realized she was in the wrong profession."
"Come on," she remarked. "Your mom is a fantastic Interior Designer! Look how our home turned out. Makes me wonder why your room is like that."
"I thought you liked my room?"
"I do," Maine replied with a smile. "I just find it different from the rest of your house. Although, there's one other room I have yet to see. The one beside yours."
"I didn't let my mom touch my room," Alden answered before he took a bite off his sandwich. "And the room beside mine is haunted."
Maine just laughed and brushed it off.
They ate in companionable silence for a time, breaking it every so often whenever one of them remembered some trivial story or a joke. Alden would relate bits of info about the park, pointing to some location and would start narrating some misadventure that he had gotten himself into when he was younger and was exploring the place. Maine would listen attentively, laughing at some of Alden's humiliating experiences and wishing she was there when it happened.
They were having so much fun, enjoying each other's company and Rio's snack for them, that they were both surprised when Alden's watch suddenly beeped.
Alden sighed and turned off the alarm. He looked at Maine's puzzled face and said, "time to head back."
"Already?" Maine replied sadly. She didn't notice that it had been more than an hour already. A frown started to form on her face that Alden reached out and held her hand.
"Hey," he started. "There's always a next time. I'll take you back here whenever you like."
"Can we change one of our walking sessions to another bike ride?" She asked eyes looking hopefully at him.
"We'll see," he answered with a smile.
Maine smiled at the thought of their next biking adventure. It felt good to go out. She had never felt so happy like this and it was all because of Alden. He made it possible for her to go out and see bits and pieces of the "world". He was keeping his promise. He made the effort to take her out farther than their usual walking trail. Maybe someday, he'll take her farther out. She just needed to become stronger and healthier for him.
Even though Alden wanted her to just relax, Maine insisted to help out clean their little area. She took the disposable wares and took them to the trash while Alden packed up what was left of his mom's cooking. Amazingly enough, his mother was right once more that he worked up an appetite biking the short distance between their home and the park. There were still a lot of leftovers, but they did finished off about a third of the spread.
When Maine came back, everything was packed. Once again, Alden helped Maine with her helmet. He donned his on and got on the bike, Maine following suit. They started to head back home. They were both silent on their way back but it was a comfortable silence. Alden felt Maine's arms hold him tighter around his waist and she leaned her head to his back. Alden reached down and held her hand. They stayed in that position until they arrived at her home.
Alden assisted Maine as she got off the bike. He got off the bike and took his own helmet off before he helped her with hers. As he helped take the helmet off her, a lone lock fell on Maine's face. Alden reached out and brushed the hair away placing it behind her ear. Their eyes locked, each one lost in the each other's orbs, satisfied of just looking at each other.
The spell broke when they heard Maine's mother called out to them from inside the house. Alden handed the knapsack back to her and she reached out to take it.
"Thank you for the bike ride, Alden," Maine said.
"You're welcome," he answered. "Always welcome. I do hope you enjoyed yourself at least."
"Yup," she replied. "Very much!"
"Great," said Alden as he reached for the latch of the gate, opening it for Maine. "You better get inside. I'll see you tomorrow."
Maine thanked him again and started to head inside when she suddenly stopped and turned.
"I forgot the give you something," she exclaimed.
"What?"
For an answer, she walked towards him. When she was close enough, Maine placed a hand on Alden's shoulder to help her reach up to him and kissed his cheek.
"See you tomorrow, Alden," she said and turned towards her home.
Alden stood unmoving for a few moments before a smile slowly formed on his face.