“My door’s open for you any time.”
“I’ll come over tomorrow, then. Tara and I are going to go out to dinner tonight, and I’ll just go back to her house after that.”
“Sure. I’ve got tomorrow off, so come by whenever you want. Unless your parents call before then and want to make nice with you. Don’t you think that will happen? They seem like those sort of people.” Really, what they seemed like were the type of people that wouldn’t want word to get out that there was discord in the family, that their daughter had been thrown out of the house. Where it had been a rather regular occurrence in my own childhood home—I swear that one of Wade’s favorite activities had been to get wasted, pick a fight, and then kick me out for the night—I doubted that anything even remotely close to this had ever happened between Chloe and her parents.
“You know, I bet your parents will come to their senses,” I said. Her dad seemed like the type who would need a day or two to calm down.
“I don’t know. My dad can be so stubborn. And if he finds out that I’m staying with you, that will just piss him off even more.” She frowned, considering this. “But you know what? I don’t care.”
*****
And suddenly, I’d gone from single to girlfriend to live-in girlfriend. I’d never woken up next to someone on a regular basis. Never gotten used to seeing a woman brushing her teeth in my bathroom, or putting a half-full glass of water on the bedside table each night before she crawled into bed.
It had only been four days, but I could already feel us falling into a routine. Not that we were going to bed at the same time every night or eating the same shit for dinner, but rather, the routine of being used to seeing someone, of knowing that they’d be there when you got home from work, or that you’d be eating breakfast together in the morning.
That Sunday, though, I got up early for the race. I got dressed and made coffee and ate a quick breakfast, trying to keep quiet so I didn’t wake up Chloe. But she was stirring when I went in there to tell her I was taking off.
“You can come with, if you want,” I said.
She smiled and gave me a kiss. “I wouldn’t mind it, but I don’t want to interfere with guy time. Tell Todd I’ll give Tara his number if he’d like. She deserves to go out with a nice guy. Plus, I really should spend a bunch of time at the art center, and this way, if you’re gone, I’ll be less likely to get distracted. The show’s coming up, you know.”
“I know. I’m really looking forward to it. You don’t want to give me any hint about the sculpture?”
“No, I want it to be a surprise.”
“Well, okay then, I guess I’ll have to wait.” I pulled her back toward me and gave her another long, lingering kiss. “You know, I really shouldn’t make it a habit to kiss you before I leave, because it just makes me want to crawl back into bed and not get out.”
She gently bit at my lower lip. “When you get back,” she said.
*****
I picked Todd up and we drove over to the race together. I was ready for this to be the last race of my season, even though the actual season would continue well into the fall. The novelty of it was starting to wear off, and I’d need until next spring to build up the interest again.
We got there and parked in a field that was right next to the trail head where the race would start. I climbed out of the truck and stretched, feeling my back crack in several places.
“I’m feeling good,” Todd said. “In fact, I think I feel better now than I did for any other race, so don’t be surprised to be chasing me the entire time.”
“I’m prepared to chase you for the first 90 percent, and then overtake you at the last second. You know you can’t pedal for shit the last five miles.”
It was true, he couldn’t—he was one of those guys that could spend a good majority of a race near the front but the tank would be empty the last few miles. But if it came down to it, and I was in the position to overtake him at the end, I’d lay off and let him take the win. He’d feel good about it and have something to give me shit over, and winning the race really didn’t matter to me at all.
“Hey, there’s your boy,” Todd said. “He’s not looking so great. Damn, that bike of his is, though.”
I looked over and saw Parker approaching, walking next to a bike that was even more impressive-looking than his previous one. As he got closer, I could see it was full carbon fiber, carbon rims, electronic brakes and shifting.
“Nice rig you got there,” I said.
“Thanks.” There was no banter or good-natured ribbing, though; he mostly looked tired and worn out.
“You sure you shouldn’t sit this one out and go take a nap?” I asked.
He smiled, but it looked forced. “Even if I did, you know I’d still beat you.”
“Like last time?”
“Yeah, like last time,” he said, as though he’d forgotten or was just choosing not remember that I had, in fact, beaten him. “See you guys.”
We watched him go. “He looks out of it,” Todd said. “Probably hung over. Well, he shouldn’t be a factor today, so at least I’ve got that going for me.”