Coop eyed me. “You sure?”
“Nope,” I admitted, earning surprised looks all the way around. “But I want to give it a try. Maybe it’ll be fun.” Because Jake seemed dubious, I asked, “Would you mind bringing my backpack back to school?” I’d handed Coop my leftover sandwich to hold for me.
“Of course, I’ll bring your backpack back to school. Study Hall, right?”
“Yeah, but I usually just go to the library.”
Jake grinned. “Good to know.”
Bubba straddled the bike, and then tugged on his own helmet before he glanced at me. Blowing out a breath, I flashed a grin at the guys before climbing on behind him.
“Arms around my waist,” Bubba said over his shoulder after he got the engine rumbling and I had to lean in, but I wrapped my arms around him. Sometimes I forgot how much muscle he packed. The whole bike vibrated; I could feel it right to my bones. He walked the bike backward, and I shifted my head to look, but I didn’t want to pull away.
Jake and Coop climbed into his SUV and before Bubba even made it to the turnout, they were right behind us.
“Hold on,” Bubba ordered, and then we were off. He accelerated out of the lot and onto the street. The speed limit was 40, but it felt like we were flying.
I almost whooped. It was insane and over way too fast. I was still grinning as he rolled into the lot and slid his bike into the spot right next to my car.
With me squashed up against him, I don’t think he could have missed my laughing during the ride. He grinned at me as I slid off from behind him. My legs were a little rubbery, and my heart was going way too fast.
“Fun, right?”
“Oh my god…when did you get this?”
“Right after my birthday,” he admitted. “Mom said I had to take the motorcycle safety course, get certified. Finished a week before school was done and then got the bike on my birthday, but Jake and I always ride together, so I didn’t think about it much.”
I pulled off the helmet and ran my fingers through my hair, pushing it back off my face.
“What made you bring her today?”
“You,” Bubba said. He secured the helmets and then pocketed the keys before waving me on.
“Me?”
“Yep. You were right… what you said on Sunday. You should get to experience it all. I didn’t realize we were holding you back.”
“Thanks,” I said, really touched.
“Now you can say you’ve ridden a motorcycle with a potential date.”
Wait… what?
“Want me to bring you over to my place on it tomorrow? That’d be two rides.”
Admittedly, an exceptionally cool idea, but… “Bubba? Potential date?”
He glanced at me, one hand on the door to let us back in the school. “Homecoming, Frankie. I was serious.” I couldn’t look away from the intensity in his expression. “You want to date. I want to take you on a date. Remember that—the asks are coming. You’re getting one.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Bubba wanted to dateme?
Heat flushed my face, and I had to hurry up and go inside, so I stopped gaping like a fish. Jake caught up to us with my backpack and my sandwich, apparently Coop had to jet for class. Then both Bubba and Jake walked me to Study Hall before taking off for their classes.
Bubba had been serious, and I had no idea what to do with that info. At all.
Homecoming?
I checked in with the Study Hall proctor then diverted to the library. I found my table in the back and sat there, trying to figure it all out in my head. Bubba said he was serious, and he brought it up, not me.