Page 14 of Kairo

I didn’t miss the sadness that filled her voice. The server returned, placing the drinks in front of us. She reached for her mimosa and chugged it in one sip. She hiccupped and flagged down the server by waving her hand. She tapped her glass, and the server made her way to the computer. She smiled and diverted her attention back to me.

“You ride?” My eyebrow raised. She laughed. “Bikes, do you ride?”

I thought back to my father. I would sit on the steps and watch how he would zoom up and down the neighborhood. He taught me the basics at a young age. He even let me drive his before I got my drivers permit. The thrill of riding was the one thing that kept me close to my father. We bonded over manythings but the love of riding and our love for bikes was at the top of the list.

“Yeah, I ride.”

She smiled big. “Really?”

I looked at her confused. “Why are you shocked? I’m in a biker’s club. Why wouldn’t I know how to ride?”

She sucked her teeth. “You say that like it’s a requirement. Biker clubs have lost their true origin. Most of these clubs are filled with drugs, crime, sex, and killing. People don’t ride like they used to.”

Junie was right. I’d heard my father say on numerous occasions that the culture of biker clubs had changed, but no one did anything to stop the culture that continued to get worse.

“That’s true. But yeah, I ride. My dad taught me when I was younger.”

“Does your dad still ride?”

I shook my head.

“No? Why not? Our dads would probably be the same age. My dad rides still. Not as often as he used to, but he still rides.”

A part of me was hesitant to tell Junie about my father. I felt she would dig dipper into trying to find out who my father was, which could possibly blow my case. Instead, I changed the subject.

“You ride?”

I didn’t think her smile could get brighter, but it did. She nodded quickly. “Hell yeah, I ride. I love the thrill. The speed, the dips and turns. Some may say I ride better than my brother and father.”

I couldn’t hide my smirk. “Bragging big, ain’t it?”

“It’s never bragging when you stating facts.”

Her cockiness mixed with her beauty caused a stir inside of me. A woman that was confident was one thing but to be cockywas different. It was a rare find and it turned me on. There was something about a woman that carried herself with cockiness.

“You sure? Let me guess, you ride a Honda Rebel?” I teased. A rebel was a beginner friendly bike in my eyes. Anybody could ride that.

She lifted her brow. “You are so funny, Kairo.”

Her saying my name caused a familiar stir that had been happening since I met her.

“But nah, I ride, ride. I’m not in no damn spider, no four-wheel bikes, or no goddamn sling shit.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” I said.

Before she could rebuttal, the server returned with our food. We both dug in, neither of us saying anything until our plates were empty.

“Ready to go?” she asked as she chugged the rest of her third mimosa.

I nodded.

She flagged down the server, requesting the tab. She reached for her wallet as I reached for mine. I felt slightly insulted.

“What you doing?”

“Um… paying?”

“You think I ain’t got no money?”

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