Page 75 of Ordinary Secrets

I wanted to make things “official”with Arella because I thought it’d be a good reason for her to introduce me to her grandparents.

I was wrong.

It’s been over a week, and every time I mention the possibility of us paying her family a visit, she says things like “It’s too early for that” or “They’re traveling right now.”

I call bullshit. I think there’s a family secret she’s afraid I’ll uncover, and it’ll be the exact answers I’m looking for—answers that Victor won’t stop hounding me about. He calls every other day to check in—or should I say to give me shit for being “worthless.” He thinks I’m going too slow.

Sadly, he’s right. I’m not utilizing my time well enough. If I keep going days between seeing Arella, it’ll take me forever to finish this. That’s why, for the last week and a half, I’ve made it a point to see her every single day, even if it’s only for an hour. Either I drop by for breakfast in the morning before she heads to work or she meets up with me at the Soul House whenever she gets off.

So far, it’s been working. I can feel her trust in me growing with each lingering hug, each prolonged kiss, and each time shelets me touch her somewhere new. I haven’t seen her naked yet, and although I crave to, I don’t push her. The last thing I want is to ruin all the progress I’ve made just because I wanna get my dick wet.

Yeah, this is the slowest I’ve ever gone with a woman. And yeah, the blue balls every night is torture. But in the end, when she trusts me enough to tell me everything about herself, it’ll be worth it.

I’ve got two things with me when I arrive at Arella’s apartment on Sunday evening: a backpack full of goodies and an extra helmet. I’m in the middle of admiring the beautiful sunset when she steps out, looking like a fucking snack. It takes everything in me not to drag her back inside and lick every inch of her delicious skin.

Instead, I take her in by the waist and spin her around before I plant my mouth over hers. Once I’ve had my fill of her lips, I hand her the extra helmet.Herhelmet. The one I purchased today in her size, just for this. I help her strap it on, and she looks so adorable in it that I kiss her again.

When I let her go, I hand her the backpack.

She slides her arms through the straps. “It’s heavy. What’s in here?”

“Stuff.”

“For what?”

I mount my bike, then gesture for her to hop on. “Stargazing.”

“Oh!” A bright smile spreads across her face. “Where?”

“Uh, I haven’t figured that part out yet. I thought we’d ride away from the city until we find a place that’s secluded enough.”

She perks up. “I know a place.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, it’s about an hour and a half away though.”

“Perfect. Let’s go.”

The sun is almost gone by the time Arella tells me to park my bike on the side of a gravel road. When she said this place was secluded, she wasn’t lying. I haven’t seen another car in a while.

In my head, the low hum of other people’s emotions is gone. A place like this is hard to find in California. I’m impressed.

I cut my Harley’s engine, and the air goes still. Crickets chirp around us.

“I usually park my car right here,” Arella says as she dismounts the motorcycle.

“Where ishere, exactly?” I lift my helmet off, then a light breeze blows through my hair.

“You’ll see.”

We hang our helmets on the handlebars, then I steal the backpack from Arella so she doesn’t have to carry it. From the side pocket, I pluck out a flashlight—another thing I bought today because I’d probably scare Arella off if I whipped out a fireball.

With my Ordinary torch in one hand and my girl in the other, I let her lead me down the ditch, then back up through some trees.

We hike through the woods for a while. It’s a beautiful night. The air feels warm against my skin, and I can already see some stars above. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

Eventually, Arella leads me to a trail... sort of. It’s more like a path of dirt, barely wide enough for one person. Our hands let go, and I offer her the flashlight, then follow her up the steep hill.

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