Page 11 of The Overdue Kiss

This summer has been my loneliest one yet. To the point I’ve been counting down the days until school starts. Normally my biker group keeps me busy, riding as soon as the snow melts and enjoying the beautiful sunsets through the mountain roads or cruising through the neon lights of the Denver nightlife.

But a disease is spreading through our biker group. So far Chris, Cai, Chantelle, and even Thor have fallen victim to it. One by one, my friends are falling in love. And not just casual hand-holding when walking down the street. They’re snuggling on their bikes, whispering at restaurants, shooting each other seductive glances across the room, and disappearing for weeks at a time. Heck, I barely even saw Thor last month. Everyone has been off living their new lives, and as I return to an empty home, I’ve realized how much I depend on their friendship.

At least I still have Holt. It’s up to us to remain firm in our bachelorhood.

A pair of honey-brown eyes flash in my mind, but I quickly blink them away. I’ve always been a sucker for someone in need. But that doesn’t mean I want to play the dating game with her. It’s one game I always lose at.

Cai’s face flashes on my screen again, jolting me out of my thoughts. A sick gnawing of dread rips through me as worst-case scenarios at his firefighter job take root in my mind. It wasn’t long ago that we received an emergency call that he was injured on duty. Luckily, he is fine, but statistically speaking, there’s a greater chance something could have happened this time.

“Hello?” I say into the receiver, my voice higher than usual.

“Hey, Des. Took you long enough to answer. You were supposed to call me when the date was over.”

Oh, for the love of mankind. It’s about the stupid date.

“Well, it’s over. Thank you for forcing me into the most awkward hour of my life. Goodnight,” I say.

“Wait, wait. Don’t hang up.” He grumbles, then whispers to someone else, probably his fiancée Talullah, that most people call Tulip for short. “It doesn’t sound good.”

That’s the understatement of the year right there. Not only did I knock my glass of water on her lap two seconds after we were seated, but we had absolutely nothing in common. Nothing. Eventually, I just let her ramble on about some medical jargon I didn’t understand to fill the silence. I went with Thor’s whole “nod and smile” tactic. But the final straw was when she went into a ten-minute speech about how much she hates motorcycles, followed up with the emergency room statistics. Now, I love some good statistics, but not when they come at the expense of my bike. And to think I brought Reese’s helmet so I could take her for a ride if the date went well, but I ended up racing out of there as soon as I signed the bill.

“I don’t date,” I remind him.

Sound shifts, his clothes rustling like he’s moving.

“I’m sorry, man. I know. I tried to talk Tulip out of it.” His voice has the distinct echo of a bathroom. “Her friend was asking about you and begged her to set you two up.”

“Are we talking about the same girl? Farrah? The girl I met tonight?”

“Are you dense? She is attracted to you. I swear, it’s like you don’t have a flirting radar.”

“A what?” I chuckle at the phrase.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t be open to having a double date? We could tag along and help get the conversation flowing.”

This is the worst part of their disease. For some reason, they think I want the same thing they do. Like I’ve been harboring a secret desire to settle down. I shake my head. There’s zero time for any other commitments in my life.

“Is this a joke?” I sputter. “One date is enough for me to know.”

Cai sighs, a long one that lets me know I’ve won the battle. “You’re right. We had hoped it would work out. It would be fun to do things together?—‍”

“She hates motorcycles,” I say, dropping the truth bomb.

“What?! Oh, no. No. Cross her off the list. I had no idea, Des, or I wouldn’t have suggested it. I’m thinking Tulip didn’t know either. Her and Farrah aren’t as close as they used to be since they no longer work in the ER together. I don’t even think Farrah knows that she rides with me.”

My chest unclenches a little at his admission.

“Are we good? Me and you?”

“Yes, as long as you don’t try to set me up with anyone else.”

“Deal.” He chuckles.

“All right, I have to finish getting this seating charts together. Are we all riding tomorrow?”

“Didn’t you see my text? Or were you still ignoring me? We’re going cake tasting tomorrow. Apparently, I get to eat all the cake I want, and you better believe I will. It’s going to be the best day ever, I mean, after my wedding day of course.”

He’s still laughing and joking as we hang up, but the sudden emptiness returns with the silence. I check our biker group chat and see that not only is Cai not riding tomorrow, but neither is Chris or Thor. Chantelle is a maybe, depending on when her fiancé’s figure skating practice ends.

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