Page 76 of The Side Road
The Monday lunch menu was important. Oliver appreciated good food. After a lot of deliberation, she settled on baked snapper with lemon and caper dressing, followed by vanilla panna cotta with raspberry sauce. This was the perfect balance: not too lovey-dovey or too casual. The meal would be meaningful, but not ambitious.
That morning, she selected sheer pastel-pink underwear with exquisite hand-embroidered rose buds. The colourwould contrast nicely with the pastel blue of the Tiger Cub. Oliver looked like a man who appreciated pink. Over this, jeans, a hand-knit sweater, boots, and her leather jacket.
Oliver arrived with two pairs of motorcycle gloves for Mia to wear. The hard-shell pair was for protection. The soft, silky gloves she would wear underneath to keep her hands warm.
‘My hands get so cold.’ She slipped on her helmet and fastened the buckle at her chin.
‘Tap me on the shoulder if you want me to slow down.’ After pointing out her footpegs, he showed her the side rails to grip, then he jumped on the bike. She slid onto the pillion seat behind him and found her footpegs. With one arm around his waist and the other gripping the side rail, she wiggled until she was comfortable.
Their destination was the Flirtation Hill Lookout, where they would see panoramic views over the area, including the Great Dividing Range. Then they would head to Capertee Valley, where Oliver promised steep sandstone cliffs and an array of bird life, including a lyrebird if they were lucky. On the way back, they would stop at Ferntree Gully Reserve to view the rainforest of giant fig trees, mazes of entangled roots, and rare rock orchids.
As they rode, Mia took in the passing scenery. Straw-coloured pastures rimmed with green, hoping to receive more rain. Dry creek beds and abandoned sheds. Smoke billowed from country farmhouses. Rolling green hills and the mountains in the distance, thick with gum trees. There were side roads and dirt tracks that wandered through paddocks. She had travelled this road many times before, but never on a bike. It was invigorating. Parts of the landscape felt new and undiscovered.
Two hours later, they arrived back at Mia’s house.
When she took off her helmet, Oliver asked. ‘How was the ride?’
‘Honestly, it was the most fun I’ve had since last Monday, which was the most fun I’ve had all year. When we went down that dip, all of a sudden it was freezing. And we came around the corner, and the sun was shining, and it was warm, and I could smell wood smoke from a fire. It was the best. The best feeling ever.’
He smiled.
‘It’s like having a secret. A secret about life. Like there’s something else, another way to live. Don’t you think?’
He nodded. After taking her helmet, he followed her inside.
The only downside to the ride was that her underwear was strangling her. The tight elastic cut into her groin and pinched the top of her thighs. The clip of her bra pressed into her back – the shoulder straps needed adjusting. The underwire dug into her ribs. Lingerie, she realised, was meant to be removed shortly after it was put on.
‘Lunch is almost ready,’ Mia said. ‘The fish takes fifteen minutes. I need to put the timer on.’ She stepped toward the oven.
Oliver held her back. Opening the oven door, he took the tray out and placed it on the bench. ‘We’re going to need longer than fifteen minutes.’ After he kissed her, he said, ‘Arms up.’
She raised her arms. He pulled her hand-knit over her head. Then he slipped her bra strap over one shoulder, exposing her breast. With his lips on her neck, he squeezed her nipple between his fingers. The ecstasy started in her groin. As he nibbled her earlobe, it travelled to her stomach. She closed her eyes as he pulled the other strap of her bradown. ‘It’s only fair they both get an equal amount of attention.’
Mia agreed.
A knock at the door.
They paused, his lips on her breast.
‘They’ll go away,’ Mia said.
Oliver ran the tip of his tongue over her nipple.
Mia shivered.
The knock continued. The visitor was persistent. ‘Expecting someone?’ Oliver asked.
‘No. Just…just ignore them. It’ll be a delivery. They’ll leave it at the front door.’ She took his face in her hands, looked into his eyes, and kissed him. ‘Oliver, I’ve missed you.’
Another knock. More persistent than the first. Then her phone beeped. It was on the kitchen bench. Oliver reached behind him and handed it to her.
Mia glanced at the screen; Holly had left a message.
‘I should…’ Mia opened her phone. Reading the message, she blinked several times. ‘Oh dear.’ She took a deep breath. Hooking her finger through her bra straps, she slipped them over her shoulders.
‘Is everything okay?’ Oliver asked.
She pulled on her jumper. ‘We have a visitor.’
