Page 24 of Between Then and Now
“And forceps are…?” he prompts, raising an eyebrow.
“You’re the doctor.” I say, rolling my eyes.
Ryan chuckles and taps my bare knee, and it makes me shiver. Only because his hands are cold. “Thanks, Bon. I appreciate the advice.”
“No problem,” I reply with a grin. “Consider it part of my duty as your unofficial coach in matters of the heart.”
Ryan chuckles and goes to the bathroom.
I notice Puppy licking his dog bowl so I head out to the front desk to ask for more dog food. Since the owners have dogs lurking around here, the staff are kind enough to give us some extra dog food until we find Puppy’s owner.
As I walk, I start to contemplate. What happened earlier was weird. Ryan didn’t say anything romantic, but the way he talked and looked at me made my stomach turn. I was caught off guard.
I don’t know what to do with that, but I certainly don’t want to feel it again. I’m here to document something worthwhile and help my friend Ryan get the girl he likes. Maybe I can snag a date or two with another doctor, but I am definitely not going to cross some invisible line with Ryan.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Ryan
Iclose the bathroom door behind me. What did I just say back there? I replay the exact words in my mind, each one echoing with a mix of regret and bewilderment. I hope it didn’t come across as too affectionate for Bonbon. I was just trying to practice my confidence, that’s all. She probably felt weirded out. Why did I even suggest that?
I groan as I splash some water on my face, the cool sensation barely cutting through the flurry of thoughts. I sigh heavily, leaning against the sink. The best way to handle this is probably to completely ignore it, pretend like nothing happened. If she brings it up, I’ll just take it lightly. Because it is light. It was only practice, after all.
After convincing myself that everything is fine, I step out to see Bon stressing out. “Ry, the front desk is out of dog food to spare,” she says, looking horrified. “They said they only have enough for their dogs until the next shipment, which is four days from now. I’ll have to head into town, but the cars are all booked. They only have motorcycles.”
I never thought I’d be so glad to hear Bon’s babbling before. It only means that things are back to normal, and I need to be careful not to steer it away from that again.
“I’ll take you,” I say without thinking. “If you wait for a car, the stores might close soon.”
“You’ll take me…” Bon replies, “on a motorcycle?”
“I can drive a motorcycle, Bon,” I say flatly.
“No, you can’t,” she says, shaking her head.
“Yes, I can. Now, let’s go. Puppy has to eat soon.” I walk past her and out of the room.
Bon hesitates for a moment before following me. “Ryan, if you crash and we die… I will kill you,” she says, her voice half-serious, half-joking.
I chuckle, “I don’t plan on being double dead. Don’t stress, Bon. I actually really know how to ride. I have a motorcycle back home. You know, the big kind. I rode with Josh when we were teenagers.”
“That’s yours? I guess I assumed it was Richard’s,” Bon says, sounding genuinely surprised. “You just seemed too soft for that.”
I raise an eyebrow at her. “Too soft? I’m not sure if I should be offended or flattered.”
Bon laughs, the sound easing the last of the tension between us. “Maybe a bit of both.”
We head to the front desk to borrow the keys and go straight to the parking lot. I find the motorcycle and hand Bon a helmet. “Safety first,” I say, strapping on my own helmet. “Come on.” I pat the seat behind me.
“Do I have to hug you?” she asks.
“Unless you want to fall off,” I say, playing it off.
“Ass.” She playfully punches my arm. Bon puts on the helmet and climbs onto the bike behind me, her arms wrapping around my waist. I feel a shiver from it but it’s probably only the cool wind blowing through the night. “I swear, Ryan, if you make me regret this…”
“I won’t. Trust me,” I say, starting the engine. The motorcycle roars to life, and Bon squeals. “Dammit, Bon, nothing’s happening yet.” She slaps my arm, and I laugh as we speed off toward the town proper.
The wind whips past us as we drive, the dark night sky adding to the allure of the ride. Despite the urgency of oursituation, there's something freeing about this ride. When I make a sharp turn, Bon screams, and her grip on me tightens, I can't help but laugh.
