“Exhaust pipe, yeah, yeah, I know.” She smiled and squeezed him tighter, anxious for their ride. He kicked up the kickstand, and they peeled out of the parking lot smoothly.
Jake didn’t speed, even though there were hardly any cars on the road, at this hour. He whipped turns smoothly, not trying to impress her, but as if he was carrying precious cargo with him. She patted his chest with one hand, getting his attention. He leaned into her to listen to her. “Faster!” She said into his ear. She felt him laugh against her, and her smile widened.
He pressed his foot heavier on the gas, picking up the speed of the bike. She gripped him tighter as the wind blew the ends of her hair. The road rounded and they shifted their weight with each turn and bend. The exhaustion, she was feeling earlier vanished and for the first time in a long time, she felt alive. She felt like she and Jake were the only two people who existed at the moment.
They drove for about forty five minutes into the night. The only light on the road was those from his bike. He started to slow down, as they reached a peak of a mountain. She had no idea where they were headed, nor did she care. He made a turn and they went off the road, slowly they made their way to a grassy path. He kicked the kick stand down and straddled the bike, his feet planted firmly on either side. He turned the engine off and she dropped her hands from his waist.
“Where are we?” She asked softly as he stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles. She wasn’t sure if she should get off the bike, so instead she followed his lead and straddled the bike. “I want to show you something.” He said as he maneuvered off the bike. She took the hand he offered and swung one leg over the bike and jumped onto the ground. “Come here,” he murmured, and lead her on through the grass. “I found this place a long time ago. It’s where I come when I need to think.”
They reached a platform that overlooked train tracks, and had a spectacular view of the pitch black mountains. The only noise was that of nature. She took it all in and watched as he climbed carefully onto a large rock, and held out his hands to her. She stepped towards him and placed her hands in his and he helped her up. Together they sat on the rock overlooking the mountains and the tracks.
“In about an hour, they start loading the cargo trains.” Jake said simply, “Just as the sun begins to rise.”
“Do you come here a lot?” She asked him staring out into the darkness.
“Whenever I get the chance,” she felt him shrug beside her, as their sides brushed against each other. “It grounds me for some reason, the serenity of it, it just calms me.”
Cara turned and looked at him for a moment. “I wish I had a place like this.”
“It could be our place.” He said softly, taking her hand in his.
“Why do you do that?” She asked absentmindedly.
His eyebrows furrowed, and he looked at her. “Why do I do what?”
“Share everything with me.” She cocked her head to the side and tried to jumble the thoughts that were spiraling in her mind. If something went wrong in her life, he searched for the resolution. If she was missing something, he made sure she had it. Whenever she felt like she was drowning, he was her lifeline, her S.O.S.
“Because I want to;” He said so simply, and she wondered if it really was that simple.
“You know one day you’re going to get married and want to share all these things with your wife, you should really keep some of these places for her.” She said half joking, half pondering the inevitable. She choked on her words, for that day, scared the shit out of her. He slung one arm around her shoulders and tugged her closer to him.
“Marriage is over rated and definitely not in my foreseeable future.” He laughed and pressed his lips to the top of her head. “Besides, you’re my person, if I don’t have you to share things with, they’re not as meaningful.”
“You don’t mean that. You told me yourself you want kids one day.” She said, leaning her head against his shoulder. They’ve sat like this time after time, but tonight there was a certain intimacy about the way they held each other, so comfortably.
“True.” He waited a beat and then began again. “So what do you say, if we’re both still single in five years, you and I get married and have a kid or two?”
She shook her head and a small chuckle escaped her lips. “Sure, Jake. Whatever, you say.” She looked up at him when he tugged on a strand of her hair, lightly. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself, I’m serious. You want kids too, two to be exact. You don’t want your kid to be an only child like you. And if we’re getting into specifics you want a boy first so he can watch out for the girl.”