Chapter 53

"I can take you home in fifteen minutes," was all he said suggestively, and I nodded, without even hesitating. He smiled smartly and gave me a nod to answer my cell phone. I stood up, hunting for my panties on the way, and he disappeared into the apartment.

"Hi, Mom," I answered, holding the cell phone on my shoulder as I ran across the living room collecting my clothes, "I'm sorry I didn't call you, I forgot to tell you I was home already."

"Oh, that's okay, I just wanted to let you know that the waiting line is long here, and I haven't had the exam yet.... It's good that you are already home, it makes me feel calmer. Do you still feel bad?

"No, I've gotten a little better," I lied, feeling like the queen of cheating and finishing zipping up my pants "I took a headache pill and I'm going to try to sleep."

"Just do that, honey, soon this discomfort will pass," she smiled, and I bit my lower lip, sorry for deceiving her. "I'll be home as soon as I can. Love you."

"Me too," I mumbled, and hung up shortly after.

"Everything okay?", I heard Nicholas ask, already dressed, emerging from the hallway, and I nodded, quickly putting on my blouse, which was the only piece missing. I had never dressed so quickly in my entire life, I felt like a ninja.

"Then let's go," he said, calling the elevator, and I stopped beside him, putting on my backpack awkwardly because of my persistent trembling.

During the descent to the garage, neither of us said a word, we didn't even look at each other. All the intimacy from before seemed to evaporate, replaced by coldness and shame. We both showed sides of ourselves that we barely knew we could show, and the fear of the other's reaction was greater than anything at that moment.

We walked in silence through the garage, and as he was about to press the alarm button on one of the three controls on his keychain, I chose how I wanted to go home, without even asking permission.

"You said that people get used to speed over time," I muttered, without much courage to look at him, as I sat on the bike. "I'd like to test your theory."

Nicholas blinked a few times, not understanding, and then gave a weak, suspicious smile. I didn't return his smile, too tense to move, and he didn't contradict me. He sat down on the bike in front of me, giving me one helmet and putting on the other, and before starting, he said in a low tone:

"Better hold on."

I took a deep breath, letting it out heavily soon after, and hugged him tight, ready for another dose of his addictive perfume, and another journey of terrifying curves through the streets. But I didn't care about the danger. Because for a while now, being with Nicholas was pretty safe. Wonderfully safe.