Breakfast with a Side of Danger

Bet, Check, and Mate…

Angela gulped. “Alright. I’ll see you later. If you don’t hear from me in an hour send out the national guard.” She laughed nervously.

Jen chuckled. “You’ll be okay hun. He can handle that bike. Now you on the other hand.”

Angela looked at her friend confused. “And how would you know how well he can handle that two wheeled death trap?”

“He’s driven past here every day for the past 3 months.” Plus I’ve seen him riding around town plenty of time. He is always courteous of other drivers and anyone wanting to cross. Plus,” She leaned in close, “He is sexy as all get out. Hell if I wasn’t married I might try for him.”

“Jen.” Angela admonished smiling and shaking her head.

Jen smiled at her mischievously. “What I am married not blind, that man is s*x on order hun and he sure has it bad for you. So if I were you,” She started pushing her toward the door, “I would get out there and take him up on whatever he is offering.”

“Wait.” Angela stopped and spun around looking Jen in the eyes. “Do you really think he likes me?”

Jen rolled her eyes spun Angela right back around and started pushing again. “Hun, he looked like he would eat you up the minute you said hi. Now get you butt out there.” She shoved her toward the door. “Bye. See you tomorrow morning and I want details.” She sing songed.

Angela squared her shoulders took a deep breath and walked out the door. “You waited.”

Sébastien turned around, “Of course. You owe me remember.” He teased handing her a helmet.

Angela gulped. “Um, do we need to take the motorcycle?”

“It’s all I have with me, and it’s a little far to walk.” Sébastien tilted his head watching her reaction. “Do you have a car with you? We could take that instead, or even follow me, if it would make you feel more comfortable.” He tucked a rogue hair that had come loose behind her ear while he watched her like he was worried she might shatter.

Angela looked at him in surprise. “Really? You would be willing to leave your motorcycle here and take my car?”

“Of course. If you’re not comfortable with riding it is dangerous for you, me, and everyone around.”

Angela looked towar debating if she wanted to walk home and get her car and come back or have him come with her. She was friends with him until sophomore year when he started avoiding her all of a sudden so it’s not like she really knew him anymore. Was he still a good guy. What if he wasn’t good. What if he never was. They were just kids and still figuring themselves out.

Sébastien cleared his throat interrupting her thoughts. “Angela I am okay waiting for you to come back if you left it at home.”

“It’s okay.” She smiled at him. “I trust you. Besides I have plenty of witnesses and cameras.” She pointed to the camera behind her just inside The Pavilion door facing the street. “So if anything happens to me, you are the top suspect.”

“Nice.” He smirked. “That’s smart, but what makes you think I won’t try anything anyway.” He grabbed her around the waist pulling her into him.

Angela momentarily forgot how to breath. “What makes you think I don’t want you to.” Oh my god what has gotten into her. She screamed in her head. She couldn’t believe she just said that out loud. He must think she’s kind of some kind of s*x maniac or something.

He laughed pulling her from her thoughts and releasing her.

Angela looked at him quizzically. That was a bit of a delayed reaction to what she said. She wondered what he found so funny. I was almost like he was responding to her thoughts.

“Sorry. I forgot my phone was on vibrate and it startled me.”

“Oh.” She started walking toward her apartment. “So are you going to get it?”

“Huh.” He looked straight ahead keeping pace with her.

“You’re phone. Are you going to get it?”

“Oh. No need. It wasn’t important.”

“How do you know that if you don’t even take it out of your pocket to look at it.”

“Because you’re the most important thing right now.”

Angela blushed. “Oh, uh…”

“Plus,” Sébastien held up his left arm, “I can see them on this.”

Angela eyed the watch on his wrist. “I see. It’s a smart watch.” She laughed thinking maybe she should stop reading those paranormal romance novels as they were clearly effecting her brain. “Sorry, if I seem so cautious. You wouldn’t believe the things I read about in my research.”

“No. It’s fine. I wish my sister was more like you. You’d think she was invincible with the way she acts.” He shook his head.

“Kaileigh? She was always so shy.”

“Well not anymore. When she turned 16 you can kind of say she came into her own and now she’s hanging around this guy.” He growled.

“You don’t like him.” Angela stated softly.

“No. He’s not right for her. He’s just using her and she doesn’t see it or doesn’t want to.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because he’s not her…” He paused like he was searching for the right words. “He doesn’t love her.”

“What makes you so sure?” She raised her hands when he looked at her with anger radiating from him in waves. “I’m just trying to get an understanding of the situation not questioning your ability to reason.”

Sébastien took a breath. “Sorry.” He muttered. “I didn’t mean to…”

Angela put a hand on his arm stopping him. “It’s okay to be upset. She is your little sister and someone you care deeply about. It’s natural to be suspicious and think no one is good enough for her, but it is also natural to see things she doesn’t or doesn’t want to see, because you are on the outside looking in. If you say he doesn’t love her I am sure you have your reasons for saying so and if you don’t want to talk about it I understand.”

Sébastien tilted his head to the side and studied her. “You are an amazing woman you know that.”

Angela blushed. “So. Um my apartment is right up there. Do you…” She started wringing her fingers.

“I’ll wait down here for you.” He offered grabbing her hands and bringing the to his lips. “But please hurry, I don’t want to be caught out in the rain.”

Angela laughed looking around there wasn’t a cloud to be seen and the forecast called for sunny skies all week. What would make him think he would be rained on.

Sébastien shrugged. “Just a feeling I have.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that, but I will hurry any way.” She said turning to go inside.

“We’ll see.” He called after her smiling,

Angela returned in her shimmer black four door sedan, with midnight tinted windows and light covers that matched the car making it hard to tell where they were at first glance, but when she pushed the breaks the lights became a blinding red.

Sébastien whistled walking around the car admiring it.

Angela got out beaming. “This is Beauty.”

“That she is.” Sébastien he saw the horse symbol on the carbon fiber grill. “Black Beauty?”

“Yeah. My favorite.” She lovingly caressed the hood while she studied Sébastien. “Want to drive him?”

Sébastien chuckled “Absolutely.”

“You can drive a standard can’t you?”

“Every day.”

“Good, but be warned he can be a bit touchy.”

Sébastien looked at her sideways, “Touchy?”

“You’ll see.” Angela said getting into the passenger seat, quickly buckling up. She laughed when Sébastien put Beauty in first only to have it stall when he slightly moved his foot from the clutch.

“Touchy.” Sébastien said understanding crossing his face.

It didn’t take long for Sébastien to understand Beauty’s perfect balance. He pulled into the parking space next to his motorcycle. “Do you know how to follow a motorcycle?”

“Yes.” Angela said getting out. “You could just leave your bike here and we could take my car. I’ll even let you drive the whole way. Promise.” She made an X over her heart like they used to do whenever they made promises to each other.

“Tempting.” He said looking at over the car. “But I don’t want to leave my motorcycle out in the rain.”

“Again with the rain.” She laughed. “I don’t get where you are getting that it’s going to rain. It’s not supposed to rain all week.”

“Trust me it will.” Sébastien throwing his leg over and kicking the stand back. “I can smell it.”

“What are you part basset hound?” She teased.

Sébastien laughed hopping and starting the bike. “You never know.”

“Alright. If you’re so confident I bet you a hundred dollars it doesn’t rain for the next two days.” Angela yelled over the deep thrum bum bum bum of his motorcycle.

“I’ll do you better. It doesn’t rain today I will give you two hundred dollars, but if it does rain you have to make me dinner.”

“Are you sure about that?” When Sébastien nodded Angela shook her head. “Okay, you’re on.” She slipped into her car and pulled out allowing Sébastien time and space to walk it back and pull out in front of her. “Easiest two hundred I ever made.” She could have swore she saw Sébastien mouthing ‘You’ll see.’

Angela stayed several car lengths back just as her father had taught her growing up. “Motorcycles can stop much faster than cars so you always want to make sure there is a rig’s worth of space between you.” He’d say. “If you don’t you’ll end up with a rider sitting shot gun bleeding out while you try to keep the spinning tire from taking off your face.” Gruesome yes, but also very real, and very effective in keeping a 15 year old girl from tailgating motorcyclists. She just wished that no one ever had to learn that lesson the hard way.

Angela shook her head and turned up the eclectic station on her radio up to drown out the memories and butterflies when she pulled into the drive and realized she had followed Sébastien home. She got out of the car and looked while Sébastien walked his bike into the barn looking garage.

“I’ll be right back. I’m just going to plug in the battery to charge it and throw the cover over it because the barn does tend to leak if it is a heavy rain.”

Angela was going to argue when she felt something wet brush quickly past her face. “What the?” She looked up and saw dark clouds pulling in over head like someone was dragging them at top speed and them just dropping them. Angela watched in astonishment as another drop hit her arm. It was like someone pulled the stopper to let all the rain drain from the clouds. Angela squealed and jumped in her car slamming the door already soaked to the core. “You have got to be kidding me.” She laughed looking outside.

The rain was coming down so fast it was like curtains of dime sized rain drops that you could barely see through. Sébastien opened her door with one hand and held an umbrella with the other. He yelled over the rain, “Let go inside until this calms down some.”

“Okay.” Angela stepped out under the safety of the umbrella and huddled into him taking warmth wherever their bodies touched as they ran into the house.