ONE Night On His Bike

The Note In The 🎁

I couldn’t wait.

The white box with twine was sitting on my desk and my eyes kept drifting to it all morning. Velvet cake. Aesthetically pleasing. He remembered.

At 10:17 AM I gave up pretending to work.

I slipped the twine off. Opened the lid.

There it was. Red velvet, perfect swirl of cream cheese frosting. And tucked under the fork, a small folded note.

My hands shook a little.

I opened it.

_When I go for a date with you,

I want it to be somewhere that makes you smile like this.

Pick you up at 6?

- M_

I choked on air. Then I laughed. Quiet. Stupid.

*"M,"* I whispered to the empty office. *"You’re ridiculous."*

But I was smiling so hard my cheeks hurt.

---

6:02 PM.

I came out of the bank and scanned the parking lot.

No bike.

No him.

The sun was going down. People were rushing to cars. And my stomach started doing that sinking thing.

_Maybe he got busy. Maybe he changed his mind. Maybe this was too much for him._

The velvet cake from this morning felt heavy in my chest instead of sweet.

I was starting to feel bad. Starting to tell myself _don’t get used to this_ when—

*"Miss me?"*

From behind me. Low. Warm. That voice.

I spun around so fast.

And there he was. Helmet under his arm. White t-shirt. Hair still damp like he’d rushed. Leaning against his bike like he’d been waiting, but trying to look casual about it.

My heart did the dumbest flip.

*"I thought you would never come,"* I said. The words came out before I could stop them. Honest and small.

He stepped closer.

*"Hey,"* he said. Soft. *"I will never leave you standing here wondering. You have me, okay? I will never let you be standing alone."*

God.

I had to look away or I was going to cry in the parking lot.

*"So,"* I said quickly, changing the subject before my voice broke. *"What do you do for a living? Since you always pick me up every single time... don’t you have a job? Or do you just... ride around and rescue people?"*

He laughed at that. Ran a hand through his hair.

*"I do have a job,"* he said. *"I run logistics for a transport company. Night shifts mostly. Scheduling, routes, drivers. That’s why I’m up at weird hours. That’s why I could sit outside your bank."*

I blinked. *"Oh. But that kind of work... you wouldn’t be having time."*

He looked at me. Really looked.

*"I will bring out time for whoever that I love,"* he said. Simple. Like it was obvious.

My face went hot. I could feel myself blushing.

*"That’s a dangerous thing to say,"* I mumbled.

He just shrugged, but his eyes didn’t leave mine.

*"What about you?"* he asked. *"Your past. It still makes your body go stiff sometimes, huh?"*

And just like that, the air shifted.

The tension came back. Not bad tension. The real kind.

I swallowed. *"Let’s... let’s just keep that for later, okay?"*

He nodded. No pushing.

*"Okay,"* he said. *"For now, let’s go on that date. Before I lose my nerve."*

He held out his helmet to me.

And I took it.

-