Rex snorted. “You sure you don’t want to join Meet Cute Club? You’d fit right in with all the other hopeless romantics.”
“I’d only be getting my hopes up,” Amy sighed. “My love life is more Shakespeare than Alyssa Cole. But you and your boyfriend have fun.”
“He’s not my boyfriend, brat,” Rex grumbled, but it was already too late. Amy had latched onto the nickname, and he was never going to get her to stop referring to Jordan that way. Rather than dwelling on the inevitable jeering his younger sister would do, he threw himself into cleaning out the rest of the room, attempting to ignore the tiny little spark of excitement stirring in the pit of his stomach.
Jordan paced back and forth in his room like he was trying to compete with his Roomba, unable to sit still for more than a few minutes before his nerves lit up all over again. He wasn’t nervous, but he also wasn’t sure if this situation was entirely platonic.
Sure, he and Rex talked sometimes, trading funny pictures and giving each other occasional updates on the books they were reading, but this wasn’t just meeting up at his house with everyone else. They’d be alone, wherever Rex planned on taking him, and as someone that needed to know where he was going and who all would be there, Jordan was losing his cool piece by piece.
He’d changed his outfit three times, finally settling on a baggy sweater and jeans, but with how long it was taking Rex to text him and let him know he was outside, Jordan reconsidered his clothing choice once again. He had to discipline himself and put his foot down. It didn’t matter what he was wearing, because this wasn’t a date, because making out with Rex in his kitchen a few weeks ago didn’t mean anything.
People kissed all the time.
People kissed others they had no real interest in all the time.
People kissed and dry humped each other like it was going out of season all the time.
Okay, so maybe there was something there. Maybe this was a date. That thought only sent Jordan up into another tizzy, but graciously, his phone vibrated to let him know that there was no time to panic. Rex was outside.
He took a quick, controlled breath before heading downstairs and out to the curb. He found Rex leaning against his motorcycle, helmet under his arm like he was posing for the cover of People. He wore a long-sleeved heather grey Henley, dark wash distressed jeans, and a pair of boots that looked as if they’d seen better days. It all worked for Rex, however, and Jordan could’ve easily stared for much longer had time allowed for it.
“This is…” Jordan started, gesturing to the motorcycle. “We’re taking this?”
“Yes, sir. You’re not scared, are you?”
He could hear the underlying snark in Rex’s tone, but in a moment of honesty, he simply said, “Yeah, a little…”
“Don’t be. I’ve only been in nine accidents. Everyone knows you get ten free before you should start to worry.” Jordan gave a weak smile, but he couldn’t feign bravery as well as he’d have liked. Rex handed over his helmet. “I brought this for you. If you’re not into it, I can just order us a car or something. It’s up to you.”
Oddly enough, Rex had immediately dropped all his sarcasm and wit. He stared at Jordan, watching and waiting for his reaction. “No,” Jordan said, taking the helmet and pulling it over his head. “This is okay. I’m okay.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I’ll be alright. I trust you not to smear us across the road.”
“That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me,” Rex replied. He raised his eyebrows twice, then swung a leg over the bike. Jordan followed suit, scooting close enough to press his chest to the other’s back.
“So, I just hang on like this?” he asked, getting comfortable with his arms around Rex’s chest. Momentarily, he worried that Rex could feel his pounding heartbeat with their bodies this close together, but rationality won. When the bike roared to life, Rex wouldn’t be able to feel anything but the purr of his ride.
“Just like that. Keep your thighs tight, too. And if you need me to pull over or stop for a second, just let me know, alright?”
Still uneasy about his kindness, Jordan pressed closer to the man and nodded. “Sure.”
Through sheer concentration and his determination not to chicken out, Jordan was able to keep from flinching or squeezing Rex too tight the moment they pulled away from the curb. He could tell by the speed that they started with that Rex was giving him time to adjust, and that only made it easier for him to finally open his eyes and look around.
He’d driven around Sweet Rose for just over a decade, and because of that experience, he thought he knew what his tiny Oklahoma town looked like. Riding forty miles an hour on the back of a bike proved just how wrong he was. The spring flowers looked even brighter, the nearby restaurants smelled even better, and with the wind whipping in his face and his stomach practically sinking down into his toes, he let out an almost maniacal laugh. This wasn’t that bad. In fact, as they turned right onto Addleston Road, Jordan found himself never wanting this to end.
“You having fun?” Rex called out, his stomach contracting beneath Jordan’s arms as he laughed.
“Hell yes,” Jordan shouted back.
Much to his disappointment, the ride ended five minutes later when Rex came to a halt outside of a building Jordan had never been to. He recognized it from the name—Riverside Library—and immediately, he was curious why they’d come here of all places.
As if reading his mind, Rex stepped off the bike and said, “Welcome to my second home.” Rex took the helmet from Jordan and squatted to lock it to his motorcycle before he continued. “My parents weren’t the best at the whole marriage thing. Lots of fighting, actually. Whenever things ended up too bad, I’d grab my little Huffy and pedal all the way out here for some peace and quiet. Ended up becoming best friends with all the librarians.”
Rex led the way through the double doors of the building, and Jordan followed close behind, looking around at one of the murals the neighborhood kids had all pitched in to create. He immediately recognized covers of some of the most notable children’s books in the business, each of them drawn by a child.
“At first, I mostly just stopped by to use the free internet. Back in the day, they even had a few games installed that I messed around with. Finally, one afternoon my favorite librarian Mr. Diaz came up to me and told me that I wasn’t allowed to sit on the computer all day. For every hour I played games, I had to read something. When I tell you I was pissed off…”
Jordan laughed at the idea of a tiny Rex Bailey glaring up at an authority figure. “What’d you do? Tell him off or something?”
“Believe it or not, no. I was mad, but I also would’ve rather spent every day here reading than another second at home. So, I told him to show me the best books and I’d consider it. He brought me to the shelf where they kept all the favorites.”
“What’d you read? Something like Harry Potter?”
“I read those, sure, but I had a secret favorite series that no one else knew about.” The smile on Rex’s face was just as mischievous as Jordan imagined he might wear when the man was younger. Conspiratorial, but so self-satisfied at the same time.