Chapter 28: Back on track
They parked in front of Luca's house at the same time. She was back from her apartment. He had been to do some last errands. No need to hide her car anymore. Chris was relieved. At least, they had a safe spot where they could act without checking over their shoulders. It was relaxing to act like a real couple here. Just to be them. Just hanging out and enjoying the time they spent together.
"Do we eat the rest of lasagna tonight? Or you'd rather we do something more healthy? I'd killed for a quinoa, feta and cucumber salad right now but it's too late to cook. Anyway we don't have all the ingredients here… Jim, you're right… You seem stressed. Is everything ok?"
"Would you like…" He was fidgeting his hands, twisting them to evacuate his stress. He didn't know how to ask her to go out with him where they were dating for more than four months now…
She was looking at him, biting her lower lip. She loved to see him confused, as she could be when he was around. At least she knew he was feeling the same way. That he was as shy and embarrassed as she was and she felt more comfortable. Together, they were growing. Slowly. At their rhythm. Not rushing anything. Just taking the time they needed to reach the place they wanted to be.
She put her hand over his and smiled. She didn't know what to say. She just wanted to show him she was stressed too. He understood the message because he pressed her hands in his as he saw them shaking. He took a deep breath.
"Chris, I'd like to invite you to go out tonight. I've no idea where but I would like that we get out together outside as a couple… Because it is what we are, right?"
He was a little scared of her answer. The past four months had been better than he could have dreamed of. Their connivance had reached another level. The moments spent together were forever stuck in his mind and the sex was beyond amazing. He kept talking as she watched at him with her big brown eyes.
"I was thinking... It's the perfect timing… Hondo is gone hiking with Darryl, Deac and Annie are more than busy with their kids, Tan took Bonnie to one of these fancy places with spas and Jacuzzi and Luca already knows… So it's like we have the whole city for us tonight…"
She cut him. "So this is an official invitation, Long Beach?"
He loved when she called him like this. Remembered him their first day patrolling when he joined SWAT. He grinned. "It is…"
"I'd love to, then."
"So what about us getting prepared and we leave in about 30 minutes?"
"Perfect!" She walked fast till the house and almost ran to Street's bedroom to get changed. She rummaged in her drawer and took a pair of jeans, a tee-shirt and a hoodie. Her favorite outfit. She got dressed and grabbed her baskets before leaving the room.
Street told Luca they were not spending the evening at home tonight. "Chris and I are going out… Seems like the perfect timing, you know…"
"Ah that's great kids!" He yelled as he saw Chris coming out of Street's bedroom and sitting on the sofa to put her shoes. "Have fun! Do you know where you're going? Ok, not my business."
"Would like to tell you but I've no idea!" Street answered.
"I may have an idea… But don't know if you'd like it…"
"I'm in!" He told her as he turned to look at her.
"But you don't even know which place I'm thinking about!" She answered, amused.
"As long as I'm with you, Chris, I don't care where I'm going. Now if you excuse I need to get dressed."
He walked quickly till his bedroom and closed the door. Luca took some time to look at Chris. He swore he saw her blushing as Jim told her he would go anywhere with her. He loved to see her like this. Calm and appeased. Glowing and smiling. After all she had been through, she deserved her haven of peace. He preferred not to say a word about it, she could close her like an oyster.
"So, where are you planning to take our Street?"
She giggled for a second and raised her head. "Rollerskating… Not sure he's gonna like it."
Luca let out a laugh. "You hear the man, he'd follow you anywhere. So you can try!"
"Gonna take my chance."
"As you should, lil sis!"
"And I'm ready! Your wheels or mine?"
"Always yours." She answered, grinning. It was one of their inside jokes, a message only the two of them understood. He pouted at her, making his dimples moving. Oh God, she loved those dimples so much. Maybe too much. She grabbed the extra helmet on the piece of furniture in the corridor.
"Have a good evening, Luca!" She told as she walked pass through the entrance door.
"See you later, bro." Street added closing the door. Once in the yard, he took her hand. She let him do so. "You, me and the world…. Ready? "
She nodded and smiled at him. She was both scared and excited. Scared because it was them making official. Excited because it was the first time they got out as a couple and she wanted to show the world how she was happy.
They got on Jim's bike. He turned to her before putting his visor down. "Where can I take you tonight?"
"I was thinking about going rollerskating…"
"Rollerskating, really?"
"Yes… Unless you really hate this so we can change…"
"Rollerskating, it is then! I'm just surprised. I have never imagined you were the roller-skating type of girl. That's all."
"She blushed. "Oh Shut up!"
He turned laughing, put his visor off and turned the bike on. He drove for fifteen maybe thirty minutes, slaloming around cars in the busy LA downtown but always trying to go slow because he knew that Chris was not totally comfortable on a bike but it was becoming better with time. He could feel her arms pressing his waist tighter as he overpassed the cars on the driveway. He parked in front of the skating ring on Venice Boulevard. The one Chris had given the address before leaving home.
"World of wheels, it is!" Jim told as he removed his helmet. She did the same, redoing her hair which were so messy because of their ride. She got up of the bike and handed her hand to Jim.
"Really? Are you… Sure?" He was surprised she wanted to take his hand in the middle of the street when she used to ask him all the time to be more than careful in public, fearing to be caught.
"Don't make me regret it, Street. " She answered with her sexy, bossy tone he liked so much.
He grabbed her hand and pressed it tighter. He was so glad to be outside, to go out with Chris, to show to the world how his girlfriend was amazing. They entered the skating ring and rented two pairs of rollerblades. They sat on a tiny bench, removed their shoes that they placed in a small locker and put the rollerblades on.
"Ready, Long Beach?"
"Just give me one minute to adjust my laces." He focused on finishing his bow and stoop up. "And I'm ready!"
She rolled first to the track. She felt so at ease on her rollerblades. Did this since she was a kid. One of her best and only good memories with her mom in her rare moments of sobriety. Then she kept coming with her uncle, aunt and cousins after her mom's death. And she still did when she was too anxious or preoccupied by something. As she entered the ring, she turned but Street was not behind her. She retraced her steps and found him at only some meters away from the bench they were seated on.
"Everything's right, Jim?" He raised his head, a little embarrassed, hearing her voice.
"Ummmm…"
"Jim, you know how to use rollerblades, right?"
"Yeah… I am…" He almost slipped as he tried to move towards her. She let out a little laugh before coming near him.
"Really?"
"Ok I must have rolled when I was a kid but I don't have for a long time but you know what they tell, you never forget how to ride a bike! So it must be the same with rollerblade. Be good in a few minutes…"
"You should have told me. Why didn't you tell me? You could have gone somewhere else…"
"Chris, Chris. Please stop spiraling. I'm fine and this is not eight little rolls that are gonna scare me, believe me."
"But…"
"There's no but, Chris. I like seeing you here. You are glowing, you like this place for whatever reason and…"
She kissed him. On the mouth. With her tongue in his mouth. In front of everyone. Like she didn't care. Because she really didn't care. She was enjoying the moment.
"Thanks for being you, Jim Street." She giggled as the stupid, idiotic girl in love she was. He stroked her hair and put it behind her ears. They went back to their bench and sat.
"I used to come here with my mom. She was not drunk all time… Sometimes we had good moments. She always took me her when she was sober, just rolling for hours and laughing…" Some tears rolled down her cheeks.
"This is a really cool story, Chris. I understand better why you love this place so much. It has something magical, it's great having such memories with your mom. Hope I've got some like this with mine…" She put her hand over his.
"I don't know everything about your mom but we may have build cool memories here together…"
He raised his head, glanced at her right in the eyes. "That'd be very cool… But for this, you need to learn to a 30-something man how to roll again…"
"That may be possible…" She took his hand as she stood up. "Come on, Street. Time to roll." She winked at him. He got the joke and followed her. She kept his hand in hers and grabbed his arm. "Don't worry I'll stay by your side as long as you need."
He didn't know if it was the double meaning of this sentence but he grinned at her, knowing at this precise moment he didn't fear the future anymore.
They entered the ring. Chris elbowed their way through people to make enough place for Jim to feel confident on his rollerblade. She entered the track first and turned to Jim gripped to the barrier since he had let go of her arm some seconds earlier. She held her hands to him. "Your turn, now!"
He let go of the barrier slowly and grasped her hands. "Great!"
"Don't make fun of me!"
"Never… Ok maybe just a little." She giggled. "Just hold me and I'll go slow."
They rolled slowly on the first turn. He was hesitating, she could feel him pressing her arm when he felt insecure. "It's Ok, you're doing well. Ready for a second turn?"
He nodded. And the turns came one after another. Jim felt more and more confident at each one. "You're doing better, soon you'll be flying solo!"
"You're not gonna get of me so easily, Chris. Get used to have me in your way all the time from now on."
"I like that…" She smiled shyly at him and then focused on the track again. Before he could answer, he lost his balance and fell, taking Chris with him. In less than two seconds, they were on the ground.
"Damn it, kids." Chris yelled at the children who just overpassed them and laughed after they had fallen. "You could be careful! And where are your parents?!" She turned to Jim. "Are you Ok? Are you fine?"
"Yes, yes, Chris. Don't worry. Just some bruises tomorrow, I think but nothing serious. What about you?"
"I'm fine. Just want to slap these kids and especially their parents for not looking after them!"
He looked at her and started laughing hard. "What?"
"Just like your determination and the way your eyebrows frown when you're angry. I love you, Chris Alonso."
This was after he said the words that he realized what he had just done. He knew she didn't like the big effusion, especially in public. He feared she got up and ran away as far as she could. Instead she remained calm. She was even smiling.
"I think I love you too, Jim Street."
He was stunned. It was the last thing he was expecting tonight. Even less in the middle of a roller track full of lousy kids. He remained silent for a while, just looking at her admiring this woman who had fought her feelings for him for too long and had just admitting them so easily after he slipped and told her the truth.
This night, they did some more turns of track on this skating ring. Then they got up on their bike, her embracing him tightly, nesting her head on his back while he was driving. When they came back home, Luca was already in his room. They sneaked in Jim's room and locked the door. They needed all the intimacy they could.
This night, they made love. They lost count of how many times they tasted each other's body. How many times they kissed their skins. How many times they moaned of pleasure and laughed trying to remain as silent as they could not to wake Luca up. How many times they bit their tongues and lips and giggled like the crazy teenagers they were. How many times they took the seventh heaven to finally reach this place of total plenitude.
This night, they fell asleep cuddling, each other enjoying the warmth of their body. Her head placed on his chest. His head nestling in her hair, smelling her natural perfume. Together, ready for a next chapter in their story.