Chapter 4

"YEESS!" Heather exclaimed as she jumped up and down and clapped her hands as she watched the bowling ball knock down all the pins. "STRIKE TWO! Make sure you write that down on the scorecard!" She told Wheels as she sat back down in her chair.

"I'm gonna beat you, you just wait and see!" Wheels said. "I'm just getting warmed up!"

It was his turn. He got up from his seat, walked over to the ball return and picked up his ball. He walked to the end of the lane, stepped to the side a bit, brought his arm back and hurled the ball down the lane with all the force he could muster. The ball got about halfway down the lane, then rolled over into the gutter.

"Gonna beat me, eh?" Heather boasted.

"I told you I'm just getting started!"

Wheels' date with Heather was going fairly well. He picked her up at her apartment at six o'clock like he'd promised her, and they went out for burgers and fries for dinner before hitting the bowling alley. Heather filled him in some more on her life and what Erica was up to. He, in turn, got her more up to speed as to what was going on with him. They had both done a lot of growing up since graduating from high school, and, like Ty was experiencing with Emma, he was starting to become attracted to her. Wheels had even started wondering what would have happened if they would've gone out together in high school. Maybe he would've been married with a family of his own by now instead of living the bachelor life in his lonely apartment on Gerrard Street.

"It's almost 11 and the bowling alley will be closing." He told her. "What do you want to do? I can take you home if you want, or we can do something else. The choice is all yours!"

Heather thought about it for a moment. "How about a walk?" She suggested.

"At 11 PM? Isn't it kinda dark out?"

"So? It'll be fun."

"OK, why not?" Wheels replied.

The two of them traded in their bowling shoes for their regular shoes.

"Ever wonder how many feet have been in a pair of bowling shoes?" Heather asked as she took hers off and put her real shoes back on.

Wheels cringed at the thought of that. "More feet than I care to know of!" He replied.

Heather laughed at him.

***

"Did you ever miss this place when you were locked up?" Heather asked Wheels as they walked along the streets of downtown Toronto.

"Not too much for a little while, then I really started to miss it." He replied as he scraped his his right shoe along the edge of a curb. "What I really missed was my freedom, but, then again, it was my fault that I was in prison. Then, after awhile I started getting homesick. Little things would trigger it, too, like seeing pictures of Toronto or hearing about it. I really wanted to come back home but I couldn't."

"I missed it when I was in Yellowknife. Yellowknife is beautiful, but this place is home and always will be! It feels so good to be back here!"

"I know what you mean! When I was told I was being released, I could hardly stand the excitement! I remember the day after I got out and I woke up that morning thinking 'Now what am I supposed to do?' I had this newfound freedom I didn't have before, and it was great!"

They walked in silence for a little ways, neither one of them saying a word, just enjoying each other's company.

"I thought about you a lot when you were in prison." Heather finally spoke up. "I kept wondering what you were up to, and a few times I even thought of trying to find you so I could send you some letters."

"I was mostly on Kitchen Duty and doing Community Service. I learned how to cook a mean bowl of Chili from Kitchen Duty!" Wheels responded with a bit of a laugh. "I kept wondering what everyone was up to! Joey was the only one that really stayed in contact with me, and I only saw him just a few times a year. You really should've looked me up, I would've loved any form of correspondence!" Wheels changed the subject. "Have you seen anyone else since you moved back?"

"I just got here last Friday and have spent most of my time unpacking boxes and moving into my apartment when I'm not at the station, so no, I haven't. I've been meaning to call Spike and maybe arrange some time when we can go out together. I would love to know how she's doing and how Emma, Jack and Snake are."

"Well, I'll try my best to fill you in on everything going on with them. Spike's still running the salon and making a killing at it, Snake's cancer went into remission and he's now cancer free, and Jack just turned a year old and is walking and causing all kinds of hell getting into anything he can reach, and Emma, well, she's growing up!"

"God, she's gotta be what, thirteen now?" Heather asked.

"Fourteen and in Grade 9."

"That is so hard to believe she's in high school now! It seems like it was just yesterday she was a baby and now she's practically an adult!"

"What can I say, time flies!"

They walked again in silence.

"This was fun tonight." Heather said as they continued walking.

"Yeah, it was."

"For the first time in a long time I forgot about Jonathan and the terrible, horrible, MEAN person that he was! I feel like I'm finally starting to get things back on track again!"

"Oh c'mon!" Wheels said as they came to a stop. "He couldn't have been that bad!"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Heather asked as she half-cocked her head.

"I mean, ya gotta give him some credit! He had excellent taste in women!"

"Really?" Heather said as a smile crept upon her face. She could feel her cheeks turning warm, and by now they were probably turning bright red. She did that a lot when she was embarrassed or really nervous.

Wheels moved closer to her and wrapped one arm around her waist and took her head in his other free hand. He then proceeded to kiss her, and she didn't oblige. Instead, she welcomed it. It was nice to feel attractive and loved and worthwhile for a change. She remembered the party she and Erica had had in high school just so she could closer to Wheels and how they'd actually ended up making out and how he'd been a complete jerk to her after that, but this time she could tell something was different. He wanted her, and that was nice.

After a few minutes he pulled away from her.

"You're pretty good!" She complimented him.

"Really? You think so?"

"Uhm hmm!" She said with her mouth closed as she nodded her head yes.

"'Cause it's been a long time since I've done that!"

"Well, I'd say you just found yourself someone to 'practice' on, if you catch my drift!"

Wheels and Heather walked back to his car that they left parked at the bowling alley. He drove her back home, and walked her to her apartment.

"I really had a lot of fun tonight." She said as she turned the knob on the door to her apartment after unlocking it. "We'll have to do it again."

Wheels remained silent for a moment. He wanted to leave her hanging with a little bit of suspense. After all, he didn't want to seem desperate or anything!

"Well?"

"I'd love to!"

"Great! Now," she said, standing half in the apartment and half in the hallway, "It's my turn to kiss YOU!"She took him in her arms like he'd taken her earlier and kissed him goodnight. That was when he knew this was the real thing, he was really in love with someone who loved him back, and it was the greatest feeling in the world!

"I'll call ya tomorrow, OK?" He said as they pulled away from each other and he ran his fingers through her long, curly brown hair.

"You're sure you'll call?" She asked him, remembering what happened the last time he said he'd call her and didn't.

"I promise! I swear on my grandmother's grave that I will call you tomorrow! Well, I don't know that swearing on her grave is really such a good idea! She might come back to haunt me if I did that, but I promise!"

Heather laughed at his remark about swearing on his grandmother's grave.

"If you don't, so help me God, I will hunt you down Derek Wheeler!"

"Don't worry! Good night, Heather!" He said as he started to walk away.

"Bye!" She said, shaking her head.

With Wheels gone, Heather went into her apartment packed full of boxes and furniture from moving. She stomped her feet and emitted a small scream of happiness. Something was finally going right for a change!