Free Forever Baby by Ellie Wade

gone, and I wasn’t going to risk seeing it again by picking up the towel. I was naked and making my way to the bedroom when Pedro comes around. He was probably seeing why I’d yelled. You should have seen his face when he all but ran into my naked ass.”
    I’m doubled over, laughing, with visions of Nolan and his nude face-off with the killer centipede. I straighten and notice Andres leaning against a tree in the garden with his hands in his pockets. He’s looking at me with an inquisitive expression on his face. I immediately stop laughing. He takes my breath away.
    Breathe, Liv.
    Giving myself silent encouragement, I grab Nolan’s hand. “Come on, scaredy-cat.” I lead him to where Andres is waiting.
    “Hi.” I smile at Andres, feeling like a lovesick girl. Geez, pull it together.
    Nolan greets Andres. They shake hands and exchange a couple of pleasantries.
    Nolan bends down to kiss my cheek. “Call me later.”
    I smile as Nolan walks away. Andres has a fixed expression on his face as he watches Nolan. Andres grabs my hand and leads me away from the school and toward the road. We walk in silence, and I notice that we’re headed for a motorcycle leaning on its kickstand on the sidewalk.
    I stop abruptly. “Is that yours?” I ask, a slight shrill to my voice.
    “Yes,” Andres answers, sounding confused.
    “Oh, no, I don’t do motorcycles. You do know how incredibly unsafe they are, right?” I’m sure the expression on my face is one of complete terror.
    I’m normally not a scared person. I mean, obviously, since I had a homeless man frequent my yard back home, and it didn’t faze me enough to lock my doors. Something about certain modes of transportation, specifically planes and motorcycles, freak me out. I have visions of plummeting to my death from the sky or being propelled off a motorcycle into a tree. I know these fears are irrational for the most part, but seriously, it could happen. It has happened. I’ve seen the news stories. I just can’t help my anxiety.
    He takes a step to stand behind me. Encasing me between his arms, he pulls me toward him. My legs turn to jelly as he kisses my shoulder. Then, ever so sweetly, he proceeds to place little kisses in a line from my shoulder to my neck, ending at the base of my ear. My body shivers as he starts to nibble my earlobe.
    In between nibbles, he whispers, “I will keep you safe, I promise.”
    I’m awoken from my sensual escape when his heated body steps back from mine. Following a startling smack on my ass cheek, I yelp and laugh. He grabs a helmet and hands it to me, and he’s obviously very pleased with himself.
    I’m feeling contradicting emotions, but against my better judgment, I put on the helmet and climb on. You only live once, right? That thought brings a smile to my face. I am going to text Cara about this later. She loves to obnoxiously hashtag YOLO after everything. It has become a running joke, causing her to do it more than necessary.
    As we drive away, I wrap my arms around him, and his tight abdomen flexes under my grasp. I lean my head into his back and close my eyes while holding on as tightly as I can. I think he laughs as we merge onto the street outside of campus. We weave through the bumpy streets. I venture a peek, and I am utterly panicked as he swerves in and out of traffic, around potholes, and between cars. This would be terrifying in a car, and it is completely paralyzing on a motorcycle. Andres isn’t wearing a helmet, and a million horrid images flash through my mind as I imagine the worst. I pray we make it safely to our destination.
    The motorcycle slows as we bounce down a cobblestone street. We halt, and I open my eyes. We’re parked in front of a gray concrete gate. Andres lifts me off the motorcycle and holds me to him. I’m grateful because I honestly don’t know if I could stand on my own at the moment. My legs are still shaking as the adrenaline subsides.
    With one arm circled around my back, holding