Free Awakening by Ashley Suzanne Page A

puts on his helmet after he hands me the spare.  Okay, deep breath, Mira.   Skylar is straddling his seat waiting for me to take mine.  You can do this.   Before I lose the courage, I stand with my left foot on the peg and swing my other leg over the rear tire, placing it on the right peg.  Gripping Skylar’s shoulders, I slowly get in place. 
    With my hands still on his shoulders, Skylar starts the bike.  I can feel his muscular thighs flex as he works the gears.  I try to remain neutral by placing my hands on his outer hips, refraining from wrapping myself around his waist.  I should have known that he wouldn’t allow that.  Skylar takes his hands off the handlebars and grabs mine roughly.  With my wrists still in his possession, he yanks them forward, leaving no space between our bodies; my chest is flush with his back.  I have no choice but to hold onto him for dear life as he takes off out of the parking lot.
    The first few minutes are terrifying.  Every time he switches gears, my stomach threatens to empty its contents all over the back of him.  I’m keeping my composure, somehow, and I’m so happy I am; this is amazing.  I love being on the back of a bike, but this ride is something different; it’s liberating. 
    I don’t have to let the accident ruin the things that I love.  I can live my life.  I’ve been given a blessing.  I’m alive. 
    Embracing the gift I’ve been given, I tighten my grip on Skylar’s waist, lay my head down on his shoulder and enjoy the ride.  It feels like it’s only been a few minutes and we’re pulling up to a small diner in town.  Skylar parks on the street, puts the kickstand down and waits for me to move before he gets off.
    “Are you okay?”  I know he’s waiting for me to say “no” but I just can’t.
    “That was amazing, Sky.  Thank you so much.  I have never felt so alive.”  I fall into his chest and wrap my arms around his waist.  Skylar’s entire body tenses at my touch before he relaxes and hugs me back.
    “Thank you,” I whisper.
    “You’re most welcome, Sweets.  Let’s get you something to eat, yeah?”
    “Yeah.”  I can’t hide the grin that’s plastered on my face. 
    We walk into the diner and take a booth seat in the back, sitting on opposite sides of the table.  There’s not much time to talk before the waitress comes over and takes our order.   While we wait for our drinks to come back, I try to work my nerves up to have this conversation.
    “What are you thinking about, Sweets?”
    Well shit.   Sometimes I really hate that he can read me like Kylee does.  A girl should be able to have her own thoughts without someone calling her out. 
    “I’m thinking about what I want to say to you.”
    “When I saw you at The Fillmore, I knew I had to talk to you.  It’s not going to be something you want to hear, but we have to talk about it.”
    I think there is a giant fat turtle sitting in my throat.  I can’t breathe, let alone talk.  He’s about to wreck my world and there’s nothing I can do about it.
    “Go ahead, Skylar.” It’s time for me to be stoic Mira.  No time for the ‘I love you and want you in my life’ Mira.
    “Danny’s hurting, Mira.  He’s in a really bad spot.  He misses you.  You probably should fix this problem, soon.  I don’t know how much more of his moping I can take before I lose it.”
    “What do you expect me to do?  You heard the conversation; I need time.  I can’t be with him while I’m processing all of these feelings I have for you.”
    “Mira, I don’t even want to pretend to understand what you’ve been through.  But one thing I know is you and Danny are meant to be together.  I saw it when you first met and I still see it.  You need to push away those feelings for me and fix things with Danny.”
    “You said you loved me.  You said we would figure this out.  What happened to that guy and who is this person in his place?”  I almost choke on my