6.
Glider took her hand and led her to the outskirts of the group. There was a fire raging and some of the bikers were throwing whiskey into it and hauling women up over their shoulders and slapping them playfully on the ass. Holly watched with wide eyes and Glider looked down at her and smirked.
He stopped by some flat rocks and sat down. Clutching the whiskey bottle within his fist, he unscrewed the top and passed it to her. She didn’t know what to do at first… Was this the drink he had offered to get for her? Were they really just going to share swigs from the bottle? She looked at him uneasily, but he urged her to take it.
“I thought you wanted a drink?” he said.
Holly smiled sheepishly and took it from him. When she knocked it back, it was hot and strong on the back of her throat.
“So, what’s your story?” Glider asked as he lit a cigarette and eyed her with interest.
“What do you mean?” she snapped.
“Feisty,” he smirked and took another drag. “I mean, what brought you down here tonight? Trying to piss off your parents?”
Holly felt as if she had been punched in the gut.
“No,” she said flatly. “My parents are dead.”
The smile fell from Glider’s face, and he sat up straight.
“I’m sorry,” he said genuinely.
Holly looked down at the floor and kicked at the dust with the tip of her shoe.
“It’s alright, you didn’t know,” she said before she reached out and took the bottle back from him.
“Mine too,” he said. She looked up to him with surprise.
“Really?” Holly asked. She sat down next to him and looked deep into his eyes.
“Yes,” he nodded. “I lost both of them in a car accident when I was nine.”
“Wow,” Holly said as she touched him lightly on the hand. “Well then, I’m sorry too.”
Glider nodded and took another drag on his cigarette.
Holly watched the way his big, rough hands gripped the tip of the filter and were adorned with big thick silver rings. Even though he was clearly dangerous, there seemed to be a softer side to him and he seemed willing to open up.
“So we certainly have something in common, then,” Holly said.
Gilder nodded and smiled.
“Not many people our age know what that’s like,” he blew a plume of smoke into the night air. “So, why did you come down here tonight?”
“Curiosity,” she admitted. “Not a lot happens around here, and I wanted to see what you guys were all about.”
Glider smiled and looked at her out of the corner of his eye.
“Honest answer,” he said.
Holly shrugged and smiled. “I take it Glider isn’t your real name?” she asked.
“It’s Rory,” he winked. “But don’t tell anyone.”
Holly could barely keep the smile from her face. He was certainly pulling her in and keeping her interested. She wished she could just sit and look at him—he was so good looking. His shoulders were broad and heavy with muscle, and a big, black, patterned tattoo snaked its way down his arm.
“It’s tough, though, not having a family,” he said suddenly. “It’s one of the reasons I joined the club.” He motioned towards the rest of the men on the lakeside and to the motorcycles dotted around them.
“I wish I had something like that,” Holly admitted. “I work as a waitress… Not quite the same.”
He laughed and held out his hand for her to pass him the whiskey.
“You’re different,” he said. “It’s not often I meet a girl with a good head on her shoulders… Especially not one as beautiful as you.”
Holly felt her cheeks flushing red and her heart begin to race.
“Thank you,” she blushed. “You seem pretty well rounded, too.”
He laughed and got to his feet.
“Well, I don’t know about that,” he winked. “But how about we get the hell out of here anyway and go somewhere where we can talk properly?”
Holly looked at him and took it all in: where she was, who she was with, the fact that she had only known him for ten minutes and he wanted her to leave with him and go somewhere just the two of them…
She knew it was crazy to trust him, especially considering what he was involved in, but she couldn’t help feeling instantly connected to him. He was right—they shared such a massive coincidence, an experience that not many people had gone through at their age, and it drew her to him all the more.
“Where do you want to go?” she asked nervously.
“Well,” Glider said as he looked out and pointed to a huge, shining, silver Harley on the banks of the lake. “That’s my ride. How about we get on and you can take me to this restaurant you work at… I haven’t seen much of the town yet.”
Holly instantly relaxed. Now that was something she could cope with.
“Okay,” she smiled. “But don’t get too excited. It’s a highway diner and it’s full of truckers.”
“Perfect,” he said as she slipped her hand into his and he helped her down from the rocks. “I’ve got a feeling me and you are going to have a lot in common,” he smiled.
“You know what,” Holly looked up at him. “So do I…”