A chain link fence enclosed what looked like an old tennis court.  Instead of nets and the like, there were two curved structures painted with graffiti.  About a dozen guys and girls on bikes were zooming up and down them, flying into the air when they got to the top and then twisting around so they could land without killing themselves.

Even though his head was covered with a helmet, I immediately spotted Ethan on his dark green bike as he flew past a couple other riders and up one of the slopes.  He soared high into the air, twisted in a complete back flip, and landed easily on the ramp below to the cheering of some of the other kids in the park.

My Saab chirped as I locked it, which caused a bunch of the kids to turn around and take notice.  I could feel the heat rise into my face as I started walking up to the gate.

“Hey, chickie!” one of the guys called out.  “That’s a sweet ride.  Do the seats go all the way back?”

The group around him started to laugh until Ethan rode straight through the whole pile of them and put his hand on the guy’s shoulder.

“Be polite,” he said softly.  “I invited her here.”

“This your girlfriend, E?” The guy laughed as Ethan blushed.  “My apologies, pretty lady.  Welcome to Gibbs Park.”

“Ashlyn, this is Otis.”  Ethan jumped off his bike and reached for my hand.  “Otis, this is Ashlyn.”

He introduced me to about nine other kids, but there was no way I was going to remember all the names. I greeted the group and allowed Ethan to lead me over to a rusted bench with a good view of the ramps.  I spotted CeeCee’s huge form almost immediately.  Faith was right behind him as they twisted and turned, crossing each other in the air before landing neatly on the ramp.

“CeeCee, Faith, and Gwen are still riding,” Ethan said as he pointed out each person in turn.

“Who’s Gwen?”

“Oh, sorry,” Ethan said with a slight blush.  “Gwen is Faith’s girlfriend.  She was there when you came to, um, talk to me last night.  I’m sorry I didn’t really do any formal introductions.”

“That’s okay,” I said.  “I don’t think that was at the top of my list of things to accomplish yesterday.  I’m glad there will be other opportunities.”

“Me, too.”

“Is, um,” I glanced around, “is Andrea here?”

“Andrea had to work today.”

“Where does she work?” I asked, trying not to sound as relieved as I was.

“She’s a waitress at the IHOP over on Cox Road,” Ethan said and then started to laugh hysterically.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“Well, she started there when they first opened the restaurant,” Ethan said.  “They were all told that when they answered the phone, they should say, ‘IHOP on…’ and then the name of the street where they’re located.  So for the first week, they kept getting phone calls constantly, with people just calling, listening to their greeting, and then hanging up, usually laughing.”

“I don’t get it,” I said.

“Think about it,” Ethan said with a sly smirk.  “It’s on Cox Road.  So when they picked up the phone, they would say, ‘I HOP on Cox.’”

I started laughing with him that time.

“So what did they do?”

“Now they answer with IHOP only.”  Ethan shot me his double-barreled smile, and I shifted a little in my seat.  Ethan gripped my hand and nodded his head toward the bicyclists.  “Check that out.”

I looked to where he was pointing and saw CeeCee flying down one of the ramps, going airborne and spinning the bike around and around on its frame—at least three times—before landing on the other ramp and riding back down again.  I recognized the lanky blond woman from yesterday—Gwen—as she followed suit, landing on just one wheel and reaching the bottom of the ramp before the other wheel even touched the ground.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Ethan smiled his glorious smile.

“It’s kind of scary,” I said.  “It seems like they could get really hurt.”

“We’ve had our share of broken arms and stuff,” Ethan told me.  “Nothing scarier than one guy, a couple months ago, who landed on his back and neck.  I was the only person around, and I had to call 9-1-1 to get him to the hospital.  He was really out of it, and they kept giving me forms to fill out on his behalf, which of course, I couldn’t read.  I flipped out on a nurse who got really impatient with me.  It wasn’t too bad in the end, though.  He had a concussion, but he was okay a few days later.”

“I’m surprised you don’t stay away from stuff like this,” I said.  “Aren’t you afraid of getting hurt again?”

“Sometimes,” he said, “but if I had been hurt in a car accident, would you advocate never driving again?”

“Good point,” I said with a smile.

“Can we have dinner together tonight?” Ethan asked abruptly.

“I have two presentations to give on Monday,” I said.  “I still have a lot of work to do on them.  I think I’ll have to skip dinner and just make something quick at my place.”

“Later?” he asked, hopeful.

“I can come by,” I said.  “Maybe we can read a bit more Dune if there is time?”

“I’d really like that.”

“But if I’m staying over, it can’t be a late night.  I still have to get up early and hit the library one last time.”

“Well, maybe we can find some way of wearing you out so you sleep well,” Ethan said with a smirk.

“I seem to sleep pretty well when I’m with you.”  I grinned up at him and twisted my fingers around in his hand.  “You wear me out.”

“You wear me out, too,” Ethan said.  He leaned over and kissed me softly.  “I think sleeping at my place with you is a lot more appealing than sleeping on CeeCee and Gwen’s couch.”

“I guess I’ll have to come over, then.”

“Good!”

Ethan leaned in close to me again, brushing his lips over my mouth and down my chin.  Whistles and catcalls emanated from the bike riders all around the park.  He seemed so at ease and relaxed, even with everyone watching us, I wondered how he managed to take everything in stride the way he did.  It reminded me of the conversation I had with my dad when he mentioned the supposed breakdown Ethan had in the office.   When he leaned back and smiled at me again, I decided to tell him I had at least started to make good on my promise.

“I told my dad I was seeing you.”

“You did?”  Ethan seemed surprised and maybe just a bit nervous at my revelation.  “What did he say?”

“Well, it wasn’t pretty,” I told him honestly, “but it could have been worse, too.”

“I guess that’s something.”

“He does remember you.”

“I’m sure he does.”  Ethan huffed through his nose and looked away.

“He said you…you had a breakdown at the office.”  I squeezed Ethan’s hand.  “He said you ended up in the hospital afterward.”

“Yeah,” Ethan said with a nod, “I did.”

“What happened?”

“It wasn’t long after I turned eighteen.  I’d been dealing with the attorneys and the will and the estate and all that shit.  I was stressed, and my doctor put me on some anti-anxiety meds.  Let’s just say they didn’t work out so well for me.  I spent a few weeks in the hospital trying to get my moods under control until they found a medication that worked.”

“That sounds pretty rough.”

“It was.”  Ethan took a deep breath and looked back at me.  “I threatened to kill myself.  Your father probably knows that.  I’m not suicidal though.  I never really wanted to die; it was just because of the medication.  I’m not even on any of those drugs anymore.  Not for months.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”  I leaned against him and put my head on his shoulder.

“What else did your father say?”

“He doesn’t approve,” I said, “but he’s going to have to get used to the idea.  That might not happen quickly though.  I’ll have to give you the details tonight.  I need to get back to my schoolwork.”

“Okay.”  Ethan stood and gave me a hug, then a deeper kiss on the lips, which was met by more whistles and cheering.  “I’m glad you came by.”

“I am, too,” I said.

“Ashlyn?”

“Yes, Ethan?”

“Thank you for telling him.  That really does mean a lot to me.”

I smiled, kissed him once again, and then headed back to the car, trying to ignore the continued comments and raucous clapping.  I settled into the seat and pulled carefully out of the parking lot.

My phone rang four times while I was in the car, but when I saw the names come up—Presley, Zoey, Isaac, and then Presley again—I decided I still wasn’t ready to deal with them.  I’d see them all Saturday night, and Presley would just have to keep her panties on until then.  There was another beep, indicating a text message after I didn’t answer the last call.

I pulled into the parking garage, locked the car, and headed to the lobby of my apartment building, desperately trying to ignore the looks thrown my way from two first-year grad students I recalled from the New Year’s Eve social.  Good lord, had Presley already managed to talk to them, too?  I was able to dodge both Presley and her phone calls so far, but obviously I couldn’t completely avoid her influence even with people I barely knew.  I glanced at my phone and read her last text.

When you are done fucking the little Goth boy LMK.

As soon as I walked through the door of my apartment, my phone started ringing again.  I reluctantly looked at the caller ID.  It was my father.  I sighed heavily and hit the green button.

“Ashlyn, come and meet me for dinner.”

No hello or anything.

“I can’t, Dad.  I have to get ready for a presentation Monday.”

“Bull.  Is that delinquent with you?”

“Ethan is not with me.  I told him the same thing I am telling you.  I’m not done with school for a couple more weeks, and I have a lot of work to do tonight.”

There was a long pause before he spoke again.

“Ashlyn, you have no idea what you are getting into with that boy,” Dad said darkly.  “He hasn’t even held a job since he got out of high school, and then he dropped out his freshman year!  Dropped out, Ashlyn!  A college dropout!”

“Dad, I know all of this.” I groaned.  I tried to keep the annoyance out of my voice as I realized he had probably spent the rest of the afternoon looking up information on my boyfriend.  “If you would just get to know him—”

“That’s not going to happen because you are not going to keep seeing him.”

“You don’t get to make that decision,” I said softly.

“I most certainly do,” Dad said.  “When you are doing something stupid, I’m going to do something about it.”

“It’s not stupid!” I yelled into the phone.  “You don’t know him, and you do not get to decide who I date!”

“Ashlyn, be reasonable…”

“No, Dad.  I’m not having this conversation with you anymore.  Ethan and I are together.  Maybe it will be short term or maybe it will be longer, but either way, you are going to have to come to terms with it because I am not breaking up with him just because you tell me to!”

I hung up the phone.

I felt my entire body turn to ice.

I hung up the phone on my father.

I hung up on Miles Draganov.

I yelled at him, too.

Holy shit.

It felt good.