Later on that day, we made our way to the park. We decided to walk even though it was pretty far, as we knew the parking situation would be terrible.
“I need to get my motorcycle from my brother. It’s been sitting there for ages,” I said once I realized how far the park actually was.
“You ride?” she asked in surprise.
I chuckled. “Motorcycles are a big thing in my family. I even belong to a motorcycle club, not that I go anymore. But yeah, I’m not sure there’s any guy in my family that hasn’t ridden a motorcycle at least one time in his life. It’s a part of who we are. I’ve missed riding. Would you come for a ride if got my bike back?”
“Yes! I’d love that. I’ve only ever ridden on the back of a bike once, and it was exhilarating. Maybe you can teach me how to ride too?”
“Seriously? I’d love that. Not many people are interested in learning. Although, I suppose it can be kind of daunting.”
“I trust you,” she said and smiled at me. The light was shining on her face, and as she looked up at me, I thought that she looked very much like an angel. I hadn’t realized just how much I liked her until that moment. And knowing that she might like me back had completely turned my day around. The night before I had thought she wasn’t interested in me. After all, she’d just left me with her friend all night. Paisley was gorgeous, but she wasn’t my type. She was a little too in your face, and a little bit too brash for me. I think she could tell that I wasn’t interested because she backed off at the end. Also, I don’t think I would be her type either.
When we got to the park, we made our way toward the concert. The band had already started playing, and we found a seat near the back to watch and listen. Halfway through, I ran off to get us both some snacks and something to drink, and we ended up having a little mini picnic. The band was good, but they made me feel a little frustrated as I watched them. Why couldn’t it be me up there singing to the crowd? I’d always felt inspired by young singers but the older I got, the more jealous I became of them. I was sure it was because I didn’t sing the right type of music, but I had no intention of suddenly becoming a pop star. It wasn’t my style. Riley must’ve noticed the frown on my face because she reached out and squeezed my hand. I looked down at her small hand on my mine and felt a shiver run through me.
“Hey, are you okay? You look lost in thought.”
I smiled at her, hoping that she would never pull her hand away. When she did, I felt immediately like something was missing.
“I’m fine. Just wondering if I will ever become a singer. Don’t mind me. I’m not usually negative about it. I don’t know why I’m being like this. They’re good singers. They deserve to be up there.”
She looked out at the band and frowned. “They’re not that good.”
I chuckled. “Okay, I thought so too, but I didn’t want to say. Their songs are catchy though.”
“And the girls seem to love them. But, don’t worry about them. Stick to your music. You won’t regret it.”
“Maybe I just need to become a boy band or something. Get some good looking backup singers.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Are you kidding me? You’re, well, you’re super-hot, Silas. Sorry for being so blunt, but it’s the truth. You’ve got the looks, and you’ve got the voice. Now all you need is for someone to notice you. To give you a chance. That’s all. You’re going to get it.”
I grinned at her. “You think I’m hot?”
She groaned, and I noticed a small patch of pink form on her neck. “No. I wish I hadn’t said that now. You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Never!”
She laughed. “Well, lap it up. You’re just lucky that I am trying to get you to see things in a more positive way. Otherwise, I would take that back.”
“You can’t take it back. It’s out in the universe now.”
“Ah, look at you, being all arrogant and full of yourself. You’re a star in the making,” she teased.
The band was on for another hour. When they finished their set, even though there was no more music playing, we decided to stay. We lounged back on the grass and got to know each other. Riley was an interesting girl. I got her to tell me all about her ambitions for becoming a writer, and I asked her if she would show me her illustrations. She told me that she would, and I said I would hold her to that promise. Afterwards, we took a walk around the park and went to visit the duck pond. I hadn’t had such a calm and relaxed day out in a long time, and it didn’t harm that I had the lovely Riley next to me through it all. She was a ray of sunshine that only served to make the day feel brighter. It was nice to know, as we made our way home, that we were going back to the same place together. I would’ve hated for the day to come to an end.
“That was fun,” Riley said. “Good suggestion on the concert.”
“All right, now that we’re home, I want to see your drawings.”
“What? Now?” she said.
I laughed. “Ah, you thought you could get away with it, huh? But I do not forget, and a promise is a promise.”
She chuckled. “How about tomorrow?”
“How about now?”
She laughed. “Fine. You win. Okay, come on then.”
I made my way to her bedroom. It was the same size as mine, with large closets and a huge bed. The beds were what I liked most about the house. They were bigger than the beds people bought today, more than likely because the bedrooms weren’t built as big as these were. I took a seat on it because there was nowhere else to sit and watched as she walked over with a big book. She sat down next to me, and took a deep breath.
“Don’t be nervous. If you suck, I’ll tell you,” I said.
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
She opened the file, and I gasped. Her drawings were incredible. As she paged through, she explained them to me. Some were realistic, while others were more cartoon-like. But each one was very detailed, and very interesting. The characters came alive on paper.
“Oh, Riley. You’re so talented.”
“Really?”
“Really. You can do this, and you can write? Wow. You have to make this happen. The world has to see this. In fact,” I said as I took the book and paged back to one of the drawings that had stood out to me the most. “This guy,” I said as I pointed to a funny little man wearing the most unique suit I had ever seen. “You should turn him into a book.”
She grinned. “I have.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“You literally chose the one character that I have made a book out of. How did you know?”
“I didn’t. I just liked him the most. You see, you have to do this, Riley. I’m so impressed.”
“And you, Silas, have officially made my day.”
“You know,” I said as she put the book away. “I never did answer your question about what kind of girl I usually go for.”