On His Desk by Mia Faye

Chapter 33

MICHAEL

I’m worried sick. How will I manage to teach Ava how to ride a bike? It is said that the fastest way to fight with someone you’re in a relationship with, is to teach them how to drive. I imagine that applies to bicycles as well.

Elly sings loudly to the songs blaring from the car stereo unaware of the turmoil her father is going through. I make a plan in my head. Teaching Elly will be easy enough as her bicycle has training wheels. Most of the afternoon will be practicing how to steer a bike. With Ava, I just don’t know. A quick google search earlier, on how to teach an adult to ride a bike, discouraged me further.

I’ll play it by ear, I decide. Minutes later, we arrive at Ava’s and I text her to meet us outside. I’ve rented an SUV big enough to carry the bikes and when Ava steps out of her apartment, she doesn’t immediately see us.

She looks hot in a pair of shorts and a sleeveless top. One of those which are removed with a single movement. It’s going to be a long afternoon, I think as I take in her bare long legs. I wave at her and she spots us. Her breasts rise and fall as she runs, and I can’t tear my eyes from the sensual vision.

“Hi!” she says as she enters the car. She peers back at Elly. “Hello, sweetheart! Good to see you.”

“Hi,” Elly says.

“Are you excited about going bike riding?” Ava continues.

Elly’s reaction makes Ava chuckle. I don’t see it as my attention is on the road. Ava’s feminine scent fills the car. If I could eat it, I would. It’s pure Ava.

She turns to me. “I’m excited about this. I never thought I’d ever get a chance to learn how to ride.”

My heart pounds hard against my chest. I have a feeling that this won’t end well. Why didn’t I ask Ava if she could ride before inviting her to the park with us?

“Are you all right? You look like you’re going to be sick,” Ava says.

I feel sick. Nausea swirls in my stomach. I love Ava and I love doing things with her, but I definitely do not want to be teaching her to ride a bicycle. It’s a painful process. I have no wish to see her scraping the ground as she’s bound to do.

And the blame in her eyes when she gets up.

“I’m fine,” I manage to mumble.

We reach the park. I plaster a smile on my face after I kill the engine. “Ready, ladies?”

“Yes, we are,” Ava shouts.

“Good!” I hope her courage matches her enthusiasm.

I busy myself removing the bikes from the back. Ava wheels one and I wheel the other two to the wide square reserved for learners.

“I’ll start with Elly,” I say and lean my bike against a wall and Ava does the same.

She stands by the side to watch us.

“It’s not scary at all,” I tell Elly in my most tender voice. “See these two tiny tires on each side, they are to make that you don’t fall.” I wish adult bikes had trainer wheels.

“Okay,” Elly says.

I place the brand new shiny pink helmet on her. She gets on the bike and we begin the lesson. I teach her how to glide on the bike with her legs out of the pedals. She enjoys that and soon her laughter rings out loud, which makes me happy.

Ava cheers from the sidelines. Elly is a good learner and when I tell her not to look down but keep her gaze forward, she doesn’t do it again. I leave her alone to practice keeping her balance.

“She’s doing well,” Ava says. “Is that what I am going to do too?”

I don’t know if gliding works with adults. For one, I think our legs are too long. “We’ll see where we’ll start,” I tell Ava.

We watch Elly as she goes back and forth several times and then pushes her bicycle to where we are. “Riding a bicycle is easy. What do I do next?”

“That’s the attitude,” I tell her with a smile. “I’ll teach you how to pedal, next.”

For the next half an hour, I hold Elly’s bicycle as she learns how to place her feet on the pedals while keeping the bicycle upright and moving.

“Keep practicing,” I tell Elly when I’m confident that she can keep herself upright for a few minutes.

My stomach is in knots as I approach Ava. “Ready?”

“Yes,” she says with no traces of nervousness.

I grab her bike and push it to where she’s standing.

“Shall I straddle it?” she asks in a suggestive voice.

I’m too worried to appreciate her dirty humor. “Yes.”

She fumbles a little while getting on the bicycle and I hold it steady for her. “You’re okay,” I tell her in a soothing voice.

She sits on the bicycle, grabs the handlebars, and grins. “I am ready.” She places her foot on the pedal and the bicycle starts moving.

“Easy Ava, I don’t want you to get hurt,” I tell her, my voice rising with alarm.

Then to my utter shock, Ava takes off, riding the bike at neck-breaking speed. My jaw drops to the floor. It’s not a ride of someone who has never been on a bicycle. It is of someone who is very comfortable on a bike.

I frown as I watch her, and it slowly dawns on me that I’ve been tricked. “Hey!” I shout at her. Everything comes to me. The tiny smiles she’s been trying to hide when talking about riding a bicycle.

I’m going to get her! She shows off a bit too by raising her hands up in the air.

“Michael, did you see that?” Elly shouts and points at Ava.

“I did,” I say in a gruff tone but in reality, I’m trying to control my laughter. I shake my head.

Ava turns the bike and comes to us, a wide grin splitting her face.

“I hope you’re proud of yourself,” I say when she gets within earshot.

She laughs. “I am. Come on admit it, it was funny.”

“I’ll admit no such thing,” I tell her. “But rest assured there will be payback.”

“Will you teach me how to do that, Ava?” Elly asks.

“I don’t know if it’s safe to do that, honey,” I tell her.

Ava laughs at me when Elly goes back to her bicycle. “What are the chances that she’d do something like that?”

I feel foolish when the obvious is pointed out to me. Elly will not be letting go of her hand bars any time soon.

“So, where is it that you rode bikes?” I ask her.

“To work and back home,” Ava says.

She wears a cheeky look and unable to help myself, I lean forward and kiss her mouth.

“And yet you made me sweat about how I was going to teach you without making an enemy out of you,” I say.

She giggles. “You were worried that we’d fight?”

“Couples are advised to not teach each other how to drive,” I tell her.

Her gorgeous eyes widen. “Drive, not ride a bike.”

“Same thing, in my books.”

She laughs and shakes her head. “You’re doing a splendid job with Elly. You’re very patient.”

“Thank you.” Her compliments make me feel good. Good enough to almost forget that she’s played me for two straight days. We take turns riding our bikes around the park leaving one of us to watch over Elly. This is what I’ve missed, I tell myself as I watch Ava ride off. Simple sweet fun. An uncomplicated life. A chance to be part of a family. I have no doubts now, Ava and I were meant to be together. But I have to make her see that. I want to kick myself when I remember how we began. An assurance to each other that what we had was a physical relationship, nothing more. I wish I had dated her first instead of getting into her panties.

Then I remember the person I was. My heart had been a block of ice. Dating anyone had not been an option. And if I’d asked Ava out for a date as normal people do, she’d probably have said no. She’d been nursing a broken heart and would not have been ready for an emotional relationship. The question was, had she closed off that part of her life?

“Don’t just stand there, lazy bones,” she shouts, riding toward me.

That makes Elly laugh. “Michael,” Elly says. “Can we go to the slides now?”

I grin. I guess my little girl has had enough of riding bicycles. “The slides it is!”