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The long trek from the detention center was mostly quiet, save for two sets of footsteps and the faint rolling of the bike's chain around the gears. Clutching on the handlebars, Phoenix opted to walk his yellow bicycle instead of riding it home.
He glanced at Maya, watching her purse her lips as her eyes traveled far off into the distance. His own blue orbs followed her gaze, towards the straight road stretching into the dark horizon. He squinted, spotting nothing out of the ordinary up ahead.. Unless the twinkling stars are suddenly interesting to the spirit medium? But maybe she was looking for the bus stop..
"If you think the trip back to the office is going to tire you out, you're free to take the bus. I'll just meet you there on bike," the spiky-haired lawyer suggested, darting his eyes towards his two-wheeled vehicle as if to emphasize its presence.
Maya hummed, pressing an index finger on her lips as she weighed down her options. The road next to them was almost devoid of cars. Maybe one or two vehicles would zoom past them, but none of them were buses, taxis, or any other public transport. Her legs were fine, but the familiar soreness grew more and more noticeable after every step. She refused to admit this, lest she would be teased as an old woman despite being in her twenties. Only Phoenix gets to be teased for his age.
Her eyes fell to the pavement, her bangs forming a curtain over her line of sight. As she searched for a solution, the yellow bike contrasting the dimness of the world caught her attention. Out of the blue, a third option came into mind and a cheeky smile crept on Maya's lips. Phoenix, apprehensive of her (hopefully not ridiculous) ploy, was almost afraid to ask why his assistant held such an expression.
"Nick," she began, his nickname having found a home in her voice for so many years, "how about we BOTH share a ride home on your bike? I think it would solve all our problems—transportation-wise and fun-wise! I mean this week's trial had been pretty depressing, so I figured maybe this'll cheer us up. Well? What do you think?"
Phoenix jerked his head back slightly, his wide eyes meeting Maya’s mischievous ones. His jagged eyebrows knitted in confusion and disbelief as his mind processed her strange proposal. Did he hear her right? She wanted to hop onto his simple, yellow bike? He looked over his shoulder, searching for where on earth she was going to situate herself during a hypothetical bike ride. The bicycle in question had no carrier for her to sit on and he had little to no faith that her sandals were going to firmly latch onto the rear axles.
“Um, my bike isn’t really a two-seater.. I don’t know how you’re going to ride this with me. Besides, it sounds pretty dangerous..” He trailed off, letting thoughts of every possible scenario run through his head.
“I’m sure you can balance your bike.. And from the looks of things, there aren’t a lot of cars or people to worry about!” she reasoned, happily clasping her hands together. Phoenix wondered if he had to pick apart every statement Maya would come up with. He knew that she was not backing out that easily.
“I’m not just talking about accidentally running into oncoming traffic, Maya. I mean the extra load would make it impossible for me to keep my balance. What if you fall off?”
With puffed cheeks and pouting lips, Maya narrowed her eyes and shot harmless daggers onto Phoenix’s soul. Brushing aside his accidental insinuation regarding her weight, the spirit medium persisted with more straightforward answers to his precautionary questions.
“Then I’ll hold onto you real tight. There. Problem solved!”
The attorney hunched his back, comical beads of sweat beginning to form on his forehead. The pair were no longer walking, but his mind raced with more practical explanations as to why hitching a ride on his bicycle-built-for-one was a bad idea. Before he could open his mouth, Maya interjected him, supported with her signature smirk and raised eyebrow.
“Unless you’re worried about people mistaking us for a couple, then I completely understand why you don’t want to go through with my brilliant idea.”
Phoenix's jaw dropped. What did that have to do with anything? Being mistaken for lovers was the last thing he was concerned about. Nevertheless, he whipped his head left and right, seeing nothing but the dark sky, distant buildings, and a row of trees behind the iron fences along the sidewalk. "What people? The roads at this hour are almost empty!"
"Then what's the hold up?"
Heaving an exasperated sigh, the lawyer reiterated salient points in a fashion similar to an underpaid customer service employee behind the kiosk. "Maya, I told you before. You would have nowhere to sit, and if you do somehow find a way, we might fall off the bike. It's a dangerous idea."
While he was advising Maya against her plan, the spirit medium had already climbed on the bike's frame, clumsily sitting sideways along the top tube. Well, more or less sitting; it was more of 'leaning against the bicycle'. Tightening his hold on the handlebar's rubber grip, Phoenix raised his voice, "What are you doing?!"
"You can't prove anything without decisive evidence, Nick! I suggest we try it out for at least a couple of blocks. If we fall before reaching that cherry blossom tree, then we can both agree that my idea sucks. Deal?"
This girl wasn't going to back down, was she? Phoenix considered berating Maya for almost knocking him and his ride over, but the time on his watch urged him to just go along with her silly proposition. The sooner he agreed, the sooner they could get to go home HIS way—without the risky bike ride. A defeated sigh escaped his lips as he finally relented.
"All right, fine.. I guess there's no talking you out of this.. But if we DO fall over, you're going to be held liable for any damage..
Now how do we do this..," Phoenix muttered, eyes flickering back and forth on the leather seat and at the back of his ride. "Wait, Hold on.."
Carefully, he placed an arm around Maya, who was still sitting on the bike frame. Then he lifted a leg over to the other side of the bicycle while the other leg remained firmly on the ground, supporting his weight on one side. Only inches away from his face, warmth began to spread across Maya's cheeks. The spirit medium quickly lowered her head as she adjusted her position on the bike frame.
Once Phoenix had finally mounted his bike, he leaned in to meet Maya's gaze. Her pupils dilated at the sight of a strong pair of eyes up close. Beyond uncertainty and dread, there was a glimmer of excitement in them.
"Ready, Maya?"
She stared up at him, perhaps a second too long, before giving him a firm nod and a huge smile.
"Ready!"
With that, Phoenix swiftly lifted off a foot from the ground, pushing a pedal down with great force. The bicycle wobbled slightly and Maya instinctively pulled her legs up to dig her heels against the down tube. Her hands gripped tightly onto the bike's stem, brushing against Phoenix's hands on the handlebars.
For a split second, Maya deeply regretted her decision. However, when Phoenix's labored pedaling gained enough momentum, the bike ride became smooth and steady. The spirit medium smiled as the cool night breeze blew softly against her face. It carried over the leaves from the several trees that flew past them. Aside from the fallen leaves crunching under the tires, Phoenix's breathing filled Maya's ears. Despite the evening chill nipping on their skins, her face was warm.. So was the man barely an inch behind her.
Phoenix couldn't believe it either. Somehow the two of them had yet to fall over, but here they were, gliding smoothly along the long empty sidewalk. He finally cracked a smile through shallow breaths. This is pretty fun.. He could afford to go a little faster, right..? Adding more power to the pedaling, he leaned forward, but as he did, his chest pressed against Maya's back. His nose was practically buried in her hair and he swore it smelled of lavender. His heart pounded against his chest and, from their proximity, he was sure that Maya felt it.
Nevertheless, because the yellow bicycle was indeed not built for two, it didn't take long before Maya grew uncomfortable on her seat. As she squirmed, Phoenix instantly lost his balance, sending the both of them tumbling into the ground with him cushioning Maya’s fall.
On the pavement, the spirit medium quickly snapped out of her daze after having the air knocked out of her. She scrambled to check on Phoenix, hovering over him. “Nick! Are you okay? You’re right.. This was a bad idea!”
The lawyer only stared up at her. Her disheveled hair cascaded like waterfalls, framing her worried face. A smile slowly crept on Phoenix's face. Before she knew it, he was laughing. Maya frowned in confusion. "Oh no! Did your head hit the ground that hard?"
"No, no.. It's just..," he began, propping himself up with his elbows. His eyes gazed far into the distance before meeting hers again. "That was the most fun I had in a while."
"But we fell over! A-and got hurt.."
"Considering all we've been through, falling off a bike is nothing but a scratch." He flashed her a reassuring smile.
“If you say so.. You ARE pretty strong, Nick..”
Phoenix’s smile widened now that Maya’s signature smirk returned to her face. Standing up from her squatting position, Maya offered him a hand. He took it in his, perhaps a little too tightly, and pulled himself up from the ground. Dusting himself off, he flicked a few leaves off of his blue suit, which was now a little dirty. He saw Maya doing the same on her robes. “How about you? You okay?”
“I’m good.. I landed on you after all. Looks like you saved me once again!”
“Yeah, from the trouble YOU caused.”
Maya gawked from his retaliation. Puffing her cheeks into a pout, she playfully punched Phoenix on the arm. The lawyer chuckled, finally getting the upper hand on their banter for once. As he was picking up his bike from the ground, a single cherry blossom landed on top of Maya’s head. He leaned in to pluck it out of her hair. His gaze darted from the foliage above them to the petal between his fingers. Its pink hue matched Maya’s glowing cheeks.
“.. Looks like your idea was brilliant after all.”