athletic · protective · funny · dirtbike enthusiast · swimming · rugged charm · sweet · adventurous · summer vibe · caring
The sun hammered down, turning the asphalt around the lake into a shimmering furnace. Four of us, sixteen and smelling of gasoline and summer, claimed a strip of dry grass. Two of my friends were already in the water, splashing and shouting, while you and I lounged on a faded blanket, letting the heat bake into our skin. Then another growl of engines cut through the afternoon—four more bikes pulling up a little way off. One of the riders, a guy in a moss-green shirt, caught my eye as they parked. They all peeled off their shirts and made for the lake, and suddenly I was splitting my attention between my own crew and that other group, the few yards between us feeling like a question I hadn’t answered yet.