The Girl Next Door

46.

I held onto Gisella's waist with my head resting on her shoulder blade for almost 4 miles. It was relaxing, calming and exhilarating sitting on the back of her motorcycle with the wind blowing in my hair. Everything that wasn't in my arms faded from my thoughts completely.
When the bike finally stopped purring and Gisella waited for me to hop off, I was still in a daze. I took the helmet off and shook my hair, letting it fall down my chest. For the moment, the sun was still bright but the clouds would make sure that didn't last too long.
"You look so pretty." Gisella gushed as she adjusted her hair and gazed at me. I blushed horribly and couldn't hide it.
"Thank you...so do you." I bit my lip and took a deep breath. She made me so nervous.
"I wanted to get away. We can be free here." Gisella opened her arms for me and smiled when I leaned into her body. Our lips connected without a second thought.
"I thought you were mad at me." I mumbled after we parted away from each other.
Gisella grabbed my hand and led me towards a small brick building. The grass was greener than I had seen in Alaska but it was pretty. Once we were inside, my mouth almost hit the ground. The smell of bacon, eggs, coffee, muffins and fresh bread made my stomach growl instantly. But that wasn't what caught my attention first. The amount of bookshelves on the right side of the store was unreal. There were tall shelves, taller than both me and Gisella and then some smaller ones, all full of books.
"Oh my God, what is this place?" I asked as I followed Gisella to an empty table. As we sat down across from each other, her smile lit up.
"I read about this place and wanted to bring you."
"It's perfect." I said, looking around and taking in the calm atmosphere. I loved everything about this place and even more so because I was with Gisella.
"You're perfect, mi amor." Butterflies took off in my stomach and made me blush as she stared at me.
I picked up a small paper menu and tried to focus on the pictures instead of the way Gisella was watching me because I was so nervous. My ears were burning and felt just as hot as my neck.
"I could never be mad at you, Stacy." Gisella said after a while. I swallowed and tried to clear my throat but it was too dry.
"I didn't want you to see me cry." She shared eye contact with me and then smiled sadly. The thought of her crying in her room, by herself, made me mad. To be honest, the thought of her crying at all upset me.
"I'm going on a date with you regardless of what my mother says." The twinkle in Gisella's eyes returned as she leaned across the table and interlocked our fingers together.
"Babe why didn't you come to my room if you were crying?" I asked finally. She continued to rub my knuckles as she shrugged.
"I didn't want you to know I was upset." She sighed. "And plus, I was planning our escape."
I was intrigued and excited to hear Gisella talk. We ordered breakfast and then sat in front of each other quietly, both blushing like the love sick teenagers we were. God, she was stunning and I really could stare at her all day.
"When you look at me that way, it makes me nervous." Gisella confessed with dark red cheeks. A huge grin covered my face.
"I make you nervous?" I was shocked. I never imagined Gisella of all people to ever get nervous about anything, let alone me.
"Oui, you do." She said and tilted her head to the side bashfully. It was so cute!
"You're so cute. Tell me our escape plan."
Gisella perked up and showed off pearly white teeth as she smiled from ear to ear. I couldn't take my eyes off of her.
"I called my papá last night. We talked and I told him about our van and my mother." She smiled again. "They do not get along."
"Does he know you're gay?" I asked as the waiter slid our plates in front of us. Waffles, eggs and sausage never looked so good and I was starving!
"Oui, I also told him...about you."
"You told him about me?!" I repeated with eyes as wide as saucers.
"Oui, mi amor. He knows about us. And he wants to pay to get the van ready for graduation." Her smile reached her eyes by the time she was done talking. I gasped and rubbed my temples. Whatever I thought her plan was, it wasn't what she had just told me. Now I was beyond excited.
"Was he upset?"
"No, my love. My papá is nothing like my mother." This was the first time Gisella ever talked about her father so I listened with open ears. She took a bite of bacon and then sat it on top of her omelette.
"My father is like me. He has husband and he is happy. My mother hates him and has forbidden me to speak with him. But...he is my papá. And I love him. You know?"
I nodded my head, taking in everything she was saying. Even though I was still shocked, I smiled. We had a guaranteed way out of the house and away from our parents now and knowing that filled me with so many emotions.
"This is the best news ever." I squealed and wiggled in my chair. "What do we have to do now?"
"All we need to do is survive my mother until graduation..."