Before Take Off

18. flashback

"Everything happens for a reason. You may be feeling awful right now, you may not have the strength inside of you to get up and proceed with your life. But just keep this in mind; there wouldn't be any rainbows if it wasn't for the rain."

*

The sound that the tires of Lewis's bike made, whenever I pass through a small puddle of water, was unexpectedly soothing. The sky was clear with a few patches of white clouds here and there, but apparently it had been raining while I was inside of the building, talking over Lewis's personality with Irene.

I inhaled deeply to take in the pleasant, fresh smell of earth after a brief downpour, as I pedaled across the city back to the café-pub. As I passed by a small bakery, a subtle scent of freshly baked apple pie swirled all around me, taking my mind back to the good times of my past.

I tried to push the memories of happier times back into the depths of my mind as I curled my fingers tighter around the handlebar of the bike, my knuckles slightly turning into white. I failed inevitably.

*

"You're too slow Ayla! The pies won't be heating up themselves. They're gradually losing their deliciousness."

I couldn't help myself but chuckle at his silly remark. "I'm right behind you, Coen." I stated as I pedaled after him, passing across the bridge towards our favorite place to hang out in the entire town. The library.

I studied his golden hair that was disheveled in the wind and the way he slightly hunched his back as he tightly held on to the handlebar of his bike. I honestly hated the warm feeling that ran through my veins, speeding up my heart rate with just a one swift glance of him.

When we finally pulled over by the library, Coenraad readily jumped off his bike and pulled out the box of mouth-watering apple pies from the basket of his bicycle. He lifted the box up over his head for a display, as if it was a trophy and I rolled my eyes before propping our bikes up against the concrete wall of the library. He grinned triumphantly after settling down on the side of the pavement, cross-legged.

"C'mon, let's start off already," He said, looking up at my eyes expectantly as he started to unwrap the paper around the box. I nodded before plopping down next to him.

"How's your head?" I questioned, after popping a large piece of apple pie in my mouth. I moaned in delight as the delicious dessert crumbled away inside of my mouth.

Coen placed his fingers onto the back of his head, palpating the subtle lump on the nape of his neck. He grimaced in pain when his fingers hit an aching spot.

"It's still hurting unfortunately. I can't believe that I lost my balance on my bike and fell of onto the pavement though. I thought that I cycled better than I walked." He let out an uneasy laugh after removing his hand from the back of his neck and relaxing noticeably as he did so.

He had a point. I got my first bike when I was three and a half years old and since then, it had practically gotten etched to my body. It was very unlikely for me to suddenly loose my balance for no reason and fell off my bike. "You were probably exhausted after the final exams," I suggested, scooting over to him and wrapping my arm around his waist.

I glanced up at my best friend's quite familiar yet still very enchanting face between my eyelashes as I rested my head on his shoulder. This was where I could spend my entire life; next to him, inhaling his signature, mint scented deodorant as our breathings got synchronized somehow.

Coen draped one of his arms and placed a faint kiss on the top of my head before speaking up. "Wanna hear the worst part?" He asked and I nodded readily, getting intrigued. "The doctors didn't even write out a prescription for me. They just ran a few tests on my coordination, drew blood from me and waved bye bye just like that. They could have at least given me one of those things that you wrap around your neck to protect it from further damage."