by Elias Taylor
“I want to keep seeing you,” Tripp said. “But I think we should continue to keep it secret, for now.”
“Yes,” Mel said. “I agree.”
She gave him a parting smile and turned towards the doors.
“That window on the second floor corner,” Tripp said. “That’s you, right?”
“Yes,” Mel said.
“I’ll stay here until I see the light turn on,” Tripp said. “Just so I know you get there safe.”
“Tripp, nothing is going to happen to me in the elevator,” Mel said.
“Well, I’ll stand here anyway,” Tripp said. “Just in case.”
Mel tossed him one last look over her shoulder and then ducked into the building.
Tripp stood and stared up at her window. He felt a rush of warmth when he saw the light flicker on and then Mel’s figure appear in the frame. She held up a hand and waved at him. He waved back before turning towards his car.
Tripp knew as he pointed his car back home that it had been the perfect date. He was comfortable with Mel, and he acted like himself, but he also was hit with a lightning bolt of excitement and adrenaline every time he saw her.
He could only hope she felt something similar. He thought she did, but only time would tell.
Halfway home, his phone rang. Tripp pulled over and dug it out of his pocket, thinking it might be Mel. It was an unknown number.
“Hello, this is Tripp Charles,” he said.
“Hi, this is Wayne Brennan, Boots gave me your number.”
Tripp froze. The investor was calling him already.
“Hi Wayne, nice to speak to you,” Tripp said. “I didn’t know Boots was going to send you the photos so soon.”
“Well, Boots knows a good bike when he sees one,” Wayne said. “As do I.”
“Thank you,” Tripp said.
“Now, the bike in the photo, you built that all by yourself?” Wayne asked. “No creative partner?”
“Yes, sir,” Tripp said.
He appreciated how Wayne got straight to business. He supposed that if he was as big of a deal as Boots had said, then he didn’t have a lot of time.
“And the design is an original?” Wayne asked. “You came up with it?”
“Yes,” Tripp said. “I sketch out my designs, and I can send you the blueprint if you want, it has all the details on materials.”
“That would be great,” Wayne said. “Send me a portfolio of your best designs as well.”
“I can definitely do that,” Tripp said.
All the hours he had spent sketching out designs in detail, even when he was exhausted from a day of roofing, were now all worth it. Tripp had loads of designs to choose from.
“Perfect,” Wayne said. “I won’t beat around the bush, I’m very interested, but I like to make sure I’m investing in people with real potential.”
“Of course,” Tripp said. “I’ve been wanting to start my own line for a while, but I know it takes a lot of work and a reliable investor.”
He was grateful for the articles on starting a business he had read. Mitch had made fun, but Tripp had figured it would be useful someday. He never went to college; he needed all the help he could get when it came to professional jargon.
“Very right,” Wayne said. “I’m happy to give you a few details on my own experience, you got a minute?”
“Yeah, that would be great,” Tripp said.
“I own about a dozen companies,” Wayne said. “I had a good idea when I was 20, for a type of sensor on vehicles. I was smart enough to get a patent, and that blew up and got me my first million. I haven’t stopped investing for three decades. It’s what I’m best at.”
Tripp’s eyes widened, and he was glad they were on the phone so Wayne couldn’t see his star-stricken appearance. A dozen companies were no joke. The guy had to be a multimillionaire by this point.
“Bikes are my secondary passion, and I’m invested in several right now that are doing well,” Wayne said. “So I don’t just invest in any designer, that’s for sure.”
“I understand,” Tripp said.
“Based on what I’ve seen, I think your custom bikes could make some real money,” Wayne said. “Trust me, I wouldn’t have called you if I didn’t believe that.”
“Thank you,” Tripp said.
“Just as long as your other designs are as good as what Boots sent me,” Wayne said.
They were. Tripp didn’t settle for anything less than high quality designs that matched his visions.
“I don’t like to brag, but they are just as good,” Tripp said. “I can email you copies tonight.”
Wayne laughed at that.
“You gotta learn to brag a little if you wanna make it,” Wayne said. “Just as long as you can back it up.”
“I’ll take note of that,” Tripp said with a laugh.
He liked Wayne’s confidence. It would be good to do business with someone with so much experience.
“Now, once you send over those designs, we should set up a meeting,” Wayne said. “I’m based in San Francisco, but I’m in an out of state so we might have to do a conference call.”
“That works for me,” Tripp said.
Things were moving fast, and Tripp liked it. After years of standing still, his life was getting started.
“Alright,” Wayne said. “We’ll talk over details then, but a custom bike shop needs a big market, so we’ll be discussing big cities as options.”
“Sounds good,” Tripp said.
Wayne told Tripp he would text over his email address. Tripp thanked him again, and they hung up.
Tripp stared at the empty street for a second. Then he pounded his fists against the steering wheel in joy. This was really happening. He couldn’t wait to tell Mitch, they would have to celebrate for real this time. And Mel would be so proud. Tripp could already see her face lighting up with joy and infectious excitement.
As he turned his car back on and started to drive home, Tripp didn’t know how he could be this lucky. Everything was turning out exactly how he wanted.
Chapter Fifteen: Safe
Mel stuck the final pin into the hem and then stepped back.
“There,” Mel said. “I just need to adjust that and it will be the right length.”
Mary Beth twirled, a girlish giggle escaped her mouth.
“I feel like a princess,” she said. “A cool business-running princess.”
Mel had to admit the dress was impressive. For the last three weeks she had poured her heart and soul into the dress, trying to make it absolute perfection for Mary Beth’s big night.
As Mary Beth went into the bathroom to change out of the dress, Mel got to her feet and started to pack up her bag.
Her phone buzzed, and she grinned. She and Tripp had gone on several more dates, all of them amazing, and he texted her at least every day. Even so, every single text made her smile like a fool. Mel wondered if that kind of reaction would ever fade with time. It seemed unlikely. She had only become more enamored of him in the past few weeks.
For the second date, Tripp had invited Mel over to his apartment and cooked chicken parmesan, the one dish he said he knew how to make. Mel, unable to sit still, had stood beside him in the kitchen and thrown together a salad.
It had felt so nice, to just be cooking by his side and chatting about each other’s days. She was thrilled that he was in talks with this new investor, and he was just as interested in the progress of her design for Mary Beth.
After the home-cooked meal, they had kissed for hours on his couch but gone no further. Mel had told Tripp that while she didn’t regret the time on the beach at all, she wanted to take this slow. She wanted to know what it felt like to date him for a bit. Tripp had agreed, and his sweetness had made Mel’s heart swell with joy.
Taking it slow was all fine and dandy, but she was beginning to think she couldn’t keep her hands off Tripp for much longer. She was sure he felt the same way. Sometimes she saw how much effort he put into restr
aining himself when they kissed.
She was surprised by how well she could read Tripp. The more times they shared meals or took walks or met up after work, the more she learned about him. She thought she knew him pretty well. She had grown up by his side, after all.
It turned out, there was a lot for Tripp to reveal. She had never known just how organized and even Type A he could be about his bike designs. He was a stubborn perfectionist when it came to his passion. She liked that.
She had also never known how much the roofing upset him. As a kid, she had thought Tripp was so cool. She had been sure he wasn’t scared of anything. But he was terrified of the idea of working for his dad’s company for the rest of his life. She understood that kind of fear. It was the same fear she felt when she wondered if she had what it took to make it in the fashion world.
Tripp was learning more about her as well. She was surprised when he told her that he had always wondered why she was so quiet. Mel realized that while she had always been open and chatty with Christina, she did have a tendency to clam up in public places. She explained to Tripp that she didn’t like to open up with people unless she trusted them.
Mel waved goodbye to Mary Beth and headed out. She was supposed to meet Tripp at an out-of-the-way sushi restaurant in an hour. It was in Linden, but definitely catered to an older clientele, which meant no one who knew Christina or Tripp or Mel would be there.
Mel heaved a sigh. That was the one great drawback. She was in the blissful new phase of her first real relationship. Every bone in her body wanted to shout about it from the rooftops. She wanted to gush over how Tripp had brought her flowers at least once a week. She wanted to brag about his bike designs. She wanted to game plan date outfits with her girlfriends.
There was none of that. It was impossible. They were still keeping their budding relationship a secret from everyone.
She knew the secrecy couldn’t last, but for the time being, Mel thought it was necessary. Or rather, the secrecy felt like a security blanket. As if nothing could go wrong as long as it was just them, isolated in a little bubble. The secrecy was hard, but it also provided protection from the judgments of others. They were safe, as long as they were alone in their little circle of two.
Mel couldn’t bear the idea of jinxing the relationship by going public. She knew a magic spell would be broken the second someone else found out.
Then again, the magic spell couldn’t last forever. Things were already starting to fray a bit.
As Mel headed home to change for her date, she recalled the week before, when Christina had started asking questions. Mel’s heart sank with the weight of her guilt.
Christina had swung by the coffee shop one day when she knew Mel was working. When Mel turned down her invite to go to a party the next day (Tripp and Mel were planning on driving to the nearby mountains for some hiking), Christina pointed out that they had barely seen each other for ages. Christina was prone to exaggeration, but she had been right. Between going on a date with Tripp nearly every other night and her crushing sense of stress over secret-keeping every time she saw Christina, Mel hadn’t been making much of an effort to spend quality time with her friend.
It had made Mel sick, but she had lied. She told Christina she had another freelance design project in addition to Mary Beth’s, and the two assignments were keeping her really busy.
Mel couldn’t remember a time she had lied right to Christina’s face. It was like kicking a puppy. Her friend didn’t doubt her word for a second. Christina was so trusting, she had just accepted Mel’s fib. She had even squealed and congratulated Mel on landing another client.
Mel didn’t deserve Christina’s loyalty. She had almost started sobbing with guilt as Christina had waved goodbye.
Even a week later, the lie was still haunting her. Mel was stressed because she knew that lying had fixed anything. It had bought her a little time, that was all. Christina was going to want to hang out at some point. Mel couldn’t hide something as big as dating Tripp. Christina was her best friend, she knew Mel in and out. she would know something was going on in Mel’s life. She would sense that Mel was hiding something.
By the time Mel had showered and changed for her date, the tension in her chest over Christina was easing. She was going to see Tripp soon. He managed to make all the secrecy worth it.
Mel examined the finished result of her brief primping in the mirror. She nodded at the effect of her high-waisted jeans and white crop top. Her hair was piled in a loose mess on her head. Unlike on the first date, she wasn’t nervous at all. She felt totally comfortable with Tripp now.
Mel had no idea how he had done it in such a brief amount of time, but she was no longer paranoid about what she wore around him. They had even spent an entire day in sweatpants binge-watching TV. It was something about the way he looked at her with such clear admiration in his eyes. That had turned the girlish nerves of her crush into a confident level of comfort around him.
She heard a honk from outside, and she dashed to the window.
She waved at Tripp as he peered out of his car window and then turned to dash down the stairs.
When she plopped down in the front seat, Tripp leaned over and planted a kiss right on her lips. Mel stretched her lips in a smile as she kissed him back.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hey,” Tripp said.
Mel leaned back and buckled her seat belt as Tripp started the car. Mel tilted her body towards him and gazed at the definitive line of his jaw, and the way his hair fell in waves back from his face. Yes, he was definitely worth all the secrecy and guilt.
“How was your day?” Tripp asked. “You were doing the final fitting, right?”
“Yeah,” Mel said. “I just need to fix the hem a bit, and then it will be done.”
“And Mary Beth likes it?”
“Loves it,” Mel said.
“I knew she would,” Tripp said.
“Have you had your meeting with the investor yet?” Mel asked.
“Yeah,” Tripp said.
He was silent for a beat, and Mel cocked her head. Had it gone bad? Was the investor pulling out?
“He’s interested, but these things always take some time,” Tripp said. “We gotta pick a location and all that.”
“Right,” Mel said. “But that’s good that he is so experienced, it means the business has more chance of success.”
“Exactly,” Tripp said.
He allowed a small smile, and Mel was pleased. He was so hesitant to give himself praise or allow himself to feel hope or optimism. She liked pushing him into being more positive about his work.
When they got to the sushi place, they opted to sit at the bar. The restaurant was dim and cozy, perfect for a clandestine date.
They sat with their knees touching and contemplated the menu.
“You sure you don’t want to share the eel roll with me?” Tripp asked.
“Blegh, no eel,” Mel said.
“You’ll barely taste it under the spicy sauce,” Tripp said. “Besides, you like all other seafood, why not eel?”
“It’s the idea,” Mel said. “Of creepy crawly eels, like the ones in The Princess Bride.”
“Come on, that’s a movie,” Tripp said. “Those are fake.”
He smiled and gave Mel a light elbow.
“Fake or not, I’ll still picture them if I eat that roll,” Mel said. “I’m putting my Veto Power into effect.”
“Alright,” Tripp said.
They had come up with the Veto Power on the third date when choosing an appetizer to share. They each had the power to veto one dish, but only one.
After some more deliberation, and Tripp using his Veto on the edamame, they selected a few dishes to share.
As they dug into their rolls with the chopsticks, Mel realized how nice it was to just be alone with him. No other people, no outside pressures. They could make their own rules.
As much as keeping their relationship could stress her out, it could also comf
ort her. It was nice to have no one pushing them to define their relationship or put a label on it. Sure, Mel figured they would discuss what they were at some point, but for now it felt good to just be together.
There was no one to tell her that she had better watch out, Tripp was a player. And there was no one to tell Tripp that maybe Mel was too young for him. They could see each other and form their own opinions. No one else was invited to partake in their relationship.
As they finished their sushi, Mel propped her chin on her hand and leaned close to Tripp.
“Hey,” she said. “I’ve had a great time these past few weeks.”
“Me too,” Tripp said.
He grazed his finger across the soft flesh of her upper arm, right above where her elbow rested on the table. His touch sent a shiver of anticipation all through her body.
Mel thought of the other night in vivid detail. She had been at his apartment, and they had been kissing. She had wanted more. She had taken off her shirt. Tripp had groaned in pleasure and taken his own shirt off, and they had spent long minutes exploring each other’s bodies with their hands. Bodies they already knew from the night on the beach. It had been like they were travelers, who had spent many years in foreign lands, at last returning to their home country.
It was Tripp who hesitated. He had asked if she was sure, and suddenly Mel felt like an innocent little girl again. She had pulled away and tried to figure out how she felt. She wanted him, but she didn’t know if she was ready. Tripp had been so kind. He had wrapped her in a blanket and held her for hours and suggested she pick whatever movie she wanted to watch.
As Tripp continued to caress her arm and smile at her, Mel suddenly felt awkward.
She had spent the last few days thinking about it, and she had decided that she was ready. She trusted Tripp, and she felt safe with him. She didn’t want to continue to deny herself something she wanted.
She was desperate to go back to his place, but she didn’t know how to phrase it. She didn’t know how to be the assertive type when it came to flirting or coming on to a guy. She had no clue how to master the art of seduction. But Tripp had made it clear he would wait for her to make the first move. He would never pressure her.
