Author’s Note: This first date flew out of my head and onto the page. Adelaide had me laughing as I wrote her meet-cute with Andrew and the resulting first date. I never expected to weave mountain biking and fairy tales into one chapter, but out it came. The problem was that his first date didn’t move Adelaide’s plot along. Yes, he was one of the 48 first dates, but beyond that, my editor and I felt that the narrative was stronger without the full version of his date. Instead, you get to enjoy it for free!
The week after fall break, we found ourselves with a free afternoon on a perfect day. Mitzi, Cynthia, and I were out on the lawn. We were studying and soaking up the sunshine on an unseasonably warm day. I realized I needed to put on a bit of sunscreen and reached for my bag. The bottle I pulled out was lighter than expected.
I squeezed the bottle, glaring at my friends for an answer as the scent of coconuts wafted up to me, but nothing came out. “Why is this empty?”
“Sorry about that.” Cynthia ducked her head, refusing to make eye contact. “A girl needs to protect her complexion.”
I stared at her. My gaze silently demanded she explain herself further. When she looked up, she flipped her hair back and glanced over my shoulder, saying, “Before fall break, I ran out of my sunscreen lotion. Mama was going to give me more when I got home. I just needed a smidgen of sunscreen when I went to watch Christopher’s practice. You were in class, and I figured you wouldn’t mind. I let myself in with the key…twice. I forgot to mention that the bottle was empty the last time I did it.”
“You forgot the last time…” I repeated, drawing the words out and simultaneously having a silent discussion in my head. Yes, I had shared a key with Mitzi and Cynthia. Yes, I told them if they need anything to help themselves—you know, what’s mine is yours. Yes, they had done the same. But seriously?
Cynthia smiled. “Yeah, sweetie. I should have left a note.” She shrugged.
That’s when a week’s worth of stress crashed into the moment. The frustration about my upcoming tests and projects. The worry about my dad—I found out at fall break that he needed to go back on his cancer medication. The anger at the empty bottle. The lack of respect Cynthia had shown. All met with the lack of time. I had to get more sunscreen. The result was a near-nuclear overreaction.
“A NOTE! A NOTE! I’m pretty sure this situation demands more than a note. A phone call asking for permission. A text letting me know it was almost out. Or here’s an idea—why not replace the bottle itself?” I waved my hands as I yelled.
Cynthia’s and Mitzi’s eyes grew wide and their jaws dropped. Before they could say a word or before I allowed myself to realize my overreaction, I stalked off.
“Come back, Addie! I can go…” I vaguely heard Cynthia call out as I strode away in anger. My head was down, staring at the bottle still in my hand. Tears started streaming down my face.
That’s when I ran smack into something hard and sharp. Something that forced me immediately back in the opposite direction. I landed on my bum with an audible. “Oof.”
I looked up. My eyes spotted a bike and a boy. Fantastic! Now let’s add a spectacularly awkward fall to the overreaction vortex!
“Are you okay?” His blue eyes filled with concern. He removed his helmet, and his red hair stood out in every direction.
The frustration balloon inside of me popped and deflated. The contrast of his concerned eyes and crazy hair. The stress of the last moments—and weeks—released in a full belly laugh.
The guy stared at me with playful eyes as a smirk danced across his lips. “I’ll take it by your laughter that you aren’t mortally wounded.”
I nodded, tears streaming down my face again, as I attempted to get myself back under control.
“But you’re crying, so tell me where it hurts.”
“My bumper and my ego,” I responded.
Now it was his turn to laugh as he extended a hand to help me up. “Oh, that? I’ve seen worse sidewalk yard sales than that. Your fall was a graceful leap thwarted by a rider who wasn’t paying enough attention. You looked amazing—no need for a bruised ego. My name is Andrew, by the way.” He pulled me up, standing close as his eyes roomed over me. I wasn’t sure if he was checking for injuries or something else. His gaze caused my heart rate to spike.
“Andrew, I’m Adelaide,” I said. I took a deep breath. My nostrils filled with a mix of burned rubber and deodorant. “Thanks for the pep talk, but we all know I was the one not paying attention. I was so mad at my friend about—well, about something that seems kind of silly now that I think about it.”
“Well, Adelaide with the graceful anger-leap, let me take you to lunch sometime. Your uncomfortable rear needs a mood lift.” He grinned, his dimples appearing.
“No, no, that’s unnecessary.” I shook my head, embarrassed enough by what had already transpired. I stepped back a bit, taking in the entire Andrew package. Cute dimples, blue eyes, crazy red hair, and a nice body. Man, those biker shirts and shorts. They left very little to the imagination. I cleared my throat as I attempted to clear my head.
“Come on, don’t make me beg. Let me take you to lunch this weekend.” Andrew offered with puppy dog eyes as he cocked his head to the left.
“When you put it like that, how can a girl say no?” I responded with a grin.
At least this will make an awesome how-I-met-my-prince story. Thank you fairy godmother for orchestrating this meet-cute!
We exchanged phone numbers and see-ya-later’s before I turned back to apologize to the girls.
As I approached, Mitzi said, “Well, look who’s smiling now! Do tell us what improved your mood.”
“A date,” I said, raising my eyebrows and adding, “with Andrew.”
Andrew texted later that day. We agreed to meet at the park in the arboretum for a picnic lunch that Saturday. He said that he had a special surprise afterward. He told me to dress comfortably as the surprise was outdoors and active.
I should have seen what was coming, but alas, I did not.
Lunch was delicious. I appreciated he didn’t try to make his own bologna and cheese sandwiches. Instead, he picked up a selection of artisanal sandwiches from the local sandwich shop. Plus, he brought fruit, brownies, and some sparkling water to drink. He seemed like a thoughtful guy.
“So, now that our bellies are full, I thought it would be fun to work it off.” His wink should have alerted me to the fact this date was about to go downhill. Well, really uphill and downhill, but no matter—I missed the hint.
“Okay,” I said with some excitement. Over lunch, Andrew told me about how he played rugby, lifted weights, and rode bikes. He was more of a fitness buff than Brenn, which explained the eye candy his previous outfit delivered.
We walked over to the two mountain bikes on the back of his car. He grabbed a helmet from the backseat. “I guessed at your size. Let’s see if I was right.” Andrew placed the bike helmet on my head and strapped it on. “Perfect fit. Now, let’s check the bike.”
“Umm, I haven’t ridden a bike in quite a while.” I attempted to voice my concern.
“No worries! Riding a bike comes back to you quickly and I’ll go easy on you.” Andrew winked again, pulling on his helmet and getting the other bike off the rack.
This is a test. One that I am probably going to fail.
“Okay,” I said as I got onto the bike Andrew had handed me.
Give it a shot, Adelaide. After all, he was cute and nice. We had an interesting story to begin our fairy tale—I had to give this fair guy a chance. I put my feet on the pedals and followed him through town to the local state park.
On the road, I had only a minor problem keeping up with him. It took a bit of time for my bike-legs to return. When they did, I remembered how much I didn’t enjoy riding.
It’s not the worst thing you have done this year. Keep pedaling, Adelaide…
Then we hit the dirt.
Within minutes, I was struggling. The sweet soil smell entangled me as puffs of dust rose from Andrew’s bike. I lost sight of him as I fell off the bike three times in less than three minutes.
My legs, hands, and elbows bore the battle wounds of my many falls by the time I caught up with Andrew. “Wow, I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d fall on such an easy trail,” Andrew said with a frown as he stood poised over his bike. “Is this your first trail ride?”
I nodded and grimaced as I got off the bike. Andrew used his water bottle to wash off my cuts, which stung a bit.
“Good as new,” he said. Then he snapped his water bottle back into place. I flinched with the click.
“Let’s go!” Andrew hopped back on his bike before I could say no. I realized as I was fighting to keep my bike upright that the girl who was going to be Andrew’s partner needed to at least enjoy this.
On the other hand, I hated every single minute of it.
The three Billy Goats Gruff would have done a much better job than I did. After all, no princess in any fairy tale suffered through a bike ride where only trolls should live.
Andrew was adorable. We got along at our picnic lunch. But after our bike ride, I knew he would never be my long-term prince.
Andrew lived for biking. I still wished I could use training wheels.
Either my fairy godmother got it wrong, or I was trying to make something out of a random moment in time. I sighed, picked up my bike for what felt like the fiftieth time, and pushed through.
I am getting a bicycle charm to remind me never to do this again!
I finished the trail, but not without some blood and a lot of tears. My attitude wasn’t the best on our ride home, and Andrew was smart enough to stay silent.
He said he’d call, but I suspected he wouldn’t. Even if he did, I knew I wouldn’t answer. Andrew would go down in my history as nothing more than the one-hit wonder Prince of Bikes.