Ryder and I have been going strong. It's been a week since our first date, and we've pretty much been inseparable since. When he's at work, I go on rides, watch Grey's Anatomy with Gina, or just do anything to pass the time until he's home. As soon as he pulls into his driveway, I'm outside, running up to him to tell him all about my day. We're in that weird new couple stage... but we're not a couple.

Ryder doesn't have the balls to ask me to be his girlfriend yet.

I don't know what it is that's keeping him from asking me. In the almost two months I've lived here, he's one of the only people I've felt comfortable completely opening up to, and I thought he felt the same way. We're acting like a couple, but he won't make it official. I've never wanted something so bad.

Today, however, I'm going to change that. One way or another, this relationship will become a real thing. I can't wait anymore. It's my turn to plan a date. It's currently 7:30 AM on a Saturday, and by tonight, Ryder will be my boyfriend.

Ew. I sound like such a girl. How annoying!

By 10:30 I'm out the door, heading over to Ryder's to make sure the lazy boy is awake and ready. He likes to sleep in, but not today. That's precious time he'd be wasting, and we have no time to waste today. Thankfully as I walk passed his living room window, I see him sitting on his couch, scrolling through his phone. I knock on his door, and soon I'm being ushered into his apartment.

"Shhh," Ryder whispers to me. I give him a confused look in return, to which he replies "There are two bunnies out back, and I want you to see them!" He guides me over to the French doors that lead to the small back patio, and we both stare out, watching two little bunnies hop around, playing in the grass.

"This is so cute!" I gush quietly. "I wonder if I can catch one."

I slowly reach for the doorknob, trying not to scare the bunnies away. Ryder quickly grabs my wrist, glaring at me. "Leave them alone, idiot. They're playing."

"But I want to play with the bunnies..." I trail off, watching the fuzzy animals' every move.

Ryder starts quietly chuckling at me, tugging at my wrist. "Come on. We have plans today, don't we?"

I look up to him with a wide smile, excited for our day. "You bet, and you're going to have the time of your life! Let's get going!" I drag him over to my garage and we both hop into my Subaru. "Are you ready?"

"Honestly," he starts, "I'm kinda scared. I have absolutely no clue what you're making me do today. I'm not too big on surprises."

"Well, I think you'll like this surprise," I reply with a smile. "I'll even give you a hint. You showed me a place that meant a lot to you, so I'm going to show you one of my favorite places."

"It's not a Harley Shop, is it?" He asks, grinning.

"What if it is? It wouldn't be so bad, would it?" I ask nervously.

He laughs, catching on. "I think it would be fun, looking at all the bikes and clothes and you showing and teaching me everything, but I'm scared you'll go and buy another bike and make me drive your car home."

I smile, happy to hear that he wants to learn, but then laugh. "I'm not buying a new bike anytime soon, idiot. I just bought one couple of months ago!"

"So are we going to a Harley Shop or not?" He's pushing me to tell him.

"No," I say, trying to cover up the lie. It's supposed to be a surprise, damnit!

"We are," he teases. "I can see you trying not to smile."

"I'm smiling because I'm excited to spend the day with you!" I lie again.

"Whatever," he says, and I see him smirk out of the corner of my eye. "Let's just get to the shop already. I'm curious to see what you're like in your natural habitat." Ignoring him, I get on the gas a little more, gaining speed so that we can get to the shop as soon as possible.

Ten minutes later, we're pulling up to Bruce Rossmeyer Harley Davidson. The outside of the shop is beautiful, with stone pillars outside of the front doors and wooded decorations scattered throughout the perimeter of the building. There are at least fifty bikes parked out front from other riders. Seeing my eyes widen in excitement, Ryder laughs at me. "You're cute when you're excited." I smile and blush, not knowing what to say. "You're even cuter when you blush. It lets me know I'm doing something right." At that, I smile even wider, then run inside leaving him to trail behind me.

Walking in, the shop takes my breath away. On the left is the clothing section, larger than any other one I've ever seen. The right side is the dealership, with parts all along the walls and over one hundred bikes lined up beautifully along the showroom floor. My eyes instantly lock onto a beautiful 2019 Road Glide Special. Billiard Blue paint, chrome crash bar, chrome Vance and Hines slashed end caps on the exhaust, touch screen and speakers in the fairing, new Milwaukee Eight engine... it's everything I've ever wanted. I slowly start walking up to it when Ryder grabs my hand, pulling me away. "You just said you don't need another bike," he laughs.

"But Road Glide," I mumble, trying to make my way back to the bike, but Ryder is too strong for me to break free. "I need it."

"No, you don't, idiot." He's now reaching behind my legs, gently lifting me up. "Now come on, I'm taking you away from the bikes for awhile. Let's go look at the clothes. I expect a t shirt as payment for preventing you from buying a bike you don't need."

I look at him in disbelief. One, he's just casually carrying me around in a Harley shop, disregarding all the looks people are shooting our way. Two, he tore me away from my dream bike, which will be mine one day. Apparently, today is not that day.

Looking through the men's section, I see a nice, plain black shirt with the Harley Davidson signature bar and shield on the front, and information about this specific shop on the back. Picking up Ryder's size, I run up to him, holding the shirt to his face. "Do you like it?" I almost yell, excitement getting the best of me.

"It's very nice," he says, taking the shirt from my hands. "And it's the cheapest thing I've seen in this store. Why is everything so expensive?"

"Welcome to the biker life," I say, picking up another t shirt. "HD may stand for Harley Davidson, but it also stands for hundred dollars because you can't buy anything under that." A couple of people around me nod in agreement, a few laughing at Ryder's bewilderment.

"That's about the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Ryder replies after regaining his composure. "How do people afford this crap?"

"It's not crap, idiot, it's a lifestyle." I smile, then grab him another t shirt. "People just kind of understand that when you buy a Harley, you've basically sold your soul to William Harley, and William, Arthur, and Walter Davidson."

"Let me guess, they're the founders of this extravagant company," Ryder says, rolling his eyes.

"You're learning!" I exclaim in reply, hugging him in excitement. "I'm so proud."

"What can I say, I'm just smart," he smirks, and I playfully smack his shoulder, guiding him to the checkout. "Corina, I'm going to have to put some of these back. I don't need five t shirts, let alone afford them."

"My treat," I shrug, putting them up onto the counter, greeting the woman ringing us up.

"This is too much," he states, staring at the screen as she rings up each shirt. "I can't let you do this."

"Yes you can," I reply, smiling reassuringly at him. "I want to get you some shirts! I can't have you embarrassing me with your clothes," I laugh, looking him up and down.

"What's wrong with my outfit?" He asks, looking at himself in a nearby mirror. "I don't look that bad!"

"You look cute," I smile, wrapping my arms around his waist. He's wearing a cobalt blue polo, cargo shorts, and Toms tennis shoes. "But not 'biker guy' cute. I wore a dress for your date, so you're wearing a Harley shirt, jeans, and boots."

"I don't own boots," he admits. "Never have."

I turn to the lady at the register, look back to make sure there's no line behind me, then back to her. "I'll be one moment. If someone comes up, go ahead and help them." With that, I run to the boots, finding the perfect pair of tan lager-type boots, then take those back up to the counter. "These too, please."

"Corina, those are over $200," Ryder gasps, unable to catch his breath. "The shirts are too much already. I can't let you get those boots."

I smile and shrug. "Like I said, you need biker clothes. I planned on buying these for you as a present anyway, so why not get them now?"

"Let the girl get you something nice, preppy boy," the cashier adds in with a smile. "You really do need these on a bike. Those shoes you're wearing now won't help you at all when you go to shift or if the bike goes down. All she's doing is looking out for you." I smile appreciatively at her, and Ryder has a look of defeat. I pay and head for the door, but turn around to see him still at the counter, looking into the glass case, which holds wallets, belt buckles and jewelry.

"Go ahead out to the car," Ryder says with a smile and a wave. "I'll be out in a minute. I need a new wallet." I nod to him, then sit in the car, picking out which shirt I'm going to make him wear.

A little while later, I hear Ryder sit in the passenger seat with a small bag in his lap. "Which wallet did you get?" I ask, reaching for the bag. He just shakes his head and grasps tightly onto the bag. "Come on, idiot, let me see! I'm curious!"

"Not now," he says, staring into my eyes. "I'll just put everything into it later. Right now, I want food." With a puzzled look I nod, driving off to our second part of our date day; lunch.

"What do you want?" I ask as we sit down in a booth at Steak and Shake. "I'm just getting a footlong with fries and a banana milkshake."

"I don't know yet," he mumbles nervously. He's been acting weird ever since the Harley shop. I really hope I didn't upset him too much when I bought him all that stuff. I guess it was excessive, but I wanted to treat him to something nice and safe to ride in when I manage to hopefully get him on a bike. My plan is to put him on the back of Black Betty tonight, ride to the beach, and ask him to make this relationship official, making it as cliche as possible, while still being unique.

We finally order, him finally deciding on sliders and a birthday cake milkshake, then sit in an awkward silence for the rest of lunch and the trip back home. I park my car in the garage, kiss Ryder's cheek, then send him off to change. He clutches tightly onto the bag holding his new wallet, then grabs the other bags and rushes to his apartment.

A few minutes later, he walks up my sidewalk, greeting me with a small peck on the lips. I look his outfit up and down, and I have to say, I'm impressed. He's wearing the black shirt I picked out, some nice jeans, and his new boots. He looks, well, hot, like a biker dying to ride. My jaw drops, and he laughs at me before pushing my jaw up, closing my mouth.

I start walking to the garage, nervous for this evening's events. What if he says no? I'd be completely mortified, never being able to leave my apartment again in fear of seeing him. I'd have to move, leave Daytona, start all over again in another city on the other side of the country. I'd have to move to California before I felt far away enough from him. I stop myself from thinking anymore, in fear I'd think myself into a panic attack. Stopping in front of the bikes, I take a deep breath. I move again, grabbing one of my dad's old helmets I took from home, and throw it to Ryder.

"Why do I need this?" He questions, reading the stickers my dad put on it years ago. "I like this sticker," he says, pointing to my favorite. It says 'never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly.'

"Put it on," I say nervously. "We're going on a ride."

I expect him to argue, run away, do anything other than get on the back of Black Betty, but that's what he does. He sits on the seat, smiling at me, before saying "Get on." I widen my eyes, but quickly shrug and make my way over. As I'm getting onto the bike, I see a black velvet box sticking out of Ryder's pocket. It looks like something jewelry would come in, small enough to fit a ring.

Wait, a ring? What the fuck!?

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Ohhhhh a ringgggg...! What do you guys think Ryder is up to? Do you think Corina is just overthinking? Is it a ring? Tell me what you think!

I've been home from my honeymoon for just over three hours and I'm ready for another vacation lol.

I got a couple of side notes for you! First, I've never been in the Harley shop mentioned in this chapter, so I just took some aspects from the shops I have been in and imagined this one, so sorry if it's inaccurate! Also, sorry if there are any typos or grammatical errors! I'm just having a weird day, but I did try and edit as best as I could!

Hope everyone is having a great day!