The Mechanic Pt. 03

Megan clearly interpreted her question as a request for advice. "If you want her..." She paused and looked at Riley with a knowing grin. 'I know you do,' that grin said. Riley rolled her eyes impatiently; of course she wanted her. She wished she didn't, but she was miles deep into the rabbit hole now.

"... You'll have to win her over. Show her that you're different than all the other girls."

Riley felt like she had been stabbed; 'all the other girls'!? Excruciating thoughts entered her mind: how many girls had there been? Tens? Hundreds? Thousands!?

"Shit, I didn't mean it like that!" Megan said quickly, grabbing her hand for emphasis. "I mean, you'll have to show her that you're worth putting aside her principles; that you're worth a shot; that she can really like you if she lets herself. She needs to let herself acknowledge those feelings. You have to give her no choice. She has to fall for you, hard!"

Riley felt overwhelmed by the enormity of that task. "How?" She asked, tears once again appearing in her eyes.

"Date her. Show her who you really are. Show her what makes you tick; that you have a connection. Remind her of the good conversations you had; then have more of those. Get her to open up to you. Show her that you're more than a hot girl." Megan looked satisfied with her advice, but then added quickly: "Whatever you do, do not sleep with her!"

"I already did...," Riley said quietly, ashamed to admit she had been so easy.

"I know, don't do it again!"

Riley huffed. That was easier said than done. If she was going to convince Rowan to see her again, being around her was going to be very tempting. Somehow she wasn't convinced that if she got to that stage, Rowan would be so precious about her 'no girl twice' rule.

Megan laughed. "I know! She's hard to resist, isn't she? Don't I know it... I guess you'll just have to stick to public places. Don't go to the bathroom at the same time. Don't go up to her apartment. Use chaperons. Avoid dark alleys." Megan winked.

Riley's mind filled with images of Rowan feeling her up in an alley. She blushed profusely. Megan laughed and started grabbing her stuff, making a move to leave. That was all Riley was going to get then.

"I have to go. Good luck! Text me if I can help with anything."

At that, she was gone. Riley was left alone with a million thoughts and questions; many more than she ever had before meeting with Megan.

* * * * *

"Riley! Hey babe, what's up?" Sarah's voice sounded out of breath.

"Did I catch you at a bad time?" Riley hoped her friend had just been running for a bus, but with Sarah you never knew.

Sarah didn't clarify, which made Riley even more suspicious. "No, not at all. Plus, I haven't seen you in ages so anything else can wait! What's new?"

"Well..." Riley had decided to come right out with it, but now that the moment was here, it was so difficult to find the words. "Do you remember a while ago, erm... Rowan...?"

"The guy you magically hooked up with again after walking away without his last name or phone number, and have been pining over for weeks? How could I forget?"

"Yes, well, kind of..."

"So, any new developments? Did he finally call?"

This was going to be such a long story. Riley wanted to cut right to the chase and get Sarah on board with her plan, but she knew her friend wouldn't let her take any shortcuts. She tried anyway: "That isn't the most important thing, actually..." She heard Sarah start to protest, so she added quickly: "Rowan isn't a guy..."

"What do you mean, he isn't a guy? I know, he's definitely a pig for not calling you, but..."

"No, what I mean is...," Riley interrupted again. She sighed... "Sarah, Rowan is a woman."

There was silence at the other end of the line. Suddenly, Sarah started laughing. She was inconsolable for valuable seconds, in which Riley fretted about how to proceed from here. "Well, that is new. That explains a lot!"

"Really? What does that explain?" Riley asked, allowing herself to get distracted from her main purpose.

"You being so secretive and weird. Usually when you have a crush, you can't shut about the guy and won't miss any opportunity to drag us into your analyses of every word he said to you. And now, at least after the first rush, you were just suffering in silence, not mentioning it once - even though we could all see how hung up you were from a mile away."

"I didn't know how to tell you guys..." Riley said meekly.

"I have to be honest, I can't say I'm not surprised... But sweetie, it doesn't matter! It doesn't change who you are, or how we see you... Just who we need to try and hook you up with! I guess it broadens the horizon somewhat." Sarah laughed loudly again.

Riley felt a weight lifting off her shoulders. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure." She chuckled. "Finn may be a little weird at first. You know how he feels about lesbians, the perv. But wait... Are you a lesbian now, then?"

"I don't know," Riley said honestly. She'd been asking herself the same question for weeks. "I haven't felt this way about a woman before. And I only went up to her because I thought she was a man... But then we got talking. She's so interesting and smart and funny. And then... I don't know, there's something about her..."

She sighed. She caught herself just in time; she'd almost added how she'd felt when she'd slept with Rowan. How this had, completely unexpectedly, been an experience unlike any she'd ever had with any guy. It had been heaven. If that didn't make her a lesbian, then what did?

"You're definitely gay for her, though," Sarah laughed.

Riley had to laugh too, relieved her friend took this so lightly. "Oh yeah... So gay!"

Of course, Sarah wanted to know exactly what had happened when Riley had met up with Rowan. What had they done? What had happened since? Riley gave her a fairly PG-13 account of her visit to the garage. She also told Sarah about Oliver's encounter with Rowan - at least, the titbits she knew - and the chat she had with Megan.

"Wow, Ri... I have to say: go you! Sleeping with a woman? That's something even I haven't done!" Sarah concluded after Riley's story, clearly impressed with her previously believed to be vanilla friend. "So you're madly in love with her and want to do something epic to make her fall for you, right?"

Riley didn't think she'd said that in so many words, but that was indeed the gist of it.

"Even though she hasn't called you and she's being a complete ass?"

"Yes...," Riley said, with a hint of shame that she still wanted Rowan more than anything, regardless of how the mechanic was treating her.

"Alright, you're gonna need all the help you can get then. All hands on deck! Do you have any ideas?"

Filled with gratitude, Riley outlined her idea to Sarah, causing her friend to kick into full-on project manager mode. "It's brilliant, Ri. Leave it with me, I got this."

"You really think it will work?"

"If it doesn't, she's a complete idiot." Riley thought that in this respect Rowan could well be a complete idiot. "It will work," Sarah added, full of confidence Riley didn't feel.

Riley hung up the phone and placed another call to arrange the final prop. Now it was time to land the main character. With trembling fingers, Riley dialled the next number.

"Good afternoon, Ride Again, Motorbike Mechanics. How can I help?"

Riley's heart skipped a bit when Rowan's husky voice came on the line almost immediately. The mechanic must have been close to the phone. Riley imagined her - looking gorgeous as ever - wiping her greasy hands on her coveralls as she unsuspectingly answered the call that would change her future. At least Riley hoped it would. She felt her mouth go dry. 'Talk,' she urged her brain, 'say something, now!'

"Hey Rowan, it's Riley."

Riley wasn't sure what she had expected - a chuckle, a cocky yet friendly 'hey straight girl', maybe even a 'who?' - but there was only silence on the other end of the line. Now what? A wave of panic rushed over her. What if Rowan didn't even remember her; what if Megan had it all wrong?

After what seemed like forever, Rowan's reply sounded strained, as if she was trying - but failing - to make it sound like a joke: "I guess you're not calling about a motorbike?"

Part of Riley was glad to hear Rowan struggling to play it cool; whatever that meant. "No, I'm not." Riley took a deep breath and forced herself to say the words she'd had rehearsed so many times. "I'm calling to tell you we're going on a date on Friday. I'll pick you up at 8."

Riley held her breath and waited. How would that go down? Again there was nothing but silence on the other end of the line. No quick, cheeky come-back; no confident twist of the conversation to suit Rowan; not even a laugh or any sound of surprise.

"I don't date," Rowan's curt reply sounded eventually.

Riley forced a breezy tone: "Why not? What's the worst that could happen?"

She didn't expect Rowan to answer that. It was the cheesy movie line that persuaded the cute girl to follow the wrong but hot guy into mischief. It was a Rowan line, and Riley surprised herself with her bravery in saying it. The tables were turned; Riley was calling the shots. But for how long? She expected Rowan to take back control at any moment.

There was a big sigh at the other end of the line. "What if I have plans?"

Rowan's reply was uncharacteristically weak. Riley was starting to feel she might actually agree. Could it really be this easy?

"Do you?" she asked, steadying her voice to keep her excitement at bay.

After a hesitating silence that made Riley think Rowan considered lying, the mechanic simply said: "No."

Riley's heart was racing. Was this it? Was the deal sealed? "Great. See you Friday then," she pressed on quickly. "Oh and Rowan... A parcel will arrive at the garage. That's what you'll wear." Riley knew she was pushing her luck, so she hung up quickly, before Rowan could protest.

She did it! Technically, Rowan hadn't agreed to the date, but she hadn't turned her down either. Riley knew it was still possible she'd encounter a locked door on Friday. It would be easy for Rowan to stand her up. She pushed this thought to the back of her mind; she had to keep believing this was going to happen.

Over the moon excited and sick with nerves, she sent a message to Sarah: [We're on! Or at least she didn't say no...]

Sarah's response was quick and encouraging: [That's my girl! I'll make sure everything will be ready. She won't know what hit her!]

'Let's hope so...,' was all Riley could think. This had to work. She only had one chance to sweep Rowan off her feet and she'd better not blow it.

* * * * *

Riley straightened her dress and rang the door bell. She'd probably never been this nervous in her life. What if Rowan wasn't there? What if she was, but she was upset about the way Riley had played this? What if Riley would mess this all up? What if... Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the stairs, followed by the door being unlatched. She was here!

Rowan's tall and slender frame appeared in the doorway. Her eyes visibly expanded as she took in the sight of Riley. Riley knew she looked stunning in her black cocktail dress, which showed off her figure and ended just above her knees. She had paired this with a set of black heels and had tied up her blond hair in an intricate swirl. She felt every inch of her body heat up in turn as Rowan's appreciative stare slid slowly over it. She squared her shoulders under Rowan's gaze and tried to ooze confidence she didn't feel.

"Wow, you look amazing...," Rowan said, her eyes still glued to Riley's body.

"Thank you," Riley said, with what she hoped was an enchanting smile. "You look... different than expected."

The mechanic looked handsome as ever and Riley felt compelled to let her eyes roam over her - to save the sight in her memory utterly and completely, just in case it was the last time she would see her; just in case Rowan had only opened the door to tell her to go away. Wearing black chinos and a neat army green jersey over a black button-down, the mechanic looked like she had made the effort to dress nicely. However, she had clearly ignored the instructions Riley had given her. Was that because she wasn't planning to go on a date at all?

Riley made a point of critically looking over Rowan's outfit. "Did you not get the parcel?"

"You weren't serious about putting that on?" Rowan asked incredulous.

"Of course I was! Why did you think I wouldn't be?"

Rowan looked slightly embarrassed - an expression Riley had never expected to see on the confident woman's face. "Well, I can see that now." She gestured at Riley's outfit and then shrugged. "Sorry about that. Shall we go?"

"No, you're not dressed appropriately," Riley stood her ground. In fact, Rowan would be absolutely fine in her current outfit, but it wasn't the picture Riley had in her head and she wanted this to be perfect.

"I don't like people telling me what to do," Rowan said earnestly but with a hint of a grin on her face.

"Yeah, no kidding," Riley mumbled and then, with brashness that came out of nowhere, she said: "Well, either you go change or you're not coming with - your choice." As soon as she'd said the words, she regretted them. She was giving Rowan an easy out. She prayed the mechanic wouldn't take it.

To her surprise, Rowan just grinned and shook her head. Riley could understand her surprise. She must be wondering what had happened to the shy, impressionable girl who swooned at her every word. Riley knew that girl was very much still present on the inside, but she was trying her best to be a more confident and determined version of herself.

"Okay fine, give me five minutes," Rowan said then, causing Riley's insides to jerk ecstatically. She really was going to come on this date! Rowan jogged up the first steps of the stairs. As if it was an afterthought, she turned round and asked: "Do you want to come up?"

Alarm bells went off in Riley's head as memories rushed in of her and Rowan entangled in various places in the apartment. Megan's voice came back to her, warning her to stay in public places and not be alone with Rowan, if she didn't trust herself to resist her. She certainly didn't, so she said coolly: "No, I'll wait out here. Hurry, we'll be late."

"Late for what?"

"You'll see..." Riley smiled mysteriously, receiving another grin from Rowan in return before the mechanic disappeared up the stairs.

After ten minutes of impatiently waiting, Riley heard the upstairs door being closed and a moment later Rowan came into view. She spread out her arms and gave Riley a look of played resignation.

"Really? This is what you had in mind?" She asked.

Riley barely suppressed a gasp. Rowan looked even more dapper than she'd imagined in the black tux Riley had rented for her. It was a perfect fit and it accentuated her tall leanness. She had slicked her dark hair back and had paired the suit with a pair of black oxfords. Riley hadn't rented those and she was amazed to see Rowan's owned shoes like those. She realised she'd been ogling the handsome figure in front of her for some time and quickly looked up to see the mechanic watching with an amused grin.

"Much better," Riley said, trying to sound more indifferent than she felt. "Although you took longer than five minutes."

"I would have been quicker if I didn't have to look up how to tie this bloody thing." Rowan pulled at her bow tie. "You do know they sell these pre-done too?"

Riley took one step towards Rowan and straightened the tie. "Well, you did an okay job with it." She winked at Rowan. Where did that come from? Since when did she wink? Having Rowan actually going along with her plan was giving her confidence, which was slowly seeping into her words and her actions.

Rowan gave her another amused grin as if she too noticed the change in Riley's demeanour. "Not bad for a simple mechanic, hey?"

She was much more than a simple mechanic and Riley suddenly wondered if she'd worn an outfit like this before. Was that why she pulled it off with such ease; why she had the perfect pair of shoes to go with it? Had Diana taken her to fancy events before, dangling Rowan off her arm like the perfect little tomboy toy, while she drank expensive champagne? No, of course not. She reminded herself that Diana was married and probably couldn't be seen with Rowan in public. Still, she couldn't shake the image of a dashing younger version of Rowan smiling lovingly at a fiercely attractive older woman.

"Let's go then, simple mechanic," she said, forcing a smile.

"We're walking? Or do you want to take the bike?"

"I'm not getting on that bike of yours in a dress again!" Riley joked, causing Rowan to burst out laughing.

"And I'm not walking in these heels either," she added. "We're driving, come on."

Riley had deliberately parked a little way down the street so the car she'd borrowed for the occasion wouldn't steal her thunder. She had to beg and plead with her uncle to lend her his 1969 Ford Mustang, which was his single most prized possession. Riley had always teased him about it, saying it was a midlife crisis car, which obviously he had loved to throw back at her when she had called him with her request. He had caved eventually but made her promise not to leave any traces of her interactions with whichever lucky guy she was planning to make out with in the car. That was an easy promise to keep.

The old-timer had the effect Riley had hoped for. "Woo-hoow! Mustang Sally! This is your car!? You're full of surprises...," Rowan burst out as she did an appreciative lap around the sledge.

"You're not the only one who likes vintage."

Rowan touched the paintwork lovingly and then crouched down, scrutinising the wheels.

"Clearly... They really don't make them like this anymore, you know," she said, now having moved on to the car's grill.

Riley smiled at her enthusiasm. "Are you done or should I leave you two alone for a moment?"

Rowan looked over with one of her heart-melting crooked grins. "So much beauty... Makes me want to pop this baby's hood." Something in that naughty smile, and the way she let her gaze wander over Riley's body once more, told Riley she wasn't talking about the car. Riley smiled at her. She could flirt all she wanted; she wasn't getting any. At least, so Riley's mind firmly stated. Her body had other ideas and was sending hot shock-waves to her lower regions.

"I bet... But unfortunately, we don't have time for any of that. Hop in, we really have to go now."

"Maybe later then..." Rowan winked.

The short ride was filled with Rowan praising the car. Had Riley seen these leather seats? That quality of stitching was hard to come by now. Listen to the sound of that engine; wasn't that beautiful? And, Riley's personal favourite, from what year was this car? "69? Ah, even better," obviously accompanied by another wide grin. Rowan's enthusiasm was adorable. Riley could hear her passion for anything mechanical shining through in every word. They reached their destination sooner than Riley would have liked. She took a deep breath and tried to swallow her nerves. Showtime.

As they crossed the parking lot, Rowan looked curiously at the building. "This is the theatre," she observed the quite obvious. "This is where we're going?" Riley was pleased to hear that Rowan didn't seem disappointed or bored by the prospect. If anything, she may have been slightly impressed.

"Can I get you a drink?" Rowan asked, as they entered the foyer a moment later. "Do we have time?"

Riley nodded and asked for a prosecco, drawing an amused look from Rowan. Why did she seem to find everything Riley did and said funny? Riley felt more and more need for a bit of Dutch courage. What if this had been a mistake and Rowan hated it?