Wheels of Love

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. To chat, or not to chat. Might as well... she was supposed to be friendly and flirtatious, right?

Smiling to herself, she typed her message in the chat pane and hit the send key before she could regret it.

"You're kicking my ass."

A reply popped up immediately. Jenny almost spilled her tea all over the screen as she laughed.

"Want me to kiss it better?"

His comment shouldn't have come as a surprise. The site was for playing games of the social kind, not just the wordy kind. Truth was, she'd been hoping for something more exciting than triple-word scores and bingos. Something dawned on her--he was flirting with her, and she kind of liked it.

"Ah, a sense of humor, too. I can get on board with that," she said aloud.

"Maybe. Depends on what type of kisser you are."

His reply came immediately.

"One who pays attention to the woman I'm kissing."

Jenny didn't need any fingers to count the number of guys Jenny had kissed since her accident.

"Then you have a very lucky girlfriend."

"Not currently. What I have are lonely lips."

His humor was kind of cute. Liam probably had a great personality and mutt-ugly looks, a diamond inside a lump of coal. Otherwise, why would he be hanging out online on a Saturday night? Playing Scrabble, no less.

She typed in her message with a smile on her face.

"Nice girls don't kiss on the first game board."

"That wasn't exactly a no. How many games do we have to play before I can kiss you?"

Jenny couldn't help but laugh. Liam was sassy.

"Don't worry, I'm clean. No viruses here. Your hard drive is safe," he added.

"Very witty. I like smart men."

"What a coincidence! I like smart girls." Liam's message popped up quickly, as the others had, and made her blush.

She should be feeling desperate to be chatting like this with a complete stranger. But she was having fun for the first time in a long time.

She could play the game and be flirty. Even if it went against her nature. "My thighs are hot... from the laptop. Does that count?"

"Definitely, my hot-thighed girl. Do you wear glasses?"

Because all nerds wore glasses, is that what he thought? She tsked at the screen while hitting Enter. "Only safety glasses."

"Interesting. I'm picturing you as a sexy construction worker of some kind."

"Close. At the club where I strip, my most popular routine involves a costume of safety glasses, a tool belt, and not much else." Jenny hit send on the enormous lie and giggled.

"Nice. Work boots or high heels?"

"Work boots, for authenticity. But with hot-pink, sparkly laces."

"I'd pay to see that."

Not a bad idea. Too bad she didn't have a real man to test it on. Or legs that worked...

"Too bad I'm not really an exotic dancer."

"I'll put my five-dollar bill away, but I'd still like to see your costume."

This was nothing more than fantasy talk from a faceless stranger. So why was her pulse jumping?

Because she hadn't been treated to this much flirtation since the accident.

She hurried to type a comeback. "For all you know, I might be the most hideous woman in the world, with three arms."

"Or I could be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of my life," Jenny thought with a pang of sadness.

Liam's reply appeared even quicker. "The extra arm could have its advantages."

Her laughter was startling against the silence of her room.

Liam played another word and an automated message popped up, declaring him the winner.

Saying congratulations seemed too formal after the chat they'd shared. And goodbye... well, she just didn't want to say that.

"You won."

"I did, mainly because you were on the other side of the board."

"Come on, I don't suck that much!"

"Not what I meant and you know it, Jenny. Are you as cute as you are funny?"

"Define cute."

"Cute as looking like Alexandra Daddario or Emma Watson."

"Sorry. I look average. Still want me to virtually kiss you?"

His message took longer to pop up than the previous ones --totally worth the wait. "Average is in the eye of the beholder. I bet your hair feels like silk around my fingers. And the back of your neck fits perfectly in my hand. Your skin is soft and warm... your pulse is pounding faster than before."

Jenny's hand moved to her throat. He was right, it was hammering like crazy.

Another message appeared on his side of the window. "And now you're blushing."

Her cheeks were on fire--he was right about that, too. "Everything makes me blush, it's a curse."

"No way. Blushing makes you irresistible. Your mouth is smooth and warm. Delicious, like fruit."

Jenny's head fell back as she closed her eyes, letting the fantasy wash over her. She touched her lips. They parted slightly, as if the tips of her fingers were his lips. It'd been so long since she'd had a real kiss.

She sent Liam an animated kiss, still smiling.

"Thanks for the kiss. I'm still shivering."

He sent her an animated kiss back that filled her screen.

"Well, this has been fun, but it's late and I have things to do early tomorrow..."

Jenny hated to admit it, but she was sad their chat was ending. For the first time since the accident--, she felt normal, and not like the girl in a wheelchair who everyone gave sad smiles.

"Why does it have to end? It could be the beginning of something," she typed, trying not to sound clingy or pathetic.

"The beginning of something? That would make a good song title. It's up to you, Jenny from MIddletown. This is my phone number."

Jenny hurried to add Liam's phone number to her contacts.

"Now you know how to find me. The ball is in your court. Goodnight."

Then, he was gone.

She felt a warm feeling all over her. A feeling she hadn't felt in a long time. Chatting with Liam had made her happy.

Liam might be that ordinary-looking guy nobody gives a second glance. He might be the ugly guy everybody stares at because they can't look away. Whatever his appearance, she was into him. Entirely, anonymously into him.

CHAPTER 4

"It's cold to be outside," a voice said, at Jenny's back. "We could have snow falling before midnight."

Jenny stopped typing on her phone and turned around to find Georgina Eastland, the gym teacher smiling at her.

Jenny shrugged, "I prefer the cold rather than the looks of pity."

"They mean well. I assure you," Georgina said. "Most of the teachers are good people. Just give them some time"

Jenny nodded, "I know, but even so, I prefer to be alone."

"I remember you, Jenny Craig. You used to be part of the gymnastics team."

"Actually, I was the captain. It seems it happened in another life," Jenny looked Georgina in the eyes, and added, "I remember you, too. You used to be a very different person when I was a student."

"I was a true bitch, you can say it," Georgina's smile grew wider.

Both women laughed.

"Finding the love of my life changed me for the best," Georgina confessed.

Jenny nodded and ate a bite of her sandwich.

"Would you mind if I sit on your side?" Georgina pointed at the empty bench beside Jenny's wheelchair.

Jenny shook her head.

"Who is he?" Georgina added, tilting her chin at Jenny's phone.

"Who is who?" Jenny asked, trying to hide the phone from Georgina's view.

"Whoever has had you smiling for the last few minutes," Georgina nodded toward the phone, gripped tightly in Jenny's hand. "You have barely touched your sandwich. I recognize the symptoms-- you're lovesick."

Jenny bit her bottom lip, doubting. The question felt awkward coming from a colleague who was merely an acquaintance, but it didn't. She needed a fresh perspective.

"You can tell me to just mind my own business, if I am being nosy," Georgina added.

Jenny still doubted.

"Sometimes, it's easier to open up to a stranger, than tell a friend or a family member, and deal with their expectations," Georgina added.

"You're right about that." Jenny closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them up, she had made a decision.

"I chatted with a stranger last night," she blurted out. "I had fun... I haven't had much fun since..."

"Since you end up in a wheelchair," Georgina completed the sentence for her. Jenny blushed and nodded.

"He is funny, witty, and makes me laugh."

"Sounds like a good start. My husband Daniel is pretty much like that."

"He doesn't know I am a handicapped person. We chatted, and he flirted with me. It made me feel... Jenny. Not the girl in a wheelchair."

"I can imagine how you feel. I was labeled, too in the past. It's hard for people to see beyond that label."

Jenny sighed. "Let me tell you a brutal truth. The chances of a man freaking out based on my disability are highly probable. It's sad, unfair, and disrespectful, but it is true."

Georgina nodded and squeezed Jenny's hand.

"Why didn't you tell him you are in a wheelchair?"

Jenny shrugged. "I was having fun and didn't want to ruin the moment. Besides, he was a stranger I chatted with online."

"Which means you'll probably never chat with him again."

"Well, the thing is he gave me his number."

"Oh! He is interested in you. Are you going to call him?"

Jenny twisted her mouth. "That's the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question."

Georgina placed her hand on hers. "I'm going to confess something to you, I never told anyone. When I first met my husband, I gave him my number, but he never called me. He was gun-shy when it came to women. Fortunately, he had given me his full name, so I looked for him. I only had to call twenty Daniel Cohens in the area before finding him."

Both women laughed.

"Was he surprised?"

"He was. Big time. He never thought a woman like me would be interested in a guy like him."

"Why?"

"He defines himself as a nerd. He also looks like one."

"I see."

"However, once we got past the initial awkwardness, our relationship blossomed. If you allow me to offer you a piece of unsolicited advice, don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams. Taking the risk is the first step. As the old saying goes 'Everything you want is usually on the other side of fear.'"

Jenny thought about what Georgina said. She couldn't let her fears rule her. It was time she grew a backbone and took a risk.

"What if I get attracted to him, and then he rejects me because I'm in a wheelchair-- as it'll probably happen?"

"You don't know what is going to happen in life. You just don't. It can be something bad, sure, but it can also be something good. I suggest you disclose your disability before getting to that point. Pick a good time when both of you are in tune with each other's thoughts and calmly say, 'I have been meaning to tell you something really important but I didn't know how to start.' Then, tell him about your disability and keep an open option for him to decide whether he wants to date you or stop seeing you. Keep it open-ended so that you don't have to be the one who gets rejected. Also mention that whatever he decides would be acceptable to you."

"That was a good piece of unsolicited advice," Jenny smiled at Georgina. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm not in a wheelchair, but I did have a past to disclose. You probably heard about it..."

Jenny did have heard some rumors about Georgina's wild past, but she made a non-committal gesture.

"Luckily for me, my Daniel didn't give up on me."

"You can count yourself among the lucky ones," Jenny sighed, remembering her last conversation with her ex-boyfriend.

"I do."

That night, when Jenny went to bed, she had a nightmare.

A girl was sitting in a wheelchair. She couldn't see her face well from where she was standing, but she was stretching out her arms to her as if she was silently imploring Jenny to help her. She did not, or could not speak. As Jenny tried to walk towards her, her legs turned to jelly. She couldn't move. She crawled towards the girl in the wheelchair but the nearer she got, the more she seemed to recede...

Her eyes tried to suck Jenny in, like two bottomless black holes. Abruptly, though, she could now hear some of the girl's words. "Help me please, I beg you... don't know what's happening to me.... so frightened..."

Jenny awoke suddenly, tangled in stale bedclothes, soaked in sweat, and her heart racing.

CHAPTER 5

"Who is this?" a male voice asked. Liam had a sexy voice, deep and rich.

Jenny's heart was pounding. It was late at night, when she finally gathered the courage to call Liam.

"Umm... Jenny."

"Who?"

"Scrabble girl..." Jenny said, and quickly added. "Not sure if you remember me, we played..."

"I do remember you," he interrupted her. "The exotic dancer in glittering work boots. Getting ready to strip for strangers?" Liam laughed, and his laugh made Jenny feel warm inside.

"Actually, I work as a teacher," she said, blushing.

"What a coincidence! I'm a teacher, too; a music teacher. You took me by surprise. I was expecting a call from my principal. You're not Mr. Fullerton, are you?"

"Do I sound like a Mr. Fullerton to you?"

He chuckled, and Jenny felt it all over her body. "No. You sound much cuter than him."

"So you think Mr. Fullerton is somewhat cute?"

"Ah, a sense of humor, too. I can get on board with that."

Something dawned on Jenny: Liam was flirting with her again, and she liked it.

"Oh, you bad boy! You got called to the principal's office!"

"I was a very good student. He's calling me because he invited me to anchor a school function. I am not much interested in anchoring, so my guess is that Mr. Fullerton thinks that if he bugs me when I'm home on a Friday night I might say yes."

"My principal, Mr. Livingston, is much nicer than him, but just as relentless. For the record, I was a good student, too. I called you because I wanted to thank you for the other night. I was feeling kind of down and you cheered me up."

"You're welcome. May I ask why you were feeling down, Jenny?"

That was it. Her chance to come clean and disclose her disability with Liam. But Jenny wasn't ready to face the potential end of their growing friendship. She liked too much the way Liam flirted with her and made her feel like a woman again.

"Are we getting personal now, Liam?"

"Is that a personal question?"

"Depends on my answer, doesn't it?"

"I suppose it does."

They were quiet, a long silence.

"Liam?" Jenny checked to see if he was still on the line.

"Yes?"

"I like talking with you."

"Good, because I like talking with you, too."

Liam already felt like an old friend.

"I have a question for you," he said.

"Oh, we are in the asking-questions stage of our relationship now?" she teased him.

"I didn't know we were in any kind of relationship?" he answered back.

"Shit!" she muttered, she couldn't let her guard down like this.

"We shared a virtual kiss. Did our pixel kiss mean anything to you?" she shot back, pretending to be hurt.

"You're right. We did. It meant a lot to me. I can still feel your pixels on my virtual lips. Back to my question, how come when I order a large pizza for myself I receive one of 'those' looks from the delivery guy?"

"Well, I imagine you're answering the door in your pajamas with uncombed hair, so you appear all sad and heartsick... Or a creeper... Or as a fat nerd...," she suggested, curious about how he looked.

"I would take offense, but you're probably right."

"Probably?"

"Except for the fat part. I'll show you."

Jenny's phone pinged, and she opened up the message to see a pic of Liam's tummy.

He didn't have a six-pack, but he wasn't fat either.

"OH MY GOSH! I can't believe you sent me that," she squealed. Her laughter was evident in her voice.

"You were fishing for information about my tummy so I obliged," he explained. "What do you think? Am I fat or not?"

"You're not. Just to be clear, I didn't say you were fat. I suggested it as an option. But you're definitely a creeper," she snorted.

"I am not a creeper."

"Yeah, well, that's exactly what a creeper would say."

"You have a point there. I'll guess you'll have to take the risk."

"So far, you've been worth the risk."

"Aww! How sweet of you to say that. Are you trying to make my tummy blush, Jenny?"

"I don't think that's possible," Jenny replied.

"It's blushing right now,"

"I won't apologize for that."

"Look, Jenny, I'd love to keep creeping you out, but I'm still waiting for a call from Mr. Fullerton and I have to come up with a good excuse to say no. By the way, I think you're very brave because I'd never strike up a conversation with a stranger."

"We're not strangers anymore, are we?"

"No, we are not."

"Now the ball is in your court, Liam."

"Noted. Sweet dreams, Jenny."

"Sweet dreams, Liam."

Jenny stood on the line for several beats, until he finally disconnected the call.

A tiny hope sparked inside her.

CHAPTER 6

Jenny rolled over at the sound of her phone going off. Glancing at the bedside clock, she noted it was after eleven.

"What the..." she exclaimed.

She had no idea who could be texting her because most of the people she knew would be asleep by now, especially on a Sunday night.

She swiped open her screen and a smile overtook her face in an instant. It was a text from Liam.

"Why is it I've spent the last two days trying to fall asleep and I can't because all I can think about is you?

"Duh! Because I'm so very charming," Jenny typed.

"No self-esteem problems, I see. Are you in bed now?" The text ended with an emoji doing an eyebrow wiggle.

"I usually go to bed early on Sunday. I have to work tomorrow."

He sent an emoji with the tongue out and two hearts instead of eyes, and the text, "I'm thinking about you in bed."

"Liam! Are you trying to start a sexting convo?" Jenny typed. Her cheeks were burning.

"What? No! Unless you want it, of course. That did come out creepy, huh?"

"See? I told you you're a creeper."

"Cat's out of the bag now..."

"Why are you thinking about me?"

"I suppose I could have been more specific. All I can think about is buying some beer to go with my leftover pizza. I thought it'd be nice to have someone to share it with."

"There's such a thing as leftover pizza?" Jenny typed back.

"Are you trying to make me fall in love with you, Jenny?"

"Depends on if it's working or not," Jenny felt as if another girl would have possessed her fingers.

She realized she had forgotten completely about being in a wheelchair. She felt like the old Jenny again. Liam treated her like a woman. Would he change if he knew she couldn't walk?

"Smooth. For the record, it is working."

Jenny's heart skipped a beat when she read the text.

"Prepare yourself for daily texts," Liam added.

"I can live with that," Jenny hurried to type back.

Jenny could imagine Liam smiling as he typed. Maybe thinking "Let's see what she writes back about this?"

"Do you do this with everyone? Climb inside their heads and psych them out?" she typed.

"Is that what's happening? What exactly am I doing that's wigging you out?"

"Now my stupid brain says, 'you're making him fall in love with you. Don't screw this up or it's bye-bye.' So you're going to let me get all attached and then... boom, rip that rug right out from under me, huh?"

Somehow, Jenny had managed to let her fears out. She needed Liam. At this moment, he was a lifesaver in a sea of turmoil. She didn't want to lose him.

"Are you finished? You should know by now we're practically besties."

"Sorry. Sometimes I get a little crazy," she admitted.

"Just a little? That was creepy!"

"Will you hold it against me?"

"I will. So, my new BFF, what else should I know about you?"

"My life is basically working, working some more, Netflix, takeaway, and some online Scrabble with a mysterious stranger every now and then," she typed, leaving out her daily routine of exercises.