Childish Sleepy Head

When Rhea was little, she used to visit Sunray estate with her parents. Most of her vacations were spent there. The most beautiful memories of her childhood took place in Fairbanks.

Her Fairbanks vacations stopped once Flynn's family moved to Anchorage. Nonetheless, Rhea could still remember the house very well. Thus, she could show around the mansion. Ryan also didn't make any superstitious prank after that. He genuinely seemed curious about the mansion now but also continued his gentle railleries.

They went through almost every room. They conversed about the mansion in the midst of their amiable banter.

The Sunray manor was maintained well by the workers thus there was no need for embarrassment. She even felt proud of the way the house was kept.

Finally, they reached the garage. It was more like a vehicle showroom, quite big. But there were only a few vehicles. They were all covered as they were not in use for fairly some time.

Ryan noticed that there was also a motorbike there. It was covered in a black waterproof cover.

Ryan walked towards it then lifted the cover.

It was a Matte black, V-Storm.

Two paddock stands were used to keep it in a sturdy position.

Ryan continued to examine the bike then covered the motorbike again with that black cloth.

Seeing his actions Rhea couldn't help but ask, "Do you want to ride that?".

"Can I?"

"Wait for a moment!".

She went back to steal the keys from Flynn's room. He was sleeping like a pig so she stole the key. If Flynn knows he will jump from the Earth to the sky raising havoc. She also took her winter jacket, so she can wait near the gate. On her way back, she met with Mr. Philip and asked about the bike condition and fuel, in case.

Flynn was so unpredictable even to the workers of the estate. No one knew when will he want to go out riding a bike. They made everything, including the motorbike, prepared when they heard their young master will return. Thanks to them, Rhea had nothing much to worry about.

She returned to the garage after asking Mr.Philip to bring the essentials.

"The fuel is full" she handed Ryan the keys.

A few minutes later Mr. Philip came down with the stuff she had asked for.

"Miss, these are all new," he told her before handing them to her". Of course, how can she let Ryan wear something old?

She thanked him and handed them to Ryan. "Wear these!".

"That won't be necessary!"

She titled her head "Safety matters! Please, Mr. Ryan!"

"Ok ok," he reluctantly agreed then wore the jacket and gloves.

"These as well!" she handed him the knee pads and elbow pads.

He obediently wore those as well!

When he finished, Rhea noticed the jacket, gloves, and even the pads were in black color. Ryan looked so cool, like a professional bike rider.

Rhea couldn't believe that it was a coincidence.

'Why the hell he looks good in everything he wears?' she couldn't help but wonder.

'Well well, it's not the right time to swoon over him' she told herself and again started to check if he is wearing all the things she had given him.

Finally, she took the helmet from Mr. Philip's hands and pass it to Ryan. That was also black. She couldn't help but turn to Mr. Philip and say "Mr. Philip, that's a good choice of color!" with a smile.

"Thank you, miss. It looks good on him," he said but after giving it a thought for three seconds he spoke again.

"But he'll look handsome in any color!"

Rhea couldn't help but smile since someone else agreed with her.

'Seems like my taste is not that bad ah', she thought!

Since Mr. Philip directly complimented him Ryan looked somewhat awkward which was indeed funny.

Once Mr. Philip handed over the garage gate remote and went upstairs, Ryan spoke.

"Is it that funny?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you still smiling?"

"What is funny?" she asked him while smiling.

"...." he seemed displeased. He averted the gaze from her and examined the bike.

'Seems like someone is shy' she thought, smiling wide.

After a few seconds, he spoke again.

"It looks good. Really great maintenance. May I know who is the owner of this bike?"

"This is Flynn's"

"Flynn's?"

From what Ryan knew, Flynn didn't look like someone who will 'maintain' things. He was more like a spoiled guy who just lived the moment and didn't care much about others. But first impressions necessarily don't have to be true. Ryan knew that.

Hearing his doubtful tone, Rhea replied, "He loves bikes too."

The 'too' made Ryan's head turn towards her as if he had found something interesting.

"Who else loves bikes?"

'It's you who love bikes!', Rhea wanted to say this then changed her mind. It's not good to let him know more about her, stalking him on social media!

According to Rhea's research so far, Ryan loved bikes. He liked to collect bikes as well. She had seen two, three of his costly superbikes in his Weibo posts as well.

"M....Me. I like bikes"

"Really?"

Rhea just nodded.

"Do you know how to ride a bike?"

"No. I...I just love looking at them!"

Ryan shook his head with a smile then turned towards the bike.

Just to change the subject, Rhea shared that motorbike's history.

"Flynn likes bikes. He saved his pocket money in high school without eating lunch just to buy this one."

In truth, Flynn was not a spoiled kid at all. Mr. Raymond tried his best to make Flynn understand the value of money. So Flynn's allowances were always limited. Flynn had to put a lot of effort to save money. Rhea knew how hard it was for him. She even gave him some of her savings that time, which he firmly rejected. Finally, to her surprise, he successfully bought this bike one day.

"Now he got a new bike in Anchorage. So he brought this here" she added. That one was a gift from Mr. Raymond for performing well in his university exams.

"You must know so much about Flynn! Is he the crush you mentioned before?"

'Crush? Where did that come from? And that was not the point of the conversation!'

Rhea couldn't understand how Ryan came up with the conclusion. Within seconds she understood that he is talking about what she said in the camp. It was good to know that he had such a good memory.

But, her crush...

Isn't the one before her, inquiring about himself? Rhea didn't know whether to laugh or cry!

She hurriedly said "No!", after a pause, "He is my cousin. This is his house. His father is also my uncle".

"Cousin?"

"Yeah, more like a brother since I don't have one"

Ryan only nodded pursing his lips in acknowledgment.

Rhea didn't wait for him to say something else and opened the garage doors using the remote.

"You must be careful. Don't go far. It's winter. Just take a U-turn in the next junction."

She knew that Ryan is familiar with winter riding. Yet she wasn't sure if she can let him go. Although the roads were often cleared, and there were no snowstorms recently, Rhea told him to be safe and slow, again and again. Her instructions or advice grew with time. She was obviously worried.

"Don't go far. This place is new for you. You may get lost. Ride as slow as you can" she continued.

"I'll wait for you by the gate. So don't go too far and disappear from my sight. Can you do that?"

The way she treated him brought a big smile to his face.

After silently listening to everything with a smile, he threw her a helmet from the table next to him.

"Aren't you coming?"

".........."

'What did he ask?' she couldn't just believe what she heard.

She would love to go for a bike ride with him. Wouldn't she?

But... But...

Was it this easy to ride a bike with your idol?

She didn't know!

Rhea was screaming inside but silently kept staring at him, unbelievably.

"Are you scared? I have practiced this during winter before. I have skills"

"I'm not scared. I'm shocked," she told him the truth this time!

'Shocked?' Ryan couldn't understand. What is there to be shocked?

Before he could speak again she hurriedly pushed that helmet into his hands, said "I'll be back" then ran back to her room. She grabbed her vegan fur coat which was a lot thicker than the previous one and her phone then returned.

When she came down, Ryan was still sitting on the motorbike holding the second helmet in his hands and playing with it. The motorbike and the guy both were all in black. Mesmerized by the way he looked on the motorbike, Rhea just captured that visual and saved it in her heart. She went to him, took the helmet from his hands, and put it on without asking him. Maybe she is a little courageous now!

It started!

Winter riding, always risky, yet beautiful!

Think about a ride with your crush. Do I have to say more?

Sometimes we'll take risks to see the beauty of life. Risk is everywhere. When the outcome is greater risks won't matter.

This was the same for Rhea. She would go on a winter motorbike ride with Ryan knowing it can be risky. As long as it is with him, she will love it. The eighteen-year-old girl who was smitten by him, couldn't think more on this. She couldn't say if it was the right thing to do. She just followed her heart.

Also, she was so happy to the level where she even forgot to inform Mr. Philip that she is also going!

Ryan just went in the direction of the junction she mentioned before.

Rhea was holding the bike while debating inside her mind throughout that time.

'Can I hold his jacket?'

'No no no! You can't!'

'Why do you want to hold it?'

'Yeah, that's wrong!!'

'No, that's for safety.'

'Really? Don't take advantage!!!'

Her blue-sky thinking was interrupted by Ryan.

He called her and showed her a hill.

"Do you know how to get there?" Ryan's mumbled voice came out of that black helmet.

"Yes..."

She often went there before with her uncle to see the estate view when she was little. The hill was not too high. It was a safe wide path uphill. There were also a few houses on the way up. So up to a certain distance, the path was usually cleared by the residents.

"Can we go there?"

"...Ok. But we have to walk to reach the top."

"That's okay," he said.

Ryan really did have a lot of skill when it came to winter riding. He was so professional which amazed Rhea. He was way too careful, slow, and steady. That was the best ride she had in her life. She started to enjoy it more and more with time.

She removed her helmet, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the cold breeze that passed her.

Ryan slowed down a bit.

"Any problem?", she asked.

"You are not wearing your helmet, are you?"

Though it sounded like he was against it, she didn't put on her helmet as the breeze felt so good. He too didn't force her but didn't speed up either.

They reached the bottom of the hill.

"Rhea, wear your helmet!"

She obeyed this time.

"Hold me!"

"Ah?"

"Hold me if you don't want to fall!"

Finally, she grabbed his shoulder!

Her thoughts so far once again became chaotic!

Once the path became a little difficult, Ryan stopped the bike and they started to walk.

Within a few minutes, they reached the top of the hill. It was around three p.m. The sun was setting peacefully. There was nearly one more hour yet for the civil twilight to end.

Rhea darted to the cliff end. She was mesmerized by the sunset view and the village. Ryan walked towards her and sat down on the snowy ground. Rhea who saw him sitting sat next to him.

"This place is a tourist attraction, but no one is here right now" Rhea looked around with a little surprised expression. "Usually, two or three villagers can be seen at this hour".

"No one is crazy enough to come out in this cold weather, I think", he replied.

Hearing his words Rhea couldn't help but smile.

"It's good that you know," she said.

"Same to you," he replied.

That brought a smile to her face. She shook her head while looking at the sunset view.

"That's better!", he suddenly spoke.

"Hmmm?"

"No one is here. That's better!"

"Do you have sociophobia or something?" she asked him then bit her lip. She really felt that she had become a lot more unruly.

Before she could apologize he muttered, "It's more like OLD*"

"Hm?? OLD? What is it?"

"I meant... I'm getting old. So... I don't like having many people near me!"

Rhea just looked at him, unbelievably then turned towards the sunset view.

'Does he even know over what age, it is considered old? Unbelievable.' But she got a doubt mid-way.

"What does being old have to do with associating with others?"

"When you get old you'll hate noise" Of course he was not serious. But she continued to question him.

"So?"

"When there are people, there will be noise"

"Does that mean you hate anyone who talks?"

She looked at him curiously. Because she was also talking with him, at that moment.

He looked at her a few seconds, then spoke with so much sincerity in his eyes.

"I like it when you talk"

"................."

As Rhea was trying hard to trust what she heard a moment ago he continued,

"....because I don't consider you as a human being"

She was dumbstruck once again.

"Me too!" she told him raising both of her eyebrows and saved her face by pulling his leg. It was as if she was ready for the argument anytime!

Ryan couldn't help but smile.

"You too?"

"Yeah. Look at you wearing all black like a monster, nothing like a human", once she said that, she couldn't even believe herself. Of course, that was a lot of courage!

"And look at you glaring like a baby bu-ga-boo", he calmly said the word, syllable by syllable.

She was at the peak of anger. She hates it whenever he calls her that way. She continued to glare at him. He couldn't help but laugh.

After a few seconds, he said "Peace" stretching his right hand for a handshake.

She kept silent.

"You want war?"

Rhea didn't say a word.

"You fought with me two days ago"

Silence...

"Called me heartless"

Still silence...

"Even today you took advantage..."

Rhea suddenly stretched her hand,

"Peace, peace, peace!"

He suppressed his laughter this time and gave her a handshake with a smile.

Then the two started to focus on the view.

Since it was a hilltop with a cliff on one side almost the whole village can be seen from there.

The weather seemed fine. Snow didn't disturb the view. She was able to find Sunray estate from there. Rhea pointed out the mansion to Ryan.

"That's our house!"

"Our house?"

It seemed like he was still in his mischievous mode.

It's really not his nor hers. It was actually Flynn's.

'Oh my god, what did I say?', she was shocked.

After glaring at him in confusion she spoke again.

"...By that, I mean where we are staying."

'Why do you have to make it sound weird?' she blamed him inside her head.

After that she kept silent. If she talks she will be the one to lose.

But he spoke this time.

"Look there. It looks nice over there" he pointed to a faraway area.

With 'Look at here and look at there' the time flew. Just like that the two chattered for about an hour.

After some time, Rhea gradually started to feel drowsy.

Rhea used to have a good habit of going to bed on time. Nothing can change her sleeping schedule. The only exception is Ryan.

Last two days, she couldn't sleep well because of the anxiety attack he had given her! Additionally, she didn't rest that day after a long, tiring drive. Rhea was sleepy to the point where even the visuals started to get blurry. She rubbed her eyes two, three times. At that time her phone rang. It was Flynn.

Flynn!!!

Then only she remembered that she forgot to inform Flynn and stayed out longer. She hurriedly picked up the call.

"Rhea, where the hell are you?"

"I'm...." she couldn't lie to him. He can easily detect. She couldn't say where she is either. He will be mad. She thought about a way to calm him.

"Mr. Ryan is with me. Don't worry!"

This didn't pacify Flynn. He got angrier.

"I'm worried because he is there" he mumbled.

"What?"

"Come back now! You are my responsibility as long as you stay here!"

"Ok ok. We'll be back.", she ended the call.

"Let's go," Ryan told her.

"Don't worry. Take your time. Don't mind the call" she replied. Ryan is her guest. He is the priority at that moment. If he wanted to stay, she should let him stay.

"Not because of the call. Look at yourself. You are so sleepy. Let's go", he patted her head, got up, and walked down towards the bike.

She stood there a few seconds, touched her head where he patted, then quietly followed him.

They began the ride back home.

The place started to get even colder. So Ryan thought of hurrying back. From what he saw in the rearview mirror he couldn't.

Rhea was rubbing her sleepy eyes.

Ryan stopped the bike and pulled her hands around him. Her head fell on his back.

She was confused and shocked. It was more like she is hugging him from behind. To anyone who sees them, they would look like a couple in love!

She couldn't move her hands as they were still in his hold. She slightly lifted her head.

"Mr. Ryan?"

"You sleepyhead, you'll fall like this. Just sleep if you want, but hold tight"

Rhea's brain was too tired or too excited to think anything. So she put her head back in place with a racing heart, just hugged him tightly. She never thought of sleeping like that but finally fell asleep on his back within a few minutes!

Ryan Jin took around half an hour to reach their home. He was more than slow and careful as Rhea was sleeping. It was already dark when they reached the estate gate. He had to stop the bike when he saw a furious Flynn by the gate.

"Rhea!" Flynn cried.

It woke her up. She didn't understand what's going on for some time. Then remembered what happened.

"What's wrong?" she mumbled.

In truth, Flynn was too surprised to see Rhea hugging Ryan on a bike. But later seeing her red eyes, and her delayed muzzy response he almost guessed what would have happened.

"Get inside. It's cold. Both of you will catch a cold!"

Rhea got off the bike. With red, sleepy eyes she mumbled a good night, then went straight to her room as if nothing is more important than her precious sleep!

"Childish" she could hear Flynn saying that behind her to which Ryan agreed with an "Indeed".