Are my chapers too long? Too wordy? Please let me know.

-Gabs

I know it's kliché to say that losing your virginity makes you feel like this whole knew version of yourself. But this morning I sort of did. Maybe it was the sun painting my skin, giving me this newborn glow, I don't know? I wake up with a smile on my face I was happy inside out. Valentino laid asleep facing me, I envied his long eyelashes, they twinkle as I blew air towards his face. A frown wrinkles his forehead.

He groans and pulls the covers over his face.

I bite my lip, thinking of new ways to get him to wake up. Valentino stirs underneath the covers, I feel his arms wrap tightly around my waist. I pull down the covers to reveal his head, still his eyes are shut.

"Morning!" I say scratching his back.

He makes a growling noise.

"Come on, it's like eight in the morning." I say.

I feel his throat vibrating beneath me, "eight in the morning, Lessy you're crazy."

"Well I have to get up, my mother could be home any minute now." I fight to untie his arms around my waist. That's when his smokey eyes flung open. I almost make it to the edge of the bed, however before my toes nudge the floor there is sudden movement behind me.

"Argh! " I giggle as Valentino wrestles me back into bed and climbs on top of me so that he can pin me down.

"Stay." He commands.

"No." I say teasefully.

"Stay" he repeats.

"No." I say, this time not as sure of myself as Valentino starts kissing my neck.

"Stay." He says between the kisses.

I shake my head.

"Okay then," slowly he moves down to my pelvis. My chest rise with excitement.

"Vale, my mother could be home any minute."

He ignores my plea. I moan into the air. Firmly he grabs my legs to stop them from moving.

Suddenly the doorbell rings and we both freeze.

"Oh my god my mother!" I shot out the bed and started getting dressed.

"What should i do?" Valentino whispers.

I look around my room in panic, "The window!" I point.

"No way!" He says, jumping into his pants."

I drag open the window and cold wind stirs my hair. "Come on it's not that high up."

Valentino and I look down at the ground about three meters down. He swallows.

I shrug my shoulders "I mean if you land in my mom's garden box, I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Lessy there's no way." He backs away from the window.

"Fine." I sigh. Simultaneously we look at the door as the bell his heard ringing twice downstairs.

"Can't I just use the backdoor?"

"She might see you run by the window."

"I'll duck then." He puts on his shoes and quickly button his shirt.

"Coming, I shout, the bell rings again. Valentino and I rush downstairs I push him towards the other end of the house, he laughs as I do this. I then run in the other direction towards the front door. Just as I'm about to reach for the handle I hear heavy footsteps behind me, my back slams against the door as Valentino twirls me around and kisses me.

"Good luck kiss!" He winks, before turning around and running towards the back.

I collect myself before I pull the handle. I poke my head out as no one is there, "Mama?"

"I told him to try the backdoor, maybe you all were asleep." Mr Regatto, our neighbour, says. He is standing on his side of the fence leaning on a rake.

"Who?" Barefoot I step out the door.

"Your brother? He saw the car out front and asked if he could return home."

My heart drops, I slam the door behind me, leaving a stunned Mr Regatto.

Voices are heard out back.

"....can you teach me how to drift through the corners too?"

"Mhm sure."

Valentino and Etienne are seen standing behind the glassdoor.

They both turn as I slowly approach.

"Lessy!" Valentino shouts relieved. "I was just telling your brother how we were gonna surprise him when he got back."

"We were?" I say confused.

Valentino nods, "Mhm, I was just telling him how I just came over from my friend Angelos house to pick you guys up. ergo the suit." Valentino was winking the whole time he was telling me this. Etienne stood oblivious, with his heavy backpack bending his back.

"Pick us up to go where?" I frown.

Valentino slaps his knee, "To the motorpark silly."

"Aha, yes!" I say, finally putting the pieces together.

He turns back to Etienne, "Seeing as you weren't home yet, I was just gonna go home and change my clothes.

Etienne throws his bag to the ground, "But I'm here now so lets go." He pushes past me and is heard running up stairs.

"He was right outside when I opened the door." Valentino whispers.

I run a hand through my hair, "What should we do? Do you think he knows?"

He shakes his head as he steps closer to me, "Nah, luckily it wasn't your mother."

I chuckle in agreement.

"Let's just take him to the motorpark, it will be fun."

*******

"Over my dead body!"

"Nonno come on!" I plea.

We were all set to go down to the tracks, but first we had to get Etienne's bike from Nonno's house and let's just say he wasn't too pleased seeing Valentino waiting in the front seat of my mother's car. Nonno and I was going back and forth on the front porch.

"Why you ain't call me, I could have taken you down there myself, instead you're asking me to lend my truck to this fool." Nonno points to the car. "Over my dead body!" He spits.

"Nonno please, you know how much this means to Etienne, Valentino is only here to help."

I yank his arm for him not to escape inside the house. "Please?" I bat my eyelashes.

In the end I got Nonno to agree, but only if he drove the truck down to the tracks himself, he meant what he said about his dead body.

The sun was high in the sky and not a single cloud roamed the blue atmosfair, it was a good day and not even the bitter comments Nonno would make regarding Valentino, could change that.

"Remember, easy on the clutch and don't wobble your feet next time you take off."

Etienne nods with Valentino's every word, they were practicing starts on the sidelines of the track, whilst Nonno and I watched from behind the fence.

"Easy on the clutch, what is this boy talking about." Nonno mumbles beside me.

"Be nice." I groan.

"What? You know I'm right, he's gonna wanna have the bike on the edge if he wants to get a good launch."

I roll my eyes, "Yeah but Etienne is still learning, he'll be flying of the bike if he doesn't take it easy until he learns how to keep himself stedy during the launch."

"Dust yourself off and try again, that's how you learn." Nonno hiss.

I feel a smile twitching my cheeks. Dust yourself off and try again, something my father used to say to me all the time. I guess he got it from Nonno, or Aliyah.

After awhile Valentino comes running. "Could you check the tension on the chain, I think it's to loose."

Nonno looks to have been slapped across the face. "Too loose." He shouts. "Boy I tighten the chain on that bike my damn self, what are you talking too loose?"

Valentino raises his hands in defence, "I...I might be wrong Sir." He stutters. "It just felt like it might be too loose."

"Nonno just check it." I sigh.

Nonno reluctantly climbs the fence, "telling me what to do, I know what to do." He mumbles and walks towards Etienne.

Valentino throws his head back and lets out a sigh in relief.

"You're doing good." I chuckle.

He shakes his head, "I swear, your grandad wants to kill me."

"He does, but he won't. Etienne likes you too much" I say, the sun is in my eyes.

"And you?" Valentino steps in front of me, blocking the sun.

"Me?"

He nods and leans over the fence, "How much do you like me?"

His words make me clench my toes. "Vale, not here." I mumble, rejecting his attempt to kiss me.

"What?" He gasps, leaning away from the fence. "I'm not aloud to show my girlfriend some public affection?"

My heart jumps towards my throat, he said it not me, he said it first not me.

I fix my eyes on his shoes, he's wearing my dad's old sneakers, matter of fact, he's wearing my dad's old pants, my dad's old shirt and my dads old sweater. I let him borrow them so he wouldn't have to wear the suit to the tracks.

"I'm your girlfriend?" I mumble, eyes still fixated on his shoes. I watch his feet stir the pebbles on the ground. With his warm hands, Valentino cups my cheeks and raises my head to look at him.

"If you want to?" He whispers.

"Do you want me to?"

He licks his lips, "only if I can kiss you whenever and wherever I want."

"Where do you want to kiss me right now?" I bite my lip.

For a second I thought we were about to kiss, instead he leans in, his wett lips caressing my ear. "Right now I want to be back in your bedroom so I can finnish kissing you between your legs."

I feel my knees buckle underneath me, he doesn't know it but if he were to let go of my cheeks I was sure falling to the ground.

Returning from my ear, Valentino has a huge grin on his face, he leans away from the fence that's separating us and let's go of my cheeks.

I don't know what to respond my lips are trembling. His grin gets wider as he notices the effect his words has on me. "Think about it." He winks and starts jogging back to Etienne and his bike.

I catch my breath as my phone buzzes in my pocket, it's a message from Mama.

I went straight to the shop, if you were wondering why I'm not home yet.

Home in time for dinner, there's potato salad in the fridge if you guys want to make some lunch.

"I swear I'd tighten up that chain nicely last week." Nonno frowns, he returns to me with his hands smothered in dark oil.

"I guess you're gonna have to listen to Valentino more." I tease.

I look to the slime that lands inches away from my feet, "My ass." Nonno spits.

It took a minute, but after a couple of attempts, one where Valentino had to catch Etienne in his arms as he failed to keep himself stedy on the bike, Etienne was finally getting a hang of it.

Valentino raised his hand in the air as Etienne rattled the engine.

"Ready?" Valentino shouted. "One lap and back, got it."

Etienne was almost jumping in his seat, he was excited to go. Twisting the handle he made the engine roar louder.

"Show off" Nonno chuckles beside me.

"Go!" Valentino's hand drops and Etienne is off, leaving behind a cloud of dust.

"Look at him go!"

We all cheer and holler as Etienne makes his way around the track, he's faster than ever. My hands go numb just watching him, partly sense I have a lust of my own.

"Is that my boy?"

Running up behind us is Whitey, he must of seen Etienne from afar. Today he's wearing a bright suit with tall boots and a wide hat to go with it. He looks like one of those rich ranch owners in the old american western movies.

"He's fast ain't he?" Nonno says proud.

"My oh my." Whitey removes his hat and puts it to his chest, "It's like seeing double, he reminds me of his father."

We all look to Etienne with awe. Valentino has to step in front of the bike for Etienne to stop, he was eager to go on another lap, I remember being like that too.

Everyone comes running, Etienne removes his helmet, his hair is nappy and wet.

Like groupies we overthrow him with our encouraging words. Mostly Whitey's...

"I'm telling you. he's the next generation, we gotta get you some gear, don't worry I'll make some phone calls." Immediately he retrieves a cell phone from his pocket and puts it to his ear.

"Etienne you were really good, you're a fast learner." I say.

"Son all you need is a little practice and you'll be all set."

Etienne has to stir in his seat to meet all of our googling eyes.

"Okey let's give him a second to catch his breath" Valentino says and gestures for us to give Etienne some room. We all take step back. Getting off the bike Etienne shakes his butt and reaches up behind him to remove the fabric that is carved in between his but cheeks.

"I hate when it does that." He groans.

I smother him with hugs and kisses.

"Lessy stop it, it's not funny" he whines.

"But I'm so proud of you"

"Let me go!"

Valentino and Nonno has to help separate us. Nonno takes Etienne aside, Valentino's got me.

"You're sister's just proud of you son, we all are.". Etienne wraps around Nonno and disappears underneath his embrace.

Valentino throws an arm around me and pulls me closer.

A heartfelt moment until...

"Which shoe size are you son?" Whitey says excited.