❝no road is too long if you have good company.❞
─unknown

"Skeeter, come on."

"It's too early for this, Chuck."

"It's one in the afternoon."

"I meant that it's too early for me to die!" 

"You're not going to die." 

Skeeter huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Really? Weren't you the one who had to have his spleen taken out and a twisted ankle riding that death trap?" She stood a few feet away from Keanu who was already sitting comfortably on his motorbike. 

"It was a portion of my spleen and I recovered from the twisted ankle." When he saw that she wasn't convinced, he got off the motorbike and walked towards her and took her hand in his (which was donned by motorcycle gloves). "I'll drive super duper extra safely." 

"But, why can't we just stay inside your house and do nothing? I like doing nothing with you." 

"Skeeter, I want to take you out for a date." 

"A date?" She beamed and took a long look at the vehicle. How bad could it be? Sighing defeatedly, Skeeter stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Fine." A smirk fell on his lips. "But, please drive super duper extra safely. You don't know how many MVAs I see in the ER and the idiotic decisions that led to them ─ mostly caused by motorbikes by the way." 

Keanu led her to the motorbike and helped her with strapping the helmet on as well as getting on the bike herself. "Trust me, Doctor Evans, I know a thing or two about those idiotic decisions." 

"That's not exactly helpi ─ ah!" Skeeter instinctively wrapped her arms around his torso as she felt the motorcycle jolt to life. She perched her chin on his shoulder and narrowed her eyes at him (even though Keanu wouldn't see it). "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"A little too much." 

"Just drive, Chuck. Safely." 

"Of course." He patted her thigh before gripping the handles. "You're precious cargo, mon amour." 

⊱ ──────ஓ๑♡๑ஓ────── ⊰

Skeeter's eyes danced around the restaurant, examining any sign of a phone aimed at their table. As much as she liked her relationship with Keanu, she didn't want to share it with the whole world just yet (or ever, for the matter of fact). When people knew that she was dating the Keanu Reeves, information about her life would be dug up and they'd find something to judge about; people would always have something to say about you. 

Skeeter nudged his foot from under the table and ducked low, whispering. "Hey. Uh ─ are you sure about this?" 

"About the food we ordered?" 

"No. I meant about eating here. You know. . .where someone could take a picture and sell it to the tabloids." 

Keanu clicked his tongue and shrugged his shoulders. "This restaurant has rules, Skeet. A no phones ─ no pictures type of rule. It's members only too." 

"Oh." She cleared her throat; Skeeter could feel her cheeks heating up. "I just ─ I don't want what we have to be something people think they comment about because it's not. It's private. And, I know you're also a private person and I just want you to know that we're on the same page. We are, right?" 

Chuckling, Keanu enclosed his hand over hers. "You're too smart for your own good. But, yes; we're on the same page. I've never been one to let people know about my relationships. It's just something I don't really feel comfortable sharing with the world. So, I've found places where I can disappear."

Skeeter quirked an eyebrow, propping her elbow on the table and resting her chin on the palm of her hand. "Disappear?" She asked with a mischievous smile. "You're trouble, Chuck." 

Keanu leaned in closer to her, smirking. "So I've been told." He said and kissed her.  

⊱ ──────ஓ๑♡๑ஓ────── ⊰

She understood now; she understood why he loved riding that freaking death-trap so much. 

Skeeter spent at least an hour and twenty-five minutes on the back of Keanu's motorcycle and she felt refreshed and alive after each ride. In driving to that exclusive restaurant, she got a look at the tall buildings and people just going about their business. She saw a swarm of paparazzi when they were passing by a Chanel store and saw that it was some supermodel that they were following. That poor girl. 

When they had taken an hour ride towards the mountains, Skeeter kept wondering where the hell they were going. She turned her head to the side and got a glimpse of downtown LA. It was approaching sunset when they had finally made a stop. There weren't any benches around so the pair simply sat on the ground, their legs dangling off a low cliff. 

The buildings looked so tiny from where she was sitting. The people she had seen on the streets beforehand looked like ants. Winds was blowing against her face and the air smelt like wild flowers. The sky was turning pink and ─ oddly enough ─ Skeeter felt in control of her life. All her problems seemed so small: the bad food at the hospital, Dr. Garrett and the bias hospital board, and worrying if Keanu might have thought any different of her now that he knew about her ex-boyfriend. 

"You know," Keanu started. "Gladiolus flowers mean strength." 

Skeeter smiled and closed her eyes as she remembered that night. "I know." 

"I think the meaning of your tattoo suits you." 

"I still can't believe you let me do that in my sad state." 

"You were very persuasive."

"Oh?" When she was met with his pointed look, Skeeter furrowed her eyebrows, confused. "How was I persuasive? I didn't even bribe you." 

Keanu leaned closer, whispering into her ear. "Your dress." 

At this, Skeeter burst out laughing with her head thrown back. "You liked my dress? It was nothing special honestly." 

"I disagree." He pulled away and turned his gaze back to the city below them. 

"Was it because it showed my legs?" When she was met with silence, it was Skeeter's turn to lean into him, bringing her hands to the sides of his face. She could feel the roughness of his beard but she didn't mind. Gushing, she teased. "You like my legs, huh?" 

Keanu rolled his eyes. "That just makes me sound like a pig." 

Ignoring the comment, Skeeter bopped his nose. "What else do you like about me? My hips? Boobs?" 

He kissed the palm of her hand. "I like your smile." And then the other one. "And your intelligent mind." 

"And my love for motorcycles?" 

Keanu quirked an eyebrow, a smirk falling on his lips. "You love motorcycles now?"

Skeeter shrugged, her hands falling back to her lap. "Well, I like riding in one. It gives me more time to admire the view."

"And?"

"And I'll only get on one if you're driving it and if we don't go too fast like what we just did before we got here." 

"It wasn't even that fast!" He exclaimed, a proud smile forming after Skeeter's little confession. "East of here was where that accident happened ─ the one that got a portion of my spleen removed and gave me an ugly scar on my abdomen. It was a demon ride." 

"A demon ride?"

"Yeah. You know, those rides where you just go too fast out of exhilaration." 

Skeeter gave him a dead-panned look. "You thought it was a good idea to go faster for excitement?"

"I was twenty-three then. I remember thinking: I'm going to die." He laughed. The sound was music to her ears. "I remember calling out for help. And someone answering out of the darkness, and then the flashing lights of an ambulance coming down. This was after a truck ran over my helmet. I took it off because I couldn't breathe, and a truck came down. I got out of the way, and it ran over my helmet." 

"Oh my god." Skeeter gasped. "Did you have a death wish?!" 

Keanu laughed once more and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, bringing her form closer to him. He kissed the top of her head assured her. "Relax, mon amour. I'm older now. I know that if I want to take a demon ride and I don't want to die then I shouldn't take it." 

"So, no more demon rides?" 

"I probably have a couple more left." 

"Fine." Skeeter sighed. "Do you really mean what you say? About my tattoo?"

"I do."

"Not everyone thought I was strong when I decided to leave him." She said, looking down bashfully at her fingers that were nervously fiddling the hem of her blouse. "Most of my friends thought I was crazy. Well, they thought that because they were mostly his friends. They didn't even know about the abuse."

"My family. . .well, it broke their hearts. I lose contact with them for a few years then I show up all battered and bruise and crying. My sisters asked me: why didn't you just leave before? I think they didn't quite understand that I couldn't just really leave. The first time he ─ uh ─ got angry with me was because I didn't quite know how to cook meals. I mean, I help my mom out in the kitchen sometimes but cooking was out of the window once I got to college. So, I learned how to cook just so he wouldn't yell. Now, I don't cook at all because it's the most stressful thing I've experienced in my life. There's always restaurants and delivery, right?" 

Skeeter laughed dryly, head bowed. "It's crazy how a toxic and a healthy relationship can feel so romantic, huh? I thought I was doing myself a favor by learning how to cook but ─ in reality ─ it was just in fear of being called a 'useless bitch' while being backed into a corner." 

"It's crazy but it's not impossible to spot toxic relationships." 

"Thanks. I'll remember that next time." 

Keanu clicked his tongue. "Skeeter."

"Sorry." She sighed and perched her head on his shoulder, peering up at him with glassy eyes. "I really am trying to trust you. I mean, I do trust you. It's just that ─ in my head ─ I know I you're not him but sometimes my body remembers what he did and I just space out for a minute or two. I'm sorry." 

"Kinda like muscle memory?" When Skeeter shrugged, Keanu wrapped his arm around her and brought her form into his. Kissing her forehead, he assured her. "Space out all you want, Skeet. It's okay; I'll understand. What do you need me to do?"

"Uh ─ I don't really know. I've never had a relationship after him; it was always just some bad blind dates. But, I guess I'll just need you to listen ─ I think. Will that be okay?" 

"More than okay."

Skeeter furrowed her eyebrows. "Why are you like that? Why are you so kind and understanding and really full of patience?" 

"I've been through some of my own troubles, Skeeter. It becomes easy for me to empathize with other people's pain. The thing about pain is that the more you keep it inside yourself longer, it just gets worse. I let time do it's thing and let go."

"Easier said than done."

"Agreed." 

The sky had turned from pink to purple and, eventually, night had come to bid the couple hello. With a deeper understanding and respect for the other, Keanu and Skeeter rode back to his house under the peaceful stars. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE
keanu's story about the demon ride is actually his words from an interview so it legit really happened #ICONIC