“Did you just joke about putting my arm back after you tear it off? I may be one hell of an amazing actor, but I’ll have you know it won’t be as easy as you think to play certain roles with only one arm. Plus the image isn’t all that wonderful either.” With that shove against his back, Robert pretended to stumble a bit, fixing his glasses into place. “I’m going, I’m going. No need to shove.” With a quick smile and wave of his hand, Robert got busy, filling out the paperwork and snatching himself up a bike for the day. He’d have to admit it had been some time since he had ridden, that’s for sure. Before long, he was back at Summer’s side, bike at his side. “Just around the park, you said?”
“Unless you wanted something different.” She swung her leg over the bike, balancing precariously on her tiptoes. “You were the one who suggested Central Park.” With a nudge, she got the front pedal into place and pushed off, wheeling in a wide circle around Robert before striking back down the way she’d come. There were more than enough tangled paths just in the southernmost part of the park to keep them busy for an hour or so.
She pedaled a little harder, intending to sweep back around to him, and accidentally shot herself off the path. Trying to recover, she jackknifed the bike, tangled her feet in the body trying to dismount, and ended up in an awkward, skin-scraping sprawl on the pavement, breathing sharp and fast. Somewhere in the midst of landing, she said, “Shit. Oww.”
“That doesn’t mean we have to spend all day in Central Park. The city awaits too.” Robert watched as Summer pedaled off on her bike, seeming to almost be mocking him a bit. It didn’t take long for the actor to take his seat on his own bike, going off after her.
Though the slight excitement was short lived as Robert watched as Summer went straight off the path, sending herself careening into the pavement, an act that had Robert ditching his own bike, letting it fall straight to the ground as he rushed over to Summer’s side. “Are you okay? Here, at least let me help you up…”
“No, oww, hold on.” She turned her hands up, wincing at the shallow scrapes turning red. “When will I learn how to tumble properly and not catch myself with my hands.” Though the marks weren’t deep, there were a number of scraped places, including both knees and the top of her foot, and the stinging was sharp enough to make her vaguely nauseous.
At Summer’s request, Robert kept his hands to himself for the time being, his eyes scanning her body to check the various areas she had injured in the fall. “Nothing seems all that bad. Plus, I’m pretty sure no one falls with grace. Unless they’re too proud of themselves.” He wanted to get her to her feet, but the facial expression she sported had him think otherwise. “Do you think you’ll live, or should I call an ambulance?” Humor. Humor usually helped the situation from being too dire.
“I didn’t say grace,” she corrected. “But I’m not much of a martial artist if I can’t fall properly.” A few more deep breaths and the nausea subsided, but just because she could, she put the back of one hand to her forehead. “Woe, I think I am dying,” she declaimed, exaggeratedly, and reeled sideways to lean on Robert.