You Make Me Feel

Excerpt

You Make Me Feel
R.D. Airam © 2026
All Rights Reserved

Chapter One

The salty smell of the ocean and the blue skies calmed Theo’s nerves somewhat from being on a motorcycle. He had always considered motorbikes to be unsafe and death traps, but in a desperate attempt to change the scenery and clear his mind, he’d accepted his best friend Valerie’s invitation for a road trip.

Theodore Lowe had befriended Valerie Carter in preschool, when she was the only kind child to him. Theo had always been extroverted and independent. He had never cared about anyone’s opinion regarding his choices in life.

At the age of five, he got into his mother’s drawers and chose a flowery dress, the tallest heels, and the bright-pink nail polish. The moment he clumsily painted his nails he knew this would become part of his daily attire at one point.

His love for vibrant colors and wearing clothes not designed for his gender had brought him tears and heartache during his teen years, but once he left all that behind and stepped into the world with his flame burning brightly, he was unstoppable.

Ree, as he loved to call Valerie, had stood by his side, sometimes acting as his personal bodyguard, other times as his cheerleader. But she was his biggest supporter in everything he did.

Theo’s love for photography made him stop Valerie several times during their trip so he could snap photos of the landscape and the sky. It was the best tactic to feel the ground under his feet for a few minutes.

He was relaxed enough to enjoy the beauty of the road they were speeding down toward Los Angeles. When Ree had suggested he should accompany her for one of her music gigs, Theo was all for it until he found out they were taking the bike. Only the idea of the beauty of their country and the photos he could get out of this adventure had convinced him to accept the invitation.

He also needed to get out of his head and away from Sacramento. After yet another failed attempt at finding a partner, Theo was excited about their trip. He planned on simply living in the moment during this vacation. For once, he didn’t want to find someone to spend the rest of his life with. He wanted to have fun.

They were in Santa Barbara, a couple of hours away from their destination, and Valerie reduced the speed considerably due to early evening traffic.

Theo became aware of how agitated his friend was. One of Ree’s legs was bouncing while her hands gripped the handlebars. It made him feel sick, because there had to be something wrong with the bike.

As she veered right, leaving US 101 behind, Theo noticed smoke coming from the engine. His grip on Valerie tightened, because he wasn’t sure what that meant.

Not long after, she stopped and shrugged him off before dismounting. Theo followed her, watching thick white smoke coming from the engine.

“Fuck,” she spat, taking her helmet off. She crouched to see the damage and Theo took a step back, pulling her with him.

“What if it catches fire?” he asked, trying to hide his anxiety.

“It won’t.” She stood and looked around. “Amazing…no one nearby.”

Theo pulled his phone out and googled “bike garage in the area.” He thumbed through the results, checking them on the map, until he found one not far from where they were.

“I found a garage. Let’s have it checked out,” he suggested.

Valerie nodded, handing him her helmet. “I’ll push. You tell me which way I go.”

“Isn’t it too heavy for you? I can help.”

Ree flipped her long black hair over her shoulder, looking offended. She was a five-foot-tall firecracker. She kicked the stand, then steered the bike ahead. Theo hurried after her, holding both their helmets against his chest while also keeping his eyes on the virtual map on his phone.

The ocean’s breeze helped with the heat, but the short walk to the garage felt like a long trek through the desert.

“There!” Theo shouted when he spotted the sign indicating the location to a building on the other side of the road.

Bike Doctors was a concrete structure with a large rolling door coiled up. There were several motorcycles parked outside, and a couple more inside the garage.

The crosswalk wasn’t far from where they were, but judging by the traffic, Theo expected they’d have to wait a while for someone to allow them to reach the other side. Of course, he tended to forget how confident and fearless Valerie was.

She pushed her bike on the crosswalk, steering it into the traffic. All incoming cars had to come to an abrupt halt so they wouldn’t crash into her.

“Jesus Christ, Ree! That car nearly ran into you,” Theo chided her, walking alongside her.

“But it didn’t.” She side-eyed him. “Trust me, Theo. I know how to handle situations like these when men tend to be dicks. I’m the main man in a man’s world.” She winked.

He laughed, shaking his head. “Whatever you say, honey.” Although he knew Valerie could take care of herself and that she was tough, Theo had always been protective of her. They had each other’s back. “What do you think happened?” He sensed his friend was calm enough to discuss her beloved bike.

“I just told you. They wouldn’t have driven over us.” She sounded somewhat aggravated.

He laughed. “No, I meant with the bike.”

“Oh.” She shrugged, struggling to veer right on the gravel in front of the garage. “I hope it’s not the engine.”

Two men came out of the garage, heading to their bikes, but they stopped when they noticed Theo and Valerie. The taller of the duo approached them. His bald head shone in the blazing sun and Theo tried not to laugh. He couldn’t imagine ever shaving his hair, unless he had some condition that required it. His hair was part of his personality, and its color often changed, but he had been platinum blond for the past half year.

“Hello! Can we help?” The bald man stopped by their side.

His friend approached slower, due to a limp in his leg. His Hispanic features were accentuated by the thick mop of black hair and the mustache and goatee combo. His dark eyes were sunken in, the wrinkles around them showing his age.

“Hi,” Valerie said, smiling. “I hope you guys aren’t closing. I need someone to check out my bike. It broke down a few minutes ago.”

“What happened?” The Hispanic man stopped on their other side, assessing the bike. “Engine failure?” he guessed. There was smoke still coming from the engine, but only thin clouds, unlike earlier.

“I hope not. I have to be in Los Angeles tonight.” Ree ran a hand through her hair.

“You’ll find Kurt inside. Unfortunately, we have to leave,” the bald man said in a hurry.

Theo thanked them as Valerie jerked her head toward the opened door of the garage.

The two men got on their bikes, as Valerie pushed her motorcycle up the path with Theo hot on her heels.

They stopped in the doorway, and Theo looked around, finding something about the place very aesthetically pleasing. There were two bike skeletons not far from them, an engine on a worktable, various parts on a bigger worktable, more tools hanging from the walls, and many oil and grease stains on the concrete floor.

Then the most attractive man Theo had ever seen came into their line of sight. He was tall, with his muscles defined and ripped. He was wearing a white tank top with grease stains on it, along with a pair of ripped blue jeans, also with stains on them. His hair, caught in a man bun, was the color of melted caramels.

Theo forgot how to breathe for a moment, and only a jab in the ribs from Valerie made him shake his head from daydreaming. Clearly, this fine specimen wasn’t gay. But Theo could dream, and it was such a beautiful vision of him bent over one of the worktables with the hunky man working him.

“Theo,” she hissed, stepping on his foot.

He winced, but there was no time to explain why he was acting like a lovestruck tool.

The hunky man stopped in front of them, wiping his hands on a hand towel. His smile showed a hint of his bunny teeth, and Theo knocked the helmets together as he made sure that they covered his groin area. There was no need to show everyone how affected he was.

“Hello!” The man smiled at them.

“Hi! Your friends pointed us inside to ask for Kurt,” Valerie said, smiling back.

“That would be me,” he answered. His light-brown eyes shot to Theo and gave him a once-over that left Theo weak at the knees. “What happened?” Kurt turned his attention to Valerie and her bike.

“There was smoke coming from her engine, but Diablo was acting weird for a couple of miles before it happened.”

“I’ll have to check it out. What sort of engine oil do you use?”

“The best. My mechanic at home taught me all I need to know.”

“I see. So, you’re not from here?” Kurt checked, steering the bike to an empty slot.

“No. We’re from Sacramento. We have to be in Los Angeles by tonight,” she insisted. “What’s the time?” She turned to Theo, her large black eyes reflecting panic.

Theo checked his phone and grimaced. “It’s close to six.”

“Fuck,” Valerie spat. “Please,” she begged, walking closer to the mechanic. “Is there any chance I can get to LA by nine? I have a music gig there.”

Kurt glanced at her, and Theo could see he was trying to figure out if she was some celebrity. “One of my friends is headed into the city. Unfortunately, there’s only space for one on his bike,” he said, looking between Theo and Valerie.

“Yes, that would be amazing. You can find accommodation and wait for me here. Besides, I wouldn’t leave Diablo all alone.” She turned to Theo. “I’ll hitch a ride back after the concert.”

“Relax. I can take care of your bike,” Theo promised.

Kurt grabbed his phone. “I’m going to call my friend.”

“Sweet! Thank you,” she said eagerly.

While Kurt walked several feet away to make the call, she opened one of the side trunks and pulled out her backpack.

“Are you sure, Theo? I know how much you wanted to go to LA.”

“Stop worrying. I can live without seeing Los Angeles. Go and rock their world.”

“You’re so good to me, Theo.” Valerie threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

“My friend can be here in ten minutes.” Kurt returned to their side. “I’m going to need you to fill out the registration form before I check the damage on your bike.” He handed Valerie a standard paper form and a pen.

She uncapped it and, holding the cap between her teeth, pressed the paper to the closest wall and started writing all the information needed.

Theo held the helmets, each in one hand, as he walked closer to where Kurt was looking at the bike.

“So…is it salvageable?” he asked, trying to make small talk.

“All bikes are salvageable. It might be pretty expensive if the engine is messed up, but no bike has left my garage in shambles.”

Theo grinned. He liked the man’s dedication to his job.

“Have you seen my wallet?” Valerie cried out.

“Didn’t you need it at the gas station earlier?” Theo returned to his friend. He was the calm and collected half of their friendship. When Valerie lost something, she could create a real mess in her quest for the thing.

Right now, she was in the process of taking things out of her backpack.

“Hey. Calm down. Maybe it fell out in the trunk.” Theo went to look in there but then remembered he had needed her card at the food stop a few towns ago. “It’s in my backpack.” He pulled his bag out and rummaged through it. “Here you go.” He handed her the red wallet.

“Damn it, Theo. You fucking scared me,” she moaned, going back to the paper.

Theo rolled his eyes, because he was an expert at dealing with Valerie’s tantrums.

“You can mark the storage box if you want to keep the spare helmet safely in our garage,” Kurt suggested from where he was checking on the bike.

Valerie hurried to find the box and mark it.

“Are you sure? I can take it to the hotel,” Theo offered.

“Yeah. I’m sure it’ll be safer here,” she said.

“For sure,” Kurt confirmed. “Only the owner has access to the box.”

“Well, I’m going to search for a hotel then,” Theo decided.

“You should write down your boyfriend’s number, considering you won’t be around. I might be ready before you return, or I might need more info,” Kurt said.

Valerie added Theo’s number under hers, along with his name. “I think I’m done. Can you check if you need anything else?”

Kurt took the paper and scanned it, then nodded. “It’s good.”

Theo was ready to comment that he wasn’t Valerie’s boyfriend, but the growl of a powerful engine approaching distracted both Valerie and Kurt.

“That’s Dom—your ride.”

Valerie hurried to stuff her possessions and wallet back into her backpack.

A large motorcycle parked askew in front of the open garage door. The rider lifted his visor. “Hey, there! I hear you need a lift to the City of Angels.”

Valerie dropped her backpack, staring in amazement at the man. “Hi. Yes. Thank you so much,” she said, picking up her bag and fumbling with her helmet when Theo handed it to her.

Theo couldn’t remember seeing his friend so flustered. This guy seemed to be her type, and he hoped she would find peace. Valerie had only ever had one serious relationship, which messed her up. She had lived off Theo’s couch for years before she found her footing and her music provided a steady income so she could get a studio of her own.

“Nice helmet,” Dom commented, grinning.

Valerie looked down at her black helmet with a flying eagle sketched on the top. “Thanks.” After securing her backpack on her shoulders, she threw her arms around Theo. “Be careful and have fun. I’ll send you pictures from the concert.”

“Stop worrying. I don’t plan on staying cooped up in the room.”

“Good.” She kissed his forehead before putting the helmet on her head. She went to straddle Dom’s bike, and with one final wave, they were off.

Theo was left standing in a cloud of exhaust smoke, holding his helmet. Valerie had insisted on him having a custom-made one, exactly the way he wanted it. It was a reflective opal with pink glitter.

“Is your girlfriend well known? I didn’t even catch your guys’ names,” Kurt commented.

“Valerie is not my girlfriend. I’m Theo,” he answered, shifting nervously. All he could think of was how hot the man in front of him was, and how much he wanted to touch his ripped muscles and kiss those plush lips.

Kurt met his eyes, smiling brightly. “I see.”

“And Ree is not some famous artist, but she has gigs at local bars and at some festivals in the area. This is the first time she was invited to Rock Your World in LA.”

Kurt laughed loudly, then shook his head. “I’m not laughing at you. It’s just…my friend, Dom, is headed to that festival. Small world, huh?”

“He’ll be in for a shock,” Theo joked.

“Clearly. Dom seemed taken with your friend.”

“Oh, so I wasn’t imagining it. Don’t worry, Ree was just as taken with him.” Theo ran a hand through his hair, realizing with horror that his usual style had suffered under the helmet for hours. “I better dust off my dancing shoes.”

Kurt threw his head back, laughing along. “I’d love to see that happen.”

“It was a manner of speaking,” Theo mumbled.

“You were hinting at them getting married. I’d love to see the day Dom finally settles down.”

“Well…” Theo was unsure if Kurt was being sarcastic or serious with his statement. “I’d love to see my best friend finally happy.”

Kurt nodded, turning his focus back on the bike.

“Look, you can leave your helmet…” He stopped talking as he eyed Theo’s helmet critically. “Is that thing even allowed on the streets? I can only imagine what havoc it might create with the sun shining and reflecting off it.”

“No one’s ever honked at us or complained about being blinded,” Theo explained.

“Good thing you gave her your helmet. Dom would have had a fit over it.”

Theo squared his shoulders, narrowing his eyes at the fine yet rude specimen in front of him. “This is mine. You were telling me where I can leave it?”

Kurt seemed surprised by Theo’s confession, but he pointed wordlessly to an area further inside the garage. There were several lockers.

“Pick one with a key stuck in the lock. Try not to lose the key. We have copies somewhere in the office, but fuck knows where,” he added, amused.

“Don’t worry. I won’t lose it.”

After Theo placed his helmet in the locker, he pocketed the key, then turned to grab his small duffel bag and his backpack from the other trunk of the bike.

“I’ll keep you updated with the diagnosis,” Kurt promised.

“Thank you. Uh, do you know any good hotels in the area?”

“La Playa Inn is down the street. Maybe fifteen minutes on foot. I could give you a lift if you want.”

“I’ll walk, it’s okay. I’d like to see the town and maybe get a few good photos.”

Theo walked backward, but when Kurt didn’t reply, he turned around.

“See you,” Kurt called after him.

“Later,” Theo said over his shoulder, heading down the street, like Kurt had instructed him. He entered the hotel’s name in the Maps app and found out it was actually a thirty-minute walk.

Theo crossed to the other side of the street, heading to the beach. He walked slowly, enjoying this adventure. He planned on finding the best local gay club and having some fun. Part of him was happy to have this experience without Valerie, because he would have felt guilty about leaving her alone when he found a man to spend the night with.