The exchange

Change of perspective

R O S A:

We drove in silence for about ten minutes. He seemed deep in thought, very conflicted. I was slowly getting raided by invasive thoughts.

What if he took me somewhere to kill me? You're not supposed to let them take you to another location. Them means robber or killers? Surely you can't just know someone's a murderer before they kill someone. Goddamit, Ted Bundy would have loved my stupid ass!

"We're here," he announced as the car slowed down to a stop.

It was the top of a hill. Could've been the middle of fucking nowhere. I really hated myself. Why did I agree to this? My flight or fight response was kicking in. I had been so fucking stupid! How could I ever let a guy I barely knew to drive me to an unknown location?

My mom would completely freak out if she found out. God, she better not find out...

"Are you going to stay in the car?"

I broke out of my frenzy with widened eyes to see William smirking down at me as he opened my door.

I smiled nervously, praying I was just being incredibly dramatic, which would not be uncommon.

We walked over to a bench in the middle of the hill. He sat down comfortably, his elbows in his knees.

I sat down tentatively, back straight with tension, poised with my ankles in a cambridge cross as if I was having coffee with my grandmother and her friends, careful of every rule of ancient etiquette older ladies were always concerned with.

He eyed me over and laughed as he sat back in the bench.

"You cold?" he asked, shrugging off his jacket.

Of course I was. I always was. I'm eternally in the brink to hypothermia.

"Thanks," I murmured as I settled into it, avoiding major eye contact. I suddenly felt shy. My lip trembled a little and I tried to convince myself it was a shiver from the cool night breeze. Yeah right...

We stayed in silent, staring at the view of twinkling reds and whites.