While You Closed Your Eyes

Chapter 3

"Really?" Peter says and laughs.

"Oh, come on," I say smiling.

"Why must you do this?" He asks changing the radio station.

"Eyes on the road, sir," I instruct. I lean over to change it back. "You know you like it. You make me go ooh, la, la, la, I'm in love, bright, so bright..."

Peter scoffs. "Whatever."

"When is your mom meeting us?" I ask.

"Grab my phone and see if she's texted," Peter says and motions to his phone which is inside the cup holder.

I grab it and check.

Mom: b there around midnight, go ahead and check in.

I read the text aloud for Peter to hear.

"Perfect, we'll be there half an hour before her," Peter says. "Not terribly long."

"Would you really have minded?" I ask faking hurt.

"Yes," he says without a moment's hesitation. "It would be torture."

I smile at him and then, like they say in books, movies, poems, and in stories from my friends, I just know. This is the guy I've dreamed of being with. I just don't know how this is going to work out with state and all. How can I balance work and play? Maybe Chelsea can talk with me later...

The music of the radio gets turned louder by Peter when the next song comes on, the heat turned up by me, and the refreshing aroma lingers of coconuts from the ac vents.

"I'm glad you wanted to come," Peter says after a while.

"Why's that?" I ask looking out the window. The sun is just finished setting into the ground at 8.

"Because," Peter says.

I look at Peter with my eyebrows raised. "That is not a valid explanation."

"Why can't it?" Peter asks looking over at me for a minute before returning his eyes to the road.

"Just tell me," I whine.

"Because... I like your presence," he says. "It's refreshing...?"

I laugh. "Thank you."

"But," Peter adds in his not quite voice, "the coconuts are more refreshing."

I hackle another laugh. "There he is."

"Who?" Peter asks.

"The Peter I know and love," I say and laugh again. Ads are strange.

"Know and what now?" He asks drowning the last few words.

I just realized what I said. Know and love. I decide to roll with it.

"Know and loooove," I say with a giggle.

"Ooh, giggles too?" Peter asks turning onto the main highway. We'll be on this highway until we're about 30 miles away.

"Do you ever just want to pick up and leave West Point?" I ask out of the blue.

"Isn't that what we're doing?" Peter asks glancing at me then back on the road.

"I suppose," I say. "But really leave?"

Peter says nothing.

When he finally replies, I barely hear it over the radio. "Everyday."

***

It's 9:30 PM, 2.5 hours into our 4 hour journey.

"Do you have any clue where we are?" I ask looking out the window. It's dark and you can't see past the headlights.

"Maybe we should've left earlier," Peter adds.

I giggle. "Yes."

Peter smiles. "You're cute when you laugh."

I smile up at him. "Guess what I found out today?"

He looks over at me for a second. "What?"

"Teddy told me that David didn't tell her he got a girlfriend," I inform.

"Who are Teddy and David?" Peter asks.

I am puzzled. "My friends from Iowa?"

"See? I didn't know you had friends from Iowa," he responds raising his eyebrows.

"Oh," I say dumbfounded. "I could've sworn I'd told you."

"If you have, I don't remember," Peter glances over at me. "Anyway, what about them?"

"Well, Teddy said she was scrolling through her Instagram until she comes across Nichole's post, I'll explain her later, and it has this great big, long caption about her new boyfriend, David. She said her heart sank and she began to get really mad, but then she remembered the past summer when she dated Matthew and never told him, so she kinda let it go, but she still held a small grudge," I tell Peter.

"And all this has to do with you because...?" Peter asks.

"Teddy told me, so it has everything to do with me," I say with a laugh.

Peter knows me well enough to know that I talk about a lot of people that I have nothing to do with, even before we started dating.

I shrink down in my seat a bit and return my attention out the window. We're just entering a small town about an hour away from Kansas City, which has a name I will never be able to pronounce. I look out as we enter downtown area. We pass the Post Office, a bank, Town Hall, and then

~~~~

Hey guys, sorry for the super long wait for my update, but thanks for being so patient!

Yes, I am perfectly aware I ended this chapter in the middle of a sentence. You'll find out why next!

I've got finals next week, so I can't guarantee when I'll be able to post again, but I'll try not to take very long, so fingers crossed. Only 6.5 days left until SUMMER! I've started my countdown a long time ago.

Well, thanks again.

xo - Hannah