Langour ・❥・Joost Klein・❥・

18.

The car ride was much less tense than Fenne thought it would be. After his cigarette and crumble, Joost was sleepy-eyed, but could drive through the night just fine. Fenne sat leaned back in the passenger seat as she watched the houses and streetlights pass by.

Autumn was seeping in through summer's cracks. The afternoons were warm, but the early mornings and evenings had a cold breeze. The car stopped the outside chill, but Fenne told herself that she would start bringing a jumper or jacket out with her at night. Instinctively, she looked to the back seat, wondering if Joost had brought a hoodie on a random hunch.

Her stretch over the centre console caught Joost's attention. He glanced in the rearview mirror before looking over his shoulder.

'Are you cold?' he asked, taking one hand off the wheel to see if he could feel for something.

'Not cold. Exposed, more like,' Fenne said and fell back in her seat. Joost glanced down to see a black jumper of his in her lap, her arms through the sleeves but the body and hood staying in a pile.

'What did you and Dad talk about?'

The question that had been on her mind since leaving her parents' house finally forced its way out. Joost and her father came back in from their smoke without the awkward air between them. The last conversations of the night were Anna nagging Fenne to call more and Fabian telling Joost to catch up on the current football championship.

Half an hour after dessert, Fenne and Joost took their leave. They waved goodbye until her parents went back in the house and Joost drove them back to Leeuwarden.

'He told me about his work and how he took up smoking to deal with the stress,' Joost said.

'I was wondering about that. I've never seen him smoke once in my life,' Fenne pondered.

'He asked me if I had a lighter, so that made me give up my oath of the night. Thank god, though. By that point, I was ready to light myself on fire instead.

He asked about you, too.'

Fenne contemplated asking him to elaborate or if she wanted to save any further degradation to her career choices.

'About what?'

'If you're okay. I expected the cliche 'if you ever hurt her' warning, which he didn't let up on for a while,' Joost laughed at the memory.

'Christ-'

'No, I get it. You're his only daughter,' Joost shrugged. 'But he's worried about you. Says the economy isn't nice to the creative arts and you're stubborn when it comes to accepting help. And he's right.'

Rolling her eyes was all Fenne could do. She wasn't sure if Joost was agreeing with her dad's economy talk or her stubbornness. But besides that, it was nice to hear that her father and Joost had a civil conversation.

The car rocked as they pulled into Joost's driveway. Without Nathan's car, which had been in front of the house for the past few months, they were able to park without needing to perform a great manoveur.

Nathan had stayed in Belgium after Pukkelpop, but made it out that he would be in The Netherlands again soon. Fenne was surprised at the hug she received before they left despite not talking with the man that often. His good nature and genuinity was an admirable feature, unconsciously pulling Fenne over her reserved barrier. Nathan's gummy smile left a good impression once she got over his loud personality.

Unravelling from the night, Joost and Fenne headed into the house. The man's hoodie stayed over Fenne's arms until she got to his bedroom, where her overnight bag sat on the floor. Clothes and shoes were sprawled across the room and she made her way through it to find a shirt and shorts to sleep in.