Stained

Safety

“You do not lead by hitting people over the head. That's assault, not leadership.”

-Dwight D. Eisenhower

          The truck bounced, startling me awake, which made me realize that Chance was a terrible driver. I sat up straight and looked around the dark room and shivered, wishing my element was fire instead of wind. At least Nic looked warm. Her jacket was sitting on the chair beside her and she seemed perfectly comfortable. Here I was shivering even though I was born and raised in the cold!

            I watched Nic sleep soundly for a moment as I thought back to our conversation. It was good to know that she liked me, and she stopped ignoring me after we talked, but I could still feel her holding back. She felt that she betraying the woman she loved? I gave off a vibe?

            “Whenever you’re done staring we can talk.” Nic yawned and smiled briefly at me.

            “Sorry.” I muttered and it was my turn to look away.

            “It’s fine. You okay? You look pretty cold over there.” Nic commented.

            “A little, but I’ll get over it.” I shrugged it off and just wrapped the jacket around me a little tighter.

            She waved me over and said, “Come on, we don’t want you freezing to death. Zoey and Avery are all wrapped up together over there; you might as well try and get warm too.”

            I stood up and walked over to her, but with Chance’s terrible driving I ended up falling into the seat next to her.

            She chuckled as she wrapped an arm around me. “You’re pretty graceful, aren’t you?”

            I couldn’t help but lean into her and soak up her warmth. “You know it. That was a perfect example.”

            “Yeah. And also a perfect show of Chance’s driving.”

            We laughed quietly, trying to avoid waking Zoey and Avery up. “How much longer do you think we’ll be on the road?”

            “You call this a road?” She raised an eyebrow at me.

            I stuck my tongue out at her. “Just answer the question.”

            “Probably a few more days at least.”

            We sat in silence for a few more minutes, and then I gathered the courage to ask her what had been on my mind since she woke up. “Why are you acting like this now? You obviously loved her very much, and you don’t like how I make you feel bad, so why are you treating me like I’m you’re best friend?”

            “Well, she wouldn’t want me to feel guilty, especially after she was gone. She would want me to move on, find someone else, and continue living. She wouldn’t want me to forget her, but she wouldn’t want me to hold on to her either. I need to let her go. I guess meeting you made me realize that.” She smiled and looked over at me.

            “Well, I guess you’re welcome.” I looked up and met her eyes with a smile.

            She just smirked and leaned over to press her lips to mine, her hand caressing my cheek.

            I felt my breath catch in my throat and my heart race. I couldn't think about anything, and it only got harder when her other hand moved to the small of my back, bringing me closer. I finally let go and my arms wrapped around her neck as I melted into her kiss.