Sip by Sip

Chapter Ninety-Five: Buckle In

    "I'm driving." Gemma declared, cutting him off before he could open the car door.

    "Have a destination in mind?" He asked with a smile. She shook her head, looking up to meet his eyes,

    "Nope." Before sitting down and closing the door. "Buckle in."

    He cocked an eyebrow, before she turned the keys and hit the accelerate.

    His grip tightened on the sides of the seat as she continued to gain speed, pulling onto the highway. One of her hands moved from the steering wheel, and pressed a small button. Simultaneously, all four car windows rolled down, letting in the cold December air.

    He was looking at her like she was mad, as she sped up, a faint smile on her lips and her eyes squinted so much they looked shut. She kept her eyes on the road and he kept his eyes on her.

    They hit eighty, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

    They were not alone, so Gemma used her impressive driving skills to maneuver around other cars as they passed them.

    "Gemma!" He yelled above the wind, "We're gonna get pulled over!"

    Her smile grew at his words, but her lips did not part way for any noise.

    "Slow down!" He cried out, but watched as his words caused her to hit ninety.

    Fear was creeping into his eyes, watching her distant gaze, only occasionally shifting to the speedometer. But she pulled ahead of most of everyone else, and they were now in the clear.

    Ninety, ninety five, a hundred. Noah felt that he had left his stomach back at the shop. He feared how much more of this his poor car could take.

    She let out a scream of joy, a scream that was drowned out by the wind.

    A hundred fifteen.

    "Goddamnit Gemma, slow down!"

    "Scream with me, Hanson!"

    "Gemma!"

    "Let it all out, come on now!" She turned to him, grinning and screaming all the more. He shook his head in disbelief, and started to scream as well.

    "Gemma, taking your fucking foot off the accelerate before you crash my FUCKING CAR!" He shouted at her, and she grinned from ear to ear.

    A hundred, ninety five.

    "You are a fucking idiot, Gemma! You are gonna get us killed, and then you won't be laughing."

    "I think I still will be."

    "SLOW THE FUCK DOWN!"

    Ninety, eighty five, ninety.

    "YOU'RE SPEEDING UP AGAIN!"

    "I am, aren't I?"

    "Oh to hell with it . . . "

    "You love me, Noah. You know you do."

    "YOU ARE GOING TO KILL US, SO NO, NO I DON'T EXACTLY LOVE YOU AT THE MOMENT."

    "Kiss me, you son of a bitch."

    He wrapped his fingers around the side of her head and smashed his lips to hers. As he pulled away, he saw their speed drop, seventy, sixty, fifty, thirty, twenty five, fifteen. She pulled over at to side of the highway, laughing as he sat, fuming and breathless.

    "What the fuck, Gemma?!" He screamed at her, as she continued to laugh, "Do you have a death wish?"

    "Oh god, you shoulda seen your face . . . "

    "So funny," He snapped sarcastically, "I was fucking terrified."

    She gasped for breath between laughs, and he grabbed both her shoulders, trying to shake some sense into her.

    "You are one fucked up person, Gemma! What the hell is wrong with you?"

    "Come on, you're not mad." She laughed, leaning her forehead down on the steering wheel.

    "Fuck you." He breathed through gritted teeth, then sighed in relief, leaning his head back against the car seat. "Oh fuck you."

    "Come on, you had fun."

    "Fun? FUN?" He bellowed, and she started laughing again. "You and your shitty-ass Bostonian driving skills almost got us killed and you think I had fun?"

    "Just a little?" She squeaked, and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Fuck no. Now bring us home." He paused, catching her eye before adding, "Slowly."