One Day

Part 8 - The Drive

We climb into the Jeep and I'm not sure if he's angry with me or himself or maybe both. The last thing I want is for him to resent me and think that he made the wrong decision. I'm not even sure that he has made his final decision.

I steal a glance his way and lean my head back against the seat as we pull out of the driveway. He's focused on the road – or maybe his thoughts have him distracted – which gives me the opportunity to study him. His head is shaved with only the smallest amount of hair showing its red tint. His strong jaw line tightens as he works his way through his thoughts and his facial hair is just enough to give him a rough edge. His baby blue eyes give a softness to his otherwise strong face – and those eyelashes are lashes wished upon by all women. The muscles in his arms flex as he tightens his grip on the steering wheel and his strong shoulders relax as he reaches over and grabs my hand. He gently places our hands on the gear shifter and intertwines his fingers with mine. All my doubts disappear when he looks at me and smiles.

He drives for a while before he turns left on a backroad I've never been on before. Our hands our still clasped together and his headlights are the only thing illuminating the narrow road. Two lanes quickly turn into one and we start our way up the mountain.

Music is coming from the speakers and we make no attempt to talk. I can tell he's not ready for conversation so I lean back further in my seat and enjoy the views as we make our way to the top.

We drive to a pull-over and he stops the Jeep.

"I'm not ready to talk about it if that's okay with you?" he says as I glance over at him.

My mind is screaming with questions but I know that now is not the time. "Fine with me."

He pulls our hands to his mouth and gently kisses the back of my hand. He turns the wheel and we start making our way back down the mountain and onto other roads that I never knew existed.

Minutes turn into hours and I'm struggling to stay awake before we finally make it to a road I recognize – one that leads back to my house.

It's the middle of the night when we finally walk through the door. I don't want him to leave and I smile as he kicks off his shoes and makes his way to the living room. He lands on the couch and turns on the TV.

I slide in beside him as he wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me to him.

"Thank you," he says. "I needed the drive."

"I didn't really have much of a choice," I say as I fight to keep my eyes open.

He laughs and lets out a sigh as I fall asleep in his arms.

Thanks for reading One Day! I try to post each weekday and look forward to where this story takes us as it is a work in progress.

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