Oblivion (Completed)

Henley

Present Day...

"No way, baby. Fuck that. We're not calling a tow truck. It's only a little snow!" Ryan  yells from behind the car.

Right. Only little a snow. We've only been trying to push ourselves out of a two-foot snowbank for the last twenty minutes. No big deal.

I don't get it. He'd rather be knee-deep in dirty snow and ice than have to depend on someone to get us out. I'm not sure what he's trying to prove because I've never doubted his abilities. I am starting to doubt his common sense, though.

"Just give me another minute to try clear the tires and we'll give her another go," he assures me. t's only been a month but this game is so familiar, so I roll my eyes like any wife would when her husband goes all caveman.

We've been on the road for almost four hours, and according to my dear husband, we're only half an hour away from his Mom's house. We'd practically be there by now if we'd just call for help.

I wonder what the hell he was thinking taking this route. There has to be an alternative, because we're literally in the middle of nowhere. We're surrounded by hundreds of tall pine trees. They're beautiful, especially covered in snow, but I'd appreciate them even more from inside the comfort of a toasty warm house with a belly full of turkey and cranberry sauce.

It can't be much warmer than 25 degrees. My knees bounce in place in an attempt to keep the rest of me warm. I wrap my arms around my middle and press my head to the top of the steering wheel. I'm no wimp; it's really, really cold. The only way this could be any worse if if the car battery decided to die. It's official; the universe is frowning on us today.

"Okay, Hen. Try her again!" He calls out to me. I'm in the driver's seat and the window is rolled down so I can hear him. I press the gas pedal flat to the ground and crank the wheel in the direction he suggests, but it's just no use.The tires spin beneath me and the back end fishtails from Ryan 's efforts, but we don't move forward. Not even an inch.

"Did you push it all the way, Henley? I mean, you really need to floor it."

"Yes, Ry. If I pushed any harder my foot would go through the floor..." My voice is raspy and laced with sarcasm. I bite my tongue before I say something that will make me sound like a downer.

I appreciate him trying. I really, really do. But I'm about to go off on him. I told him we should've brought the pickup truck. I'm pretty sure it could've handled this amount of snow a whole hell of a lot better than my little car. My frustration subsides when I peer into the rearview mirror and meet his eyes. I focus on how cold he looks—his frozen, red ears below his red baseball cap. Watery eyes from the nasty wind. He's miserable and I want to get him warm before he gets sick. He lets out a string of cuss words and I realize what I need to do.

I go ahead and make the decision he won't. I grab his phone from the dashboard and scroll through his contacts until I find his brother, because I'm not above asking for help.

The conversation is a little awkward because we've never actually met, but I'm glad I called. He said he should be here in under an hour with a shovel to help dig us out. Ryan  can be pissed at me all he wants. I'll deal with that later.

Satisfied that I made the right decision, I climb out of the car and make my way to him. He stops kicking the snow around and looks up, frowning.

"What are you doing? Get back inside! I'll have us out in a minute. There's no sense in both of us freezing." He breathes hot air into his hands, then rubs them together.

My feet slide on the ice beneath me. My knee-high leather boots weren't meant to be worn in this amount of snow. It's time I start thinking more practically about my fashion choices; I just saw the way Ryan's eyes lit up the last time I put these on and decided I wouldn't mind seeing that look again. And yes,I do realize I'm torturing both of us.