Summer Shorts - Anthology

Road Trip by Perci_Snickedy

Road Trip by Perci_Snickedy

Gale Croxley pulled her brown curls over one shoulder as she made sure everything on her list was in the duffel bag. Toothpaste . . . towels . . . Lawrence's amlodipine . . . no. Her teeth clenched. She grabbed the bottle, and her grip trembled as she poured several of the tablets into a pillbox. But she shook her head and finished checking everything. He will be home soon. Satisfied, she zipped up the bag and meandered to their couch.

Too many people that day had wanted a disrupter permit. They always seemed to come in droves, and they were always so impatient. Do people realize how taxing a mental scan is for us telepaths? Gale needed her husband. Needed to spend time with him. A week was a long span to go without linking with her tether.

Where is he, anyway? Gale laid out on their couch, hands behind her head, feet slung over the armrest. Lawrence should not have taken that freelance job in Tennessee; the money was not that great for all her agony. She had barely slept in his absence—but he had been so happy to land the work. Besides, we have a whole weekend away to look forward to.

Gale's mouth watered at the prospect of eating her father-in-law's barbecue, then relaxing in the old rocking chairs that adorned the wrap-around porch and sitting by the pond—she did her best to not think about her mother-in-law.

Her husband's presence tickled Gale's mind, and she grabbed her bag and rushed out the door and down the steps. He was barely out of their friend, Cameron's white car when she grabbed Lawrence by the waist.

Surprise . . . happiness . . .

His emotions matched his wide grin, and he hugged her tight, his arms so welcoming. He leant down to nuzzle her nose, his blond mop falling into his smiling, brown eyes. She could already sense Lawrence's thoughts intertwining with hers, the entanglement that was their brainwaves resetting itself.

Gale gave him a kiss, her core warming.

Anticipation . . .

"It's good to see you, girl." Lawrence ran his hand through her curls as she hoisted her bag into the trunk, not that it weighed anything to her.

She turned and grasped his hand.

Annoyance . . .

"The sooner ya'll get in," Cameron shouted, "the sooner we can get there.

"Amusement . . .

Lawrence chuckled and opened the rear door for Gale, bowing while motioning for her to get in. "M'lady."

She slid in and patted the seat next to her, flicking her eyebrows.

Excitement . . .

He got in the back with her, then put his arm around her shoulders. Gale sighed and got closer, Lawrence's heart beating faster as she snuggled into his chest.

Disgust . . .

"Seriously?" Cameron glared at them. "I'm not a chauffeur."

Teasing . . .

"You are today." Lawrence flashed a grin.

With a grumble and a jerk of the gearshift, Cameron whipped his little car out of the parking lot, and they were soon on the highway.

A typical holiday weekend in Atlanta, they moved at a snail's pace and rolled the windows down. Sweat beaded under Gale's curls, the air thick with exhaust. A horn blared, and Cameron's annoyance hit her like a lead weight as he turned the radio on, classic rock waving out from the speakers too loudly.