Road Trip to Love (PUBLISHED)

Chapter Three

It was four hours later that I found myself in a bright red Mustang sitting opposite to Blake.

It felt weird calling him that. Could I even call him that?

"So Dave is your cousin." I say slowly recalling the coincidental conversation that I had with Dave on his cousins phone.

Yes, super normal, uncreative American Dave had an extremely hot, British cousin called Blake. But Dave unlike his cousin was nicer.

Oh the cruel irony when I actually wanted Dave to be here.

"Yes." Blake said curtly, his accent thick, as he drove through Rome's outskirts.

So uncomfortable silence was going to be the theme of this road trip. I mean it's not that I had an issue with that. Uncomfortable silence had been the theme of my entire life to most people.

I sigh as I recall my conversation with Dave and Hayley on the phone as they explained how they had gotten aboard thinking that I was already there when I didn't pick up my phone. By the time they found out that I wasn't there the train had already picked up speed and had left Rome and me far behind it.

When I explained my dilemma I could make out that Hayley was close to tears as she blamed the entire thing on herself. Part of me felt that she was right but the other part of me knew that it had been my own carelessness and stubbornness that had ultimately made me land in this giant hole.

Dave and Hayley were half in mind to come back but then Blake gave a perfect solution: Why don't I hitch a ride with him to Venice as he was already going there. Plus he could take me to the American Embassy on in Rome and sort out my passport problem.

At first I was shocked. I mean the two interactions the two of us had only consisted of glaring and abusing. Plus he clearly didn't like me and him offering to do something nice for me was jaw dropping. Dave must have thought that too because he dropped his phone causing the call to cut.

But true to his word Blake had taken me to the American Embassy where I had explained my dilemma. The lady who I met looked like she had seen cases like this many times simply took a picture of me made me fill a couple of forms and said that she would forward this too the airport in Venice and All I had to do was show them a card the Embassy had given me.

It was that simple.

But now as I was siting in the car I was realising that had been the easy part. The tough part would be spending five hours with an extremely moody British guy who was siting next to me.

"Catch." I break out of my reverie as he throws a map to me.

"What?" I say haphazardly catching it.

"I need you to tell me the directions." He says.

"Don't you have a GPS for that." I say,"Plus I have terrible road sense."

He simply rolls his eyes and says,"Be of some use. I mean I have to take a detour because Dave couldn't manage you."

I would have argued but then curiosity overpowered all my thoughts as I asked,"Where were you going anyway?"

I open the map slowly and give an encouraging nod hoping that he would consider it as a truce sign.

His hard eyes slowly soften as he says,"Amalfi, Pompeii and as much of Italy I can see. I find this country absolutely fascinating. With its beauty that literally take my breath away. I mean who needs Paris the overrated city of love when you have this."

I find myself smiling at his choice of words it was so typical me that I could have possibly mistaken it for something I had said.

"Why are you smiling?" He says looking at me curiously.