FAKE

thirteen

We sit in apprehensive silence for too long. The door suddenly slides open.

Aria stands before us, looking the slightest bit frustrated. 

"The tire blew," she huffs. We let out a collective sigh and Adam laughs softly in relief, before stepping out of the truck to check the tire.

I roll back my shoulders to release the tension that had built up too quickly. Ross massages his temples with a grateful look. 

We fix the tire and end up stopping again for the night at another rest stop. 

Everyone had been settled into their sleeping bag by now. I was still sitting up, glancing around the truck at everyone. Ross was out cold on his back, his chest rising and falling evenly. Aria had curled up on her side with her hands under her head. Adam was still sitting up against the wall, his eyes closed, but occasionally fluttering open. 

He sat up suddenly and sighed, looking across the space. He stopped when he saw me awake. 

"You're still up?"

"Yeah. Having trouble sleeping tonight." I shrug. He nods, and awkward silence settles. I take in a sharp breath but hesitate for some reason. I gather my courage again and look back at Adam. 

"What happened with Ross? He was going to tell me the whole story, but the tire thing cut him off." 

Adam looks reluctant to tell me but he obliges. 

"What do you know?"

"The last thing he said was he knocked out a guy and ran, but they showed up-"

"-a month later," He interjects and nods. "They showed up at his house and demanded he go back. I guess it escalated and he ended up shooting one of them. Whether he survived, I have no idea. He never said." 

"After that, he decided the only way to get out was to die. But he wanted to stay alive for the people he still cared about. So he faked it and hoped he could go back. I guess they hung around town for a while after though, and he ended up meeting me at a club. He was so hammered that he spilled the whole story and I offered him a place to crash. We ended up sharing the rent after a while, until he got paranoid."

"Paranoid?"

"That they were looking for him. He claimed he'd saw them somewhere in town so he left. And I guess that's when he saw you again." Adam finishes the story and settles down into his sleeping bag. 

"Well, I've got the first shift tomorrow morning. 'Night." He rolls over to sleep and abruptly ends the conversation that had barely begun to build. I sigh and lay down too, doing my best to shut down my busy thoughts. 

***

I only sleep a few hours. I open my eyes at squint at the battery clock. 2 AM. It seems chilly and I rub my arms to keep warm. I sit there for a few minutes before I rub my eyes and sit up. 

To my surprise, Ross is up, intently fiddling with a pick necklace I hadn't even noticed he was wearing until now. Something catches the red light of the clock. A tiny charm of the letter C. My stomach somersaults and I can't help speaking up. 

"You kept it." I whisper to him. He looks up from the necklace at me in confusion. 

"Kept what?" 

"The charm I gave you for our anniversary." I felt guilty all of a sudden, he'd gotten me one with the first letter of his name too, and it was sitting in the back of my jewelry drawer collecting dust. Ross nods. 

"Why did you keep it?" I ask hesitantly. He shrugs and examines it. 

"I don't know," He admits, "It just.. brings back good memories." As he turns it over in his hands he smiles gently. With the smile still spread delicately across his face, he looks back at me. Even that one tiny smile was enough to stir a warm and light sensation in my chest. 

We just seem to stare at each other for a while, until he finally breaks the silence. 

"Why are you awake?" He asks, in some attempt to make small talk and keep us from staring any longer. I shake my head. 

"No clue. Maybe the cold." 

"Cold?"

"Yeah, if you hadn't noticed, it's a little chilly." 

"Oh. Well..." He doesn't finish whatever he's about to say and thinks over whatever it was. He seems to make up his mind and slides over towards me until our sides touch. With an uncertain glance at me, he gently puts his arm around my shoulders. 

The warmth in my chest sparks back to life and I carefully look up at him. 

"Does this help any?" He asks, his voice just slightly nervous and hopeful. 

"Yes, plenty." I assure him. He nods, looking pleased that I'm alright with our closeness. 

And he just holds me for a long time. Nothing is said or exchanged, just the two of us silently savoring the moment. 

"I wish I never had to leave." He says quietly. 

"I wish you never had to leave too." I agree. His eyes meet mine and we take another long moment to just take in this single moment in the chaos all around. 

He slowly leans forward and kisses me. 

The corners of my lips turn up into a smile against his. We both pull away, and he's smiling softly too. 

"I uh, I guess we should try to get back to sleep." He suggests and I agree quietly. He lifts his arm off my shoulders and lies down, not bothering to move away from me. I lie next to him and he slowly takes my hand. 

I begin to close my eyes, and the last thing I hear is Adam shifting in his sleeping bag before I doze off. 

Ross' hand is still holding mine tenderly.