Expectations

Chapter Thirteen

The car was driving along the road near the coast. There was not much traffic, and the view was clear. The sun had already passed its zenith, despite it only being the early afternoon. The two women in the car were enjoying the scenery. The endlessness of the Pacific Ocean, the rock formations and the wildflowers on the side of the road. They had turned the windows down to allow a fresh breeze in.

Karlie rolled over towards Taylor's side of the bed, accidentally kicking her in the back. Taylor let out a groan, but neither of them woke up.

"You said you'd play me your new album" Karlie said, watching Taylor from the passenger's seat.

Taylor sighed. "I know, babe. I will. I'm kinda nervous, though. Give me a minute."

Karlie lay there without a blanket, having tossed it to the side during the night. Shivering, she instinctively moved closer towards Taylor and pressed her torso against her back.

She looked back on the road. They had approached a car in front of them that was going way under the speed limit, so she overtook it. The car became smaller in the rearview mirror. Taylor checked her speed. No, she was good. She gripped the steering wheel, palms sweaty. The road in front was all clear. The scenery passed by, but by now her mind was occupied otherwise.

Karlie lay still. The room was quiet, the city asleep around them. Only the occasional headlight shined through the blinds, illuminating the room.

Karlie reached out her hand, and Taylor took it and squeezed it. The road ahead of them was clear, no need to worry. Taylor nevertheless slowed down the speed.

After scrolling through her phone for a while, Taylor cleared her throat, her finger hovering over the play button.

"This one's called 'Dancing with our hands tied'."

Karlie became restless again, separating herself from Taylor. As she turned around, she accidentally shoved her knee into Taylor's back. The singer groaned and woke up from the pain. Nevertheless, she was too tired to open her eyes, so she barely acknowledged the situation.

Karlie closed her eyes as she listened to the song. It was perfect. It summed up everything they had been going through in a way only Taylor could put into words.

She opened her eyes again and took in a sharp breath. She was looking into the rearview mirror and saw two black cars approaching with high speed. She looked over to Taylor, whose eyes were focused on the road and mind was focused on the song.

"Taylor ..." Her voice was shaking.

Karlie tossed and turned without waking up. Taylor closed her eyes and fell back asleep immediately.

Taylor turned towards Karlie, then looked into the rearview mirror. Her mouth formed an 'o', but no sound came out. The cars were approaching fast, taking up both lanes of the road.

"What do we do?" Taylor said in a high-pitched voice.

Karlie was breathing heavily, her eyes wide open. "I don't know! Pull over!"

Taylor did as she was told. The tires screeched when they came to a halt on the gravel next to the paved road. The two women looked at each other. The song was still playing from the speakers.

Karlie rolled over in bed once again, kicking her legs into the air and onto the mattress. Her sheets were a tangled mess at the bottom of the bed. Taylor woke up again, this time opening her eyes completely.

They watched in horror as the cars came even closer. They were less than 70 feet away. It was all happening fast. The cars made no move to drive around their own car. In fact, it looked like they were directing towards them.