On The Road To Love

Chapter 21

Joe woke up slowly, feeling the most comfortable he'd ever been in his life, almost like he was wrapped in a warm cocoon. The air was silent around him except for soft breaths, and it took him a moment to remember where he was.

Peeking open one eye, he was surrounded by red. Realizing his head was buried in Dianne's hair, he smiled softly as the memories of the day before came rushing back. He had gone from thinking he had lost Dianne forever, to spooning her in the back of a camper van. What had unfolded in one day was almost unbelievable. In fact, it was hard for him to wrap his head around, even as he lay there with a sleeping Dianne curled up in his arms.

She had admitted last night that she didn't want to lose him - just as much as he didn't want to lose her. They were finally both on the same page, and he was convinced they had now come to the right decision - despite being unsure about what that decision would actually come to look like when they were on opposite sides of the world. She was his, and he was hers. The rest was just details.

Shifting even closer to the girl in his arms, he closed his eyes and felt himself slipping back into a deep sleep.

---

Dianne woke with a start, blinking her eyes in the sunlight that was now streaming through the windows of Chippy. As she took in her surroundings, a loud beeping noise sounded, and she jumped slightly again, lifting her head off the pillow to try and see what was going on outside. As she moved, she felt strong resistance around her middle, and she smiled as her eyes fell on Joe's arm that was still wrapped around her. Dropping her head back down to the pillow, she took a moment to take in the feeling of Joe behind her. They had barely moved in the night, his chest still pressed tightly to her back, his face buried in her hair, and his hand still lightly resting on her bare stomach.

She felt too content to move, but the beeping noise sounded again, causing a rustle of movement behind her. Oddly enough, Joe's dead weight was still pressed into her, and as she peered around she held in a giggle as she saw Caspar sit up quickly, looking around confused. At some point in the night, he had cuddled up on Joe's other side.

"Caspar," she hissed, "What's that noise?"

Caspar turned his head toward her, his eyebrows raised in surprise, before moving forward and peering out the window.

"A big machine is moving the tree!" he whispered excitedly.

Dianne smiled halfheartedly back at him, a mixture of feelings swirling through her stomach. This was good news, she knew deep down - they couldn't stay in this little town, cuddled up in Chippy forever. At least this time, they were leaving in a much better place than they had left Bunbury, and that alone made her heart beat a bit faster in anticipation of the future.

"Mmm," she heard Joe sigh behind her, his lips pressing small kisses into her neck again, "Why are you awake?"

She shifted back a fraction of an inch, wanting to memorize this feeling forever.

"Because it's the morning," she whispered, reaching up and running his hair through her fingers behind her. "And they're moving the tree."

His kisses stalled, and she felt him squeeze her abdomen tightly, before slowly tugging her body to turn and face his. She took in his face, still just as handsome coming out of a deep sleep, his hair wild and his cheeks pink.

Impulsively, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his firmly, leaning back briefly before pressing kisses into every open space on his face - his cheeks, chin, jawline, forehead - and then finally back to his lips.

"What a way to wake up," Joe breathed out with a smirk, and she felt her cheeks flush.

"Joe, as your big spoon, I expect the same treatment," Caspar's loud voice echoed from behind them, and Dianne couldn't hold back the loud laugh as she watched Joe nearly jump out of his skin.