Tripping| Van McCann

10. Conversations

Van's P.O.V.

I noticed the silence ongoing between us was taken over by a few barely audible snores coming from her. I couldn't help but smiled to myself at her stillness. Then I halted the car to a stop, took the bag of crisps out and finished it on my own just not to wake her up. I left my jacket on her, so the midnight chills hit me and shook me to shiver. I pulled the lighter out of my pocket, lit a cigarette, poked the free hand into my jeans pocket, trying to let the heat of smokes convey through my body. I watched the strands of smokes breathed out of my lungs, fading away when it touched the surrounding air, diluting itself from toxic to merely potentially harmful. Beautifying its nature.

I leaned my back against the icy cold glass of the car. It's 2am and I was finding myself attacked by waves and waves of sleepiness. I took the last drag of smoke in, stomped it out, headed back to the car, lowered the window for a bit, waiting sleep to hit me for an hour or two before we proceeded with the ride.

My eyes squinted at the strong light as I woke up, she clicked the phone torch on, shining it directly onto my face.

"Crikey!" I beamed, my hand blocking the light before my eyes. She was giggling beside me. That was a lot of fun I bet.

"I promise I'll get back to you afterwards," I warned, fixing my seat belt and ready to push the gas pedal again. I felt a bit chilled as I shivered, my eyes averted on the jacket that I placed on her earlier. She quickly pulled it off, saying, "Oops, I should give you back your jacket." She handed it to me and I put it back on, "thanks." My nose sniffed instinctively at its scent, with an additional fragrance that wasn't belonged to me.

We carried on the boring ride, especially when it was dark outside and we could hardly distinguish the objects afar in disguise, which made the scenery of the country less compelling. She opened another bag of crisps, and consistently stuffed some of the pieces into my mouth to keep me awake as she chattered along.

"Where's your first aid kit?" she looked around at the back seat. "I think it's time to change the bandage."

"Wait a minute," I pulled the car over and reached my arm to the backseats, grabbed it and slid it onto my lap, gesturing for her to lay her hand onto so I could help her sterilise and wrap a new one on the wound.

"Done," I said, patting her arm cheerily. I threw the kit to the backseat as it landed with a loud thud. Settled.

"Thanks," she said sincerely. I started the engine again and we moved on, the trees and bushes looked the same to me in dark. It would be dull enough if I was driving on my own.

"Umm..." her mouth parted slightly, her finger poking her cheek lightly, searching for words to say.

"You don't have to keep talking if you don't want to," I assured. "It's like I've got some sleep already and I wouldn't fall asleep on the way."

"But I'm oblieged to keep you awake by talking as I'm taking shotgun," she replied jokingly.

"Oh well," I pressed my lips into a fine line. "But we ran out of topics."

"A topic starts only when one talks," she retorted.

"Alright so it starts now," I mused. "Like how successfully I am in getting you to start a conversation," I smiled wryly.

"Yeah, so now we talk," she replied. "About the topic that gets around by talking about how to start a topic."

"It's nowt interesting," I shrugged.

"So we're talking about some boring stuff," she nodded.

"And yet this conversation is getting heated," I added.