Perception

LVI

He nodded quietly as she bit the knuckle of her right hand in astonishment.
"You know..." she breathed. "How sometimes once you see something you simply can't unsee it any more?"
He nodded again, with feeling this time. "Yeah, I do know that. Like the rabbit that can also be a bird."
She grinned a little at the reference.
"Anna, though.... I... I guess I hope and trust that maybe you'll be able to find out a bit more wherever we're going. I mean, you've got to have been sent there for a reason, no?"
She was quiet for a moment, smiling out of the window as she mulled over his words, because they were big words, they were important words. They were the kinds of words that told her that he really did believe her, and that he wasn't just humouring her with this trip because he wanted to be close to her. And his simple faith in her meant... well, it meant a lot.
"Yeah." she told him softly. "You're right, there must be a reason."
She stared back out of the window at the low lands around them, at the scenery, at nothing in particular, just trying to get closer to that elusive recollection, but it was resolutely out of her reach. Then suddenly there was a  warm hand on her leg, squeezing softly.
"Hey. You falling asleep?"
She shook her head as she turned to him.
"Nah, not falling asleep. Just thinking."
He smiled slightly, and it was a knowing smile. "Thinking about things you have no solution for right now, by any chance?"
She grinned. You are so busted, Anna... 
"Maybe..." she said then, keeping her tone deliberately coy to amuse him.
He reached over slightly and stroked her cheek with his right hand in a swift but sweet motion.
"You'll be okay." he told her.
She eyed him pensively, and then she smiled as she put her head on his shoulder. He was right, of course. There was nothing she could do right now, was there? She might as well put her head down and try to enjoy the journey.

Time flowed by like the fields outside the window, the road trip feeling like they were suspended in space and time, neither here nor there, but firmly on the way.
They were in Belgium now, a country Anna had never been to. In fact, she'd not really driven anywhere since she'd been in the Netherlands, and driving through this small country now, with all its flagrantly absent sign posting, was quickly becoming a bit of an adventure to her.
"Erm!" she said suddenly with a little bit of panic, Google maps open on her phone. "Shit, we had to go right, here. There is the sign now, after the effing intersection!"
Eli grinned. "We'll get you swearing yet, Anna. If I'd have known all it took was a road trip I'd have taken you sooner."
She shoved him lightly. "Wasn't much of an expletive, was it?"
"Oh, give it time."
He suddenly signalled and turned into a small road. "This should take us back to the motorway, I think."
"Do you know how to get there? Or are we going to wind up back at the Dutch border, rather than the French one?"
Now he laughed for real. "We'll see."
They came onto on a smallish dual carriage way now, which Anna soon realised was still technically a motorway despite its narrowness. There were pylons between the two lanes, and there was not another car anywhere in sight.
"I think we're on the right road," he said pensively, "but in the wrong direction. Hmm..."
He looked around him quickly.
"Eli!" she called, realisation dawning in a hurry. "Please tell me you're not even considering turning here!"
He ignored her, looked around him one more time and then he suddenly braked to a stop and started a three point turn. Anna clutched the seat in shock, because of course a car was suddenly there now on the other lane, hurtling towards them in the distance. Eli hammered the gear into reverse, backed up and then sped forward, inching past the concrete Armco way too fast, and making it with seconds to spare.
"Don't try this at home." he mumbled calmly as the car sped up again, but in the right direction now.
Anna shook her head. "You're certifiably insane. Just for the record."
He grinned now. "Yeah. I know."