The Road Trip

Part Two

She hangs up the phone and finishes a few things around the house before grabbing her suitcase, her laptop and her shoulder bag. She chucks her suitcase in the back seat and the rest in the front seat. She's closing the back door when someone approaches her. She knows who it is before he even speaks. Even though she's been away from that familiar musky, vanilla scent for so long she picks it up almost instantly. The smell of it still hits her like a tonne of bricks though. She doesn't even turn around nor let him speak first "What are you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd drop by to see you."

"Who sent you?" she says with a slam of the door, "Because I sure as hell know you didn't come on your own accord."

"Nice to know the feistiness hasn't disappeared."

She finally turns to him and she realises he hasn't really changed. He still looks like the same old Reece she's always known - skinny jeans, vans and t-shirt, nothing overly special. It's only his hair - that has been cut shorter - that makes him look older ... And hotter. She looks him dead straight in the eyes "Cut the crap and tell me who sent you." 

"If you must know it was your Aunt Joan, Jason called her and told her you were leaving, she then called my mother who called me, thinking I'd be able to talk some sense into you not leaving just yet."

"And why shouldn't I leave? I'm old enough to make my own decisions; I can take care of myself."

He snorts, only lightly but it's there, "Sure Kimmy, you’ve been saying that forever but I still don't believe you. I suppose you're planning on driving there, are you?"

"Yeah."

He scoffs "You always come up with some stupid ideas."

She tries not to feel embarrassed so she puts up her angry front "Screw you Reece, if you're done criticising me I'd like to leave now." 

He opens the passenger door "Sure let's go." 

Kim stops up short. "Definitely not."

"You need me Kimmy, what if you break down in the outback, or get stopped by some rapists, or run out of money."

"You're not coming Reece."

He gets in "Yeah I am." 

"No you're no.t" 

"I am." 

He doesn't look like he's going to budge so she sighs in defeat "Fine but don't talk to me."

He grins "Excellent, let me just get my suitcase."

"You've already packed?"

He shrugs "I got off a plane all of one hour ago."

He gets out of the car and goes to his own; he gets his small suitcase and shoves it in the boot with Kim's. She contemplates driving off but at the back of her mind, she knows she might end up needing him so she waits patiently for him to return. He finally plonks down into the front seat, immediately pulling the hood of his jumper over his eyes "Haven't slept in 32 hours, wake me if you need me."

Kim doesn't reply, just puts the car into gear and drives off down the road. She drives three hours straight with just her thoughts and some soft playing music when she realises she needs gas. She pulls into a gas station after a further 20k and shoves Reece, "If you need anything, now is the time to get it."

He doesn't even pretend to cover his irritated expression, "Did you have to shove me so hard?"

She shrugs, "Did you have to come?"

He shakes his head and tumbles out the door "I'm going to use the bathroom."

"Whatever."

She gets the gas guy to fill her tank up while she goes inside to buy some supplies. She pays for the fuel as well as buying two bottles of Vitamin water, a huge can of V, a bag of caramel corn, two packets of Skittles and a Twirl. When Reece sees this, he frowns "You got enough junk food there?"