Driving Around
SARAH
“No,” I say, clutching his shirt.
I’m sure we look completely crazy and kind of funny, with him hovering over me in the passenger seat and me clinging to him like a lifeline.
“I don’t want you to fight. That’s not what I want right now. Okay?”
I sit up, looking into his eyes. I needed him to understand what I was trying to say, not just hear it, but feel it.
“I just want to get out of here. Okay?”
He gritted his teeth, and I could see the fire in him start to cool. He was softening toward me, just like I hoped.
“I don’t want you to go back there,” I added gently, “because then I’ll have to go back there. The place is surrounded by Sullivan men, my father’s men. If you hit Ryan... who knows how this could go.”
I reached for his hand and he let me.
“I want you. I still want you. And I don’t want anything to happen to you. Especially if it’s my fault. Because I shouldn’t have worn high heels today.”
He let out a short laugh, shaking his head.
“You are crazy. Why would you wear high heels?” he asked jokingly, trying to make light of the moment. I loved that he knew I didn't want what happened to ruin my entire day.
“I know, right?” I said, smiling for real this time.
And then he leaned forward and kissed my forehead, then kissed my lips, not deeply. Just a little deep. Just a soft, chest-warm, wet kiss that lingered for a second longer than it had to.
“You’re lucky you’re so cute,” he murmured.
“You’re lucky you’re so handsome,” I said back.
I finally sat back, letting him go.
“You’re lucky, I love you,” he said.
Then he got up, closed the door, and walked around to his side of the car. He slid into the seat beside me and started driving, silent and steady. There was something about the way he said it, that I love you.
He didn’t wait for me to say it back. He didn’t even seem to expect me to. But he wasn’t mad. He wasn’t hurt. He was just… cool with it. Peaceful with it.
So when he placed his hand beside him, I reached over, took it, and ègently placed it on my thigh. Then I leaned back in the seat, watching us drive away leaving everything behind.
He kept driving. And driving us around. I didn’t mind. I actually enjoyed the scene. I enjoyed us, just moving forward like we had all the time in the world. We had to get off Sullivan territory and head toward the Italian Cincinnati territory, Cullen’s family’s side of the world. And he just kept going, not too fast, not too slow. Driving and driving.
And in the end, I realised... he was just driving.
“We don’t have a destination, do we?” I asked, breaking the quiet with a small smile.
I had been watching him the whole time, his hand resting on mine as he steered, the way his muscles moved when he changed gears, or turned the wheel, or glanced into the rearview mirror like maybe we were being followed. He never said it, but I thought it. The way he moved had a purpose, even when he didn’t.
And I loved watching him. He’d glance at me sometimes too, those little sideways looks, and I’d catch him smiling to himself. It was relaxing. It was fun. I could’ve stayed in this moment forever.
But I couldn’t help it. I started laughing.
“What are you doing?” I asked again.
He turned toward me, almost startled. “What?”
“Yeah, you.... you’re not doing anything. Where are you taking us?”
He hesitated.
“You’re not taking us anywhere, are you?” I teased.
He pulled his hand away from mine, not in a harsh way, more like instinct, like he needed it to rub his face and then a moment later, he gave it back to me. I took it again, just as naturally.
“The truth is,” he said finally, “I have nowhere. I have no destination in mind. That’s the truth.”
“I knew it!” I said, laughing again. “I saw you driving around and around and I just knew something was up.”
“Well, not wrong exactly,” he said, smiling. “I did think about taking you to a restaurant. But this is Cincinnati territory. Someone will see you. Someone will see us.”
He paused, then shrugged.
“And that’s cool with me. I mean, I’m cool with starting a fight with my dad. But... I wasn't sure how you would feel.”
I blinked. “You’re cool with starting a fight with your dad? Why would you start a fight with your dad because of me?”
He looked away, one hand still gripping mine.
“Well,” he said, like it pained him to admit it, “as we both know... our fathers thought they were going to annul our marriage. I’m still waiting for my dad to bring me that agreement so I can burn it in his face.”
That made me smile.
“But anyway,” he continued, “the thing is... I’m not supposed to be around you. I’m not supposed to be here with you. And as I said....I’m good with having a disagreement with him over you. But I wasn’t sure about you. And I didn’t want to ask you.”
He gave me a half-smile, kind of sheepish.
“ Anyway, the point is I can't take you just anywhere. So I’ve just been driving around. Hoping I’d find a place that screamed, ‘Here is cool.’”
We both burst out laughing at that. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any more ridiculous, he grinned and said, “I’ve got just the place.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Where is it?”
He smirked, putting the car into gear again. “You’re gonna have to just wait and see... Don't worry, you're going to love it..”
\-
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