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We pass the time with small talk, but it’s painful and forced. I don’t bother with asking her if she’s ready to go when she gets done nibbling on some lettuce; I just put all the stuff away and carry it to the four-wheeler. She follows wordlessly and climbs up behind me as I start it up again. Her body sinks into mine, but she doesn’t wrap her arms quite as tightly, I can tell.
And it doesn’t feel bad. I admit, the physical chemistry between us at the beginning was not terrible. Rachel is a very attractive woman. Long brown hair, bright-blue eyes, and a nice smile. She’s got a girl-next-door kind of look that most men would kill for.
But now that we’ve conflicted so much on the food, I can’t even think about the rest. Some people might say that agreeing on food standards isn’t all that important in a relationship, but I’d have to disagree. With three meals a day and maybe a couple snacks, food is at the very center of our lives.
I refuse to be self-conscious about what I eat when I’m a healthy, active guy.
And, fuck me, I can’t live off kale and lettuce.
Slightly impatient to get back to Holley and make sure she’s done okay while we’ve been gone, I take the trail much faster this time than I did on the way out. Rachel holds on tightly without complaint, but she is so quiet, there’s no evidence of her enjoyment either.
I’m not exactly sure what to make of her and her reserved nature. It’s something I would have thought I’d like, but for some reason, it just feels kind of boring.
We weave around curves and over berms with speed and precision, and the feel of the wind in my face makes me feel alive.
We make quick work of the distance we covered after leaving Holley, and when I see the bright blue of her four-wheeler through the trees, a knot in my chest starts to ease.
I ease off the throttle after going around the last turn and look for the gray of Holley’s T-shirt with a little more enthusiasm than I care to admit.
She’s leaned back flat against the seat, a book in her face once again.
When she hears us coming, she sits up quickly and slams the book shut like she’s been caught doing something wrong.
I smirk, but I know for a fact that she can’t see it underneath my helmet.
I pull to a stop right in the bend of the trail she didn’t follow before and shut down the engine. She climbs off the four-wheeler and walks over to meet us, cranking her face up into a smile I don’t quite believe.
I wonder if she’s hurting?
“Hey, you two,” she says cheerfully. “How was the picnic?”
Rachel and I both mumble weirdly synchronized answers of, “Great,” though I have a feeling neither one of us truly believes it.
Holley’s smile slips slightly before growing again, this time almost actually reaching her eyes. “Well…” she hums before looking back at her four-wheeler. “I guess it’s time to try to get that thing out of there and ride it back to the lot, huh?”
“Are you going to be okay?” I ask, and she waves a hand.
“Oh yeah, sure. I’ll go slow this time. Won’t try to be a hotshot, I promise.”
I smile then, and with a gentle nudge of Rachel to lean back, climb off and walk over to the abandoned wheeler.
It starts up fine, thankfully, and I don’t smell any fluid or see anything to be concerned about, so I maneuver back out of the woods and down onto the trail where Rachel and Holley are standing together and waiting. They’re both smiling so fakely it’s ridiculous, but it doesn’t seem like either of them has really noticed.
Holley tosses her backpack into the front compartment before climbing back on, and I hold out her helmet. She slides it on down over her ears and gives me a thumbs-up.
I climb back on my four-wheeler and wait as Rachel does the same, then head slowly back to the parking lot.
Holley follows me over to the trailer, parks the four-wheeler at the side, shuts off the engine, and pulls off her helmet.
Rachel climbs off mine and stays close as I start to gather all the stuff I need to load them onto the trailer.
Holley looks at the two of us a little awkwardly and then backs away, hooking a thumb over her shoulder. “I’m just going to…take off. Let you guys finish up here.”
My eyebrows come together, but Rachel lifts a hand to wave. “See you later.”
I can’t say anything else because she moves too quickly to leave. Within a couple seconds, she’s halfway across the parking lot and bleeping the locks on her car.
I watch as she climbs in and leaves.
