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“Nothing,” I say.
I place her surfboard on top of her Jeep, quickly strapping it in, before climbing into the passenger side. Sloane is already on the driver’s side and begins backing out as soon as I get in.
We drive in silence. It’s clear that Sloane is lost in thoughts of her grandmother, bringing back the feelings of sadness and pain that I can’t stand to watch. It’s not hot in her Jeep. The AC works almost too well, which is strange for me since I can’t recall my truck’s AC ever working.
I roll my window down and stick my hand out into the warm breeze, like you should in Hawaii.
“What are you doing?” she asks sternly.
“Enjoying Hawaii.”
Her hair blows as the breeze gets stronger inside the car. She runs her hand through her hair, trying to keep the wind from further tangling it.
“But it’s too warm outside, and the AC is working fine. Why would I open the window?”
I laugh and shake my head. “Do you really never drive around with the windows open?”
“No. It’s much too warm here.”
“Turn the AC off, and open your window.”
“No.”
“Stop being stubborn, and just do it.”
She looks at me like I’m mad but finally concedes. Her hair becomes even more tangled, blowing in front of her face as she drives. She seems agitated and annoyed, which is the opposite of what I’m going for.
“Now, relax, and stick your hand out the window.”
She raises an eyebrow at me.
I laugh, my whole body shaking. I can’t help it.
“Are you sure you grew up here? You are acting like you grew up in outer space.”
She frowns, clearly not amused.
“Like this,” I say, sticking my hand out the window.
She does the same, and it only takes seconds for her to relax. To breathe and become one with the wind, letting go of some of the sadness was overtaking her. But there is too much sadness and pain in her for a simple car ride with the wind blowing around us to fix. Not that anything is going to fix the pain or sadness. I know that as well as anyone. I’ve experienced it myself and caused it in others. I’ve watched them all handle the pain in different ways. Some handle it better than others, but then some weren’t really in love.
Sloane loved her grandmother. So, the pain will never go away. But she does need to learn to live with it, and the sooner she does, the better. If only for my selfish reasons. Because, the sooner she heals, the sooner I can rip her heart out.
“Pull over,” I say.
“Why?” Sloane asks but doesn’t pull over.
“For once, can you just do what I tell you without asking why?”
She frowns. “No. We haven’t known each other long enough for me to do that.”
I laugh. “Do you do what Wes tells you without asking why?”
She scrunches her nose. “No.”
“Exactly. It doesn’t matter who is asking. You always have to be in control. For once in your life, let someone else have control. Don’t think. Just do.”
I reach over and touch her hand that has a firm hold on the steering wheel. She doesn’t flinch even though that was what I expected. She doesn’t glance down either. She acts like I’m not even touching her.
