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“Why are you embarrassed? It was me who was in the wrong?” She looks away from me, her eyes are shimmering. Oh, shit, she’s going to cry, and it’s all my fault. We are interrupted before we can continue.
“I think we have to go back for your friend. He is still not here, and we need to continue the tour.” Right, of course, Chris. I look at my watch. He’s had twenty minutes to get the pages. I hope he has them. I really don’t want to spend any more time here. I mount Daryl. He’s my donkey. I am about to turn back to look for Chris when we hear a donkey bray and Chris shouting expletives. Around the corner trots Teddy followed by a dusty and red Chris.
“Mate, ride the donkey, don’t walk it.” He doesn’t appreciate my attempt at humour.
“Teddy is an arsehole!” he shouts. I laugh because Teddy clearly looks amused with himself, so yeah, he’s an arsehole. Wouldn’t you be though if you had to spend your day in the heat ferrying people around? “He wouldn’t walk, then as soon as I got off, he bolted. Every time I got close, he buggered off.”
Daisy is beside herself laughing. Teddy is braying like he’s the funniest thing on four legs. Lucia is rolling her eyes and all I want to know is if he did what needed to be done. His salute back confirms he did. Now I can laugh and mock him endlessly.
We are all grateful when we arrive back at Lucia’s. I spend twenty minutes saying goodbye, apologising again for how things were left between us. Now it’s just the three of us again in the car heading north.
“I put the pages in my backpack. Do you want them?” He’s talking to me. I shake my head. “Okay cool, where to next?” I think the tension between me and Daisy is getting to him.
“Italy.” I say, but don’t elaborate. It’s going to take us a full twenty-four hours to get there, and that’s if we continually drive. I need to pick somewhere for us to stop. I need to get Daisy alone so we can talk. “We will need to stop for the night. It’s too far to drive in one go. Chris, can you check for a place to stay as we cross the border into France?”
“On it.” That will keep him busy for a moment. The problem with me driving is that I can’t sign to Daisy. I can’t turn to face her either, so lip reading for her is harder. Did she catch what I said to Chris? Does she understand we are going to Italy? I keep sneaking looks at her, hoping she is looking back, she isn’t. Her gaze hasn’t left the passenger side window. This is going to be a long trip.
Five hours in and I am seriously flagging. The morning and lunch with Lucia has taken its toll. Right now, all I want is to hide away on my own for a little while. But that’s not a possibility. I check the GPS. We are a couple of hours away from Valencia. We will stop there for the night. I need to be alone.
There is a petrol station just ahead. I swing the car into the parking space and let my head fall back. Daisy and Chris have both been asleep for the past hour and a half, which helped. I stretch my arms and exit the car. We don’t need gas, but I need to pee and stretch my legs.
No line to the loo is my first bit of luck today. I relieve myself and then splash water on my face. My reflection shows the bags under my eyes. Thanks bathroom lighting, I look like a fucking ghoul. Whatever, it’s not like I need to impress anyone. I just need a good night’s sleep. Two hours more, I can do that.
Back at the car, I unload the extra provisions I have just bought. Chris has done an excellent job of eating everything in sight. He’s like a bloody goat. I’m starting to worry for the car upholstery. I can’t have him gnawing on the furniture, so here I am with an armful of food, hoping it satisfies his appetite. Remind me never to have kids. Christ, they cost a fortune.
Chris is snoring in the back seat. Daisy is fully awake and looking at me intensely as I slide into the driver’s seat. “Let me drive for a while.” She isn’t asking me. I look at her, wanting to argue for some reason. I always drive, it’s my job. “Callie, you look exhausted. Let me drive.” Her hand slips into mine and she squeezes. I nod. What’s the point in arguing?
“Stop in Valencia. We can grab a motel for the night. It’s been a long day for everyone.” She nods, unbuckling her seatbelt to trade places with me.
It’s been half an hour since Daisy took over the driving duties. My mind won’t settle. I want to rest my head and sleep, but I can’t. I fiddle with the radio until it lands on a soft jazz station. Now I can feel Daisy’s eyes on me every so often. Is she upset with me? Probably. Will she listen to me? I hope so.
“Where are we?” Chris’s sleepy voice pulls me out of my never-ending cycle of questions. I check the SatNav again.
“Nearly in Valencia. We’re going to stop soon.”
“M’kay.” His head hits the headrest again, and he’s out. I chuckle. Daisy flips the indicator on to turn off the highway. She’s spotted a motel that will suffice for the evening. It doesn’t have to be posh. The rooms are everything you expect of a cheap motel room. Thank God there were three single rooms available. I think I would have lost my shit if I were forced to share with Daisy again.
We all mumbled a tired “good night” to each other after agreeing to meet by the car in the morning at eight thirty. I sling my bag down and head for the bathroom. The shower is surprisingly powerful and I stand under it until I prune. The bed is calling me like a siren when I finish in the bathroom. My head hits the pillow and I slip into a vivid dream.
* * *
My phone wakes me up. It’s vibrating like my dil… it’s annoying. Every part of my body hurts. I need to move, get the blood pumping. The fitness app on my phone hasn’t seen much action lately, a bit like me. Time to crack it open and get my heart rate up.
Twenty sweaty minutes later, I sit on the bed with a terrible motel room coffee. I should be drinking water to rehydrate after my workout, but my brain still feels tired. The caffeine is needed, even if the beverage tastes like shit.
The motel doesn’t provide breakfast, but there is a restaurant next door. It’s only seven forty-five, I have time to grab a decent meal. The road trip food has long lost its allure. My skin will thank me for eating something healthy.
The restaurant is nearly full. I manage to get the last table. The waiter pours me a large coffee and gives me the menu. I already know what I will have. A Spanish omelette. The bell over the door jingles. Daisy walks in, her eyes are on me. I wave her over. Before I overthink, I shoot a message to Chris asking him to give me and Daisy a chance to talk. I tell him I will get him some breakfast. He returns my message with a thumbs up.
We sit in silence for a minute. The waiter asks Daisy what she would like. She looks at me for help. “Do you want an omelette?” She nods. I order for her and wait until the waiter has moved away. “Can we talk?”
“About?” God, she is infuriating sometimes. “About our make-out session the other night.” I’m done fucking about. I can’t stand the atmosphere between us.
“What’s to talk about? You changed your mind, or you didn’t like what you heard. It’s fine, you’re not the first hearing person to freak out.” I honestly have no idea what she is talking about. Why wouldn’t I like what I heard? She was sexy as hell moaning under me and her breasts were something from… well, my fantasies I suppose.
“What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I like what I heard?” Her face has flushed and I can see how badly she wants this conversation to end, but it can’t. Not until we are okay.
She massages her forehead. “Look, I know I sound funny when… I can’t control how I sound when I’m turned on like that. It’s okay if my voice freaked you out, I’m just upset you left.”
