AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When we pull onto the road, I’m driving less than half the speed limit at first.
My hands are wrapped so tightly around the steering wheel that my knuckles are white. I’m so hyper-focused on the road and alert to any possible dangers that I’m even trying to blink as little as possible.
It’s a good thing the roads around the park, which is nestled in a wooded area to the northwest of Ridley, really are pretty deserted. A couple people speed past me while I’m going at a snail’s pace, one even angrily honking its horn.
Hunter tells me not to worry about it, and that the guy looked like a dick anyway. My own eyes are too riveted to the road to spare any glances at passing cars.
Eventually, I feel comfortable enough to go closer to the speed limit. My hands are still tight around the steering wheel and my palms clammy against the faux leather, but the tension in my chest is loosening somewhat.
As we get out of the woods, the roads start to fill up with more cars. My stomach tightens, and I think about taking Hunter up on his offer of pulling over and letting him finish the drive into Ridley.
But I power through the feeling. I made it this far. Suddenly, I really want to make it all the way.
I know that just driving back to Ridley doesn’t mean that all the mental effects of the accident in January will suddenly go away. Maybe I’ll still be anxious at parties sometimes. Nervous to drive. Maybe things like screeching tires or high-beam lights at night will still catch me off guard and trigger an emotional reaction.
But I do want to prove to myself that those feelings don’t have to control me. They don’t have to dominate my life.
Just because I’ll still have trauma I need to work through, that doesn’t mean that the trauma controls me.
I make it to Ridley. I make it through the busy, narrower streets of the town, and I make it all the way to the Ice Box where I come to a stop and put the car in park.
“Hell yeah, Pheebs!” Hunter says, slapping the dashboard in excitement and leaning over to plant a big kiss on my cheek.
I laugh at his overreaction. The kiss sends waves of tingles rippling all over me. My chest feels light, and I honestly feel proud of myself.
“It’s not that big of a deal,” I force myself to say, though.
“My ass it isn’t,” Hunter protests. “That was brave of you, Phoebe. I mean it. I’m fucking proud of you. We should celebrate.”
I chuckle. “Celebrate?”
He captures my jaw in his left hand and tilts my head towards him, stealing my mouth with a firm kiss.
“Yeah. And I’ve got some ideas in mind.”
27
PHOEBE
I’m working on an essay for an English class in my room when the doorbell rings.
When I open the door, it’s Hunter. His face is flushed with exhaustion, his breathing is heavy, and he’s leaning against the side of the doorway.
“Hey, Pheebs,” he says, his voice thin.
“Hunter? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” I didn’t even know he was coming over, so to see him looking like he just crawled through a desert with no water is a double shock.
“Fine,” he says, waiving off my concern. “Had to give you this.”
He hands me a wrapped box. I arch an eyebrow as I take it. “Early Christmas present?”
“Something like that,” he says. He nods towards the couch in the living room. “Mind if I sit down?”
“Of course, come in,” I say, stepping out of his way.
He hobbles through the door. “I went too hard with squats while working out today. Broke my all-time record, but fuck my legs are killing me. Probably shouldn’t have walked here.”
“Uh, yeah, you probably shouldn’t,” I echo, closing the door behind him and grabbing his arm to help him to the couch.
