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At quarter to six, I changed into my new pair of all black trainers, paired with black leggings and a pastel red shirt I'd bought specifically for the occasion. Intrigued by Roy's love for Beacon shoes, I'd checked out their website and had spent a couple hundred copper crowns on their merchandise. Since my weekender bag and our provisions were already in Roy's car, I had only my laptop bag to carry down the stairs.
His big-ass truck was already waiting for me in our company car park and I hastened over.
“Hey,” I greeted him a little breathlessly as I opened the door to climb into the passenger seat. “Sorry you had to wait for me.”
He let me buckle up, then leaned over the middle console to kiss the tip of my nose.
“I arrived about two minutes ago,and it's not even six o'clock. Don't apologise, okay? And I would have waited. For you.” One more peck landed on my lips, before he settled back in his seat.
I couldn't stop grinning like an idiot.
“I got us sandwiches and fruit. I figured that was easiest to eat on the road.” He plucked a blanket from the back seat that he spread carefully over my legs, then deposited a lap pillow on top of it before handing me a bag from a sandwich shop near the gym that sold healthy takeaway for athletes, and two bottles of water. At the look on my face, he chuckled. “I probably should have mentioned that I love road trips, and pampering my passengers. I have a special playlist for you, too.”
If this were a movie I'd ask him to marry me now, wouldn't I?
“I also brought a hoodie for you to snuggle up in, you know, in case we need to stop somewhere.”
“You brought me a potty break hoodie?” I asked incredulously, torn between amusement and wanting to kiss him into oblivion.
“Yeah?”
His flustered half grin made me lunge over, crash my mouth on his and give him a filthy, open-mouthed kiss. We were both distinctly ruffled by the time I sat back down in my seat, straightening the blanket and pillow that had slid to the floor.
“Damn, I think the sandwiches got a little squashed.”
“Don't care,” he huffed. “I know my brand makes great stuff but if I'd known they could do this, I would have given you all the hoodies I own.”
“Oh, come on.” I tried to give him a stern look, but failed at the look of pure mischief on his face. Shrugging out of my blazer, I turned towards him. “Just hand over the potty break hoodie. You know you're never going to get it back, right?”
Roy didn't answer; he stared at my chest, slack-jawed and dumbfounded.
“What?” Looking down, I pulled the shirt down, smoothing the print out. Right over my tits sat the head of a tiger wearing nerdy glasses and the lettering around it read ‘Crazy Cat Lady’.
“Like it?”
Nodding slowly and without looking away from my shirt, he reached behind his seat and handed me a well broken in, charcoal grey APEX hoodie I'd seen him wear on multiple occasions. Slipping it over my head, I inhaled deeply. He hadn't given me a new one or one he didn't like. Nope, it was one of his favourites, one he had worn fairly recently judging by how intensely his scent clung to it.
Be still, my foolish heart…
He turned up the music, started the ignition, and backed out of the parking spot. Before I knew it, we were out of the Beta car park and rumbling down the street leading towards the motorway that would take us south. We didn't speak for a long time, a comfortable silence between us broken only by himasking me to open his water bottle, by the patterning of a bout of rain and the windshield wipers, and filled by the music he had prepared for us. Most of what made Roy Roy was still a mystery to me, and I loved uncovering all of his facets. Like his taste in music. He had danced with me when we'd been out with the Grants, but I had never heard him listen to anything.
The playlist he'd made for our road trip was full of ambient and atmospheric pop that wrapped us in a bubble of sound, and it felt as though we were the only two people on the planet. We were moving through the night quickly, but I barely noticed the speed. His driving was calm and collected. I had zero doubt he would keep me safe.
About an hour and a half into our drive, we stopped for a potty break. I didn't like the idea of stepping out of our blissful little cocoon into the bright lights of a petrol station, but bundling up in the hoodie meant I could take a bit of it with me.
You are so far gone for him, Kat, the voice inside my head noted dispassionately. And she had a point.
His fingers had found mine as soon as we'd left the car and he only let go when we arrived at the bathrooms. When I got out he was there, taking me in from head to foot with a smile, before holding open his arm for me. I stepped into his embrace without thinking.
“It looks so much better on you than it does on me,” he mumbled, nuzzling my hair with his face. “Ready to go on?”
Are we still talking about our road trip, tiger boy?
“More than ready.” We walked back to the car hand in hand, and were off again.
I fell asleep not long after our break and woke up in the middle of the night to what sounded like a Bengali love song and Roy's hand resting heavily on my thigh.
“Hey.” His eyes flitted away from the street for a moment and back, then he brought his fingers up and slid them around my nape and in my hair, gently brushing his fingertips over the sides of my neck. “We're four hours out. Go back to sleep, hm?”
