“Shit,” Joel muttered. He had only just made it up with Lara, he didn’t want to ruin things again. Especially if he had any chance of fixing their broken relationship.
“What’s going on between you two?” Michael asked, picking up the mixed feelings between them.
“Just give us a minute,” said Joel. He walked over to the van and clambered up onto the seats in front of where Lara lay. He closed the door behind him to ensure Michael didn’t follow. “I’m sorry,” he told Lara. She didn’t reply. She just laid there, on the back seat, with her eyes closed. “Did you hear me?”
“Yes. Two apologies in one day. You must be coming down with something.”
“I meant what I said earlier,” he told her. He kept one eye on Michael to make sure he wasn’t listening to the private conversation but he needn’t have worried for Michael had turned his attention to throwing stones across the road. “I know it’s too late and the feelings aren’t mutual but… I do… I do still love you.”
“What do you want from me?” she asked without so much as moving. “Am I supposed to leap up and profess my undying love for you? Are we supposed to pick up from where you dropped us, as though it never happened? The two of us together forever? Back to boyfriend and girlfriend, married with kids before we know it… Live a long happy life, growing old together whilst watching our children continue in our footsteps… Starting their own family? Is that it?”
“What if I said yes?” he asked.
“What? I don’t have time for your games,” she moaned.
“Not a game. What if I said I did want to marry you? What if I told you that all this time, without you… I’ve been miserable. I know you have too… The time apart just made me realise how much I loved you… Helped by seeing you today…”
She opened her eyes to look at him, “You’re being serious?”
He nodded, “Marry me.”
“Do you know how ridiculous you sound?”
“I don’t care. We’ve wasted enough time.”
“We?”
“I…”
“We can’t get married,” she told him. “We’re too young for starters…”
“My folks got married early. They’re still together.”
“And mine are divorced so that must tell you what I think about the institution of marriage.”
“We could get engaged at least,” he pressed — desperation oozing from his voice.
“Do you have any idea how you are sounding at the moment?”
“I’m sounding like someone who is in love. Look, I want you. I know that now. I’m sorry for leaving you. I truly am. If I could take it back I would. Honestly. But I can’t. I just need for you to forgive me and say you’ll give it another go… That you want to give it another go…”
“And what if I don’t want to?” she asked.
He paused.
“What if I said okay to us getting back together and then you went and dumped me again? Do you know how much that hurt? How many nights I cried myself to sleep? Any idea?”
“It won’t happen again, I promise. I swear. You’re the one I want. We were great together, you know we were. And we’re meant to be together. If not then you’d have met someone else. Or I would have… But neither of us did, in the time we weren’t together. Come on, a speed bump, that’s what it was. We just need to get over it. I won’t let you down again. I won’t hurt you again.”
Lara sat up and rested her back against the back of the seat.
“I need to think,” she said. “This is all happening too fast.” And it was happening too fast. She had woken, that morning, hating him for what he had done for her. Deep down she knew she still loved him but what if he did dump her unceremoniously, by text, again? She knew she couldn’t take it a second time. Part of her wanted to tell him they could have another go but the other part of her feared they’d just be kidding themselves and the chances of them having a relationship were doomed from the offset.
Joel desperately wanted to push her for an answer but knew, to do so, would be to push her away. “Okay,” he said, “well… Take as long as you need,” he said. He only hoped that she didn’t need too long to think about it as he wanted nothing more than to cradle her in his arms once more. And some petrol for his van.
CHAPTER FIVE
The tow-truck turned off the road and slowly made its way up a dirt-track towards a large, nice looking house which was set back against some woodlands.
“You guys live here?” Dan asked from the back seat.
“Whole family does,” said Stephen. Johnny simply muttered — still annoyed at his brother for offering help to the people who left him stranded. “Me and my brother grew up here!” he continued happily.
Stephen parked the truck outside the house and backed up slightly until the car was in line with a garage which was set apart from the rest of the house. Stephen hadn’t even turned the engine off before Johnny jumped out of the truck and made his way towards the house.
As soon as Stephen finished maneuvering the truck, he turned the engine off and climbed out. Dan took his lead and also stepped into the fresh air — followed by Hayley and Charlotte.
“Still no signal,” Dan moaned as he shot a quick glance at his mobile phone.
“Really is a nice home you have here,” said Hayley — for no other reason than to fill the silence.
“I’ll just get the car off and then we’ll go back for your friends…”
“Thanks, we really appreciate it,” said Charlotte.
“Not a problem,” said Stephen. “So you got anyone waiting for you? You need to borrow a phone and let them know you’re running late? We have a phone just inside the house,” he continued helpfully, “yours if you need it…” Stephen moved to the back of the tow-truck and started lowering the car until all four wheels were back on the floor.
“We’re going camping,” said Hayley.
“Nice,” said Stephen. “Should have just pitched your tents where you ran out of petrol. Could have stayed close to the van and got someone to help with the fuel situation before you were ready to go home again.”
“Did cross our minds,” said Dan. He slid his mobile phone back into his pocket.
“You should have told me you were bringing back some friends!” called an elderly woman from over by the front door. Stephen rolled his eyes at the sound of his voice.
“My mother, Andrea…” he said. “I apologise now, she doesn’t get out much!”
“I’m just helping them out,” he called over to his mother. The group turned to see the lady, in her sixties, making her way over to greet them.
“I’m Stephen’s mother,” she said, “so very nice to meet you all… Are you staying for some dinner?”
“Mum, I’m just helping them out… I don’t even know them… They were just parked up on the side of the road… Ran out of petrol. We’re going any minute…”
“Going? You’ve only just got here!” his mother moaned.
“I’m just taking them back to their van and giving them a tow to the nearest petrol station.”
Dan stepped forward, “Honestly, if it’s a problem — we can make a call and get someone to come and meet us…”
“No!” said Stephen. “It’s not a problem. If it was, I’d say so. It’s all good.”
“Andrea,” said Stephen’s mother. She extended her hand towards Charlotte. “You are?”
“Charlotte,” she took Andrea’s hand and shook it. As soon as she let go, Andrea moved to Hayley and did the same.
“Dan,” said Dan when Andrea finally got to him.
“It’s lovely to meet you all. Now I insist you all stay for dinner,” said Andrea. She smiled at Stephen.
“They have friends waiting for them,” said Stephen whilst undoing the chain which bound the car to the truck.