Another Mile, Another Minute

Lia woke up finding it difficult to breathe. The sun was bright with nothing obscuring her vision – even though her eyes were yet to be opened. She felt a warm breath upon her cheek. Peeking out of the corner of her sleep-encrusted eyes, she found herself pinned to Alex’s side in a tight embrace.

Explains the lack of oxygen. She thought dryly. Jack always did say he was a hugger.

“Alex,” she moaned, struggling to get out of his grasp.

“Mmm,” he murmured in his sleep.

“Get off please.”

“Mmmm.”

“Alex.”

“Mmmmm.”

She managed to pry his arms off of her and rolled away successfully.

“Hey!”

“You’re kidding me,” she said rolling off the hood of the car, “You were awake that entire time?”

“Maybe,” he replied with a coy grin.

“Maybe,” she mimicked him with no further comeback, “Do you think the car’s working now?”

“I don’t know,” he answered stretching his lanky body across the makeshift bed. He stretched a little too fat and came tumbling off, landing face-first in the dirt.

“Okay, maybe we should check it now.”

Biting back laughter, Lia agreed, “Yeah.”

...

Behind the wheel of the well rested car, Lia took down the top and let nature’s natural air conditioner do its job.

“Oh! Oh! Oh! Land ho!” Alex shouted in excitement.

“Did you just call me a ho?” she asked, offended.

“No – I mean – Wait. Pirate,” Alex stammered over his explanation, “Arrg. I’ma pirate,” he made a hook with his index finger.

“Alright then. Oh! Here’s a place!” she slowed down.

“Looks kinda shady, to be quite honest,” Alex remarked fidgeting with his hands.

“C’mon. You’re the guy.”

“Sexist pig,” he joked as he stepped out of the car.

After he disappeared into the bar, Lia bit her lip in nervousness.

Meanwhile, inside, Alex slipped into the ratty old building. Coming upon the first decent-looking guy there he asked, “Excuse me, can I ask where I am?”

The man, with a blank stare and glazed eyes turned to him with a haunting look. His crinkled brown hair had tell-tale signs of aging with the strands of white, “You are in the state of denial,” and went back to his drink.

“Oh, don’t mind the old coot, Thornton over there.” A man with a folded dishrag thrown over his shoulder standing behind the counter said.

Now this man, Alex thought, looked more personable. Not much, but more.

“What can I do ya for boy?”

“Actually, I was just wondering where I am. My friend and I were driving and I, unfortunately, got us lost.”

“Ah,” the barista said knowingly, “well, you’re just outside of Culpeper.”

“Where’s that?”

“Uh, way out west of Washington, almost to Richmond. Where you headed to?”

“LA,” he admitted, knowing they were far off-course, “but we’re taking the scenic route, so it’s no big.”

“Well then, good luck with that.”

“Thank you.”

With a new found confidence, Alex sauntered out of the bar making Lia exhale with relief.

“So what’d they say? She asked him anxiously.

Alex paraphrased what the man had told him and since neither of them expected for time to be anywhere near the original route, they weren’t mad at each other - or at least, Lia wasn’t mad at Alex.

“I guess we’ll just have to wing it the rest of the way,” she concluded.

“Really? Now that’s more like it!” Alex celebrated his minor victory by turning on the radio to find that there was no signal.

Lia signed.

“No worries,” Alex started sifting through the hidden compartment, “I’ve always got backup,” and a stack of CDs poured out ranging from Jimmy Eat World, New Found Glory, Fall Out Boy, and of course, All Time Low.

“Ah, not conceited at all,” Lia commented as she held up three copies of So Wrong It’s Right.

“Not at all. Just proud,” he flashed a huge grin at her.

“Okay, I get two, but really? Three?”

He answered her probing questions with a simple shrug as if that were to explain everything. After popping Take Off Your Pants And Jacket into the vintage player, they started on their way again.

...

“So how do you intend on dividing our sleeping quarters?” Alex asked Lia as they stood at the doorway of what seemed to be a twelve by twelve motel room. There was one queen sized bed in the middle, and a sketchy looking’ carpet.

“Wait. I asked for two beds. Two beds specifically.” Alex could see she was once again reverting back to panic mode.

An employee was down the hall and she chased after him.

Good luck dealing with the crazy lady. Alex directed his thoughts toward the fellow man.

“Excuse me,” Crazy but polite lady. Alex mentally corrected himself. “We asked for a two bed room and we only got one.”

“We’re so sorry ma’am. We only offer one bed per room here.”

Lia stopped dead in her tracks, “Fuck.”

“Thank you for your help kind sir,” Alex slipped a tip into his hand with a sly handshake.

The man expectantly looked at the money and couldn’t help but hide a semi-incredulous look when he saw that what Alex had given him was a one dollar bill.

He led Lia back to their room and repeated his original question, “So how do you intend on dividing our sleeping quarters?”

She stared at him blankly for a moment before speaking, “Have you been watching too much Camelot?”

With a face a serious as the day is long, he said, “No – Knights at the Round Table. And Harry Potter.”

She nodded as though that was a perfectly normal response from him, “So, I guess I’ll take the bed.”

“Uh, and where am I supposed to sleep; the floor?”

“Yeah.”

“No! You take the floor.”

“I’m the girl!”

“I paid for it!”

“So did I!”

“Share then.”

“Ew, no.”

“I’m not going to try to feel you up – I’m just being practical.”

“Since when are you practical?”

“Since I need a place to sleep.”

“Well, you’ll be sleeping on the floor.”

“Just get ready for bed and shut up.”

It had been a long day’s worth of travelling and Lia really needed to unwind. She grabbed a change of clothes, a towel, and drew her bath. After making sure she locked the door, she gingerly stepped into the bath a relaxed.

A tense knock sounded at the door, “Hey Lia. What are you doing in there?”

“I’m in the bath,” she singsonged though the door.

“Well, I need to use the bathroom,” he singsonged back to her.

“It’s locked.”

Alex jimmied the door until it gave in and opened.

“Alex!” she screeched covering her upper torso with her arms and grabbing the shower curtain to wrap around her.

He walked n with his hands covering his eyes. It was no help though, since he was peeking in between his fingers.

“I need to go.”

“Oh my god!” Lia exclaimed as she hid behind the curtain.

Alex just snickered to himself.

Alex Gaskarth: 3
Lia Philsen: 2