"Road Trip"
Part 1
“It’s hot.”
The striking man with the piercing green eyes never took his eyes off the road. Neither did he acknowledge the succinct weather report his traveling companion had uttered. Instead, he pressed his foot just a little firmer on the gas pedal, hoping to put the glamour and glitz of Los Angeles just a little further behind them. Silence reigned for ten more minutes, until it was time for the next weather update.
“It’s hot.”
“I heard you the first time, Nick.” Once again, eyes on the road, no change in expression.
“It’s fucking hot.” The broad-chested, sandy haired blonde man looked miserably uncomfortable as he reclined in the passenger seat, one bare foot sticking out of the window and resting on the side view mirror. If he positioned his foot just right, the breeze would pass over his ankle and billow out the leg of his parachute pants, creating a quasi-air conditioning, which was at this point the ONLY air-conditioning available.
Kevin cast a sidelong glance at his traveling companion, forcing back the smirk that wanted so badly to break forth. Nick was hot? Miserable? Good.
“Damn heat …” Nick mumbled, wiping his forehead on his sleeve.
He couldn’t resist. “You know, it’s your own damn fault if you’re hot.”
“Bite my ass, Kev.”
“Make sure you get the car tuned up, Nick.” “No problem, Kev.” Nick, did you get the car worked on?” “What do I look like, Kev, An idiot?” “Well, Nick, guess what?”
Nick turned away, biting back a retort that would have done him absolutely no good to even utter.
Kevin continued harping, seemingly pleased by the sound of his own voice. “Did he get the car checked out? No. Did he tell me? No. Is the a/c working? No. Is it hotter than a witch's-“
“Shut UP! Okay, so I fucked up, Kevin. It’s not like I’m not the resident fuck-up of the group anyway. So just shut up.”
Kevin did just that, trying to get comfortable in his seat in spite of the sweat that was running down his back and the grit that seemed to be seeping in through every crevice in the old car. Collector’s item be damned, it was an old heap that should have been put out of its misery decades ago. Kevin sighed and tried instead to concentrate on the new album, new lyrics, anything to keep his mind off killing the man seated beside him. It almost worked. Barely an hour had gone by when the blessed silence was broken.
“Kev?”
Damn, could I just ignore him? Kevin wondered.
“Umm … Kev?”
Kevin counted to ten. “What?”
“I need to stop.”
“Nick, look around. There’s nothing out here. There’s a cooler in the back, just grab a bottle of water and relax.”
“I can’t drink any more water, Kev, that’s the problem.”
“What?”
Nick rolled his eyes. NOW who’s the stupid one? “For God’s sake Kevin, I have to pee. Pull over.”
There was nothing but desert for miles and miles. A random cactus here and there, but no gas station, no tree to hide behind, nothing to shield Kevin from Nick as he dropped his pants around his hips and relieved himself in the sand. Kevin made the mistake of glancing in the mirror on the passenger door, and nearly choked when he realized he had a clear view of Nick, his hand in his pants and his head tipped back in what appeared to be orgasmic bliss.
I did NOT need to see that, he thought, sinking his head onto the steering wheel, where it remained until Nick was back in his seat and giving Kevin a strange look.
“Let’s roll, dude,” Nick said with a grin.
“All better now Nicky?” Kevin asked facetiously.
“Yeah, baby,” Nick retorted in his best Austin Powers voice. “It was good for me, was it good for you? Did you watch?”
Kevin slammed the car into gear and pealed out onto the highway. “You’re a sick fuck, Nick. Remind me again why we’re doing this.”
“Because, in the words of AJ … ‘we’re not setting foot in the studio with you two until you get the sticks out of your asses.’ And then Brian ripped up our plane tickets and walked out with Howie. Management agreed and here we are. Two lovely weeks to get to New York and become better people in the meantime. Makes me wanta build a campfire and toast marshmallows.”
“Nick-“
Whatever Kevin was going to say was immediately forgotten as a cloud of smoke enveloped the engine and the car shuddered to a stop, dead center in the deserted highway.