The Arizona sun rose the next morning, sending endless tendrils of warmth over the plains. Andi waited until the small space under the blanket was stifling before she popped her head out, the still, cool air stinging her nostrils.
Mike was already up, gingerly touching the cut on his temple. He had taken off Andi’s makeshift bandage, which now hung limply from his hand.
“Is it still bleeding?” she asked softly, not wanting to shatter the silence.
He winced. “I don’t think so. Still hurts.”
“Well, once we get back to civilization I’ll take proper care of it.”
He winked. “Oh, so you’re gonna take care of me now?”
She crawled out from under the blanket and climbed unsteadily to her feet. “Always.” She unzipped her bag and pulled out one of Mike’s old shirts.
“Do you have any of your own clothes in that bag, or are they all mine?” he asked teasingly.
She glanced up at him mischievously. “Well, I don’t have any of your pants in here, that’s for sure.”
“That ain’t funny,” he said.
“No? I thought it was rather good.” She tossed him the shirt. “Here, put this on. We don’t want to look like a pair of bums when we get to town.”
“We already look like a couple bums,” he mused, buttoning the shirt. When he looked up Andi had already changed her T-shirt, and wore another one of Mike’s shirts on top.
“You really like wearing my stuff, don’t you?”
She shrugged. “It’s comfortable, and besides, it’s just the shirts. I don’t think I could wear your hat, and I don’t wear your pants or anything. That would be just wrong.”
“Can we just forget about the pants, already?”
~*~
Within ten minutes they had resumed their trek, listening to the growling of their stomachs. “It’s got a good beat but you can’t dance to it,” Mike said, sending Andi into fits of giggles. They said little about the previous day’s turmoil.
At some point later that morning they found themselves back out on the road. They walked carefully, their ears listening attentively for the sounds of any approaching vehicles. The lack of signs, cars, or any sign of civilization was disheartening. “It’s like we’re the only two people in existence,” Mike muttered, shielding his eyes from the harsh sun.
“Yeah, a regular Adam and Eve,” she giggled. Mike gave her a puzzled look.
“You’re sure laughin’ a lot all of a sudden.”
“Call it relief laughter. Euphoric laughter. Laughter of someone who . . . ” She paused, swallowing the dry lump in her throat. “Someone who . . . found out how lucky she is.”
Mike kicked a nearby stone. “Did you really mean what you said last night?”
“About what?”
“Well, about everything, but . . . before you fell asleep it sounded like you were talkin’ to your dad. You said that you found someone you care about more than yourself. Is that true?”
Andi didn’t reply. Instead she took him firmly by the shirt and kissed him.
“Wow. Good answer,” he said breathlessly almost a minute later.
She laughed. “Exactly. And . . . I’m sorry that I haven’t been spending more time with you. I’m sorry that I was so blind. I should have realized how you felt. I should . . . be telling you what’s on my mind . . . more than I am.”
“Wow, that Dr. Blumenthal must’ve done a number on you. You are NEVER this open.”
“I could say that of a certain Texan guitarist I know. Did you really want to give up on us?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I thought you were leavin’ me—again—and . . . I guess not.”
He sighed in frustration, unable to articulate his feelings.
“I understand,” she said, patting his arm reassuringly. “I was hurting you and didn’t even realize it.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said.
She shook her head vehemently. “No. I do need to worry about it. The last thing in the world that I want is to hurt you.”
“I know that, And. Hell, the way you dove out on that tree yesterday is a pretty good indication. Maybe . . . it was partly my fault.”
Her eyebrows arched in surprise. “Your fault? How so?”
He lowered his eyes once more. “Well . . . I didn’t exactly tell you what I was feelin’. You’re not a mind reader—you couldn’t have known what I was thinkin’ . . . I guess we’re gonna have to work on our . . . communication.”
She giggled. “Now THAT is something I never thought I’d hear you say. So you’re gonna stick with me, huh?”
He rolled his eyes. “Well, if I HAVE to.”
“There’s just one thing that worries me,” she said.
“What’s that?”
“You’re from Texas, I’m from England. What are our kids going to sound like?”
His eyes widened in alarm. “For cryin’ out loud, you’re already thinking about that?”
She whistled innocently. “Not necessarily . . . it’s just a thought. However, if you’d like to consider it . . . ”
Mike released an exaggerated screech and took off running down the road. Andi had to lean on her sword to keep from falling; her laughter was carried by the hot desert air.
After a few moments he stopped, his arms pinwheeling wildly as he struggled to maintain his balance. He turned and ran back to Andi’s side.
“Mike? What’s wrong?”
He breathed heavily for a few seconds. “There’s . . . three people . . . comin’ . . . walking
down . . . the road.”
Andi’s gaze followed his outstretched arm. In the distance she could see three people walking abreast, heading in their direction.
“You think it’s those guys?”
She shook her head. “Doubtful. And if they are—where’s the Monkeemobile?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t want to wait around to find out. C’mon, let’s split.” He grabbed her arm, but Andi stood firm, her eyes narrowing to barely visible slits as she focused on the approaching pedestrians.
“No, wait. They look . . . familiar.” She stared intently for a further five seconds, then let out a tremendous shout. She slipped her pack off her shoulders and shoved her sword into Mike’s hands, then took off down the road, running as fast as her legs would carry her. He watched her run for a few moments before depositing her belongings into the weeds and chasing after her.
As he drew closer the trio became more and more clear, and soon his shouts joined hers.
Micky, Davy, and Peter saw the two distant figures charging towards them; it didn’t take them long to figure out who they were—Andi’s flowing mane was a dead giveaway.
“MIIIKE!!” Peter cried. He threw his arms around Mike, who wheezed as the blond quickly squeezed every bit of air from his lungs.
Andi leaped into Micky’s arms. “Boy, am I glad to see you!”
Micky staggered backward, nearly losing his balance. “Yeah, you too! I think . . . ”
“’Ey! What happened to you two?” Davy said, looking at the various scratches and bruises which adorned each.
“Yeah, how’d you escape from those guys?” Micky said, setting Andi down gently.
Mike stuck his hands in his pockets. “Well, um . . . Andi pushed us over a guardrail.”
Micky laughed, obviously under the impression that Mike was joking. “She what?”
“I pushed us over a guardrail,” Andi said nonchalantly. “We fell down a hill and I guess those three idiots were too lazy to chase us. They drove off a few minutes later. Little too much to drink, I bet.”
“So what did you guys do all day yesterday?” Davy asked.
Andi and Mike shared a look of mutual amusement. “We . . . walked, mostly,” Mike said, winking at her.
“And when we got tired of walking, we found a nice grassy spot to sleep,” she finished.
“And that’s all?” Micky asked. He watched as Mike and Andi shared another amused glance. “It’s not. I can tell. You two kissed, didn’t you?”
We did a hell of a lot more than that, Micky, she thought, hoping and praying that she could contain the laughter that was threatening to burst forth.
Thankfully Mike came to her rescue. “Yes, Micky, we did. You got us. Bang. Can we not talk about this now? I would really like to get back to civilization, if you don’t mind.”
“Mike, where are my things? My sword?” Andi asked, suddenly noticing that his hands were empty.
“I left ‘em back there,” he said, motioning with his head.
“Well, would you mind getting them, please?”
“I’ll get them, Andi,” Peter said, taking off down the road.
“How did he hold up?” Mike asked, watching him run.
“Pretty good,” Davy replied. “He was convinced that you guys were okay. He said that if anything happened he’d know.”
Andi didn’t bother to suppress a smile. “Sounds like our Peter.”
A few minutes later Peter returned, panting from his exertion. He handed the sword to Andi and the pack to Micky. “’Tis the least I can do for you, mum,” the drummer said in a bad imitation of an English butler as he heaved the pack onto his shoulders. Andi reached up and unzipped her bag, burying her sword within it. “No sense scaring away our savior when he gets here,” she said.
The reunited group started heading down the road. Mike hung back slightly; in a few moments Peter dropped back to join him.
“Something wrong, Mike?”
Maybe that’s why Andi trusts him so much. He just knows instinctively when something’s hanging over your head. “Not really, shotgun. I just wanted to apologize for bein’ suspicious . . . of you and Andi. I should’ve known that you would never try to steal her away . . . guess I let jealousy get the better of me.”
“It’s okay, Mike. I should have realized how it looked . . . and how you would have felt left out. If you want, I won’t talk to her anymore.”
Mike’s head snapped up. “No! No, you don’t have to stop talking to her . . . it’s just that . . . I’d like to be clued in sometimes.”
“Okay, Mike, we’ll do that. I promise.” They walked for a few more minutes in companionable silence before Peter said, “I’m glad you’re not mad at me, and that you two are happy.”
“Me too, Peter. Me too.”
Micky, who was in the lead, stopped dead in his tracks. “Hey guys!” He pointed to a distant spot on the horizon, which could only be an approaching vehicle. Andi and Mike tensed, watching apprehensively as it drew near, but as it rounded a gentle curve in the road, they could see the pale blue color of the advancing car, and sighed with relief.
Micky jumped and down, waving his arms. “I think our luck is changing!”
On to Chapter Eight
Back to Chapter Six
Back to Infinite Rider main page
