Away We Go

Chapter 8

SORRY FOR THE DELAY! School has been hectic. Anyways, enjoy this long chapter. Vote if you like it. It would really motivate me to post faster :) So uh, yeah. HAVE FUN

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I jolted awake from the intensity of the pain I felt on my right fist. I hurriedly sat up and snapped my head to the left to see Riley laughing at my antics.

"What just happened?" I asked sleepily while wiping my eyes with my uninjured hand.

"I think you just had one of those dreams where you became a kung-fu master again" she replied nonchalantly as she swerved the car, taking a left at the nearest entrance.

I sighed. "Why can't I be a kung-fu master in real life though? I don't want to have to sleep every time I feel like doing a flying kick" I said.

"Ha! Milo, I think you should learn how to change a tire before you pull every muscle in your body trying to perform kung-fu. At least you'll know your car won't break down in the middle of nowhere when you need to drive to the hospital afterwards" she quipped, clearly proud of her comeback.

"You're just bitter because I'm more interesting than you" I retorted.

"I highly doubt that" she answered with a sly smirk on her beautiful face.

I laughed before turning around to face the road. The skies were a navy blue and the wind felt chilly against my skin. The windows were rolled down so I stuck my head out, admiring the emptiness of the road. It felt like we were the only two people in the world, driving aimlessly without a destination or a cause. Everything slowly faded around me and I could only focus on the breeze caressing my face and the slow indie music in the background.

I felt fresh.

I felt young.

And I felt alive.

~

After stopping at a nearby restaurant to fill our empty stomachs, I offered to drive the rest of the way there. Riley, being completely exhausted, wasn't one to protest. I kept the volume of the music down low so it wouldn't overshadow the sounds of nature that occasionally filled the atmosphere. The slight hum of Justin Vernon's voice was enough to keep me awake and entertained as Riley slept in the back seat.

I smiled as I drove before realizing how little time I had left to enjoy all of this. It was a very subtle realization; just enough for me to turn the radio off so I could have a moment to myself. Now, it was completely silent and everything just came to a standstill. My life as I knew it was coming to an end and the person I chose to spend my final days with was completely unaware of that. I glanced at the rear view mirror to see her smiling in her sleep, probably having a good dream. I wanted to tell her. I wanted to say 'Riley, I'm dying' but how could I? And how would she even react? And how would I react if she was utterly indifferent to it? I won't tell her. I can't.

~

"Wake up, sleepy head. We're here" I whispered in Riley's ear. She stirred in her sleep before opening her eyes and yawning. I helped her up and she stretched. We got out of the car and I could see the confusion on her face as she looked around.

"Ta-da!" I exclaimed, holding my arms out to emphasise my excitement.

"Um, where are we?" she asked.

"The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium; where dreams come true" I chirped while making my way toward her. She furrowed her eyebrows at me as I walked circles around her.

"Milo, it's 2 in the morning. They're closed" she stated.

"Ah, see here, pretty girl. They may look closed, but they're actually not. It's just harder to get in, that's all" I answered before grabbing her hand and gunning towards the fence. I could feel how reluctant she was about the whole thing because she tried to pull back and stand her ground but I was too strong so she was basically dragged across the parking lot. Once we finally reached the fence, she yanked her hand from my grip and smacked me on the shoulder.