In Every Universe

6

"Fine," Bright grumbles as he opens the door by the passenger's seat.

"I think you mean 'thank you.'"

"Kidnapping and theft are not things to be grateful for."

Win laughs. This fucking asshole.

He stirs the vehicle to the left and proceeds towards the highway.

"This is not the way home!"

Win turns on the car stereo. "You did say kidnapping."

"The groceries will go bad!"

"Please. Those are canned goods and a carrot."

Bright mumbles to himself and crosses his arms across his chest but Win notes that he also leans back on the seat - and he will take that as a sign that Bright has resigned to his fate.

It really should annoy Win how stand offish and childish Bright acted around him.

But the weirdness of the man was a welcome distraction in Win's life.

It was like a daily game - teasing Bright and cornering him into conversations.

Once or twice, he had caught Bright smiling and it felt like a prize.

The grief has waned over the last few months but of course it never disappeared. He had read that once before, that grief stays but changes in form. And he was living proof that was true.

He is thankful his has evolved from a thick black night into pinpricks of pain that sometimes attack his heart.

At least now there were moments of light.

And Bright would never believe it - Win hardly can - but all his childishness and his little games of 'I can't see you' have helped Win move forward by forcing him to feel things more than sadness - like perplexity, disbelief, and amusement.

He was sure this wasn't Bright's intent. He was certain the now sulking man was trying to push Win away.

And it may be alarming that it was having the opposite effect. Perhaps it meant Win's mental state was more askew than he thought. But it was what it was and Win couldn't deny that these small interactions were the highlights of his day.

And it may be pure delusion on his part but he could swear Bright liked him.
Sure, he was avoiding him and hiding from him and often times flat out ignoring him - and alright okay. Maybe Win should see his therapist more often.

But that is a problem for Future Win. Present Win wanted to drive off into the sunset and do something fun with this maybe-reluctant-maybe-not man.

"Where are you taking me and my food?," Bright grumbles.

"I don't know."

"Win, let's just go back to the store."

"No. That's not what I want."

Maybe it was his hyperactive imagination. Or perhaps wishful thinking. But Win swears he sees Bright soften.

"What do you want then?," Bright asks, head turned away from Win.

A fair question. It takes Win awhile to answer. "I want to scream. I want to curse the world at the top of my lungs."

Win waited for Bright's snarky retort. Waited for him to insist that Win turn the truck back around.

Instead Bright turns on the console above the radio and inputs words into the GPS.

Win startles but doesn't question the situation. He listens to the electronic voice and follows.