Kidnapped

Chapter 12

"Thank you, sir." Dave said and we stepped away from the police car.

"We'll have to walk." Dave said as we walked away.  "My car was parked near the van."

"Oh Dave!" I gasped. His truck! He'd parked it behind the van when we first got here. I'd completely forgotten about that! And now it was gone! "I'm so sorry!"

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm just glad neither of us was blown up." He told me. I still couldn't believe his truck was gone, though.

"Why didn't you ask the officer to give us a ride?" I asked.

"Because. My house isn't that far, anyways. And plus, what could be better than going for a midnight walk with the girl I love?" He grinned.

"A midnight walk. Sounds good to me. Maybe we can just forget about everything that's happened for a little while." I said.

"Sounds like a plan." Dave grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. "For now it can just be you and me and me and you. The stars above our heads and the cement beneath our feet and the dust on our skin. Nothing else."

"I like the sound of that." I said. "Except for the dust part." Dave let out a laugh.

We started down the street, quickly at first, mostly to get away from the dust and debris and everything that happened. But then we slowed down, taking slow steps and just talking, trying to forget. Eventually, Dave told me he knew a shortcut so we turned and started walking through a grass field.

"Do you remember that one time in fifth grade when the fire alarm went off and Mr. Terns jumped out of his seat and hit his head on the wall?" Dave asked. I laughed as the memory surfaced in my mind.

"Yeah, what about it?" I replied.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about it and it made me want to laugh." Dave replied. I was silent for a moment, the only sounds were our footsteps and the far away noise of the sirens.

"Why is it that you still manage to make me laugh during the worst night of my life?" I asked, a smile still on my face.

"I'm not quite sure." He replied. "Does it matter?"

"No, it doesn't. Actually, I was going to ask you to make me laugh again. It helps." I told him.

"How am I supposed to make you laugh?"

"Say something funny."

"Something funny." Dave said. I slapped his arm playfully, giggling.

"You know what I mean!"

"You know what I mean!" He mimicked me in a really high pitched squeaky voice.

"I don't sound like that!" I protested, giggling even more now.

"I don't sound like that!" Dave copied me again, this time stopping and crossing his arms over his chest and speaking in a valley-girl tone with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Stop it!" I said, trying to act mad but failing miserably when laugh escaped my lips.

"Stop it!" He repeated.

"I mean it!" I said, turning away from him and trying my hardest not to laugh.

"I mean it!" He echoed.

"Dave!" I turned back. He couldn't hold it in any longer. He burst out laughing. Then he tried to take a step towards me but slipped in the grass and fell onto his back. When he stood up, the back of his shirt was covered in mud.

I laughed, pointing at him like a child. "Ha! That's what you get!" I said. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, then took a step forward, this time slipping and landing on his front side. Now he was entirely covered in mud. I couldn't stop laughing. I was laughing so hard, I think I was crying, too.

"It's not funny!" He said, standing up again and stepping out of the mud puddle carefully.

"To me it is!" I told him.

"Oh, it won't be funny for much longer!" He said, suddenly jumping forward to attack me with a hug. I jumped backwards, barely avoiding him, then turned and ran as fast as I could, laughing all the while.

It wasn't long until he caught up to me; Dave was a faster runner that I was. I let out a little squeal as his arms wrapped around my waist and he turned me around, pressing my body against his muddy one.

"No!" I said, still unable to stop my laughing. Then he let go, and I stepped back, spreading my arms apart to see that I was now just as muddy as he was.

"Oh, you're gonna get it!" I said.

"And what is it, exactly, that I am going to get?" He asked, raising one eyebrow.

"I don't know!" I said after a moments hesitation.

"Well you know what I hope I get?" He asked, his tone playful and a smile on his lips.

"What?" I asked, smiling myself.

"This," He said before stepping forward and pulling me into a kiss. It took me by surprise, and for a moment I didn't know what to do. Then all I did was wrap my arms around him and enjoy the moment. When he pulled away, his eyes were still closed and he was smiling.

"It looks like you got what you hoped." I told him, grinning.

"Looks like I did," He agreed, finally opening his eyes.

"Come on, let's go." I said, grabbing his hand. He led the way through the remainder of the field, being careful to look for mud puddles. When we got back onto the street, I yawned as a wave of tiredness swept over me, trying to pull me into sleep.

"You're tired." Dave said.

"Really?" I pretended to be amazed. "What gave it away? The yawn, the droopy eyes, or the time of night?" I asked. Dave laughed.

"Actually, what gave it away was the way you're walking. You look like a drunk person." Dave said. "I sure hope a police man doesn't show up and tell you to walk in a straight line."

"Yeah," I said. A weak laugh came out of my mouth and then I started leaning against Dave as we walked. I felt like I was going to fall over from fatigue.

"Here." Dave said. He wrapped one arm around my shoulders and the other behind my knees. Then he was carrying me.

"Thank. . . you. . ." I said. I closed my eyes. I was drifting off into sleep now. I felt my breathing slow and my surroundings started to fade.

"I love you." Was the last thing I heard before I was swallowed into a deep, dreamless sleep.