You were in the front seat of a semi waiting for the trucker you were riding with to pull over at the next truck stop. You didn't know three months ago you would be hitchhiking through the south with no real destination. Really you just wanted to be anywhere but where you belonged and this seemed like a good way to do that.
You pulled over at a gas station and the driver got out so you slipped out of the passenger seat and walked through the doors and into the small station. There was a slightly bigger woman in the store behind the counter. You sat at one of the far tables. Some bikers were in the main area and you watched them interact. They laughed and hung around the store and you waited to see if there would be any other truckers.
A few hours went by and not another truck came through. The bikers began to leave and it was just you and the woman in the store. She leaned back and locked eyes with you and then began to walk over and sit in front of you. "What's your name?" she asked sliding a bottled soda across the table. You told her and sipped on the bottle.
The two of you began chatting up a small conversation and you looked over your shoulder at the man walking in. "Thomas! Meet my friend y/n." The woman said gesturing to you. You leaned back in your chair as the man approached. He stuck out a hand for you to shake and you smiled.
He was very tall, well over six feet. He had dark curly hair and a dark piece of material covering the space around his mouth. "Hello Thomas." you smiled. He seemed surprised by your gesture. "So y/n what are you waiting around here for?"You cleared your throat and sat up a bit. "Well I was waiting to catch a ride with another semi but it doesn't seem likely for another one to roll in any time soon." You said a little disappointed, not sure what you were going to do.
"You could always just some stay with us. We don't live far from here and you could come back to the station with me tomorrow." Luda Mae said. You thought about it for a second, these were complete and total strangers but then again you did hitchhike and travel with strangers all the time. "You know what, as long as I'm not a bother that would be lovely." you said with a smile.
You climbed in the truck between Thomas and Luda. It was a bit uncomfortable due to the lack of space and Thomas didn't seem to know where to put his arm, he kind of hovered it above you, like he was afraid to touch you. "It's okay." you said putting your hand on his arm so he would relax it and giving him a smile. He met your eyes and it seemed as though he was smiling beneath the mask.
You arrived at an old farmhouse. "Oh it's beautiful." you exclaimed popping out of the truck. As you walked to the front door a man came out and stared at you from the porch. "Who did you two bring for dinner." A shocked expression came over Luda's face and she went to say something until you marched up to the man and reached out a hand, "Y/n sir, nice to meet you." you smiled. This made everyone stand still until the man shook your hand in return and a sigh of relief came from Luda.
You helped with dinner and peeked over your shoulder every once in a while to send a smile to Thomas who sat at the kitchen table watching you work with Luda. She excused herself from the kitchen for a second and you leaned against the counter and looked at Thomas. He seemed nervous. You took a few steps toward him and he leaned back in his chair.
"Thomas do you not like me?" you asked. He didn't respond. "Well I think we could be very good friends, don't you think?" you asked. He tilted his head forward a bit. "Don't you want to be my friend?" you asked lowering your head a bit closer to his and placing your hair on the back of his chair and one on the table. He nodded quickly after gulping.
"Good because I'd love to be your friend." you said teasingly in his ear and straightening up, returning to the counter as Luda walked back in. Thomas was tense and couldn't take his eyes off of you for the rest of the night. You were sure he was going to become a very good friend of yours if you chose to stay.