Chapter Twenty-Six
The orange arrow next to the tank gage rides on empty. Sam taps the glass above it, hoping it’ll move to full.
“Ugh, check the map under the seat. When’s the next town?” he asks, frustrated.
Melody leans forward, her hands blindly groping under her seat until she finds the side of the torn up map. Her fingers trace out the blue line they have been following on the map.
“Take exit six, there’s a small town nestled in the mountains down there,” she informs as she pushes the map back under the seat.
Sam nods, sticking his arm out the window as watches the exit signs on the side of the road.
Melody sighs, pressing her head against the clean window of her car; she’s been watching the white line on the side of the road blur past her for hours now due to the fact the only scenery is asphalt and farms.
Sam’s eyes bounce back and forth between her and the road. “Hey, you ok?” he asks.
Melody rolls her head to look at him; the dry desert landscape behind him brings notice how pale his skin is. “Yah, I'm just tired.”
Sam frowns, reaching across his seat and grabbing her knee. “Melody, you can’t lie to me, I know you too well; there’s something wrong. What is it?”
She shrugs; flicking the plastic slates of the AC vents back and forth. “I'm just thinking about everything, you know?”
He just nods, staring out the bug splattered window as he slides the wheels of the car onto the off ramp. Sam smiles at the sight of the gas station sign. “I'm gonna fill up. You wanna run into the minimart for something caffeinated?”
The car shakes across the gravel and jerks to a stop next to one of the gas pumps. Melody pops the little knob on the top of the door, unlocking it before stepping onto the hot asphalt.
“I’ll be right back.” She throws her hair into a ponytail as she strides into the store.
A round, middle aged man sits behind the counter of the minimart, his thick thumbs pushing the glossy pages of a Sports Illustrated, his eyes only giving Melody a quick glance as she makes her way to the back wall.
A fly buzzes pass her, landing on her sticky skin for a few seconds before she swats it away. She pulls on the dirty metal handle of the glass freezer door; it makes a suctioning sound as she yanks it open. Her fingers grab two frost covered cans of Energy X, a fruity drink with about five thousand calories and enough caffeine to keep you awake for three days. Her feet tap against the yellow linoleum flooring as she makes her way to the check out.
She places the cans on the counter as a bushy eye brow rises above the bikini covered magazine. The man puts down the magazine; his hairy fingers reach out for the cans.
“Eight fifty,” the clerk behind the counter sighs lazily.
She slides two five dollar bills across the counter, telling him to keep the change as she walks back out into the blazing sun.
Sam is leaning against the side of the silver car, his eyes shut and his face angled up toward the sun, soaking up its rays. A silver scar above his brow shines in the sun light, catching Melody’s eye as she leans against the door next to him, holding the iced can out for him.
“I'm sorry,” Melody apologies.
His head snaps down at her. “What for?”
He takes a can from her, pulling the tab, letting it slowly fizz out before opening it the rest of the way. Melody uses her now free hand to reach up and trace the scar on his forehead out with her cold finger tip, sending goose bumps across his forehead.
“For Jet… when he had you tied up… that’s when I realized I really had been blind to who he really is. I'm sorry I let it get that far.”
Sam sighs, running his hand across the back of his neck, growing tired of her apologizing to him constantly. “Can we not talk about it, please? I know you’re sorry, I’ve forgiven you, if you haven’t already noticed,” he walks around the driver’s side door, Melody turns on her heels to look over the top of the car at him as his fingers grasp the handle. His eyes squint in the sun light as he looks at her. “I love you Melody, but every time you bring it up, or apologize, it makes me wonder whether or not you’re still looking for my forgiveness, or if you’re trying to convince yourself of something.” He stares at her for a moment before sliding into the car.
Melody nods, slipping into the passenger seat. “No… you’re right. I need to stop and forgive myself.”
She stares out the window, which is now free of bugs thanks to Sam who cleaned it off; a tumble weed rolls across the pavement in front of them. Sam leans across the seat, pressing his lips into her temple.
“Please do,” Sam says as he bumps the key until the engine starts up.
……………………………………..
Night falls upon them like a soft blanket of blue and black. Sam stretches his legs out at the rest stop parking lot while Melody walks back to him from the restroom
She brushes her wet hands on her pants. “My whole life I have never been at a rest stop that actually had some sort of paper towels.”
Sam laughs, grabbing her damp hands and using his shirt to dry them. “I'm tired so how about we just spend the night here?”
Melody laughs, looking around the empty parking lot, one street lamp flickering above them. “So someone can just smash a window and kill us in our sleep? I don’t think so.”
“They’d kill me. I’d make sure they didn't kill you,” Sam assures her.
She laughs, nestling her head into his chest as she lets out a tired sigh. “Fine! But if I die, I'm suing you.”
He kisses the top of her head before turning around and climbing into the car. He pushes the driver seat back, locking the doors as Melody climbs into the back seat.
She finds Sam’s leather jacket underneath his book bag, curling the leather up into a makeshift pillow before pressing it against the window and laying her head upon it. She closes her eyes, listening to the dull hum of the street lamp above her and the soft ruffling noise of Sam crawling over the seat to her. She keeps her eyes shut, too tired to talk to him at the moment.
Sam’s arms slip around her waist, pulling her from where she rests against the window, holding her against him.
She moans, scrunching her nose up in disapproval. “Sam I’m sleeeeeeeeping.”
He drapes this jacket across her shoulders, squeezing her tight. “No, you’re talking. You will be sleeping soon, but not until I get comfortable.”
Melody’s hair falls across her face, blocking out the light as Sam kisses the top of her head.
“Ok, I'm good. You can sleep now,” Sam announces before he starts to drift off to sleep.