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“I swear it,” she answered. “Thank you for making me drink this blue nonsense.” She grinned at him.
“Let me see your tongue,” he said with narrowed eyes.
“That’s a weird way to flirt.” She was laughing, but she stuck her tongue out at him anyway.
“Beautiful,” he said. “It matches your hair perfectly.” He stood and helped her to her feet. “Let’s go.”
They picked out whatever looked like some form of dinner at the gas station. Mostly, it was bagged snacks with a couple pre-made sandwiches. Heather grabbed four bottles of beer to have “for dessert,” and then the two of them headed out for the long hike back to the truck.
The whole way back, Cole kept checking in on Heather.
She found it both sweet and irritating at times, but mostly sweet.
She appreciated that he cared that much about her.
He even offered to carry her a few times, though she declined.
She already felt ashamed she hadn’t been able to make it to the gas station without getting sick, so she wasn’t about to admit defeat on the way back.
She did make sure to drink more fluids along the way, though.
The walk itself was gorgeous. The sun was setting the entire time, so the view across the desert kept drawing Heather’s attention.
It was a quiet walk, too, which was nicer than she would have thought.
Normally, she felt obligated to entertain her companions with casual conversation or humorous stories.
But with Cole, it was fine to just walk with him.
He didn’t force conversation, and it was a refreshing change of pace for her.
When they got back to the truck, Cole added the two cans of gasoline he had purchased and started up the engine.
Then he drove them to a turnoff just outside of a tiny town and parked.
At this hour, in such an out-of-the-way location, there was virtually no traffic.
There were even fewer lights, and with the flat landscape and dark night, the number of stars she could see was impressive. The sky itself was stunning.
Cole went into the back of the truck and pulled out a couple sleeping bags he had bought back when they were in town.
He really did think of everything. He laid them out in the bed of the pickup, and made a comfortable place for the two of them to sit and eat their dinner.
Though the meal itself was disappointing, the atmosphere could not have been more romantic.
The only unpleasant thought that kept nagging at Heather was that she still hadn’t spoken to her mom.
She knew her mom would want to hear her voice, to know without a shadow of a doubt that she was okay.
Cole had advised her not to call, and she understood his reasoning to a certain degree.
But at the same time, it was a minor risk she felt was worth taking.
After all, he didn’t know her mom. The woman was not going to spill their location to anyone. Stephanie Bennett was good at secrets.
Heather tried to remind herself that Cole just didn’t understand what it was like to feel guilty that someone was worrying for you, and how powerful the urge was to ease their minds, especially if the person worrying was someone you loved. He hadn’t even given anyone’s phone number to the police.
“Why didn’t you have any numbers to give to the police when they asked?” The question was out of the blue, for sure, but Heather was feeling comfortable enough around Cole to allow herself to be a little pushy. “Don’t you have any friends or family?”
“None that would miss me too much,” he answered.
“My family doesn’t do long-distance relationships, and I guess that wasn’t something they were willing to change when I moved out of the state.
They never call me. I never call them. I could be dead for weeks and they wouldn’t notice, so there was really no need to trouble them with my current situation. ”
Heather finished her last tater tot and crumpled up the paper bag they had come in. “Doesn’t that get kind of lonely, though?”
“It’s better than the alternative,” he said with a shrug.
“When I was serving, there was this feeling that anyone could go at any time. Maybe they’d be moved somewhere else.
Maybe we would go to war. I always knew if we saw combat that it would be better not to get too attached to anyone.
I’m loyal to them, just like they are to me.
Kevin is a friend from those days. But he’s not going to freak out if he doesn’t hear from me, and I can go years without hearing from him.
It’s just a safer way to get attached, I guess.
If you don’t miss someone, you can’t be heartbroken by losing them.
Because you never had them in the first place.
” He turned to her, apparently aware how strange his philosophy sounded. “Does that make any sense at all?”
“I guess.” Heather stared up at the sky and thought a moment.
“Is that how you’re going to feel about me, though?
Because I don’t do well in relationships where I go a long time without talking to the people I love.
I prefer to get used to someone being around.
I like to miss people when they’re gone.
It means they’re important to me. That’s how I feel about it anyway. ”
Cole leaned over and kissed her, quickly at first and then more deeply before he answered. “You’re the exception,” he said. “You will always be the exception.”