Strip found himself creeping further and further above the speed limit as he drove along the empty highway. There was no one else around to stop him from getting in a hurry, as it was mid afternoon on a weekday. He slowed down for what was probably the tenth time in the last half hour, and tried to take his time and enjoy the scenery. The road cut through a densely wooded area of the mountain range, and it was nice to look at, but he was admittedly distracted.
How far along this road was halfway? Where were they going to meet? He expected to see her around every turn in the road. It had only been a couple weeks since they'd last seen each other, but he'd become addicted to being around her. There was nothing else he'd rather do during his downtime than be with her. Sometimes he even felt he preferred it over racing.
Finally she appeared, They rounded a sharp corner at the same time and made eye contact. She smiled and slowed down as he slammed on his brakes and spun around into her lane to follow her.
"Where are we going?" she asked him as he pulled up behind her.
"Wherever you want." he let her decide. "There's a little town a few miles up this way. We can stop there if you want and figure it out."
That's exactly what they did. There was a single diner in the roadside town where they stopped for dinner. It was humble, but the people were friendly and the atmosphere was quiet- a perfect place for conversation.
"Feels like it's been a lot longer than a few weeks, doesn't it?" he asked as they got settled in.
"Yeah, it does." she agreed. "If I had some way of followin' you around all over the place without rackin' up a ton of miles you know I'd do it."
Strip smiled at her. "You know, if you really wanted to, I bet I could arrange somethin'. A private trailer or airfare or somethin'."
"Oh, I wouldn't make you do that." she appreciated the gesture, but felt it was much too grandiose. "But, you know, maybe in the future, if -"
The waitress came up to them and gave them their orders, asked if everything was fine, and then continued on her way. Once she was gone, Strip looked back at Lynda, wanting to hear the rest of what she had to say.
"If what?" he asked, taking a sip of the oil in front of him.
"Hmm?" she seemed to have lost her train of thought. "Oh, right. Well, you know, if we decide to get serious about all this."
She broke eye contact and looked down, like she was a little embarrassed for admitting how she felt. She still wasn't fully convinced he felt the same way about her as she felt about him, despite all the contrary evidence.
Strip couldn't help but smile. Make it serious? Sign him up for that any day. There was nothing he wanted more in that moment.
"Maybe I'm the fool then for thinkin' we were already there for the most part." he said, admitting his inexperience. "If I'm bein' honest, I'm not too familiar with all the formalities of dating someone."
"I guess that makes two of us." Lynda laughed a little, relieved. "Truthfully, I don't have a clue what I'm doin'."
They sat there and continued to talk the time away. They decided that, since neither of them had any better ideas, that he'd take her back to his hometown and show her around. She wanted to know what kind of place cars like him grew up in that made them so dang appealing.
They paid and left the diner, taking to the highway again. Before they reached the outskirts of his hometown, he remembered something and started to brake.
"Why you slowin' down for?" she asked from behind him.
"Come on, I wanna show you somethin'." he pulled off the highway and onto a small dirt road that she would have otherwise missed.
Through a bit of dense forestry, the road opened up into a nice grassy area on top of a bluff that granted them a wide open view of the mountain range. It was so secluded, even though it happened to be right off the main road. Lynda felt like she'd just gone through a portal into another whole world. The sun was starting to set, the light enhancing the multicolored leaves that time of year.
"I used to come out here and think a lot." Strip explained. "It always helped me rewind a little if I got stressed out."
"It's amazing!" Lynda was absolutely thrilled. "I've never seen anything like this."
After hesitating a moment, he looked over at her and suddenly felt longing for her, despite her being parked right beside him. What was he waiting for? He backed up and turned aside to look at her there, set against that magical backdrop. She noticed his movement and turned herself to face him, only to find him staring right back at her.
He went for it, suddenly unable to restrain himself any longer. She was surprised, but the feel of his lips on hers felt so right. She closed her eyes and let herself fall into it. After a few moments he pulled away slightly and looked at her.
"I've been wantin' to do that for a while now." he said, almost apologetically.
Lynda laughed a little, filled with nothing but love for this guy. For two kids that had no idea what they were doing, they were doing something right.
"Well don't stop now." she insisted, moving closer once again.
Later that evening he gave her a tour of his town. It wasn't big or important, just a humble small town. It was peaceful and happy, yet full of life. Everyone knew each other, and everyone knew him - not as a famous racer, but as one of their own. She loved it.
It was dark by the time they reached his house just outside of town. It wasn't anything extravagant, but it was nice. He had a tendency to use his earnings in practical ways. He gave her the brief tour of the place, and they went out to relax on the front porch for a while.
"Thanks for takin' me out today." Lynda eventually said, noticing it was late. "It was wonderful."
Strip knew she was considering leaving. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"How long are you gonna be in town for?" she asked, already starting to miss him despite not having left yet.
"I get a couple months off between seasons." he answered. "I don't have any plans to go anywhere."
"That means I'll get to see you more?"
"Of course! I wouldn't have it any other way."
They were silent for a few moments. She didn't really want to leave, and he didn't want to see her go. Goodbyes were always the hardest part, no matter how temporary they were.
"You know," Strip offered an idea, "it's pretty late and it's a long drive back to your place. I wouldn't feel right makin' you drive all that way by yourself in the dark. Why don't you stay here until the mornin'? Then you can leave. If you want."
"You wouldn't mind?" she asked happily.
"Yeah, come on. You know I have room." he led her back inside.
They settled in for the night in his bedroom, realizing how tired they both were. She snuggled up next to him as he turned the lights off.
"I love you." she said quietly, leaning up against him.
"I love you." he returned, watching her quickly drift off to sleep.
Tired as he was, he stayed up a little longer, feeling her sleeping there next to him. He'd never been happier, never felt anything so right in his life. This was a keeper.