A/N Writing this chapter made me really really happy. It's just cheered me right up! Hope it does the same for you guys!!!

I've included some Carpenters lyrics, because I'm in a Carpenters phase at the moment, and they just seemed to fit!!! The first lot is from the song "Superstar" and the second lot if from "On top of the world"

Enjoy!

Chapter Six

"So what does it all mean

To try so hard to get the right words out"

Ray winced as Neela slammed the van door shut. "Ow, head," he mumbled.

Neela glared at him. "I can't believe you're making me do this."

"You said you would come with me," he said with a smile, trying to ignore her glares.

"But I was drunk at the time, also your fault. I didn't mean it."

"Well, you shouldn't say things you don't mean." He switched on the CD player, thinking the music would probably hurt his head less than Neela's nagging. He wasn't sure, but after a morning of quarrelling he was pretty sure he'd made the right decision. Neela slumped moodily against the seat, fastened her seatbelt and glared out of the window.

Their road trip wasn't getting off to the best of starts.

When Ray had called round the next morning, his bag packed and the van filled with "road-trip goodies" Neela had practically closed the door in his face. He'd spent the next five minutes knocking and shouting loudly in the hallway, until she let him in. Then he'd had to force his way into her room and start messily packing a bag for her before she couldn't stand it any longer and had packed one herself. It had been that or be dragged on a trip with Ray's version of packing which was a lot of lingerie and not much else.

Though Neela had to admit, now that she was sitting here watching Chicago go passed, she was secretly pleased. Of course she'd never let Ray know that, she knew only too well that if she let him off with this things would only get worse. But she was glad to be sitting there with him, even if he was humming annoyingly and drumming his fingers against the steering wheel.

"So," Ray said, a little nervously in case he got his head chewed off, "You excited?"

Neela tried not to smile, but glancing over he saw the corners of her mouth turn up.

"Ooooh!" he exclaimed, "You are, aren't you! You're excited! Aha!"

Neela cursed inwardly. He would never let her get over this, she could hear him now "I was the one who cheered you up".

"Alright, alright," she said, trying to calm him down, "Yes I am a little excited. But only because I've never been to California. And I'm looking forward to seeing Brett."

Ray paused, "Brett?"

Neela glanced sideways at him. And burst out laughing at the look of surprise on his face. "You're face is a picture!"

"Hey, I'm meant to be the immature one, I'm the one who does the teasing," Ray said with a mock pout.

Neela felt her heart flip. That pout. He was so scrummy. She often found herself just looking at him and thinking "Wow. You're hot."

"Wow," she felt herself saying, before she could stop herself. "You're... um, you're right. You are immature..." She knew she was blushing badly, but she hoped he wouldn't notice as he was driving. She couldn't believe she'd nearly said he was hot. Now that was something he really wouldn't ever let go.


They stopped at a road-side café, like all those ones she'd seen in movies, and ordered coffee.

"But you don't even like coffee," Ray had said.

"Yeah, but that's what you do in these places."

He gave her a look as if she was slightly crazy, but shrugged. Then he got his map out and started getting all excited. "We could go to Salt Lake City, and San Francisco, oh or we could go to Las Vegas."

Neela smiled at his excited face. She was pretty sure getting suspended wasn't meant to be this much fun. But of course he was excited, he was getting to see all his best buddies again after months.

Of course she didn't realise that he would include her in that list. Ray was happy to be seeing Brett and the guys, he knew they'd click back into their old routines. Neela though, that was what he was most excited about. He was getting to spend the next two weeks with Neela. There was no way out of this, he wasn't coming back to Chicago until he'd told her how he felt. And if she ran away again well, that was just a risk he had to take. He had to know now. But he'd put a bit of effort in first, try to smooth over the cracks, fix their friendship back up. Then, maybe just maybe, there'd be less likelihood that she'd run.

"We'll go through Las Vegas, you have to see Las Vegas. It's immense."

"Immense?" she said with a laugh.

Ray raised an eyebrow, "I can say immense."

"Ri-ight, you going to revert back to calling everyone Dude now that we're seeing Brett?"

"Might do," Ray said sulkily. When he glowered at her Neela stuck her tongue out. "Right come on, let's go. We're going to have to find a Motel anyway, may aswell cover as much distance as we can before then."

When they were back in the van Neela fished around in her bag, before pulling out a CD. Ray paled, "No way, what is that?"

"You'll have to let me put it on to find out."

"No, I don't want to know that badly, I can guess. I don't want to listen to your music Neela, your music sucks."

She gave a mock-shocked look, but she knew he'd protest. She also knew she'd wear him down. "Come on, just this one CD and the whole rest of the journey you can have yours."

Ray paused. He knew she was lying. She'd make him put other CDs on too, or change the radio station. But there was those eyes looking at him. Everyone always accused him of having puppy-dog eyes, but Neela was just as bad. In fact, he noticed she was even fluttering her eyelashes at him.

"You're fluttering your eyelashes!"

"Am not!" she said, "But if I was would you let me listen to my CD?"

Ray sighed, "Fine, put it on." He tensed as the first few lines of guitar came out. But it wasn't that bad. Not his cup of tea, as Neela would say, but it was alright. "So who is it?"

"The Carpenters. Come on, you must have heard of them?"

Long ago, and oh so far away, I fell in love with you before the second show...

Ray cleared his throat and tried to concentrate on driving rather than the lyrics.

"Ray? Have you heard of them?"

"I... what?"

"Oh never mind," Neela said, puzzled. She chewed thoughtfully on a gummi bear. "So um... is Katie working?"

"I think so," Ray said quietly, his body frozen. Why had she brought Katie up? He supposed it had only been a matter of time, the last Neela knew he and Katie were a happy couple. "We broke up. That's why I was in the bar that night." Well, that had been one of the reasons.

"Oh Ray, I'm sorry."

"No it was... it was alright." He smiled, "I guess we both deserve some fun this week huh?"

"Yeah, we really do. But I hope Brett's apartment doesn't have as thin walls as ours had," Neela said, jokingly. Then she wanted to hit her head against the dashboard. Why on earth had she said that? There were so many things wrong with that sentence. First of all she had referred to their apartment like they'd been married or something, and then she'd brought up Ray's antics with various groupies. Now he knew that she'd heard. And she'd suggested that's what they'd be doing this week, in a way that hadn't suggested any of the jealousy she knew she'd feel if he did bring some girl back with him. It was a really really complicated situation. On one hand, she didn't want him to think she liked him, it would make everything weird. But on the other, there was always a tiny hope she had in the back of her mind that he might like her a little bit too, and she didn't want to put him off.

If she could have, she would have held her head in her hands in despair. What to do, flirt and possibly make a fool of herself, or leave well alone and pretend like she wasn't interested and possibly miss her chance. Of course that was a very small chance. No, Ray didn't think of her that way. There was no point even bothering with flirting. She was being stupid.

"Yeah. I better phone him when we get to the Motel."

"Don't tell me you haven't phoned him?"

"Um... of course I have," Ray lied smoothly, "I just want to check on the thickness of the walls."


Later that night they were sitting on their beds, flicking through the limited range of channels. Though it was an extortionate amount to get two single rooms it had been the same amount to get a double as a twin-bed. So unfortunately Ray's movie-inspired plans of them sharing a double bed hadn't quite gone to plan. But at least they were sharing a room.

"So Neela, I... look, I just wanted to..." Come on Ray, get a grip of yourself, just tell her. "I... wanted to tell you... I haven't called Brett."

He winced as he felt her glaring at him. "What?"

"Well I didn't really see the point, and it was all a bit short notice so... It'll be fine though."

"It better," she said. "Because there is no way we're going to go all that way then end up back in Chicago."

Ray tried to see the good in this situation. He knew she was just being grouchy because she was tired and they'd arrived too late for the Motel's dinner buffet. But he couldn't help feeling that maybe she was angry at him, for some reason.

Then he heard a sigh "Sorry Ray, I shouldn't take this out on you. I'm just a bit pissed off at the minute. You ever get that, when you're pissed for no real reason?"

"Yes," Well, he thought he had, but it kind of seemed as though a lot of that had been based around his feelings for her.

She rolled over and faced him, "Come on, I've got an idea. Let's play poker!"

Ray grinned, he couldn't help it, he was just overcome with a happiness. "But we don't know how to play poker."

Neela picked up the pack of complimentary cards from the night stand. "Well, we'll learn. Or, if all else fails, we can play snap."

And the reason is clear its because you're near,

you're the nearest thing to heaven that I've seen,

I'm on top of the world