Road (Part II)

(Flashback: early autumn, 2013, continued)

Chloe and Rachel were fast asleep. Outside, birds were making their usual morning sounds. Peace and tranquility seemed to reign supreme.

Then suddenly, the alarm on Chloe's cellphone went off. Chloe was barely awake when she tried to buy herself and Rachel another five minutes in bed by hitting the snooze option on the screen. She missed, and the phone dropped on the floor, causing Chloe to curse her luck.

Chloe got out of bed, and picked the phone up. She suddenly realized it was almost seven o'clock in the morning. There was no time to lose. The pair had another five hundred miles to cover that day. Five hundred miles, to their new apartment in Los Angeles. It was closer than ever before.

"Wake up Rachel, we have to go, like now. I accidentally set the alarm for seven o'clock rather than six. Maybe we can grab a quick coffee and a sandwich, but we will need all day to get to Los Angeles. The traffic in the city could be really bad, I think."

"I'm still thinking about last night, Chloe. It felt so good. You were so tender. Our bodies touching. But you're right, we need to hurry now. We can't keep our new life waiting, can we?"

Within thirty minutes the pair had left their motel room, eaten a sandwich at the small diner, taken a coffee to go, dropped off the key at the administrator's office and gotten back on the road.

"That was intense, Rachel. We're an hour behind schedule, and in this truck, we're not likely to be able to regain it. I can try pushing a little harder but I don't want to risk breaking the engine, or something. Then again, I can't wait to get to L.A. so we'll just have to figure out what we need to do."

"We'll have to remember to call the landlord, and Max, in case we're going to be late. I hope today's drive will be a little less eventful than yesterday. I mean in terms of meeting any more people like douchebag Johnny."

"He's not an easy one to forget, I suppose. Hah! Look, Rachel, that community over there is called Maxwell. All I can say is, I hope Max is well. You should text her, Rach."

"I love that weird looking grin on your face, my dear Chloe. And I'm texting her now. Are… you… Maxwell? Let's see if she gets it!"

"This is fun, Amber. Another fifty miles and we'll pass by Sacramento. While you are busy texting anyway, can you let my mom know where we are?"

"I'm so hungry. We're gonna stop at the next fuel station, Rachel, and get fuel for the truck and something to eat for ourselves. We haven't eaten anything in hours, and I'm thirsty too. Do we still have some water left?"

"This is the last. Here Chloe, you need it. Take it all, I'll be fine. How do you feel? Tired, yet?"

"A little bit maybe. But since you are not allowed to drive, I'm gonna have to keep doing it. Look, that sign says there's a fuel station a few miles from here."

Not much later Chloe had refueled the truck and both her and Rachel were sitting in the burger restaurant right behind the fuel station.

"I'm not really supposed to be eating food like this, but I think I can take a two-day break from my diet, Chloe."

"I need this burger, Rachel. I mean, I love doing the same diet you are doing, but from time to time I have to grab myself a snack. Especially because we stopped doing drugs and stuff, which is a good thing. I miss mom's cooking already, but this burger isn't too bad."

"Your cooking wasn't so bad either, C. You and your mom worked together really well those last weeks in Arcadia Bay. And I'm glad you let me help occasionally. It was fun with you and my future mother-in-law."

"Rach, I needed to practice. Remember about my potential job? Can't be a waitress at some diner if you can't cook at all. Mom taught me so much in such a short time. It was awesome to learn from her and just talk, you know, talk without arguing."

"I'm still trying to get used to the idea that you would even consider such a job, Chloe. But I like the idea. I'm still looking for something myself. Perhaps we can look together for something that I can do once we are settled in? Maybe we can even work at the same place? I don't want to be sitting around anymore, doing nothing. I don't want to feel useless anymore."

"Hold on right there, Rachel. Don't do that to yourself. I need you with me on all of this. You were not useless, you were… no… you are still recovering from what happened to you, you were in no condition to work. And I won't let you if it's not good for you."

"I realize that. And thank you Chloe. But we still have to have a serious talk, recovery or not. There are some things that I need to tell you, things we haven't discussed yet. We've skirted around certain issues for a while. We have talked a lot but I want us to start in L.A. with a clean slate, as much as possible."

"It'll have to be later this week, miss A. I'm not exactly in the mood for serious talks right now. I don't want to avoid them, but getting us to L.A. is the priority now. I've waited so long for this. Please don't take this the wrong way."

"Of course, Chloe. I understand. I'm glad you're open to the idea, that's all that matters. And I think we should get back to the truck, if we still want to make it on time."

"Oh no. Rachel, look at that, the engine has overheated. I'm gonna have to pull over."

Chloe stopped the truck at the very next opportunity, a picnic spot near Pyramid Lake. She looked under the hood, and almost immediately saw that the engine coolant had completely run out.

"It was such a bad idea to try and make up for the lost time this morning, Rachel. I pushed the truck too hard, even when I said I wouldn't. Now we have a leaking radiator, and all the coolant is gone. Fuck, we don't have any spare coolant with us. We should look around for other people who might be able to help us. There are cars parked right over there, let's head that way."

"We're less than fifty miles away from our goal, Chloe, our apartment. We could be there in an hour and a bit, depending on the traffic. It's half past eight now. If we find help quickly, we could still make it there before ten o'clock."

"Call the landlord, Rach. He needs to know we're gonna be late. And text Maximus Prime, let her know we'll call her in the morning. Damn, I was so looking forward to seeing her tonight. But she can't wait around our apartment forever, UCLA might not be far away, but she still needs to get back to her room safely."

"I'll do that. And another thing, Chloe. Do you know where we are? I mean, do you realize where we are?"

Chloe looked at Rachel and wondered what she was talking about. Of course Chloe knew where they were, Pyramid Lake, that's where. Stuck with an overheated engine, a leaking radiator and no coolant.

"Los Angeles County, Chloe. This place here is already part of Los Angeles County. We are in Los Angeles County, right now. I mean, we're not home yet, but in a sense, we already made it. Should we celebrate?"

"You can kiss me if you want, Rach. I mean, anytime."

Chloe just loved kissing Rachel. With her, there was always a chance that even the slightest kiss could turn into wild burning desire, and lengthy make out sessions, even in public. There was something special about this girl who seemed to be able to make Chloe do almost anything. They embraced tightly, and let themselves go for a few minutes.

"That was… something else… again… Chloe, I'll never get enough of it."

"Same here, miss A. Let me catch my breath. Better. Look, there's someone there. Let's ask them if they can help."

Chloe and Rachel walked over to a couple sitting at one of the tables near the lake. Chloe addressed them.

"Excuse me. We don't mean to intrude or anything, but we got an overheated engine and were wondering if you had any coolant with you? We can pay for it, if needed."

"I'm very sorry, miss", the man said. "I don't think we have any coolant with us. And also, I think that people like you shouldn't be in public doing what you did, even if there are no children around here right now."

"What's that supposed to mean", Chloe said. "Doing what? What are you talking about?"

"We are very accepting. But that doesn't mean we approve of it. You really should keep that same sex stuff to yourself. Do what you want in your own house, but don't make out in public, it's offensive, and it sets a bad example."

"Seriously, what the fuck? How exactly is it offensive for two consenting adults to kiss each other? How is it a bad thing to show people that you are in love?"

Chloe did her best to try and keep her composure, because she knew Rachel was watching her. And she didn't want the situation to devolve into yet another shouting match. But to Rachel it was very clear that Chloe would not be able to keep that pretense up for much longer. She took Chloe's hand and pulled her away from the scene.

"Let's go, C. Don't mind them. And I'm sorry. We'll run into many nice people, I promise. Don't let those two, or yesterday's douchebag Johnny, cloud your view of California. I mean, this is about the best state you and I could live in. Imagine if the two of us were from rural Alabama or Kentucky, we'd have to keep our love secret, or get out. But we have to remember, not everyone is entirely accepting of people like us, even here."

"I get it, Rachel. But we still got that coolant problem. Though there might be a solution. We could use some water from the lake. It's risky, though. With water, the boiling point will be lower, and it might corrode the inside of the engine and destroy the water pump. That's what David taught me. But I don't want to wait around for some emergency service. I mean, we could try and call, but how long would it take?"

"I agree, Chloe. And it's really hot how you know so much about car engines. All the guys are going to be jealous of me, that you're with me and not them. You're hella smart. If you get the water, I'll call the landlord."

"Rachel, we've left the I-5 S. We were driving on it since Salem, almost all the way from up north to here. This road, the I-405 S will take us to West Los Angeles, home. But tell me, Rach, Hollywood? Bel Air? Beverly Hills? Santa Monica? I still can't believe we're going to live near those places. Can we even afford it?"

"Chloe, I showed you the figures. We won't be living in the areas you mention, just near them. I think we can afford the rent, long term. We've got the Blackwell fund, and my dad prepaid our rent until the end of next year. We have some time to figure things out, and establish ourselves, find jobs, everything. And we have no debts, remember?"

"I know, I know. Just my insecurities coming to the surface, I suppose. I mean… this city… it might overwhelm me. I'm not street smart, Rach. I'm going to have to learn so much. This is not Arcadia Bay, and even there I struggled. I'm glad you're with me, though. And you know, we're about to drive past UCLA. Max is likely back there already. If it weren't so late, I'd go over and visit her right now."

"It's really a shame that we couldn't make it on time. At least the landlord said he'd be waiting for us. It's past ten o'clock already. The only real advantage is that there are no traffic jams in the city at this hour."

"We can visit Max anytime, or have her visit us. It's only a few miles away from our place. But she has classes tomorrow, I understand she couldn't wait for us. Did she respond to your text message?"

"She did, actually", Rachel said. "Just a few minutes ago she sent this. "If you're Chloe to be late, I promise I will try not to Rach when we next meet". Don't get mad, Chloe, but she sent a lot of emojis with that text. I have to admit, it's funny."

"Maxipad's going to hear about that. You don't mess with Chloe Price."

Chloe tried to deadpan when she was saying it, but ended up laughing along with Rachel. The two continued some random small talk until suddenly Rachel started shouting excitedly to Chloe.

"It's here! Stop here, Chloe! Stop the truck! This is the apartment building where we are going to live! And there, an empty parking spot!"

"Holy shit, Rachel. Hold my hand, I'm seriously tripping balls now. Do we have all our things?"

"Just a moment, angel. I'm trying to call the landlord."

"Alright, sorry to interrupt."

"He's coming down, our apartment is on the third floor. Look, I think that's him."

A middle-aged man approached Chloe and Rachel. "Excuse me, my name is Adam Richardson, and I'm the owner of this building. I'm looking for miss Rachel Amber, James Amber's daughter?"

"That's me. And this is my girlfriend, Chloe Price."

"Alright. Welcome to Los Angeles. If you two ladies will follow me. Your father, James Amber, has instructed me to show you the apartment. You'll be happy to know that we have received the payment for the rent, enough to cover the rest of this year, and all of 2014 as well. Your father must consider you to be really special if he's willing to do such a thing for you."

"You don't know half of it. But Chloe and I are happy to be here."

"You two came all the way from Oregon, if I understood correctly. At least, that's what your father told me. I used to go to school with him, you know. But ultimately, a legal career was not for me."

"It's cool that you know my dad. And this here is our apartment?"

"That's right, number 359. Do you want me to open it or does either of you want to do it?"

Chloe started whispering to Rachel. "You do it, Rachel, because I'm way too nervous. I might drop the key."

Rachel then took the key from Adam Richardson, and proceeded to open the door. "Let's go inside, Chloe. Take my hand."

"As you can see, ladies, this is the living room. I personally think it looks really good, but if you want to redecorate, feel free to do so, as long as you stay within the terms of the lease agreement."

"No way, Rachel. This is a fuckin' palace. I can't believe it. It's like… you know… are we princesses now?"

"The apartment is not that big, but it does look nice, I agree", Rachel laughed. "It will suit us very well."

"I'm glad you two like it", Adam Richardson said. "I'll show you where everything else is. The kitchen, the bathroom, the toilet, the bedroom and a spare room you could use for a study or a guest room if you like."

Near half past eleven Adam Richardson left the apartment, leaving Chloe and Rachel alone there for the first time.

"The pictures didn't do this place justice. It's amazing, Rachel. There's a few things I would change, but overall I'm overwhelmed."

"And it's our home now, Chloe. You realize that? You and me? We have a lot to arrange in the coming days, that's true, but we are here. I'm sorry I made you wait three years."

"Not now, Rachel. Instead, look at this! The bath looks even better than the one in the motel, we'll have a lot of fun in it. And we also got the bed we wanted. I mean, I'll miss my old bed, for sure, but I think this one will serve us really well. But can I sleep on the left side? I'm kind of used to that."

"Is that all we're going to do on that bed? Sleep? I thought you were thinking of certain other things too."

"Oh, hella yes, Rachel. But now, I'm so fucking tired. I just hope both of us can sleep peacefully here, this first night. I'm still trying not to freak out about all of this."

"You're right, Chloe. We should go to sleep. But it would make me feel better if you had your arms around me. I need to feel you."

(Present time: 2019, continued)

Chloe, Rachel and Max returned to the Amber apartment after spending much of the day at the Santa Monica pier.

"You two are still living here, in this apartment, after all these years. And I'm so glad to be with you, whenever I can", Max said. "I remember when I first came to visit. It was a week after the two of you arrived in Los Angeles."

"We couldn't make it on time, Max", Chloe said. "I guess we made you wait. I'm still sorry about it."

"That's alright, Chloe. I was happy that you and Rachel had made it. And I guess that it gave you the opportunity to get settled in".

"That's true, Max. Chloe and I had a lot to do. But we were so happy to see you. Chloe even forgot about mentioning your text message, the one you sent as a reply to our Maxwell text."

"I'm not gonna say it, Rachel. Max knows how I feel about emojis. But I've said that often enough. Max, when did you say your next exhibition was?"

"Next week. I'm in a project with someone you might remember, Victoria Chase. Maybe I forgot to mention that? It's really interesting to work with her, our styles are different, but complementary. And I don't deny that it helps that her father has a publishing company. We're getting some nice reviews already.

Kate Marsh is coming over too, Victoria is busy helping her with another children's book. I think it's their fourth collaboration. Kate's probably the most famous of us all, right now. Everyone loves her books. And Victoria has changed, a lot. Or maybe she was always like she is now, and the events of the past merely removed her shell. I hereby invite both of you to visit our exhibition."

"Absolutely. Rachel and I will come to see your latest Max-o-rama, I'm looking forward to it."

All three young women laughed hard at Chloe's pun for Max's work. Life seemed to be smiling at all of them.

PS

Chloe and Rachel are in Los Angeles, at long last. And this means their story can start for real.