Ok so he shouldn't have drugged her. And he certainly hadn't expected her to down that coffee all in one go. But it was hard to feel guilty when she was snuggled up in his arms. She was finally safe. He rested his cheek against the top of her head before heading towards the propped open back door. He pushed it outwards looking back to the table. There was still a lot of food on their plates next to the cash Street had hastily left behind. The alley was cool and shaded and parked at the end near the front door was Chris's truck.
It unlocked automatically as they passed and Street had a last minute change of plan. He had to be honest the plan had fallen apart the second she'd downed that coffee. Her truck was closer than he had managed to park. She was meant to be able to walk with him to his truck to fetch the bottle of whiskey.
He placed her in the front seat of her truck, grabbed the keys from her pocket, and slid into the drivers side beside her. He lent across buckling her in and adjusting her to make it like she had just fallen asleep. He couldn't quiet believe he had just kidnapped her. Never mind his job, he could go to prison for this one.
He set off finding the byte point of the foreign car. Passing his own truck he headed for the other side of town. He glanced over at her sleeping beside him. The fact he had resorted to tempting her here with alcohol had left him with little hope for their meet up. He had wanted to come up with a way to get through to her, and he had wracked his brains trying to think of something. The problem was that she was a runner and no matter what he thought of, he was terrified that it wouldn't be enough to convince her to come back to him. One coffee date was never going to be enough. This was the only way to make it longer.
How had they got to the place where she would only meet him for a bottle of whiskey. Bargaining with her had filled him with regret, like he was somehow betraying the years of friendship they held.
Now he didn't know how he felt. He told himself this was for her own good, he was trying to save her and he couldn't do that if she ran off again. He could tell she was only really coming for the drink. It's why he'd left it in the car, he was hoping she would become too tired to drive when they arrived at his truck, and he would offer to drive for her. Instead she'd downed it and there was nothing he could do. There was nothing subtle about drugs taking hold and nothing subtle about the headache she was going to have when she woke.
Part of him was glad she was out at the moment, the silence combatted his biggest fear about this moment. This way he didn't have to field her questions about where they were going or see the look on her face when she realised what was happening. It was ok while she couldn't talk but as soon as she was wake she would be able to protest. He would have to restrain her to keep her with him, and he wasn't sure he had the stomach for it.
It was the only way, he told himself again. He threw another look her way as he slowed to a stop at the traffic lights. She was still sleeping and he assumed she would be for a while yet. He studied the side of her face. The bruising had faded and although her cheek bones were more pronounce she was his Chris so much he had to stop himself reaching out to touch her. Soft skin, dark eye lashes, her longer hair; she just had to be Chris again. He ached to have her back.
The lady in the car next to him gave him a half smile as their passing glances connected. Street gave her a half smile back before pulling off with the changing light. Suddenly dejected Street thought about what the lady had witnessed. The truth of their situation couldn't be further from what she had assumed.
They weren't a loving couple, and while he was staring at her with love there was so much more pain and confusions between them. Neither of them knew how to make sense of it. It scared Chris. She was feeling all these feelings as if it was the first time. Street knew she was panicking. He'd just known what she was going to do. He knew her so well it hurt. He knew that while she would have run, it wasn't what she wanted, not really. He just had to find out why she felt like she couldn't come back. And that was going to take some time. Time they didn't have any other way.
He was going to give her the time she needed to confide in him; and she was going to be pissed about it.
