Chapter 17: Thank you

Laura got into the passenger seat and closed the door looking to the side. She wasn't 14 anymore, she was 18, but she felt like a kid again, when she was in school and had those little crushes on boys, but didn't want them to find out. That's the only way she could describe it anyway.

Paul didn't mention it again, he could tell she was uncomfortable and he hated that. He was always laid back, sure he did get shy around women every now and then, but he always used his sense of humor to lighten the mood and make people feel relaxed.

He started the engine and looked at her. "Here we go, hope you're ready for a long drive." He said and turned the wheel looking back and backing out of the driveway.

"Road trips can be fun." She shrugged and laughed a little looking at him.

"You're low on gas, by the way." She said looking at the ticker right above E.

"Really Columbo?" He chuckled as Laura looked at him and shook her head.

Paul pulled into a gas station, the man filled up the gas tank and they were on there way.

Laura turned up the volume on his CD player as Paul moved her hand away turning it down. She looked at him confused. "Sorry…?" She said confused.

He laughed. "As much as I love music, why don't we just talk?" He asked glancing at her then back at the road.

"Works for me. What to talk about?" She asked looking outside the window to the side.

Paul started to ask a question as Laura blurted "So what's going on with Ashley?"

He looked at her in confusion and shrugged.

"Ok-ay…touchy subject?" She mumbled feeling awkward.

He shook his head. "No, not really. I just don't know whats going on with her anymore, and to be honest I really don't care…" Usually he'd laugh or chuckle a little, but he didn't. She knew he really meant it.

"So what exactly happened with your parents?" Paul asked, he had heard some from Sara but he wanted to hear it from her.

"We weren't that close to be honest, but I was still heartbroken when I got the call that they were in a car accident, they were both in a coma for days, Dad passed away first and Mom shortly after." She said starting to feel emotional.

Paul could tell, "I know how it is…" he sighed a little, remembering his brother Daniel.

"So how are you holding up with the traveling and new job?" Paul asked wanting to learnmore about her.



"It's fun…a lot of fun, but theres so many stuckup people in that lockeroom, many of the divas and the top stars…the traveling is awesome though, I normally don't mind it. This is my first actual full-time job actually." She smiled.

They kept talking, sharing stories, interests, history on their families and lives.

Once it reached 10 pm, Laura yawned and layed her head back in the seat. "God..how long as it been?"

"We left around 12 pm so around 10 hours, give or take." Paul said, squinting out on the dark road, his eyes feeling heavy.

"Paul do you want me to drive?" Laura asked, yawning for about the tenth time in the past two minutes.

He shook his head. "You're too tired, you'd fall asleep at the road or something." He laughed and kept his eyes on the road.

"You mean sorta like how your eyes are closing?" She laughed. "Give it a rest…lets just stop for awhile."

He looked around. "We're in the middle of nowhere, no hotels." He pulled over into an empty lot anyway.

She shivered a little feeling cold. "Doesn't the heater work in this thing?" She asked shivering again.

"Nope…have yet to have that repaired, I'm cheap." Paul laughed. "You should've brought a coat." He said climbing into the backseat and handing Laura his coat. She wrapped it around her and smiled.

"Thanks Paul…" She said softly and turned looking at him in the backseat.

"You shouldn't have to lay in the front, come back here." He patted the seat as Laura got up climbing into the back.

"Theres not that much room…." She said still holding Pauls coat around her.

He laid down up against the seat and pulled her down. "There is." She laid in front of him as he put his left arm around her and grabbed a planet with his right arm pulling onto them.

"You comfortable or would you like a pillow?" He asked with a chuckle.

"A pillow would be nice, but since it doesn't look like we bro…" She started to say as Paul pulled his shirt off from underneath the blanket.

He put it behind her head resting the shirt against his chest so that her head could lay on it.

"That works too." She looked up at him and smiled as he looked down at her with a grin.

"Thanks Paul…" She whispered feeling her eyes start to close.



"No…thank you." He said softly, she wondered what he meant but she fell asleep before she could even bother asking. Paul ran his thumb over her forehead and fell asleep a few minutes later.