Consumed

“Okay, jump on in then,” said Stephen. He opened the back door of the tow-truck so his new passengers could climb aboard. Dan was first in, followed by Hayley and Charlotte. Stephen closed the door behind Charlotte and climbed into the front seat.

The engine of the tow-truck kicked into life as he wound down the window to talk to Joel, “So we’ll be back in about thirty minutes. You guys just hang tight and don’t go anywhere.”

Joel nodded.

“Thank you,” said Lara. She felt as though someone should say it and it was clear Joel wasn’t going to be the first in line to offer up some thanks for reasons unknown to her.

“My pleasure,” Stephen smiled. “What kind of human being would I be if I had just left you guys stranded?” He gave Lara a wink as the tow-truck pulled away from the conked out van.

“What was all that about?” Lara asked Joel.

“What?”

“You were rude. They’re helping us out and you were rude.”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“You were a little bit,” Michael chipped in.

“You know what, I don’t want to hear from you — this is your fault. Go for a walk, or something,” Joel told Michael.

“What’s wrong with you?” said Lara. “You’re like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde… One minute all nice — sweet even…”

“When was that?” Michael asked.

“The next, you’re back to being a bastard!” she finished.

“I’m tired,” said Joel, “and I don’t trust them. There’s something about them. Had we all gone with them — they’d probably have called one of their friends to come and take anything of worth from the van… It’s in the papers all the time, that sort of crime.”

“Well I don’t know what papers you’ve been reading,” Lara said. She turned her back on Joel and climbed back into the van. Once in, she laid down on the row of seats at the back.

“Shit,” Joel muttered. He had only just made it up with Lara, he didn’t want to ruin things again. Especially if he had any chance of fixing their broken relationship.

“What’s going on between you two?” Michael asked, picking up the mixed feelings between them.

“Just give us a minute,” said Joel. He walked over to the van and clambered up onto the seats in front of where Lara lay. He closed the door behind him to ensure Michael didn’t follow. “I’m sorry,” he told Lara. She didn’t reply. She just laid there, on the back seat, with her eyes closed. “Did you hear me?”

“Yes. Two apologies in one day. You must be coming down with something.”

“I meant what I said earlier,” he told her. He kept one eye on Michael to make sure he wasn’t listening to the private conversation but he needn’t have worried for Michael had turned his attention to throwing stones across the road. “I know it’s too late and the feelings aren’t mutual but… I do… I do still love you.”

“What do you want from me?” she asked without so much as moving. “Am I supposed to leap up and profess my undying love for you? Are we supposed to pick up from where you dropped us, as though it never happened? The two of us together forever? Back to boyfriend and girlfriend, married with kids before we know it… Live a long happy life, growing old together whilst watching our children continue in our footsteps… Starting their own family? Is that it?”

“What if I said yes?” he asked.

“What? I don’t have time for your games,” she moaned.

“Not a game. What if I said I did want to marry you? What if I told you that all this time, without you… I’ve been miserable. I know you have too… The time apart just made me realise how much I loved you… Helped by seeing you today…”

She opened her eyes to look at him, “You’re being serious?”

He nodded, “Marry me.”

“Do you know how ridiculous you sound?”

“I don’t care. We’ve wasted enough time.”

“We?”

“I…”

“We can’t get married,” she told him. “We’re too young for starters…”

“My folks got married early. They’re still together.”

“And mine are divorced so that must tell you what I think about the institution of marriage.”

“We could get engaged at least,” he pressed — desperation oozing from his voice.

“Do you have any idea how you are sounding at the moment?”

“I’m sounding like someone who is in love. Look, I want you. I know that now. I’m sorry for leaving you. I truly am. If I could take it back I would. Honestly. But I can’t. I just need for you to forgive me and say you’ll give it another go… That you want to give it another go…”

“And what if I don’t want to?” she asked.

He paused.

“What if I said okay to us getting back together and then you went and dumped me again? Do you know how much that hurt? How many nights I cried myself to sleep? Any idea?”

“It won’t happen again, I promise. I swear. You’re the one I want. We were great together, you know we were. And we’re meant to be together. If not then you’d have met someone else. Or I would have… But neither of us did, in the time we weren’t together. Come on, a speed bump, that’s what it was. We just need to get over it. I won’t let you down again. I won’t hurt you again.”

Lara sat up and rested her back against the back of the seat.