Disclaimers:
All mine. Female loving. No violence. Feedback good! :D
***
Darkness surrounded the landscape; nothing was visible except the occasional glimpse of flaring headlights. The air was thick with fog and something denser, a touch of dust. It was hard to see through the thickness and the driver of the small, red automobile had to clutch at the wheel with both hands and stare unwaveringly straight ahead. The blonde driver cracked open the window to allow a bit of air into the stuffy compartment, rubbing her eyes gently, trying to rub the tiredness out. She was running away. If asked, she probably wouldn't be able to articulate what from, but she was running nonetheless. Her job back home had become so stressing, so tiresome that she felt that one more day and she would explode. She decided to leave it behind before her body would make good on its threat. She wasn't planning on staying away forever though, so she simply left her boss with a little notice that she would return once her mind had time to cleanse. Deep down she knew her boss would only get mad for an instant, but then relent as he would reluctantly realize he'd been working her far too hard and long.
She'd been in need of vacation for some time and there was nothing like taking advantage of the moment. Then there was her family. They were always all over her, constantly demanding of her, constantly dreaming for her, constantly pushing and pulling in all directions at once. She'd had enough and it was about time she got away for bit from them as well. She loved them all to death, but not her own. And finally, there was the boyfriend. As though the family wasn't demanding enough, she had to answer to him as well. It had gotten to a point that everything became too much and the need to get away was almost overwhelming. Dreaming of escape at night, or falling into a deep abyss of despair didn't seem like the normal things that should cross one's unconscious mind, but then again, the unconscious was always full of surprises.
Now that she was on the road, driving forward with no destination in mind, she felt free. For the first time since kindergarten, she felt utterly and completely free. It was exhilarating and she took a deep breath of freedom's air, immediately regretting it when dust particles filled her lungs. All the same, the sensation was marvelous and she didn't have one ounce of regret concerning the trip.
The roads were mostly empty, only the occasional car would whoosh by her, illuminating the road for a moment than plunging her little car back into darkness. Looking at the street signs from time to time, she realized that she was gaining quite a distance from her home and a smile fought to break lose on her youthful face. She was literally giddy as she gazed in the rearview mirror, shaking her head at the silly smile plastered on her lips. Deciding she had had enough thoughts for the night, she decided to switch the radio on. Flipping through the channels she finally paused on one of her favorite songs, "All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You" by Heart. Tapping the steering wheel to the beat of the music, she began humming along with the singer's sultry voice.
Relaxing further into her seat, she loosened her death grip on the wheel and enjoyed the ride. She had gotten to such a state of relaxation that she barely had time to notice the dark figure standing on the side of the road. The figure was walking along the sidelines, zigzagging from time to time into traffic. The driver barely had time to slam on the breaks. Her car stopped mere inches away from the silent figure, now facing her. Without thinking, she threw the door open and stepped out, screaming at the indistinct stranger, "What is wrong with you?! I could have run you over! What the hell are you doing walking here in the middle of the night anyhow?" She was scared, her heart beating so fast that it was deeply lodged in her throat. She couldn't help but lash out though she figured the stranger might be even more frightened than her. Then another thought came to mind, what if he's drunk? What if he's a serial killer? Are you crazy? Get the heck out of here! Her inner voice admonished in alarm. When she was about to get back into her car and drive off, happy that the stranger seemed fine, her car door was grabbed by an unrelenting hand. She couldn't help but gasp aloud. Raising her eyes to the now slightly visible face, she breathed silently both in surprise and in slight relief. The face of one of the most beautiful women she'd ever seen revealed itself to her shocked eyes. She stood in front of the dark stranger mutely as the woman smiled at her, her blue eyes flashing. Even in the intense darkness, those blue eyes were still clearly visible.
"I'm sorry if I scared you, but I didn't hear you coming."
The driver gulped thickly, "It's okay, I'm sorry I almost ran you over and then screamed at you, I was a bit agitated."
The woman smirked, but not unkindly, "That's okay, I don't mind. Say, how about a little compensation, perhaps that would make you feel better?"
The driver paled considerably and the entire idea of her trip, which seemed so wise and wonderful a minute ago, seemed terrifyingly stupid then. Several scenarios and possibilities ran through her mind as her mouth refused to form the words to answer. The stranger noticed the driver's pallid features and hitching of breath and quickly reassured, "I'm kidding, I'm not gonna ask for something weird or crazy. I'm sorry for worrying you. I just want a ride, if you wouldn't mind."
The driver gulped again and licked her lips, "A ride?" she repeated pitifully.
Again, that smile appeared on the stranger's lips, "Yeah, just a ride. I'm not a serial killer, you know. My car broke down a few miles from here and that's why I started walking, in the hopes that I'd reach some town soon, or a ride would happen to pass by."
"Umm, well, you see, I have to be somewhere real early and I have to get going. I don't think it would be good for you, it's pretty far away." She was pretty sure she knew why she had lied, but she still felt uncomfortable with the fib. She wasn't used to lying and though the stranger seemed nice enough, you could never be sure.
"Well, I would love a ride to anywhere you wish to drop me. I'm in no hurry." The woman tried again, but when she saw the uncomfortable look on the little driver's face, she reluctantly relented. "Look, it's okay, I'll just walk to the next town, like I planned to do. Don't worry about it, you go on. Thanks for stopping to check on me though." She winked at the astonished driver, released her grip on her door and started walking away.
The driver was speechless as she got back into her car, shifted into gear and drove off. A few miles into the road, she pulled to a harsh stop and backed toward the walking stranger. Stopping right next to her, she pulled down the passenger side window, "Okay, I'll give you a ride to the next town, hop in."
The stranger smiled broadly, threw her bag into the backseat and jumped inside the car.
Both women were silent during the first minutes of the drive, and then it was the stranger who started the conversation, "Thanks. It would have been a real pain to walk to the next town. I saw a sign earlier that said 50 miles. That kind of depressed me, but what choice did I have, right?"
The driver simply nodded.
"I'm Ricky, and you are?" She introduced, extending her hand in greeting.
"Lynn. Nice to meet you." They shook hands quickly.