Driver

Part 22

The next day Idyn went out to the car ahead of Taki and was standing next to it waiting for her when she emerged. He smiled at her as she walked towards him. She returned it.

“Morning Taki” he said feigning a merely professional relationship. He opened the door.

“Morning Idyn” she said and slipped in through the open door.

Idyn shut the door and walked around the car. In the driver’s seat he turned and grinned at her “not so bad yeah?”

“It feels weird” she said.

His grin widened and he repeated her words to him on the first day they met he said “I know but you’ll get used to it.”

Taki laughed and Idyn got them on the road.

For the next week Idyn opened the door for her and Taki seemed to mind it less and less. Without undue conceit he was aware that the change in her attitude might have had something to do with the fact that it was him doing it but still it was an improvement. Towards the end of her sixth week in town Idyn asked her about what he saw as the next step. “Do you see yourself driving again?”

Taki looked up and met his eyes before looking away “I don’t think so” she said. Every time I think about it at all I see that poor woman hitting my windscreen. She closed her eyes as if she was seeing it right then and shuddered.

Idyn wrapped his arms around her “sorry” he said.

“No it’s okay” she said moving back to look at him. “Even if I can’t drive I feel much better about it and that’s due to you.”

“Thanks but I didn’t do much.”

“Yes you did” she said with a smile.

Idyn’s heart was pounding at the soft look in her eyes and before he could stop it he asked the question he had promised himself he wouldn’t. “Where are you working next?” he said and then swore. He sat up in bed and moved away from her. She had made no promises to him and he had no right forcing one on her.

“Hey, you’re allowed to ask” she said.

“No it doesn’t matter” he said.

She eyed him for a second “I’m working on the other side of the country once I’m done here.”

That was what he feared, damn it. “How long?” he said.

“Two months.”

“Right.”

“Right what?” she said.

“Nothing” he said getting up off the bed and grabbing some tracksuit pants he pulled them on.

“Hey” she said in a worried tone.

“Don’t worry about it” he said and he walked out of the bedroom.