After the Snow

Chapter 5 - Road Trip

Chapter 5

Road Trip

That necklace brought back so many memories, but it also brought back just how real my feelings for Anthony had been. He had been so sweet, so charming...There was just something about him that hypnotized me.

I put the necklace around my neck, unable to take my eyes off of it. It was just so beautiful. I swear I was acting like Gollum with that little thing. There was a reason I had put it away, but it didn't matter to me anymore.

Sighing, I looked back at my sleeping boyfriend. He was still passed out. Of course, because the one time I needed someone to talk to, he wasn't there for me. I loved him to death, but that was definitely one of his faults.

There was no way I was going back to sleep, so I closed up the box, put it back in its spot, and tiptoed into the living room. Both my friends were still dead to the world. I shook my head, cracking a smile. If I wasn't worried about waking them up I would've taken a picture.

I'm not sure why, but I felt the need for fresh air. I grabbed my jacket and shrugged it on silently, also pulling on my snow boots. It was probably freezing outside, I would regret this later. Just as I opened the door, I heard someone cough behind me.

"Where are you going?" Anthony asked, rubbing his eyes. I froze. Well, this would be awkward. Not only was I going somewhere in the middle of the night, but I was still wearing the necklace he had given me. Hopefully, he wouldn't notice.

"Just for some fresh air," I mumbled, running a hand through my hair. This seemed to wake him up more because he was on his feet in about two seconds.

"Not by yourself you're not," He deadpanned, quickly walking to the front door and grabbing his jacket. Anthony was still half asleep, so he had an incredibly sexy, husky voice.

Whoa, whoa, wait! Did I just think he has a sexy voice?! No, Bree! You have a boyfriend!

"Why not?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows. I didn't really mind, but it was a little strange that he would get up in the middle of the night just to come outside with me. There wasn't even a reason to go outside, I just needed some time to think!

"Because you're a pretty girl, and it's like, two in the morning." He answered, gently pushing me out the door. My heart fluttered. He called me pretty. I hadn't heard that in a while. Not that Scott didn't think I was pretty, he just wasn't good at expressing his feelings through words.

Since I didn't exactly have a response, I just pulled my jacket tighter around myself. We walked to my car, where I quickly got inside and turned up the heat. It was insanely cold outside, I was going to freeze to death.

"I thought you wanted fresh air?" Anthony asked, finally getting in after me. Well, crap...This probably looked a little weird. I blushed and looked down at my hands.

"Um...It was colder then I thought?" I said. It came out like more of a question, which made me blush harder. Anthony just laughed. "Buckle up," I muttered, pulling on a seat belt.

"Where are we going?" He asked, doing what I requested. I shrugged, having no earthly idea where we were going. All I knew was I wasn't tired, and I didn't want to spend the rest of the night stuck in my apartment. "Great, I'm being kidnapped."

"Hey!" I laughed, slapping his arm playfully. "You forced yourself on me, this isn't kidnapping." I drove down the road for a little while, trying to decide where to go. There wasn't really anything open at two in the morning, so I just got on the highway.

"You do realize we're headed out of town, right?" Anthony asked, looking at me strangely.

"Yeah, I know," I muttered. This could not have been more awkward. I was driving to who knows where with my ex-boyfriend who I was only just now reconnecting with in the middle of the night.

"I'm not going to rape you if that's what you're worried about." Anthony laughed, scaring me out of my wits.

Holy s**t did I just say that out loud?!

"No, I, uh," I stuttered, blushing furiously again. Eyes on the road, Bree! Anthony kept laughing for a good five minutes before he finally sobered up.

"Seriously though, is this whole 'gone for five years thing' really bothering you that much?" He asked, suddenly growing serious. I bit my lip. This really wasn't the time or place to talk about this, but then again, what was?

"It was five years, Anthony, not five months." I finally sighed. It was time to put my foot down. No more Mr. Nice girl. Wait, Mrs. Nice girl..? "That's not something you just forget about." Anthony groaned, running a hand through his hair.

"I apologized, what else do you want?!" He asked, throwing his hands in the air. I shook my head, he didn't understand.

"What part of five years don't you understand?!" I exclaimed, speeding up the car a little bit. That was something I did when I got angry while driving. Luckily, there was hardly anyone around.

"I know I can't make up for that, but I'm here now!" He exclaimed just as loudly. "I told you why I couldn't come back!"

"That's bullshit and you know it!" I screamed, slamming my fist down on the steering wheel. A loud blare of the horn sounded, making me slam on the brakes. Even if I was the one who caused the noise, it scared the hell out of me.

I'm not sure what caused the outburst, but it probably had something to do with all my bottled up anger. Things can only stay bottled up for so long. I sat there, not moving, taking deep breaths. I didn't start moving the car again until someone almost hit us.

"I don't want to fight," I muttered after what felt like forever. "I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated. Why can't you tell me why you were gone for so long?"

"But I am," He whispered. I spared a glance at him and regretted it. His eyes were filled with so much pain...But why? Could he possibly be telling the truth?

"Your dad told you not to come see me?" He nodded. "But, why? You were eighteen, you could've come to see me if you wanted." I guess that's what was bothering me the most. Knowing that he could've come to see me if he really wanted to.

"But he wouldn't let me," He sighed, obviously frustrated. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Eighteen is a legal adult, he can't make you do anything," I argued, sucking on my lip. It was something I did when I was mad.

"There's more to me then you can even imagine," Anthony muttered under his breath. Obviously, it wasn't meant for me to hear, so I didn't respond. What was there to say, anyway? There wasn't really a response appropriate for that. What did it mean?

Of course, my mind went back to the Santa thing. Wouldn't you want to know, too?! I didn't have the guts to ask, though, so I just continued to chew on my lip silently.

I drove on in silence, getting farther and farther away from my little apartment. Neither of us said anything, and I don't think either of us even cared. It was silent for about an hour before I couldn't stand it any longer.

"I forgive you." I blurted out. Where had that come from? I swear I was the worst at not thinking before speaking.

"Huh?" Anthony asked. I chuckled, shaking my head.

"I don't even know," I admitted, searching my brain. "I'm not mad at you for leaving, I guess." And I wasn't. I didn't have a reason to be.

"But you should hate my guts!" He exclaimed, but I could hear the smile in his voice. "I wouldn't blame you!"

"But you didn't do anything wrong...If your dad really wouldn't let you come, then there was nothing you could've done. Sure, you could've called, but I needed to move on. Life kept going, and I'm perfectly happy now. I have the perfect boyfriend, a perfect apartment, go to the perfect college, and now, you're back. I need to just be grateful for that."

Why hadn't I seen it before? Life had gone on, it was just me that was stuck in the past.

Anthony shook his head. "You're so smart, do you know that? Most girls would hate my guts for the rest of eternity." I giggled. That was probably pretty accurate.

"I try, I try." I turned down the heat, officially way too hot. We had been driving for about an hour, and I had the heat up at full blast. It was probably pretty dumb, but I never said I was that bright. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that I kept driving farther away from my home. "So why are you really back?" I asked.

Anthony hesitated, "Um, I finally got away from my father." He muttered. My gut clenched. Was that why he didn't have a family to spend Christmas with?!

"But why come here?" I asked again. Things weren't really fitting together in my mind.

"To see you, of course." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, but it almost gave me a heart attack.

"Um..." Once again, I had no response. He was really good at making me speechless.

"Can you pull over at that gas station, I'm hungry," Anthony said, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen.

"Yeah, sure," I answered, pulling into the parking lot. He gave me a smile before jogging inside. I decided to stay in the car, I didn't need anything.

It was nearing four in the morning by that time, and I was starting to get tired, but I wasn't ready to head home. I was making progress with Anthony, I wasn't about to give that up.

When the car door opened again, I jumped. Anthony sat back down, setting his two full bags of food in his lap.

"What all did you get?" I exclaimed, laughing.

"Just some stuff for later on," He shrugged, pulling some gummy worms from a bag. "Want some?" I shook my head and started driving again. Even though it was late, I kept going in the same direction. Maybe it was lack of sleep, but I just didn't have the sense to turn around.

Two hours later, Anthony was asleep and the sun was coming up. At that point, it really hit home that I was about four hours away from my apartment, and it was six in the morning, but I was just way to exhausted to do anything about it. Instead of turning around I pulled over and stopped the car, yawning.

I would just rest my eyes for a few minutes...