Yelina glanced at Horatio as he drove. It was hard to take her eyes off of him. There he sat next to her with his hair blowing slightly from the rolled down window, his sunglasses hiding his eyes, and his lips set tightly. Everything about him seemed so surreal. If this was a dream, she wanted to sleep forever and ever. She was with him now and that was all that mattered—everything else was insignificant.
As she sat there, watching him, she recalled the last time they had ridden together. He had been driving her and Ray Jr. to the airport—not knowing that she would have to leave him there, alone. The entire ride there she remembered that happiness she had felt. The complete happiness she felt then had been hard to keep from overflowing. She had thought of her and Horatio barefoot on the beaches—in pale moonlight—talking about random things, swimming in the fresh waters to cool off from the unkind heat, maybe even Horatio and Ray Jr. could do some fishing, and they would all be happy…
“Horatio,” Yelina asked, shaking her head to try and rid herself of those hopes.
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and glanced at her for a moment. She could tell, even with his sunglasses hiding his eyes, that perhaps he had been thinking the same things as her.
“Mm-hmm?” he answered, swallowing hard.
Yelina placed a blowing strand of her hair behind her ear and tried to control her breathing but it still came out shakily. There was so much to say, she didn’t know where to begin. Everything was just so boggled up right now that her emotions ran of edge.
“Why,” she began, finding the words came out quieter than she had planned. “Why didn’t you come with us?”
Horatio frowned sadly at this question and concentrated on the road in front of him. There was so much hurt in her voice he wanted to be careful with his answer. He knew, after a moment, that there were no right words—only words that were truth.
As she sat there, watching him, she recalled the last time they had ridden together. He had been driving her and Ray Jr. to the airport—not knowing that she would have to leave him there, alone. The entire ride there she remembered that happiness she had felt. The complete happiness she felt then had been hard to keep from overflowing. She had thought of her and Horatio barefoot on the beaches—in pale moonlight—talking about random things, swimming in the fresh waters to cool off from the unkind heat, maybe even Horatio and Ray Jr. could do some fishing, and they would all be happy…
“Horatio,” Yelina asked, shaking her head to try and rid herself of those hopes.
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and glanced at her for a moment. She could tell, even with his sunglasses hiding his eyes, that perhaps he had been thinking the same things as her.
“Mm-hmm?” he answered, swallowing hard.
Yelina placed a blowing strand of her hair behind her ear and tried to control her breathing but it still came out shakily. There was so much to say, she didn’t know where to begin. Everything was just so boggled up right now that her emotions ran of edge.
“Why,” she began, finding the words came out quieter than she had planned. “Why didn’t you come with us?”
Horatio frowned sadly at this question and concentrated on the road in front of him. There was so much hurt in her voice he wanted to be careful with his answer. He knew, after a moment, that there were no right words—only words that were truth.