Runaway Bride, chapter 6
Tre and I climbed onto the bus. We handed the driver our tickets, and Tre led me to a seat in the very back. There were two other people on the bus: the man with the beard from the bus station, and a kid who looked like he had to be about fourteen years old. I wondered if he was running away like we were.
The bus started up and drove off. Tre was looking out the window silently. I wondered what he was thinking about. Listening to him talk about his band, I had realized how I knew almost nothing about what his life or he had been like before he had met me. I really wanted to talk to him about it, but I had no idea how to start.
As if he had read my mind, Tre turned to me and asked, "So, what was your life like?"
I was too shocked to answer. "What?"
"You know, what did you do every day before...this happened."
"Um...well..." I had wanted Tre to answer that question so much, I hadn't even thought about how I would. "I had a job. I was a receptionist at a hospital..."
"Sounds really boring."
I gave him a look. "It wasn't. It was actually a really good job, the only one I could get while I was studying to become a nurse."
"Why did you want to be a nurse?"
"I don't know. My mom is one, and that's what they always wanted me to be."
"What who always wanted you to be?"
"My parents."
"So?"
"So...what?"
"You don't have to be what they want. Why didn't you choose for yourself?"
I sighed. "I don't know, Tre, I guess that's how things worked in our family."
He held up his hands defensively. "Okay, okay, I was just asking."
"And I had a few good friends, and we'd go out to dinner or the movies or dancing a few nights a week, and most of the time I'd bring Caleb."
"That your husband?"
"Yeah."
He nodded. "You miss him?"
I was caught completely off guard. "What?"
"Do..you..miss..your...husband?"
"Tre, what kind of a stupid question is that?"
"A fair one."
"No, of course I don't miss him. The only reason I have to think about him is that he's the thing that is keeping me back from being with you the way I want to."
"How is that?"
"Uh..." I blushed slightly. "I want to tell all my friends from back home. I want to introduce you to my parents, and have them tell me you're the most wonderful guy they've ever met. I want to stand at the top of a cliff and scream 'I love Tre Cool' off of it."
He paused. "Oh."
It took a second for what I had just said to sink in.
"Oh my God...Tre...I didn't mean...when I said I love you, I meant...." I stuttered and wrung my hands. I must have looked like a complete idiot.
"It's okay." He kissed the top of my head. "I love you too."
My world stopped for a second. When my heart started beating again, I was aware of how awkward this was becoming. But then I smiled.
"Okay." I leaned against him, and he put his elbow on my shouder so he could play with my hair. "Your turn."
"My turn for what?"
"To tell me about your life."
"Well..." He cleared his throat and sat up in his seat importantly. I laughed. "My life was pretty much Green Day, every day. Making new songs, practicing songs, playing shows, driving to shows."
"You really loved it, didn't you?"
He nodded, his eyes distant. "It was great. When I was on stage, I just felt...." He stopped.
"Yeah." I pretended to understand, but I didn't at all. I had never really been good at anything, I had just led the kind of life my parents had wanted, and I had been happy in my ignorance of the rest of the world. I guess that was part of what made me run away with Tre: my chance to do something different.
It was then that we neared our first stop. I saw the sun was beginning to set as the bus stopped. The kid and the old man got off and Tre sat up.
"Where are we?" I asked.
"Hell if I know."
"I'm hungry."
He looked at me. "You are? Me too. Want me to get us something to eat before we start going again?"
"That would be stupendous."
Tre smiled and got off the bus. While I waited for him to come back, I wondered how long it would be until we got to California. I figured we had to have been on the road for a couple hours at least, maybe by morning we'd be there. I tried not to wonder if Tre really knew what he was doing by taking us there.
He returned a few minutes later with two sandwiches and two sodas. He handed one of each to me, and I grabbed the sandwich and began shoveling it into my mouth. I hadn't realized how ravenous I was, but it made sense. I hadn't eaten anything since my wedding dinner except that candy bar, which I had puked all over the side of the road.
Tre laughed. "It's okay, it's not going anywhere."
"I'm hungry." I said unneccesarily between bites. I finished my food, and so did Tre. The driver returned to the bus, and I realized that no one else was getting on the bus, and it would only be Tre and I until we got to California. Tre seemed to have the same thought, and he looked at me and smiled. I was glad not to have to worry about other people for a while.
The bus started again, and neither Tre nor I said anything for a while. It got darker and darker as the bus drove on. I felt Tre slipping his hand under mine, but I didn't think anything of it until he brought his face to mine and kissed me on the mouth.
I pulled away. "Tre, are you out of your mind? Someone's going to hear..." But I didn't have a chance to say anything else before he cut me off with another kiss. It dimly occured to me that I should protest more, but I couldn't, not when he was kissing me like that. We kissed again and again, each one becoming more and more passionate. Tre slipped his hands under my shirt and ran them over my back, my stomach, my breasts. My skin felt like it was on fire where he touched it. I brought my hand over my mouth to stifle a moan. I positioned myself onto my knees and brought my leg over Tre's. I pressed my knee gently into his crotch, making him moan loudly. We both looked guiltily at the bus driver. He didn't turn around, but we both knew that there was no way he couldn't have heard it. We both giggled, and I felt like a little kid who's been caught doing something wrong.
That pretty much ruined the mood, and I sat back down next to Tre and leaned against him. He kissed me on the cheek and put his arm around me.
"Good night, beautiful." he whispered.
"Night, Tre." I fell asleep before I could ask if we were there yet.
The bus started up and drove off. Tre was looking out the window silently. I wondered what he was thinking about. Listening to him talk about his band, I had realized how I knew almost nothing about what his life or he had been like before he had met me. I really wanted to talk to him about it, but I had no idea how to start.
As if he had read my mind, Tre turned to me and asked, "So, what was your life like?"
I was too shocked to answer. "What?"
"You know, what did you do every day before...this happened."
"Um...well..." I had wanted Tre to answer that question so much, I hadn't even thought about how I would. "I had a job. I was a receptionist at a hospital..."
"Sounds really boring."
I gave him a look. "It wasn't. It was actually a really good job, the only one I could get while I was studying to become a nurse."
"Why did you want to be a nurse?"
"I don't know. My mom is one, and that's what they always wanted me to be."
"What who always wanted you to be?"
"My parents."
"So?"
"So...what?"
"You don't have to be what they want. Why didn't you choose for yourself?"
I sighed. "I don't know, Tre, I guess that's how things worked in our family."
He held up his hands defensively. "Okay, okay, I was just asking."
"And I had a few good friends, and we'd go out to dinner or the movies or dancing a few nights a week, and most of the time I'd bring Caleb."
"That your husband?"
"Yeah."
He nodded. "You miss him?"
I was caught completely off guard. "What?"
"Do..you..miss..your...husband?"
"Tre, what kind of a stupid question is that?"
"A fair one."
"No, of course I don't miss him. The only reason I have to think about him is that he's the thing that is keeping me back from being with you the way I want to."
"How is that?"
"Uh..." I blushed slightly. "I want to tell all my friends from back home. I want to introduce you to my parents, and have them tell me you're the most wonderful guy they've ever met. I want to stand at the top of a cliff and scream 'I love Tre Cool' off of it."
He paused. "Oh."
It took a second for what I had just said to sink in.
"Oh my God...Tre...I didn't mean...when I said I love you, I meant...." I stuttered and wrung my hands. I must have looked like a complete idiot.
"It's okay." He kissed the top of my head. "I love you too."
My world stopped for a second. When my heart started beating again, I was aware of how awkward this was becoming. But then I smiled.
"Okay." I leaned against him, and he put his elbow on my shouder so he could play with my hair. "Your turn."
"My turn for what?"
"To tell me about your life."
"Well..." He cleared his throat and sat up in his seat importantly. I laughed. "My life was pretty much Green Day, every day. Making new songs, practicing songs, playing shows, driving to shows."
"You really loved it, didn't you?"
He nodded, his eyes distant. "It was great. When I was on stage, I just felt...." He stopped.
"Yeah." I pretended to understand, but I didn't at all. I had never really been good at anything, I had just led the kind of life my parents had wanted, and I had been happy in my ignorance of the rest of the world. I guess that was part of what made me run away with Tre: my chance to do something different.
It was then that we neared our first stop. I saw the sun was beginning to set as the bus stopped. The kid and the old man got off and Tre sat up.
"Where are we?" I asked.
"Hell if I know."
"I'm hungry."
He looked at me. "You are? Me too. Want me to get us something to eat before we start going again?"
"That would be stupendous."
Tre smiled and got off the bus. While I waited for him to come back, I wondered how long it would be until we got to California. I figured we had to have been on the road for a couple hours at least, maybe by morning we'd be there. I tried not to wonder if Tre really knew what he was doing by taking us there.
He returned a few minutes later with two sandwiches and two sodas. He handed one of each to me, and I grabbed the sandwich and began shoveling it into my mouth. I hadn't realized how ravenous I was, but it made sense. I hadn't eaten anything since my wedding dinner except that candy bar, which I had puked all over the side of the road.
Tre laughed. "It's okay, it's not going anywhere."
"I'm hungry." I said unneccesarily between bites. I finished my food, and so did Tre. The driver returned to the bus, and I realized that no one else was getting on the bus, and it would only be Tre and I until we got to California. Tre seemed to have the same thought, and he looked at me and smiled. I was glad not to have to worry about other people for a while.
The bus started again, and neither Tre nor I said anything for a while. It got darker and darker as the bus drove on. I felt Tre slipping his hand under mine, but I didn't think anything of it until he brought his face to mine and kissed me on the mouth.
I pulled away. "Tre, are you out of your mind? Someone's going to hear..." But I didn't have a chance to say anything else before he cut me off with another kiss. It dimly occured to me that I should protest more, but I couldn't, not when he was kissing me like that. We kissed again and again, each one becoming more and more passionate. Tre slipped his hands under my shirt and ran them over my back, my stomach, my breasts. My skin felt like it was on fire where he touched it. I brought my hand over my mouth to stifle a moan. I positioned myself onto my knees and brought my leg over Tre's. I pressed my knee gently into his crotch, making him moan loudly. We both looked guiltily at the bus driver. He didn't turn around, but we both knew that there was no way he couldn't have heard it. We both giggled, and I felt like a little kid who's been caught doing something wrong.
That pretty much ruined the mood, and I sat back down next to Tre and leaned against him. He kissed me on the cheek and put his arm around me.
"Good night, beautiful." he whispered.
"Night, Tre." I fell asleep before I could ask if we were there yet.
