‘I don’t care what it fuckingis, Jacob. All I care about right now is getting us home.’ She stood and began pacing up and down, trying to search for a solution amongst the tangled mess of her thoughts. ‘Maybe someone will drive past and help us.’
‘Uh-huh, because how many cars did we pass on our way here?’
One.
‘Could have been a quiet time of day.’
‘And how many have we passed on our way back so far?’
None.
‘Well, what thehellare we going to do, Jacob? What do you suggest? We sit here by the side of the road in the middle of fuckingnowhereand slowly dehydrate or get ravaged by wild animals?’
‘The way I see it, we only have one option.’
‘And that is …?’
‘You drive us home.’
Olivia’s jaw dropped.
‘You are joking, aren’t you?’
‘No. What other choice do we have? You won’t let me ride the bike, so … who else can?’
‘Erm, notme.’ She laughed. ‘I’ve never driven a motorbike. In fact, I haven’t ridden a normal bike since I was about thirteen.’
‘Olivia.’ He rubbed his forehead. ‘How many times do I have to tell you, it’s not a motorbike.’
‘And how many times do I have to tellyou, I don’tcarewhat it is. I’m. Not. Driving. It.’
‘Fine, let’s sit here in the dark and pray that someone comes past and saves us before some wild animal appears and decides it fancies us for dinner. We could play I spy to pass the time. I’ll go first, shall I?’
Olivia whipped her head round so fast her neck spasmed in pain.
‘You think this is funny?’
‘No, of course not.’
‘Good, because if it wasn’t for you and your stupid spontaneous trip and your irresponsible ideas about living life without any communication with the real world, then we wouldn’t be in this mess.’ The words spilled out of her, taking their aim directly at Jacob’s chest. She saw him flinch a little at their assault. ‘If you had just been a bit moresensiblefor once in your life, then maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess.’
Jacob’s face crumpled and his head fell into his hands.
‘I’m sorry.’ He peered up at Olivia with a look that made her heart ache. ‘I didn’t mean for this to happen.’
The sight of him sitting in the dust, head hung low and shoulders slumped, was too much to bear. She needed totake control of the situation and, as much as she was loath to admit it, it did seem like they had only one viable option left …
‘You’ll have to teach me.’
‘Huh?’
‘How to drive that thing.’ She nodded to the bike, which was now lying on its side. ‘And I won’t be going fast. In fact, I’ll be going so slowly that it’ll probably be quicker for us to walk back.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes.’
‘Thank you, Olivia.’ Relief visibly washed over him. ‘I promise I’ll be with you every step of the way.’
