My brows creased when I woke up.

Eyes still closed, I chill ran across my skin. I scooted closer to my source of warmth, snuggling into a toned body. I could faintly feel my knees touching other knees, my arms folding against a chest, and my head on a collar bone.

I was about to jam my fingers into Nick's ribcage when I caught a glimpse of his face. He was deep in his slumber, his eyebrows were drawn together slightly. A frown was etched into his features. I laid there and watched him for a minute, the way his eyebrows twitched together more every once and a while, or the way his eyes would move under his eyelids at times.

Then I remember I was practically tangled with him.

Quickly, I shoved my index and middle finger into his side. This was my first of many mistakes. Because I was tangled in his arms and legs, we both ended up on the ground, myself landing on top of him. My second mistake was not pulling back quicker. When I opened my eyes, my nose was basically brushing against the tip of Nick's. His grey eyes were wide, as he watched me with a shocked expression. Our breaths mingled for a moment, before I whipped my head back, and crawled off of him.

Nick sat up and spidered his fingers through his hair, his eyebrows drawn together in faint confusion. He mumbled, " Um... Morning Angel."

I caught myself thinking about the way his morning voice was a bit hoarse, sexy and cute all at once. I shook my head. oh hell no.

He yawned, flashing a set of white teeth, and stretched his arms above his head. His shirt lifted again, and I looked away quickly. I stumbled to a stand, and grabbed a pair of light blue skinny jeans and a dark grey, loose tanktop. I went to the restroom to change, hurrying out before he could start undressing.

When I caught sight of myself in the mirror, I was slightly horrified. My hair was a hot mess, my curls gone wild, and my cheeks were starting to turn pink with a mix of anger and embarassment. Shaking my head at myself, I pulled on my outfit for the day and raked my fingers through my blonde locks.

Opening the door, I leapt a foot backwards when Nick was standing right there. He smiled, his eyebrow lifting suggestively. Shirtless, with the string of his sweat pants undone, he held clothes for the day in his right hand. The loose waist of his pants hung low, revealing the top of his underwear line. I groaned, as he said, " i'm gonna use the shower."

I stepped to the side for him to go in, " be my guest."

He brushed against, his bare shoulder hitting mine. I shot him a death glare.

I gathered my things and left as he started to undress. Pulling some waffles out of the freezer, I popped them into the toaster and leaned against the counter. I heard the shower running, and sighed. Walking to the front of the van, I turned on radio, anything to distract myself from the thought of his underwear line and rather toned frame.

the shower turned off, and a few minutes later Nick walked out, his black hair wet and dressed in a new outfit, black jeans with a white t-shirt. He went into the bedroom, pulled on his boots, and grabbed his beanie. Throwing it on the dashboard, he looked over at me, " ready to head out Angel?"

I nodded, " yep. Want a waffle?"

" yes please." He answered, after turning on the engine and pulling off into the road.

I handed him two waffles and myself two waffles before falling into the passenger seat. It was cloudy out today, fog rolling off into the trees on either side of us, " where are we?" I asked.

" Should be somewhere around the corner of Colorado. We'll be seeing a 'Welcome to New Mexico' sign any minute now." He replied.

After we finished our waffles, I took out plates to the sink and fell back into the passenger side, buckling up, I watched as the mass of beautiful trees starting thining out to the point of being non existant. Now, it was sand and brown bushes scarring the landscape, the occassional cactus flying past.

A few miles after the sand started, I saw a light blue WELCOME TO NEW MEXICO, sign pop up. I swallowed hard, " Do you know when we'll arrive in california?"

" Should be in the next day or two. Fisrt we gotta clear New Mexico, then part of Arizona, and the final stretch will be going up California."

" okay cool, cool. So a day of driving should get us through at least two thirds of New Mexico?" I asked.

" We might be able to skip Arizona, or get through it in the same day as California. I guess we'll find out, huh?"

" yeah."

" how are you?"

" excuse me." I turned to look at him, eyebrows drawing together.

He shrugged, " i don't know, I thought I should ask."

I snickered softly, " I'm Good, Arson, thanks."

~~~

I grabbed my notebook from my bag, and sat cross legged on the couch. Opening it up, I started to sketch the van. Nick pulled over and sighed, leaning his forehead against his hands on the wheel, " Can I have a ten minute break, Angel?"

" yeah, sure." I mumbled, to lost in my drawing to truly pay attention.

Nick stood, stretching his arms out in front of himself, then sat next to me. He tilted his head, and looked at what I had conjured so far, " that's awesome. Where'd you learn to draw like that?"

I shrugged, " Just a lot of practicing." My voice was a mumble, as I laced my brows together in concentration.

Nick nodded, then stood again, and fished for a bottle of water. While leaning over to look around in the refrigerator, he said, " maybe you should go to college for drawing."

I continued to sketch, starting to shade the details of the van, the little latter on the backside, and the shiny metal V on the front. I answered, " College was made for me, Arson."

" Yeah, but drawing was." He smiled, then moved back to his spot in the driver's seat.

" Whatever." I mumbled.

It must have been thirty minutes later when Nick mumbled, " shit."

" what?" I asked, standing up and leaning on the back of his chair. I hadn't finished my drawing. heavy shading needed to be done, and I was satisfied with the design in the wheels.

He nodded towards the check engine light. I sighed, and mumbled, " fuck me." Before falling into the passenger chair and whipping out my phone, " i'll look up the nearest auto shop."

" Alright, sounds good."

I went to google, and used the location setting to have siri find me the closest auto shop to my correct placement. She replied that there was one ten minutes away, " Think we can last that long?"

" yeah."

~~~

Driving through the small city, we found the shop after a lifetime of confusing twists and enless round abouts. Once there, we packed our bags, throwing together a small cooler for food, and laid them on the bed. walking inside, we met with a man with olive skin and dark brown hair. He walked out of the garage and to the van, wiping his hands on a ratty rag, " what seems to be the problem."

" Check engine like flashed." Nick replied, standing next to the man while they eye'd the vehicle. His hands were in his pockets, his grey eyes were focused on our ride.

The man nodded, " alright. I'll give it a look. I'm jacob by the way." He smiled, " I'll be just a few minutes."

Jacob dug around the engine for a while, a bit over a couple of minutes, then leaned back with oil covered hands and a deep frown, " It's in need of some work, that's for sure. the engines a bit rusty, the coils are worn. And you're missing a pipe. From the looks of it, you need a whole new engine and pipe. there's no saving this baby." He patted the engine.

I could see Nick's beanie on the dashboard of the van. Nick ran his fingers through his drying hair, and asked, " How long will it take?"

" It'll take a few days to get the engine and pipe in, then a few more to repair it." Jacob replied, his hands on his hips.

Nick let another curse slip, before sighing and asking, " Do you guys sell cars here?"

" excuse me?" Jacob asked.

" Do you guys rent, or sell, any vehicles here? We need to get back on the road, pronto." Nick said, again, chewing at his lower lips as he devised a mental plan.

Jacob shook his head, " we don't sell anything here. But a few blocks down there's a car salesman who will make you a good deal."

Nick nodded, " alright. That'll work." Jacob gave us directions, and Nick turned as if ready to go. In a rush, I asked, " how much will this cost?" I could see the rain of bills in my head, and shivered.

" Not to much if you're lucky. I'm gonna say anywhere from $500 to $2000, depending on the engine and pipe needed." Jacob replied, with a sigh.

I let out a groan, " that much?" Nick put his arm around me, and turned to steer me away, " thanks sure, I'll leave the van with you and pay when I know the jobs been done right."

Jacob chuckled, " sounds good, sir. Oh, sir, before you leave, I'll need your name so I know who this belongs to. And your age."

Nick turned, and nodded, " yeah of course. Nicholas Arson, I'm nineteen."

Jacob nodded, finished writing in his notepad, and smiled, " alright, she'll be like new when you get back."

" thanks," Nick replied, then looked at me, " let's go get a car."

I looked at Nick like he was insane, but he just shrugged, " it's fine Angel."

We climbed into the van and grabbed our suitcases and belongings. Stocking a few snack foods and a cooler, and climbed out, ready for a the walk ahead of us.

~~~

" I can't believe you just left it there. What if he steals it?" I asked, my mind blown.

Nick shook his head, " he won't steal it."

" how do you know." I sighed, " oh my god, our ride, gone. Now what are we going to do?"

" buy a car." He said, matter-o-factly.

I shot him a death glare, " that's not what I meant."

He smiled, " I know."

The dealership loomed up in front of us, the whole building was windows and metal, glinting in the sunlight. I could barely make out the company name: Vertigo.

I sighed, as we walked along the rows of cars. When I turned around, I had lost sight of Nick. doiing a 360 degree turn, a motion that proved rather difficult with my stuff, I saw that he had gravitated towards a metallic grey mustang convertable, " Angel, I'm dying."

The car was beautiful, that wasn't up for debate. But the cost on that thing had to be out of this world, " Arson, no."

He looked at me, a wicked smile tilting his lips, " It will be mine."

He dropped his stuff, and grabbed his beanie from his bag, stuffing it on his head and making sure the batman symbol was straight. Then he was gone, off looking for the saleman who would give him this car.

When he returned, a man in a dark grey suite with blonde hair and a mustache was with him, " this is it."

Nick nodded, longing heating his eyes, " this is it."

" alright, she's all yours. I'll just need you to come in and sign off some contracts, and pay." The man said, his voice crisp like potato chips.

Nicholas nodded, and followed the man back before return with a pair of keys and a piece of paper. He jumped with joy, " This is awesome!"

When he saw my expression, he laughed, and starting putting his stuff in the car, " Lighten up angel, this trip just got a whole lot shorter so you should be thrilled."

I shook my head, but put my stuff in the back and got in. He licked his upper lip as he sent the roof back, letting in the New Mexico sun. starting the car, I saw him melt at it's purr, and couldn't surpress my smile. He drove out, his lopsided smile unable to be surpressed.

When we were back on the road, I had to be honest with myself. This vehicle was great. Once we were back out onto open road and free, Nick had it going fast and I was laughing as we rolled the windows down, and I through my hands up in the air because it was so free in open sky.

He laughed with me, as we enjoyed our new speed. When we slowed down, we ended up going through a town.

" You know." I said thoughtfully, " How the hell are we suppose to sleep in this thing? let alone my grandmother."

He thought about it, then shrugged, " we can set up a bed in the back for your grandma, and we can stake out in the front. Plus, it'll only be a few days in this baby, so it won't be all that bad." He patted the dashboard.

I nodded, " alright Nick." I turned to look out the window.

" Arson."

" what?" I said, confused.

" nothing." He replied, his brows drawn together and a muscle ticking in his jaw.

~~~

That evening, we decided to pull over and sleep in the sand. Sure, it wasn't really the brightest idea, but it seemed more comfortable than the new car leather, and we really didn't care. I laid a blanket out on the sand, to prevent it from getting in our clothes. We really didn't need something to cover us, given the warm November air.

I closed the car hood, before we stood on either side of the vehicle to change. I made Nick stand on the side closest to the road, incase anyone drove by. he smiled, " i hope someone does."

After that comment, I jabbed him in the ribs with my fingers. He jumped, and huffed, " i was kidding."

" I realize that."

I sat down on the blanket next to Nick, who now wore a white t-shirt and a pair of dark grey sweats. I sighed, contently, and said, " thank's Arson."

" For what?" He asked, curiously.

" Driving me across the Grand United States for my grandmother." I replied.

" oh that... yeah of course." He grinned.

I looped my arms around my shins, looking out across the sand. It was beautiful, the line where the stars met the dry ocean of New Mexico. To think, all that sand could make ton of glass, " can I asked you a question?"

He shrugged, " sure."

" Why'd you offer?"

" offer what?"

I gave him a flat look, " to drive me across country."

" oh, right." He looked out across the landscape as well, his expression falling blank. His gaze focused on the lower string of stars, as if he were searching for constellations, " well... I mean, why not."

" what do you mean?" I asked, looking out at the low stars myself.

" well, honestly Angel, I knew you'd be annoyed to have me around, but I also knew you couldn't refuse a free ride. So, I figured it would be fun and time consuming before I had to get back on track, you know." He shrugged.

" You're off track?" I asked.

He shook his head, and looked down at the sand, " No really, but i'm going to college next year, so I wanted to have some fun before I did."

" that doesn't make sense. College parties, right?" I looked over at him.

He cracked his fingers lightly as he spoke, his arms loose around his knees, " I want to do good in college, make something of myself."

This was a whole new side of Nick. It was like discovering the dark side of the moon. This part of him was more open, serious, yet more reserved in a way, with his blank expression and shadow of a smile to cover it up. It was almost frightening, to whitness there being more to Nicholas than Batman, old rock, and childish behavior. I said, thoughtfullly, " you can still have fun though, especially if you do something you enjoy. What about that music major?"

" that's what i'm working towards, but i'm also trying for medical and business, so I can get somewhere."

" Hey Arson." i asked softly.

" yeah Angel."

" Where'd you get all this money from?" My brows drew together, as I watched the skyline. It was rude to ask, but he was seemingly busting with bills, buy a new car, buying out the gas station. I didn't know where he got it all, considering he always seemed like an average person when it came to wealth.

He took a minute before answering, " I inherited it from my parents."

" What do you mean?" I asked, lost, my eyebrows drawing together tighter.

" They're dead Angel."

" Oh... i'm sorry." I looked down at the sand, the realization hitting me like a wrecking ball. It was like getting thrown into a whole new playing field. I looked over at him. you couldn't tell by looking at him, that they were gone.

" It's not your fault." He smiled slightly.

" still." I tightened my arms around my legs, " are you... okay?"

He chuckled faintly, " I'm fine, Angel, don't worry."

" good." I said, biting my cheek slightly, " um... I don't know where my parents are." I said, watching the stars.

Nick put an arm around my shoulders, " shut up."

" why?" I said, attempting to lean away. But I didn't really try that hard, considering that may leaning against him seemed to both ease his hardened expression and soothed my new emotion stomach at the thought of my own parents.

" I'm not gonna make you tell me about your personal life, especially if you don't want to." He said, sounding geniune and, well, nice.

I looked at him, shocked, before saying, " maybe I want to."

" in that case, keep going then."

I sighed, before saying, " When I was seventeen, they just disappeared, like they never existed. I don't know where they went, or why they left, or if they died or something. But I know I never got to tell them goodbye, and I said some pretty bad stuff to them the last time I saw them."

" I'm really sorry Angel." He said, his voice softer.

" It's not your fault Nick."

" still... You don't deserve that." his voice got quiter as he spoke.

I looked at him as he looked out at the stars.

I sighed, " You don't deserve it either."

I pulled out from under his arm, and laid down with my back facing him. I didn't know if I wanted to face him. I didn't want to show him that I was a bit shaken by the parent talk, that would be rather wimpish of me.

It hit me again. He was an orphan. Like, grade A, fit the definition, orphan. A part of me wondered what that felt like. Another part of me had a pretty good idea about it.

Nick laid down his back facing me, and we fell asleep.