ℝ𝕦𝕟𝕒𝕨𝕒𝕪 // 𝕃. 𝕃𝕒𝕨𝕝𝕚𝕖𝕥 𝕩 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕣

One step ahead || 6

~♡~Your POV~♡~

You and L had been walking along the road together for awhile, trying to get a ride along the way.

Sticking your thumb out towards the oncoming traffic on the small highway while holding L's hand with your free one, you watch as each car passes you by. After what seemed to be forever, a beat up pickup finally turns its blinker on and slows down not far ahead of you two, eventually pulling to a stop.

"See!? Told'ja it would work." You beam, heading over.

"Are you sure this is entirely safe?" L asks quietly, meeting your eyes with a sideways glance.

"Sure it is, as long as we stay together. Alone? Hell no." You laugh, lifting up your hand that was holding onto his. "But we don't have to worry about that, right?"

Smiling confidently, you pop the door open before jumping in the back, moving a toolbelt aside so L could get in next to you.

"I'm going to be passing the exit to the next town over, if that helps." An older man's voice says from the front, and you think for a moment.

"Yeah, that's great. Thanks for the ride." You say, while quickly and quietly slipping a flathead screwdriver out of the toolbelt and tucking it into your sleeve. You never knew when you were getting into a stranger's car, after all.

"So, where you kids headed?" He asks, and you and L glance over at each other while you don't answer right away. What answer would there be? Sure, you knew where you were ultimately headed, but hardly knew where you were going now.

Noticing the silence, the older man driving laughs shortly while keeping his eyes on the road ahead of you.

"What? You two on the run or something?"

"We're going west." You manage to mumble immediately after he asked, unintentionally holding L's hand tighter.

"Oh, well I'm heading a bit to the north, but still in the westward direction. I'll drop you off at the exit...It won't put you too far off course." He suggests, and you nod quietly, settling into the worn out seat.

The rest of the drive was fairly quiet, other than the general small talk that came with hitching a ride in someone's car. It was a little while until he finally flicked the blinker on, passing through an exit that led into a slightly bigger town than the first one you stayed in.

"Anyway. This is about as far as I can take you." He says, pulling to a stop on the side of the road, allowing the two of you to hop out. Thanking him for the ride, you close the door as the older man driving nods and smiles.

"Good luck out there." He says, and you close the door before watching the car pull away. Walking together for a moment, you pause before shoving your hand into your pocket.

"Ah- shoot! I forgot to put this back." You say, pulling the screwdriver out of your pocket.

"What did you need that for?"

"Just in case. Hitchhiking is pretty sketchy you know...I might have told you it was safe as long as we were together to keep you from worrying. But it went well this time, lucky for us! No murder in self defense needed." You answer, before putting the screwdriver in your bag. "Who knows though. It might come in handy."

Shrugging, you look up and take L's hand again.

"So...Where are we going now? How close are we getting to your relatives place?" He asks, to which you sigh softly.

"I think we're about a quarter of the way there. Don't worry. I'll pick us up a map soon and we can get our bearings from there."

"...Where are we going to stay tonight?" He continues to question, and you remain silent for a little bit.