A Long and Lonely Mile

Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't do explicit, that's just not my writing style. That said, this chapter gets a little bit "sexy" in parts. Forgive me. And forgive Marigold. She has a very strong constitution, but at the end of the day, she lives under the same roof as William Friggin' Tavington... and the girl is only human...

The look on his face as he switched off the ignition was just priceless enough for a pass. He had done miserably, even for a first try.
Tavington wasn't used to failing at anything and doing so in front of her made the situation even more embarrassing. But the simple truth remained that if there was anyone who could understand his frustration, it was Marigold.

"Not bad, William," she gave him an encouraging smile after stuffing her keys as deeply into her tote as humanly possible, "a few things that you could work on... windshield wipers are on your left, blinkers are on your right. I actually learned something cool about blinkers back in Driver's Ed. that might help you out."

"Is that so?" Tavington remained white as a sheet as he stared blankly at the empty neighborhood ahead.

"So, when you... William? Right hand on the wheel, please," she placed her hand on top of his and started to guide it downwards, "which direction are we turning right now?"

"Right..." this was silly. Still, there was always something about her touch and the soothing delivery of her words that calmed him.

"Mhm. And if I move your hand up and over from where we are now, we're going left. Each time we did that, we passed the blinker. So, you hit down on the blinker when you go right and you push it up when you go left." After finishing her explanation, she lifted his hand to her lips. "Does that make sense?"

"I think you just wanted an excuse to hold my hand, Miss Casey..."

Marigold smiled, at least he was starting to mellow out some. "Well, that's one of the many luxuries of not learning back in high school. You get unlimited lessons, are able to flirt with your instructor, and optional makeout sessions are held in the back seat at the end of each class."

He had some idea what the last part meant, but asked for an explanation, anyway. Just for the sake of hearing her say it.

"I'll expand on the last part later. Only if you pay close attention to the remainder of my notes. The only time that it is acceptable to stop in the middle of a turn is if the roadway becomes suddenly obstructed. Or if the asshole in front of you slams on their brakes. No, that doesn't make you an asshole. But not everyone on the road will be as lovely and accommodating as Randy the Garbageman was today. You should also slow down before making turns, but everyone has trouble with that at first. And another thing, driving with your left foot on the brake and your right foot on the gas may seem like a good idea, but it's not. As far as the glare from the dashboard is concerned, we'll have to find you some shades. But you might end up distracting all of the women on the road if we do that..."

He arched his left eyebrow, a small tick of his that Marigold had recently grown to anticipate and adore. "Because you'll look sexy in shades, that's why..." she swept his hair aside and pecked his cheek.

"To be fair, you're quite a distraction, yourself..."

They rubbed noses innocently for only a moment before falling into a fiery kiss of passion.

Something had changed between them recently. Marigold's schedule had freed up again and her mood had lightened. Tavington's contemplations of the marriage proposal hadn't ended. In fact, they had grown more visceral and complex. They were both desperate for distractions, something to keep their minds off what had been foretold. Instead of discussing the very real truth that their time together was growing short, they turned their attention towards flirtation and making their mutual desire for one another known.
Indeed, seeing what was once a beautiful waltz towards the union that they had both dreamt of for hundreds of years turn lecherous caused guilt. Halfway into Marigold's post-lesson "reward" in the back seat, they stopped themselves and drove home in silence. They had become two tentative virgins, it seemed, terrified of their own expectations and the idea of letting the other one down.