10. Moving on

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Opening the truck bed, Roman gathered his rope together. He needed it to secure Martina's belongings during the long ride home.

Putting the suitcase and the safe away, he was astonished when Marti abruptly handed him two medium sized boxes. Smirking at his friend, Roman wiggled his eyebrows in confusion.

"Really Marti? Are these now the last two? I thought you only had a suitcase and the safe you showed us earlier? You should be glad we have enough room to put these items away."

Putting two fingers in front of her mouth, Marti motioned him to be quiet.

"Shh! Not so loud. We're still in his driveway. I don't want Frankie to know what I took. And stop being so impatient!" Marti blew a raspberry. She didn't want to look too disappointed, but in a way she felt pity for the poor guy she just slapped. Despite her hatred for what Frankie did in the past, her heart could not move on if she did not say goodbye properly.

Maybe, I should have given him a peck on the cheek instead of slapping him. But then again, he was a reckless dude. Perhaps the note I left on his desk would teach him a lesson.

Earlier, she wrote Frankie a note stating that despite their past arguments, she was thankful for allowing her to stay in his condominium. However, if he kept being a womanizer, he wouldn't get anywhere in life. He also needed to start taking women seriously because if he was going to meet another woman like Martina, his reputation as a gentleman wouldn't last.

She looked back towards the door to the condominium to see if anyone was coming out and kissed the air goodbye. Seeing that the coast was clear, she walked closer to her friend, so they didn't have to shout to each other.

In turn, Roman nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"I decided to take these extra belongings with me since Frankie might not need them anymore." Marti snickered.

She patted the vehicle's frame assuring herself that she was now on good terms with her friends and that a bright future might lie ahead. Although Marti was disappointed with what happened with her parents and Frankie, she hoped there wouldn't be any more drama coming into her life any time soon.

Breaking from her reverie, Marti continued her rant about Frankie.

"What he doesn't know, won't hurt him. I hid these items when he wasn't looking. Heck, he'd probably be thanking me for taking them from his hands. They include his old but still usable office supplies, coffee mugs, figurines and a plant he left unattended in my room. He doesn't use them; they're just lying there for anyone to snatch. So that's my excuse on why I took them. And it serves him right, for the numerous days he tried to go into my room without permission."

Harley interrupted the two by patting Marti on the back. Her soft touch caused Marti to jump as she was surprised by her girlfriend's presence. With her motorcycle jacket on, ripped jeans and military style boots, Harley dressed to impress!

"You're one badass, my love. But I think we must be on our way now, since time's a wastin'. Let's go now!"

Marti chuckled. The siblings were both impatient as if their two minds were alike.

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As the trio drove to their new destination, the Ford truck slowed down even before they reached the exit to the nearest highway. Roman turned the steering wheel and swerved to the side of the road to see what the problem was.

Yet, Harley already had a hunch that it was simply the gas tank; it ran out of fuel again as her brother was always forgetful. Last time this happened, they were going to visit their parents' graves, when the truck suddenly stopped in front of a traffic light. They had to place their blinking lights on to let the other cars know that they were in trouble. It was also an embarrassing moment for her as they also called triple H to tow their vehicle so they could reach the nearest gas station. Her ex, Rivera, worked as a driver in that facility and by coincidence, the two saw each other again. It was certainly an awkward moment!

Since she sat in the passenger seat, Harley leaned over and checked the odometer. As predicted, it read that it was close to empty.

"Bro, did you forget to put gas in the truck? Roman, are we going girl crazy again? I do not want to be pushing this vehicle to the gas station! That would be so humiliating!"

Between the step siblings, Harley took after her mother as she was always worried over every little detail. On the other hand, Roman was buff and didn't like to admit his faults.

Ready to blow the truck's horn, Roman became tense. He knew it was his fault for forgetting to go to the gas station before he picked up Martina, but he was preoccupied with his thoughts with his date the night before. He turned his head toward his sister.

"Look Harley, don't rub it in. I know this is my fault, but don't make matters worse than it already is. We'll get through this."

Harley folded her hands and pouted.

"Sometimes I wonder how you can stay so calm in cases like this Roman."

"Hey, don't look at me like that sis!"

With Marti sitting behind them, she knew she had to take action before this fight would blow up. That's the last thing she needed to hear right now.

"Hey you guys, before you begin to continue to bicker, I saw a sign indicating that a gas station should be a block away. Let's go find it!"

Harley smirked.

"Great idea Marti, but just how are we going to do that when the truck might not even take us there?"

Seeing Harley's point, Marti ran out of ideas. But as soon she turned toward the truck's door, the idea of walking came to her mind.

"We walk! And I'll volunteer to do it, if no one else wants to come with me, I walk alone!"

Astonished with her reply, Harley grumbled.

"Can't let you do that Marti. Aren't you tired from all that packing and dealings with Frankie?"

Marti nodded her head. She was indeed tired, but to solve this problem quickly, someone had to intervene.

"No, I'm fine. Look, we need gas; I got my cellphone with me so when I see the station, I'll give you guys a ring. You got it?"

Roman high-fived her as he reached out his hand.

"I have no problems with that. I'll have my phone on, you got my number so I'm on call. How about you sis? What do you think?"

Still pouting, Harley gave in.

"Fine! But I'm coming with you Marti. Don't want to stay here and talk with Mr. Annoying right now."

Not waiting for Roman's reaction to her comment, Harley opened the side door and got out.

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