the astro van was considerably awkward after that. the only sound filling the air was the continuous hum of the engine and the rickety sound of the brakes. judy had been driving well into the morning, and by now they were probably somewhere in kentucky.
andrew, who sat in the passenger seat, kept on doing this.... thing. he'd look out the window. then he'd look at his hands. then he'd look at judy. and then he'd write something down in his little journal. then he'd repeat the last four steps. it drove judy absolutely crazy - not because she didn't like andrew's eyes on her, but she so badly wanted to know what he was writing. maybe it was about her? how some negro picked him up off the side of the road and how he was planning on escaping her evil clutches any second?
no, judy told herself. if he didn't like me, he'd say something by now.
she took a deep breath, mustering up the courage to speak. "it's getting 'round breakfast. you hungry?"
andrew looked up from his journal. he smiled, embarrassed. "i'm starving."
judy laughed, scanning the streets around her for a diner. she agreed - the shortbread was good, but between the both of them, it didn't last more than an hour. "why didn't you say so?!" she asked.
"you looked so focused on driving, i didn't want to interrupt that," andrew said.
"one day somebody's got gonna take advantage of that kindness of yours, and i won't be there to throw a shoe at 'em," judy chastised.
"well, then i guess you'll just have to teach me to throw like you."
"ah," she exclaimed softly, seeing a sign for a generic diner. she pulled into the parking lot. to her delight, the restaurant was practically empty. "come on. my treat," she said, leaving the car. andrew followed closely behind.
the odd couple sat in a booth by the window. judy noticed how the sun hit his face just right, making his cheekbones look even higher. his hair, which was unusually long for a man, was kept in a lousy bun which threatened to fall out at any moment. she silently hoped for that moment to come.
"can i get your order?" an old, stout woman asked from the head of the table.
judy didn't even have to look at her menu. "i'll have two pancakes with eggs over medium, please," she said matter-of-factly. the waitress grumbled, scribbling her order on a notepad.
"and for you, sir?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at andrew.
"erm... same as her," he said, not really knowing american breakfast cuisine but trusting judy's judgement. "and a pot of coffee would be lovely."
"coming right up." the waitress left.
judy held the salt shaker in her hands despite having no current use for it. "so, andrew."
"judy."
"it seems that we are both miles from our homes, on the way to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and i don't know a damn thing about you," she said. she tilted her head, giving andrew a small smile. "so let's change that."
"i'm an open book, lass."
"what music do you listen to?"
YOU ARE READING
bitter basil, (hozier)
Fanfictionthe way he said basil made me laugh. so i took him on a road trip across the country.
