Perhaps this is both Axel and Sydney's worst nightmare.
All three of them are bunched up in an old car on the verge of falling apart. The type of vehicle you would find in an early 2000s movie. It's stick, which Sydney isn't particularly fond of. It's tiny. Even Miles, the smallest of the three, is having a hard time in the back. And every now and then it stutters like someone having a coughing fit, which makes Axel clench his eyes shut and Sydney grip onto the steering wheel a little tighter.
"Remind me again why we're driving in this piece of crap." Sydney says, following the directions on her phone and taking a right turn accordingly.
"Because this was the cheapest car we could rent." Axel says, opening his eyes again and blowing out a deep breath.
This is the second time since coming back that Axel's been in a car. And being in this piece of junk isn't exactly helping him ease into driving again. It's still uncomfortable. Still unfamiliar. When he looks out the window he feels like the world is passing by too fast. Like he's missing everything. Which isn't much different to how he felt being in the mansion for 4 years.
Axel can't tell if it's easier to look ahead or to the side.
When he looks to his right, all he sees are trees. They blur together into a mixture of brown and green. It reminds him of what he sees when he's running through the forest. But also how every time he's done so, it's because something bad has happened. To Miles usually. To Julian.
When he looks ahead through the windshield, all he sees are cars. They're everywhere, in every lane. They sneak up on him and come out of nowhere. And Axel hates when they get to a light or when they're in traffic, because the cars gets so close to one another. The walls just keep on closing in. And Axel can't help but feel like his 13 year old self again. The boy after the crash.
So in the end, Axel chooses neither. He doesn't look to the side and he doesn't look ahead. Instead he looks at the rearview mirror. At Miles pressing his head against the glass window, daydreaming no doubt. And for the first time since entering the car, he relaxes.
"How long is it before we get to your grandma's house?" Miles asks Sydney.
"8 hours. Which I'll have you know is the longest journey I've ever taken. I've never even driven for 2 hours straight. How the hell am I going to do 8?" Sydney's anxiety is rising now. She hates driving at night.
"Don't worry, we'll take a break." Axel says, reassuring himself as well as her.
"I don't know if I can stand it in here much longer." Miles comments. "It smells like bleach and pee back here. It burns my nostrils."
"Yeah, it does." Sydneys replies, taking a whiff of the air and scrunching her nose in disgust.
"That'll explain the stain next to Miles' seat." Axel adds, laughing as Miles jumps away from it. Miles rolls down his window and stretches over to roll down the other, but regrets it instantly when the smell of manure wafts in.
"Dammit Miles, close the window." Sydney complains, while Axel laughs even harder. Miles quickly joins him as he struggles to stifle his own laughter, and all Sydney can think is This is going to be one long ride.
••••••••
It's dark 5 hours later. They took an hour break in between to get some food and stretch out their legs. And now it's as if Sydney's worst nightmare has come to life, because not only is she driving at night, it's begun to rain.
And to add to her misfortune, the windshield wipers aren't working.
"Guys?! I'm freaking out over here!" Sydney exclaims, barely making out the road through all the heavy rain.
"Shit, we need to pull over." Axel says.
Sydney manages to safely pull over, the rain falling harder now. They hear it patter loudly on the roof, which drowns out most of the other noises.
"Now we wait." Sydney says, leaning back in her seat. She grabs her phone and skips the song that was playing to a better one.
"Hey Syd can you put the music up?" Miles asks. She complies, putting up the volume.
"I took the courtesy of making a road trip playlist. It's good, right?"
The boys nod as the song fills the small confines of the car. And soon enough, all three of them are bobbing their heads and excessively lip syncing a song by The 1975.
They make a show of it as they try to outdo the other, and then an idea pops up into Axel's head. He opens the car door, jumps outside, and starts swaying his body to the beat.
"What the hell are you doing?" Sydney asks, giggling as Axel continues to dance.
"I'm dancing in the rain, what else does it look like?" He yells back, his clothes and hair already drenched.
"Get back here Axel. You're going to get si-" Miles pauses himself. Now he won't. And then he looks at Axel, shrugs his shoulders and says "Fuck it."
Miles opens his door and runs outside, joining Axel in the rain.
"There we go." Axel says, a large smile on his face. He takes Miles' hand and twirls him around.
"Come on Syd. Come dance with us." Miles says.
"I'm gonna stay here and keep dry. My braids aren't meant for the rain." She replies. "But you two have fun." She closes her eyes and sways her head to the song, occasionally playing air guitar or drumming to the beat.
The two boys continue to dance like they haven't got a care in the world. Like it's the end of the world and they want to go out with a bang.
But then Axel remembers who and what they are. And then he says this "We've got all the time in the world."
"We're literally being hunted by vampires right now." Miles counters, but the smile on his face doesn't falter. He likes seeing Axel like this. So carefree and (dare he say) full of life.
"And yet here we are dancing in the rain." Axel replies, stretching his arms out as if to emphasise his point. He stares up at the sky and the cool droplets fall onto his pale face. A new song's playing now. Axel loves it. "Don't let them take this from us. They may have won yesterday, but don't let them take today too. Tonight is ours!" He yells the last part.
Axel pulls Miles closer to him by his waist. They're both soaked to the bone.
"This is ridiculously cliché of you." Miles says, staring up at Axel with amusement dancing in his eyes.
"Not as cliché as this."
He kisses him.
And it's a little like their first kiss; the overconfidence; managing to turn a simple and boring situation into something better, something memorable; it being way overdue.
It's definitely a stand out kiss, something worth remembering. One the two boys wouldn't be able to forget. One that will linger in their minds long after they finally part.
Axel clings to Miles likes the clothes on his skin. Like the rain that falls from the sky and slopes down his body. Axel's hands mimic their movements, like water they glide. Like rain, he pours. And Axel puts every fibre of himself into the kiss. Every longing glance, every smile, every tear, every I love you and every I hate you (because those are just as valid), every time he reached out and got nothing back, every time that he did, every time he shut Miles out, every time that he didn't, every hug, every kiss, every touch. He put it all in.
And just like rain, he pours.
"We've got all the time in the world." Axel whispers between their lips. "And I want to spend every single second of it with you."
•••••••
A/N
Aww I love this chapter.
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Infinite Miles
Teen Fiction"Because you Miles, are infinite." It was never supposed to go that way for Axel and Miles. And it was definitely not supposed to end like that too. But this is the story about what happens after the end. Follow Axel, Miles and Sydney through their...
