Staying Grounded [BXB]

Both Ways

SEBASTIAN:

"I am ravenous!" Brianna says, stepping out of the farmhouse ahead of me. "All I can think of is food. Specifically, carbonara."

"Guess I know where we're heading to first then, huh?"

She spins around, flashing a playful grin my way before she starts across the drive. The weather isn't so fiercely against us this evening, we intend to make the most of it, and her spirits are high. "If you don't want me grouchy, yes, I'd strongly recommend we—"

The distinctive sound of gravel crunching under tyres cuts her off, and she's jarred to an immediate halt as her head whips toward the gate, to the car turning in through it.

I turn my back to pull the front door closed, not needing to look to know what I'll see.

"—do," Brianna finishes lamely. "He's expected?"

Craig shuts off his engine somewhere close behind me. "Sort of," I shrug. And as ever, his timing is damningly impeccable.

"Not still sniffing around Ash, is he?"

It feels good, being able to shake my head at that; if for nothing else, I've no lingering concerns there. "Actually, he's been working on my truck."

"Your truck?" Her tone is sceptical. "He doesn't much have the look of a trained mechanic."

"No. But his knowledge far exceeds mine, and his efforts are free." Also, I have to hand it to him; he's determined.

Craig didn't return on Saturday morning, his note for me simply reading 'Can't today. I'll come through the week'. I'd snorted, writing him off. But true to his word, for the past four days since, somewhere between late afternoon and early evening, he's shown up and worked hard. In all honesty, the frustrated stream of curses I've heard from him suggests to me he's getting nowhere fast, and the hour is late enough this evening that I'd all too readily given him up as done. Yet, here he is again, forcing me to check myself.

Moving from the house to Brianna's side, I take her hand and give it a squeeze, reassuring her that this disturbance won't hold up our plans for long. We wait for Craig to get out of his car.

"I had Chrissy," he says in the way of an apology as he shuts the driver's door and straightens. "Took him to spend some time with Alex." His eyes flick between us and then drop to our entwined fingers with a fleeting grimace. "And now I'm interrupting your date, I take it?"

"Yes," Brianna's swift to agree, slanting me a look.

"Where is it you're going? I could give you a lift, maybe?"

"Thanks, but..." I retrieve Judy's car key from my coat pocket and jingle it toward where her red Micra is parked a few metres beyond Craig's elegant GT-R. "It's Judy's night off. She'll let you into the shed if you want to hang around for a bit, make your trip out here worthwhile."

"Oh. Okay. Sure." He doesn't move.

Just as with every other time he's called here, his shoulders are rigid with tension, and I note patent uncertainty in the set of his jaw. He'll find some release in a session with my truck, I know. But I don't have the time to coax him from this point to that point tonight. Brianna's already dropped my hand and taken a step away, busily fussing with her scarf. "Stay as long as you want," I give him an extra little nudge. "Ash is due back from Steph's any minute now."

A slight nod is his only response as I pass by him to my aunt's car.

"Calling ahead would've saved him a wasted trip," Brianna mutters, climbing into the passenger seat next to me.