Catching Chester

Chapter Four

Sorry for the long wait Ya'll. Chester is a hard man to pin down, plus I've had a busy month. Hopefully this doesn't suck too bad. I know that doesn't instill confidence in you all for this chapter, but the next one will be super better and this was the slow part to get there. :)

Enjoy!

----------------------

We arrive in Africa, and it's as dry and vast as I had always imagined it would be. The second I step off the plane, I am eagerly scanning the horizon for zebras, giraffes and hippos. I know it's unrealistic of me, but I'm still disappointed that all of the animals I've never seen aren't lined up ready to roll out the welcome wagon for me.

Except now that I think about it, it would be kind of strange if they were.

Beside me, Chester presses his fingertips gently into the small of my back, guiding me forward out of the terminal and walking me briskly towards the parking lot, trying to hurry me along, and getting me away from searching eyes, asserting himself in the role of my hired protector.

"Are you hungry?" He asks, breaking the seed of silence that had gone on for so long, that it had actually started to sprout roots.

"Maybe. Are you offering to treat me?" I ask cheekily, sort of testing the waters to see if the ground our friendly relationship rests on is shaking, or stable.

"I wouldn't have asked you if I wasn't offering." He says, his tone not the least bit unpleasant. He doesn't seem to be holding a grudge against me over the whole email reading accident, and for that I'm relieved, because I couldn't stand if it he turned away from me and never looked back.

"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense. In that case, I'm starving." I spin on my toes as I walk so that I'm walking backwards and facing towards him at the same time. His eyebrows rise and seem to act as a face lift that first crinkles the corners of his eyes, then draws the edges of his mouth upward into an expression that walks the line between a smile and a confused frown.

Walking backwards, as it turns out, is more challenging than I remember, and I find myself struggling to keep pace with how fast the oncoming Chester train is coming towards me.

His head cocks adorably sideways and he pierces me with a sharp scrutiny. He snatches up my arm and effortlessly spins me sideways, directing me to walk meekly beside him.

"Hey!" I protest, jerking my arm back in a pout. "I was only having a little fun, you didn't have to rip my arm off."

"People were staring at you." He says in a hushed whisper, looking around and then dropping his gaze into mine. It sinks down inside me like a stern, heavy stone that drags all my playfulness down with it, until the only thing I'm feeling is regret. Again. He reaches up and presses his fingertips at the bridge of his nose with a long suffering sigh, as if watching over me is the hardest thing he's ever had to do, because I'm an idiot who can't remember I'm supposed to stay in hiding. I know I'm supposed to blend in, but it's the hardest thing for me to remember to keep doing.

"Sorry." I murmur, resisting the urge to try and kick myself in the butt. I would try it, just to see if I could, but that would draw too much attention to me.

See? I'm learning.

I follow him to a tan colored, beat up jeep with rusty hinges and a dent in the front that looks like it had danced with an angry Rhino suffering from PMS. It's not the usual caliber of a vehicle that I would expect Chester to have acquired, but when he opens the squeaky door for me, I don't hesitate to get in. I plunk down in the seat, which raises a dust cloud that momentarily blinds me despite the roof being open, and I frantically wave my hands around in the air, sneezing and coughing trying to get the dust to dissipate. I feel my lungs contract and I check my pocket for my inhaler, reassuring myself that it's there in case this happens to turn into a full blown asthma attack. After a few seconds, the air clears and I breathe deeply, glancing sideways to see Chester is already seated behind the wheel, watching me with a worried pinch to his forehead.