chapter 24| driving

"Absofuckinglutely"

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Aria POV

After what felt like forever going left and right in this parking lot I see the 'S24' pillar. I exhale in relief. My head is killing me. And pushing the wheelchair also doesn't make my job easier. I immediately rush to the car and open the passenger door. I help Blake get in, which I'm still surprised he's still conscious I mean damn, the dude has a strong will to live. But he doesn't say anything, just keeps pressing his abdomen. I rush to the other side of the car and get in.

I'm faced with a steering wheel. On the other side of the car from where I usually drive.

"Are you okay? Can you drive?"

Is this dude for real? He's the one bleeding out and he's asking me if I'm okay?

"Yeah, yeah just give me a second"

"Aria, we don't have a second" he breathes out. And exactly when he says that the blaring from the fire alarm stops and is replaced by a robotic voice repeating the same words: We have a hostage and a rogue agent on the loose. I repeat we have a hostage and a rogue agent on the loose, if anyone sees them please report immediately...

I tune out the rest of the message, instead start the car and press the gas.

"Which way out?"

"Right" I can barely hear Blake over the heartbeat in my ears but I turn right and speed in the underground parking lot.

Blake continues to give me directions and before I know it I see a barrier at the end of the lane we're currently on and I guess my luck ran out because I see metal things rising from the ground. Like the ones in movies where they stop the car from passing through.

Blake saw them too because I hear a warning "Aria"

But I ignore him. I took down 3 agents, with a little help of course, I'm not gonna let a stupid metal pole stop me. I'm so close to freedom. I shift gears and press the gas pedal all the way down and we're going 70 km/h and approaching the rising pieces of shit with full speed. This can go really good or really bad. I refuse to close my eyes as we get closer but I lean back in the seat like I would be further away from the damage.

"Aria" I hear Blake yell louder but I'm not stopping. I press harder on the gas pedal and we're through.

I can't believe my eyes. The car crashes through the barrier and we're on the street.

I don't get to celebrate my victory too much because we're thrown into London traffic and I have to use all my concentration on not hitting too many cars.

"Holy shit!" Blake exclaims next to me, for a second I forgot he was there.

I let out a laugh. "Did you see that? I actually drove over them"

"Yeah, yeah I did, damn Aria you... Watch out!"

Blake's warning came too late. I scratched the door of a nearby car.

"I'm sure MI6 will pay for that." I murmured.

I return my focus on the road to try to avoid any more catastrophes. But that doesn't really work out because five minutes later Blake yells at me.

"Dammit Aria have you never driven before?"

"I have. It's just... not recently. I don't own a car in the Netherlands, you're supposed to know that, stalker."

Apparently that shuts him up.

After a few more scrapes here and there, missing mirrors and paint we manage to exit London. Blake didn't comment on my driving skills but every time I touched another car his face would scrunch in disapproval.

We were going to a safe house, Blake said the MI6 has thousands everywhere in England and it will take the agency days to track us down and find the exact one where we will supposedly sleep for the night. But right before leaving the peripheries of London Blake made me stop the car.

"We need to change cars." He was still breathing heavily but found a first aid kit in the backseat and managed to patch himself up a bit. And considering my horrible driving he did a pretty good job.

I parked the car in a shady alley and we got out. I took all the supplies from the trunk and backseat, food, blankets, guns, money and some basic survival things. Everything fits into a backpack and a duffle bag. The exhaustion was catching up to me and if it wasn't for the two red bulls I chugged while driving I would be asleep right now. Blake managed to hotwire a car. And we were on the road again.

It's worth mentioning that 'car' is a big word for what I am driving right now. It was a rusty box that was being held together by paint. But Blake said that it wouldn't draw too much attention. I wanted to disagree but he was the agent so I just started driving again.

We didn't really talk on the way. I was just focusing on the road ahead not letting my mind wander and Blake well... I don't know what Blake was thinking but he wasn't saying anything.

We stopped in the middle of nowhere. It was dark outside and the only light was coming from the moon, after we left public roads Blake made me turn off the headlights. There was a small cabin and a shed. After I parked the car in the shed and turned off the ignition, I took a deep breath in. And it seemed the first breath I took since Blake's apartment.

And then I took another breath and another one and then I felt tears in my eyes. The last god knows how many hours finally catching up to me. I was still gripping the steering wheel like that would keep me from falling apart. I couldn't do this. I was so scared and I just wanted to cower in a corner and cry for the rest of my life. It wasn't really a panic attack, it was just my body giving up after too much stress. I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey" Blake said in a small and gentle voice.

I genuinely forgot he was in the car. I immediately wiped my tears that were now flowing on my face and moved away from his hand.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good we have to get you cleaned up or that wound could really infect and we..."

"Aria" I stopped my rambling.

He gripped my hand harder and that's when I realized I was shaking

"Blake, please" I said in a small voice, I didn't even recognize my own voice and I had no idea what I was begging him.

I put my hand on the door handle and prepared to exit the car.

"Aria we're safe"

I couldn't look at him, and even if I would have I couldn't see his face. It was too dark in this stupid shed.

"I know" I whispered, not trusting my voice to speak louder.

"You can cry if it helps, I'm here"

I started shaking more and I knew he could feel it but I didn't want to cry, I couldn't cry. It felt like I would cross a line with Blake, and I wouldn't be able to go back. I didn't cry in front of people unless I was really at the end of my emotional power and right now I was on negative but Blake...

I don't know. I had to sit down and figure out what I'm feeling but right now wasn't that time. So I just wiped my tears again, got out of the car, and went over to Blake's side, opened his door and helped him out.

"I'll cry after we get my sister back"

He sighed. Maybe from pain, maybe from not agreeing with me.

"You know keeping your feelings in will cause them to explode." The audacity this man had. My misery immediately turned to anger. Hiding my feelings and just snapping at him is much easier than having to actually deal with my feelings.

"Really? You're the one giving me a lesson on feelings? You have no idea what my life has been for the past few days and I'm not even starting on the fact that you basically started all this and..."

"Are you really blaming me right now?" We were now out of the shed and the moon illuminated Blake's face. He looked tired and maybe a bit disappointed?

I stopped. And thought over his words. Did I blame him? Fuck yes, but not really? "Yes. No. I don't know, okay? You're sending mixed signals. You kidnap me but then save me and then... fuck I don't know who or what to blame, I'm tired, hungry and you're here and I'm blaming you."

I almost wanted to say 'sorry' but then I realized that I'm not entirely sorry, yeah everything might not be Blake's fault he isn't an angel either.

I looked up at him again. He was looking at me with a strange look in his eyes, like he was looking at me for the first time, assessing me. Then he smiled.

"Good to know that getting shot at and a gun held to your head doesn't change your bitchy side"

I exhaled, so he wasn't entirely pissed with me. I then put a hand over my chest and opened my mouth in a gasp "How dare you! Nothing can change my bitchy side."

Now he let out a laugh and I smiled but his face quickly turned into one of pain and he gripped his side.

"Shit sorry" I immediately moved to help support him again.

"Nah, it doesn't even hurt, the whole area is kind of already gone numb and..."

I don't know what Blake found funny in my expression because he started laughing.

Asshole.

But I knew he was in a lot of pain, all this laughing and bickering around was just for him to forget the pain. I put my emotions on hold for a second and continued my task of getting Blake in the cabin. But the thing is I'm not sure for how long I could just continue to ignore my feelings and all the stress, pain and anxiety I've been feeling for the past few days. Because Blake was right, even though I would admit that over my dead body, I was going to explode if I didn't do something soon.



A/N

Hey everybody, here's another chapter! This is more setting things up for the next one, which will be just the two of them in the cabin. I'M SO EXCITED TO WRITE IT!

Also I've been trying to get into more detail with Aria's internal struggle because that girl has been through hell for the past days and is definitely going to be hard for her to deal with everything.

Love y'all and have a fantastic day!