Once in the car, Tess slouched in her seat, crossing her arms and resting one foot up on the dash. Dante was driving again, he didn’t feel comfortable riding if he wasn’t in control but when he was too tired, she forced him to let her drive. She enjoyed it. Driving helped her relax, even if it made him more tense. Dante said riding in a car with her was like riding on a runaway roller coaster. She smiled a little and watched the trees rushing passed her window but she suddenly groaned and slapped a hand over her face.
“What is it?” Dante asked from her side. She turned one eye to him, her face twisted up in expectant dread as she scooted closer to the door.
“Well...” she said. Dante raised a brow at her. “...When I was in town earlier?” He nodded, already not liking where this was going. “...Well, the diner lady may have...gotten the wrong impression about us...”
“...Tess, what did you tell her?” He demanded glancing at her quickly and then back out the windshield at the road.
“Nothing! She just assumed we were...” She shrank lower in her seat. “She thinks we’re on our honeymoon!” Tess slapped her hands over her face, hiding behind her fingers before he had time to react. She waited, and rather than a tirade of ‘I can’t believe this!’s, Tess was met with laughter. She peaked at him from between her spread fingers and he was wiping tears from his eyes.
“...I think I would prefer you yelling at me.” She said dropping her hands.
“I’m sorry!” He said, still laughing. “Didn’t you set her straight?”
Tess scowled and crossed her arms. “No! I didn’t have time! The stupid T.V. Had that news reel on it and I had to get out of there!”
“Ha! Well, this is going to be more fun than I thought.” He started laughing again.
“What are you talking about?” She demanded. Now it was Tess who didn’t like where this was going.
“Well, if they think we’re honeymooners, we’re going to have to play the part. Who’d suspect a happy couple of being on the run from the government?” He pulled her over with one hand and draped an arm over her shoulders, ignoring how she stiffened up. “Right, honey?” He grinned down at her and Tess shoved away from him to sit against the door again.
“You’re finding this much too comical, Alex!” She slipped and used his old name. Dante looked at her again, a wide grin still spread over his face, but his eyes apologetic.
“Be fair, Meg,” He used her old name intentionally. “I haven’t laughed this hard in ages. The image of you and me, it’d be like marrying your brother or my sister...” She smirked and nodded and settled in for the ride.
Once in town, Dante and Tess parked the car inconspicuously and walked the streets, stopping at the store Tess had bought her hair dye from that morning to get Dante a pair of sunglasses to hide his multi-colored eyes. Tess glanced at her watch as they were waiting in line to pay for the glasses.
“You said half an hour at the house?” She asked, referring to the movie they planned to see. Dante nodded, looking down at her curiously. “Well, make that three minutes.” Dante’s eyes widened and he threw the cash down on the table before literally running out the door, pulling Tess along by the hand. They made it into the theatre with seconds to spare as the production advertisements ended and the beginning scene began to play. Dante lead Tess down the dark isle between the rows of seats. The theatre was packed and he finally found two seats and paused to let Tess go first and then took the seat next to her.
“This is nice,” Tess whispered with a smile. It amazed her that they were actually able to watch a movie in the same room together. Before Dante had come to Washington all those weeks ago they had only spoken online through video chat and telephone calls. He had been staying with her and her family for a week and a half when they were forced to run for their lives. Things had been awkward for the first day or two, but then they had found that comfortable groove in their relationship had always had. He grinned and slouched lower in his chair and Tess leaned closer to him, sharing his armrest.
Danted nodded, “Just don’t talk all through this one as you did in our last safe house.” He smiled and pretended to wince whens he lightly elbowed his side. For the next hour and a half, they forgot everything. The federal agents tracking them, not knowing if their families were all right, that they had to dress and look completely different, they were just two friends enjoying a movie. |
