7: Secrets Make The World Go 'Round

Pushing the red triangle centered on a black and brown dash, his hazards flash and the truck slows to a stop. Sitting stiffly, Harper watches the way his eyes fixate on the road ahead while gripping the steering wheel until it squeaks under a calloused, sweaty palm.

"Because if I'm not -enough- for you, as I am," Clyde faces her, resting his right arm across the top of the bench seat to look her in the eye, "Then we need to be having a different kind of conversation."

The severity of his gaze increases her heart rate, her mouth suddenly dry amidst a trembling gulp.

Did she mean it like that? Should they be having a different kind of conversation in the middle of nowhere on a deserted, country road in a state she knows nothing about?

Waving her hands in the space between them, she cautiously utters, "No," and hangs her head in shame at being so weak.

Harper feels the reminiscent sting of bitter tears dampening her eyelashes, "Of course you're enough. I just," she shudders upon finding herself diplomatically talking her way through another dilemma that's forcing her to defend herself when she's already at her wits' end.

"I just don't understand why things aren't better when you made it sound like you had it all together. You convinced me enough to try and convince my family… I even trusted you enough to choose -you- over everyone else in the world to spend the rest of my life with. But…"

Harper sniffles, a tear landing on her thigh and darkening a perfect circle into navy scrubs, "It feels like I'm not going to get to spend the rest of my life with you," she hesitates briefly to chew her bottom lip before sighing, "And I don't know if that's because your secrets are driving us apart or if you're choosing to pull away from me because you found someone else and don't know how to break it to me so you keep picking fights with me."

Ragged breathing is chased by a downfall of tears, Harper incapable of restraining herself any further. If she can't reach her own husband while she's pouring her heart out, then they really shouldn't stay together.

With the swiftness of a shooting star, Clyde unbuckles his seatbelt and slides to her side to embrace her. Harper grips his shirt and buries her face into him, muffling her sobs into his dependable frame.

"There could never be anyone else 'cause I can't even see anyone else," the gravel in his gentle whisper electrifies her core; she -is- reaching him. All hope isn't lost.

Nuzzling her cheek with his nose before kissing her forehead, "I know I've been fucking up but you wouldn't believe the shit that's going on in my life so there's no point in even telling you."

Sea-green eyes dodge her honey gems when she tries to look at them, "That's what I've been trying to tell you," she pokes at his stomach, "You don't need to keep so many secrets."

Gently pushing him away, sucking up snot and wiping away her tears, frustration grows into the strongest emotion when she sees in the present ticking of time how easy it is for him to keep himself guarded around her.

"I'm not keeping them from you because I don't trust you; it's all shit that's not my business to tell and I'm too wrapped up in it to just walk away," cupping the side of her head and stroking away a stray tear with his warm thumb, "Can you forgive me in the future if I tell you when it's all said 'n done? I can tell you when it's finished…"

Clyde looks out the window past her head, almost drifting into space until Harper shifts to sit back in her seat and suck up snot, "Then," he licks his lips before sitting back in his seat and resting his left arm along the driver's door into warm glass, "No more secrets."

Teetering the idea to look at her, visibly concerned about what she will say next, Harper simply scratches her eyebrow and remains silent.

Huffing, "Now," his strong hand ensnares her focus when he caresses the black, leather steering wheel the way he used to tenderly caress her back, "If it's alright with you, I wanna try and make it up to you. Think you can give me that chance?"

Cupping his mouth with his free hand, concealing his expression, he coolly leans back into the nook of his seat and door to examine her.

"Not if you make it up tonight and tomorrow turns into yesterday…" Harper chews anxiously on her thumbnail, a habit she broke at fifteen but has seemed to resurface in the past month.

"It won't," the conviction in his voice gives her chills. Does he mean it this time? Will he have the discipline to stay on his best behavior from here on out as a means to right his wrongs in her eyes?

Clyde turns into his seat, his right knee fighting with the bench to get comfortable in this position as the sound of coins falling from his left pocket clink to the rubber lined, carpeted floor. Reaching for her soft, fair skinned hand, his fingers curl into his palm and fall to the seat when she withdraws.

Palming down his face then brushing his knuckles over the gruff itching his jaw, "I wanna show you the town I grew up in–that's where we're headed. Show you off 'n show you 'round. Dinner, dancin', mini golf, the whole nine," his arm stretches to the windshield as he gestures across the sky.

Mumbling through a chuckle, her interest peaking, "You hate mini golf…"

"Honey," he shakes his head, gripping the silver bar supporting her headrest and pulling himself closer to her, "I love you so much that I'll find a way to love everything you love so we can do it together 'til one of us dies."

Dark locks casually shift to dust his forehead when he tilts his head down, staring at the custom, heart-cut ruby set in a diamond infinity band that he sold his beloved motorcycle to finish payments on, "I can't change the past, but I won't stop trying to do better in the present."

Nodding with determination, "And…since you mentioned it," a tiny grin creeps across her lips at the sound of his sultry tone and the sight of his enticing, smoldering gaze.

"I can touch you until you feel like I've made up for lost time."

Damn. The heat scorching her cheeks has surely given away her poker face.

Harper can't deny she missed the way his firm touch used to clutch the edges of her body for dear life. She almost longed for the way he pampered her with his patient, attentive mouth. Even when she hated his guts, she pined for the way he moved around her insides. Only he could praise her, indulging her until she believed she was the only woman that existed.

HONK HONK HOOOOONNNNNKKKKKK