Don't Stand By Me (COMPLETE) - Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Elvis
August 2nd: 18:10
I had always preferred my own company. That didn't mean that I didn't cherish every moment I spent with my friends but, sometimes I just needed time to decompress, spend some time alone and simply be. As I lay in the queen bed, gaze fixed on the wall, I realised this was the first time I had been completely alone on this entire trip. It was a nice moment, complete silence and peace. I could almost pretend that everything was just a dream, none of this was truly happening and we weren't dragging a corpse across the country.
The RV was at a standstill with everyone flooding into the small village we had parked by to stock up on things before we finally made it to the Canyon. After taking tonight off, we would only be a day away from finally ending this. For ditching Charles once and for all and finally getting back to reality. To the future.
The future was a grainy thought for me, something I couldn't fully look forward to until I told Violet I'd be leaving - and deal with her subsequent wrath. There was also the Dixon of it all, a boy I had known for a few days at most yet it had felt like a lifetime. I didn't relish the thought of leaving him behind but at the same time I couldn't ask him to join me halfway across the world...right?
"Hey...you need some company?"
I smiled at the sound of Kiara's voice and waved her over. Part of me felt resentful of Violet, wishing she made an effort with me like Kiara had done throughout this entire trip. She was so glued to her phone it was like talking to a brick wall when I even attempted to get through to her. It was something about that FBI agent that didn't sit right with me. Not that I didn't trust Violet but...maybe I didn't trust her.
Kiara slid into the bed next to me, remaining on top of the covers and closing her eyes. She didn't speak, simply lying there. It was times like these when I realised just how much she got me. Sometimes you just need the silence, even in the company of someone you love.
We lay awake but in complete silence until the RV began to flood with noise, everyone returning from their respective shopping trips and dropping their bags on the ground. Only then did we stretch, get up, and move back to the main area in silence.
For the first time in days, I felt genuinely and truly refreshed.
—-
"You didn't have to do all this." Dixon smiled, mouth close to my ear as we curled around each other in the booth, barely audible above the thrum of the music.
"Of course I did. It's your birthday." I said like it was obvious, which it should have been, "Are you having a good time?"
It surprised me how much the answer to that question meant to me. I had never been the type of person that longed for reassurance from others, unlike Violet who admitted it and Kiara who denied to the ends of the earth that she was. But through and through they needed reassurance from the person they loved, which was of course normal. But not for me. Not that I loved Dixon, that was obviously way too soon -
"The best birthday I've had in a long time." His words cut through my thoughts, "Which is insane, right? Considering..."
"Considering the felonies and the corpse, yeah."
He barked out a laugh, "Stop it."
"I mean if we can't joke about it...who can?"
"Definitely not Charles anyway."
"See!" I beamed, nudging his shoulder, "That's how you do it."
He smiled at me, that smile again that I didn't want to read too much into, but God I hoped it meant something. His smile was crooked, his head tilted back in his drunken state as he giggled away to himself. I wasn't much better, at least six drinks in and a random assortment of shots Violet had procured. My mind was buzzed in a pleasant way where I was drunk but not blackout - yet.
"I like you." He said simply.
"I like you too."
"I know! You're pretty obvious. But that's okay." He rambled, letting out a little giggle once he finished, "Can we go back to the RV?"
"W-what? Are you not having fun?"
"Of course I am! But I'd just like to be alone with you." He waggled his eyebrows in a way that was so endearing yet comical at the same time.
I snickered, "Alright Romeo...let's go."
The walk back to the RV simultaneously felt like five minutes and five hours as we bumped into each other every step of the way, holding hands and giggling like schoolchildren. Dixon was attempting to tell a story about something that happened in his freshman year but he kept repeating the same two lines before falling into a fit of laughter which I couldn't help but join in with. His energy was simply pure and infectious and rapidly becoming one of my favourite things.
It took another five minutes to unlock the RV, before I realised I was trying to use my house keys and I was not the one who had the RV keys. The door was unlocked so we pushed our way in, closing the door behind us and snickering. Which quickly stopped when we heard noises coming from the back of the RV.
"Is that..."
"Sex noises." I grimaced, "Oh God no ew."
"Who do you think it is?" Dixon looked intrigued, taking a step further into the RV.
"Well our options are kind of limited...Pearl's boyfriend is rotting in the trunk and Brent and Violet just broke up."
"Hate sex?"
"I wouldn't put it past them-" My eyes widened as I noticed a pair of shoes by the entryway to the sleeping area, "Oh my God."
"What, what?" Dixon asked eagerly, looking at the shoes.
"Those are Kiara's shoes from tonight." I said.
Dixon looked confused.
"Kiara and Cassie, sweetheart."
"Ohhh..." Dixon said, "Oh! Oh ew! No. We need to leave! Ew!"
"Oh so you were fine being nosy when it was basically my sisters." I muttered, shaking my head and following him out of the RV.
"I think that sobered me up a smidge." Dixon winced, rubbing the back of his neck, "How long are we supposed to hide out here?"
"Lesbians? Could be a long night."
"Ew." He shook his head, then glanced up, "You feel like doing some stargazing?"
"With you? Always."
"Sap."
"Shut up."
"Hey!" He said indignantly, "It's my birthday."
Glancing at my watch, I smirked, "Only for thirty more minutes."
"So let's make them count!" He grinned, hopping up onto the hood of his car and patting the empty space beside him.
I slid up beside him with ease and lay back, staring up at the brightly lit sky.
"You don't see stars like this in the city." I noted, "It's so beautiful here."
"Cassie and I were raised in the suburbs, so far out you'd call it countryside. We would climb up out of my bedroom window and sit on the flat part of the roof, staring up at the stars for hours. We would make up stories for each star and give us each our own."
"Sounds like fun."
"It was. Our stars would travel all over the world with us, back home to Italy, vacations to Florida. But they'd always be together. I'd like to think they always will be."
"I always wanted a sister." I smiled wistfully, "Youngest of five brothers was...interesting to say the least."
"Did you feel like an outsider?"
"Extremely. The gay thing didn't help. I love my brothers, and I know they love me too but...we've always been in different worlds. I ended up getting more than I bargained for when Kiara came along. But she was the sister I had always dreamed of."
"How did you two meet?"
I hesitated, not knowing if this was my story to tell; but if there was anyone I could wholeheartedly trust, it would be Dixon.
"We were nine years old." My heart panged at the memory, "It was pouring rain outside. We had just moved to the neighbourhood and my mom kicked us all out so she could properly unpack without us all driving her crazy. I was just...walking, really, not sure towards what. And I saw her, huddled up on the sidewalk looking like the most frail and pathetic little thing I had ever seen."
"You're a treat."
"I know." I smirked, "I just sat down next to her and we just...talked. Like kids do. About absolutely nothing. And she's been stuck to my side ever since."
"That's adorable." Dixon smiled, resting his head against my shoulder, "You two are like siblings."
"She's my sister." I said simply, "She even lived with my family up until high school graduation. My mom likes her more than she likes me."
"I can imagine." Dixon yawned, "Thank you for making my birthday so special."
"Please, all we did was take you to a nightclub in Oklahoma. I'll make it up to you when this blows over."
"It was perfect." He insisted, holding my hand. He squeezed it twice and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face as I squeezed his once in return, "I got to party and have fun and not worry for a day."
"Well then, I'm glad." I smiled, then realised, "Oh, I almost forgot! Your present."
"No way!" He beamed, sitting up and smiling down at me, "You did not get me something!"
"Only something small." I shrugged, "It's slim pickings at the gas stations we've been passing through but...here. It made me think of you."
I handed him the small trinket from my jacket pocket and watched as his eyes widened with awe, holding it gingerly.
"Elvis..." He breathed, looking between me and the trinket rapidly, "Thank you."
I shrugged again, not sure of how to react to the warmth in his eyes. The trinket was something I found when we had stopped for water that morning, right by the cash register. It was some sort of a beanie baby knock off, a small white bear holding a big gold star that was slightly lopsided.
"He's perfect." He beamed, squeezing it to his chest in a gentle hug, "What should I name him?"
"Hmm..." I stared up at the stars, hoping for inspiration to hit me, "What about Pancakes?"
"Pancakes?" Dixon smirked.
"Pancakes. You do love to make pancakes."
"I do." He nodded, "Little baby Pancakes. Welcome to the world."
We lay against the hood in silence for a while, briefly broken every so often by Dixon pointing up at the sky and making note of a random constellation. My drunkenness had now faded to a light buzz that was overwhelmed by how sleepy I had become. I yawned, curling into Dixon's side and burrowing my face into his chest.
"You think they're done?" Dixon murmured, "I could fall asleep out here right now."
"Even if they're not...let's just go to bed." I yawned again, eyes burning as they longed to stay shut, "I've slept through worse."
"Okay." Dixon nodded but made no moves.
"Okay."
"Mhm."
"Yessss..."
"Mmmm..."
"Wait, no Dixon, we're falling asleep." My eyes snapped open, "We need to go inside before we pass out on your car."
"Right." Dixon bolted upright, jarring me with him, "C'mon. Let's be cosy."
We opened the door carefully, remaining silent and straining our ears. We were met with the sound of soft snores quietly echoing throughout the RV.
"We're safe." Dixon winked, grabbing my hand and leading me towards the bed.
"Pyjamas?"
"Too sleepy." Dixon stretched, "Strip and sleep, c'mon."
"Really?" I raised an eyebrow but couldn't help but smile at him.
"It's my birthday. What I say goes."
"It's actually..." I checked my watch, "Not your birthday anymore."
"Fine then. We can sleep fully clothed."
"Hey, now, let's not be hasty!"
He giggled, shaking his head fondly at me before getting ready for bed. Once settled under the covers, we melded together like magnets, his skin hot against mine unlike the cool breeze in the air.
"Perfect." Dixon murmured sleepily, arm thrown across my chest, "Thank you, Elvis."
"Thank you, Dixon."
"Why are you thanking me, silly? It's my birthday."
"Just cause." I pecked his forehead, closing my eyes and settling down for sleep, "Thank you for everything."
"Goodnight, Elvis."
"Goodnight Dixon. Goodnight Pancakes."
"Goodnight Elvis!" Dixon cooed in a fake Pancakes voice.
My smile stayed plastered on my face as I finally drifted to sleep, safe and secure in our mound of blankets.