VOLUME 2
ETHAN AND JOSEPHINE'S STORY
"Fate is when two who never found each other find each other."
***
"Shit!" I swore, slamming my hands on the steering wheel of this stolen car.
I wasn't a criminal, just a girl who wasn't dealt a good hand by life. There was an alcoholic father, a mother who died long ago, and a jealous ex-boyfriend who had humiliated me more times than anyone could take and who just wouldn't let me go.
Until I decided to run away and start a new life, but I guess this car didn't want me to go too far, but that wouldn't stop me.
My name was Josephine but everyone called me Jo and I'll tell you what the next year has in store for me.
I was standing on the side of the road in the dark and was just lighting my last cigarette when, after ages, I heard the first car drive towards me. I held up my arm, shivering from the cold, hoping they would stop and give me at least a short ride.
The closer it got, the bigger it seemed to me, until I could see the black camper very clearly and luckily it stopped. Sure, many would have thought you shouldn't get into someone else's car at night, but I've never been afraid of anything except losing my pride.
"Hey?!" a pretty dark blonde girl called out to me and I quickly ran over to her, hoping to finally get the hell out of here. It was only a matter of time before the owner of the car would report it stolen. "Hi. My tire blew out and I don't know how to change it," I told her, trying to be polite.
Up close I could see her beautiful blue eyes and the happiness that lay in them. I hoped and prayed that she would help me, otherwise I would probably freeze to death here alone for hours. She looked past me at the stolen car, then turned to face the RV's entrance.
"Ethan!" she yelled and then looked back at me, smiling. I heard an annoyed male voice from inside the RV that even had more curses than me and then he jumped out the door, already annoyed.
"What-" He stopped himself and looked into my eyes so intensely and intently that it sent goosebumps unintentionally down my freezing arms.
"Mate," he breathed suddenly and I heard the girl roll her eyes, who then turned away from him and turned back to me. "I'm Chiara," she stretched out her hand, which I gratefully accepted. "Josephine, but feel free to call me Jo."
The black-haired man was still standing there, until a second man came out of the trailer behind him, who then scared me a little.
He was tall and had cold ice blue eyes that could really make you uncomfortable. A badboy aura clung to him and at that moment, I wasn't sure if I really wanted her help. "Nice, Jo," Chiara said politely and then let go of my hand to turn to the boys. "This is my friend, Jayden, and this is... well, this is Ethan," she explained, and the tall one immediately held out his hand.
"Hi, shall we take you a bit with us?", he asked and eyed me with the ice blue, which made me uncomfortable, but this Chiara really seemed to be a nice girl, so I nodded my thanks, took my ice-cold hand away from him and snapped my cigarette on the street.
"Ethan?" Chiara addressed the frozen man and then hit him with her elbow in the side. "Won't you offer her your jacket?"
He shook himself as if his thoughts were far away from us and then turned to me. "Of course," he whispered, taking off his heavy black jacket. "Here."
I just wanted to take the jacket, but my hand touched his and suddenly I felt so warm and hearty that you might think he had electrocuted me through my body. "Thanks," I murmured, overwhelmed, and pulled on his warm jacket, which smelled so good that I had to refrain from sniffing it like a junkie.
"So, let's continue. I'm tired and hungry," said Jayden and went with Chiara to the caravan. Ethan let me go ahead and I had to think for a moment why he was doing this and decided that he probably wanted to examine my butt.
He didn't need to pretend anything to me, I saw the same in his eyes as mine radiated. We had endured too much and were looking for trouble, although I thought it was cute how shy and polite he acted in front of me, but I was still excited to meet the real Ethan behind the mask.
In the trailer I sat down at the small table and watched the other three. While Jayden and Chiara exchanged the best kiss I've ever seen live, Ethan closed the door and sat next to me. "How do you come up with the idea of traveling alone with such a loving couple?" I asked him curiously and he finally smiled for the first time.
"Maybe I'm a masochist and I like living lonely around lovers," he joked, looking deep into my eyes, which I liked surprisingly well, even though I'd actually done with men.
"And what makes a woman like you get into a car with three strangers in the middle of the night?" "I often act headless," I explained to him and heard his wonderful laugh. "Then let's hope you don't end up really headless."
He leaned back and suddenly I really hated the idea, but I couldn't really jump out of it, could I?
Just as I was about to get up, the damn thing started to move and all I could do was hope they were really good people and not some psychopath with an acting degree.
