It's a match! - A first dates lander au! (Tmf)

Chapter Twelve: big scary drives

The joke didn't land.
At all.

I'm awarded a glare from the drivers seat. "Funny." He says, voice colder than I've heard it before. "Real funny Alex" he says, glancing back to the road, looking ahead with a prickly expression.
Yikes. Get the butter knife because the tension in the car just got thicker.
"Don't get ratty on me now Luke, it was just a joke" I defensively say, glancing over.
I'm met with silence. Shit, why couldn't I have kept my mouth shut, this is worse than nervous luke, I don't want to be mad at him- and I most definitely don't want to show my parents this Jukped up, shut down version of my amazing boyfriend. I decide he needs quiet for a bit, letting him follow the Satan in his phone in the holder. In his own little head though, he misses a turn. The screen lights up with a big fat 'rerouting' and he panics.
"Wring fucking turn" he mutters to himself, before groaning as the new eta has added 15 minutes on. He furrows his brows and grips the steeering wheel, looking like he's about to bloody cry. I can't watch this. It's like watching a puppy get mad at himself for breaking a tennis ball.
"Baby?"
"I'm sorry— I didn't mean to turn wrong I thought it said get of the moterway at this junction—"
"I'm not mad, pull over at the next service station" I murmur softly, my hand rubbing his thigh. He's quiet for a moment, before I hear the indicator clock to the left , signalling he listened.
He pulls up, sighing, and I wot for a moment before saying. "You are so stressed" I sigh, giving his leg a squeeze, brows furrowed. He looks up, his yellow eyes glistening with tears at the ready, nodding. He's breaking my heart. Shit. I cup his face, giving him a kiss.
"I know it's easier said than done, but. I need you to relax a little? I can drive if you want? You can be in charge of music to keep you occupied? Or you can just have a nap? Anything that will help" I softly say, begging him to stop carrying the weight of whatever he's carrying if his shoulders.
He thinks for a moment
A lot. I can see his brows furrow.
He nods. "Okay- I'm sorry- I just - I don't like meeting parents, I'm not good at talking to them really- never been" he says, looking up at me. I'm sceptical, but let him have this one. I nod, undoing my seatbelt. "That's okay, you don't have to be the best, just be you, you'll be great, they'll love you—"
"How do you know?"
"For starters...Micheal likes Alice in Chains?" I shrug , refferong to my stepdads dad rock. He looks up, he's stooped fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "Really?" I nod, good, keep saying things like that Zan.
"He has Ozzy vynils too, and a record player, if you mention any of the bands you like round him he might combust with excitement because me and Haley have never really been into rock that's that Heavy"

After a LOT of just random tidbits about my mom and Micheal, Luke decides he'll be somewhat okay. We swap seats and get a chocolate bar each from the service station as a break before getting back in and munching on them. When we finish our little pit stop, before I start his car, I glance over. "Sorry I got mad earlier. I didn't mean to take the mixk out of you that hard, I thought it would make you laugh— and my patience was also starting I go" I admit, holding his hand. In response, he simply squeezes it."it's okay— I'm sorry for not accepting your answer even though it's the best one you could give  at the time" he sighs, giving my cheek a kiss. Then my head. "We okay?" He asks into my hair. I nod, blushing, and he grins, giving my head one last kiss before bucking up in the oasssenger seat.
Off we go again.
This time, driving is so much smoother. Luke was happily picking songs in the passenger seat, humming along like a little kid, he still quiet, but I choose my battles. Things were going well, until James name pops up in Luke's Bluetooth on the car. I answer it.
"Hello asshole?" I remark as I drive, Luke's DJing privileges being temporarily revoked which makes him pout adorably.
"Oh! Hey Zan! How are you?" Jake pepping saud from the other end of the phone, clambering and clattering of kitchenware is heard subtly in the back, giving the call at least some (albeit annoying) ambience.
"We were good until you interrupted our peaceful cast journey" I spit, earning a laugh from my boyfriend which makes me grin. "You interrupted my music , Jake" like pipes up.
"Sorry man!" He chuckles, his laugh crackly on the crappy Bluetooth Luke's ancient cat has, but still somehow annoying.  "I just wanted to ask you and your boyfriend what time you think you'll be getting here, Mama Shannon asked me to ask" he says. "And Haley is in the bathroom so o decided I'd do them all a favour.
Luke glances at me from the lassenfer seat, no longer looking at the satnav, he has no sense of Time. I glance at the time and huff, thinking, tapping on the wheel. "Uuuuuuh..." I sigh, "about...half hour?"
"Okay! I'll let them all know, that's all , see you later guys" he says, before hanging up.
"Jake and Haley already there?" He asks ,looking up at me, I nod, I can practically see the nerves creeping back in, so i act quick:
"Can you pass me some gum from your glovebox babe?" I ask politely. He nods, rummaging in the box and fishing out some airwaves and pushing two out of the paper packet.
"Thanks" I grin, he nods, smiling. I know he knows what I'm doing, distracting him, but that's okay, at least it's working.