Road Trip! (River)

[Carleigh Davidson]

A disgruntled Carleigh sat on top of a bubblegum pink luggage, surrounded by a matching set. Three piece set. She let out a heavy sigh, her eyes narrowing at the parking lot still some distance away. Already, it had taken her hours to fit everything for her road trip with River in three pieces of luggage. Why did she need to bring so many clothes? That was a good question. A question the blonde did not have an answer for.

What had started as an idea slowly became more serious as the relationship between her and River blossomed. She remembered becoming 'official' but they were both... slightly intoxicated at the time. Did it count? Neither Carleigh nor River seemed to question it but had eased into a natural relationship of sorts. It felt... right.

After sitting for a few minutes, the blonde stood up, dragging the obnoxiously pink set down to the parking lots. The struggle continued until finally, she set them down next to River's vehicle. With her summer allowance sent, Carleigh offered to pay for the majority, if not all the gas, as it seemed only fair. River would drive, since she did not have her license at the moment.

Until then, the blonde waited patiently for her cutie to show up.

[River Tseung]

River had always imagined that, if he ended up really, truly falling for someone, it would be a close friend. He didn't realize it would blindside him so much, though - one moment he and Carleigh were friends that loved food and laughing together, and the next they were kissing and ending up falling asleep cuddled up together. River had also always imagined his first kiss would be with his girlfriend, so... Yay!

He still was bewildered (in a good way, of course) that this had even happened. Carleigh was his... Girlfriend? The word felt weird on his tongue. But... River liked it. And he was smiling like an idiot as he walked out to the parking lot, spinning his keychain around on his finger as he tugged along a single large suitcase.

Upon spotting his.... Carleigh, River waved cheerily, and immediately embraced her when he reached the blonde cutie. "Hey sweetheart!" he chirped. He looked down at all her luggage and whistled. "Looks like someone's prepared." River grinned and pecked her on the cheek; he wasn't yet to the point where he felt like... Full mouth-to-mouth kisses should happen all the time. They still felt... Too special.

"You ready to head off, then?" he asked, practically jumping with excitement. River unlocked the car and tossed in his own things, helping Carleigh with her own before hopping up into the driver's seat. "This is going to be amazing," he squeed as he started up the vehicle. "Where's our first stop for the night, again?" River quickly pulled out of the parking lot as he smiled over at his sweetie.

[Carleigh Davidson]

Her own feelings had caught Carleigh off guard as well. It was unexpected; what happened between her and River. However, she wouldn't have it any other way and tried not to dwell on the past, but what was to come in the future. River was all hers, her boyfriend, and the word always made the blonde glow.

Speaking of which, his familiar voice caught her attention, causing her to sit upright and beam at her boyfriend (!!!) before rising. She wrapped her arms around him, grinning. "Hey cutie." Carleigh said, turning back to glance at her three piece set. She chuckled, her cheeks going a bit pink in response. "I tried to pack light... and failed miserably." Then again, did anyone expect Carleigh to even try and bring the bare minimum? The cheek that River kissed turned into a darker shade of pink, as she giggled.

"Of course!" Carleigh exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement. Their little road trip was going to be a lot of fun. Of course, it would probably be near impossible to cover the entirety of the USA in one shot, but they could do the East Coast in the time allotment. Afterall, Carleigh did have to return to Hammel for her senior year and River had university. The thought of them being apart for the school year made her heart pang, even if he was nearby attending school in Vermont. She brushed away the thoughts, smiling as River, being the sweetheart he was, helped her stow everything away in the back of the car.

She climbed into the passenger seat, pulling out her phone with a list of places, and a map book purchased for the trip in mind. "I know! I'm excited to spend the summer with you." She admitted, grinning. "Uhm... I believe we decided we would do New York City. Six hour drive, but then we can explore the city and whatnot."

[River Tseung]

River chuckled as Carleigh talked about her baggage, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "It's alright, I'm sure I forgot a lot of things that you didn't, so you'll probably end up being a lifesaver once or twice," he told her with a grin and a wink. He didn't mind at all; there was plenty of space for their suitcases, themselves, and whatever else they ended up picking up on their trip (because River loved souvenirs!).

He hoped to get over the border at some point, maybe even introduce Carleigh to his parents up in Quebec. And hopefully they would have time to drive back down the coast and make it to Florida (and maybe even spend a day in Disneyworld!?). It was all going to be a great adventure and River knew he'd probably never want it to end. He liked school and all, but he was nervous for college.

River kept his eyes on the road for the most part as he drove. He was a very safe, cautious driver, and it showed. "I've been looking forward to this for so long," he shot back at Carleigh, glancing over at her with a grin. "You look really prepared. I'm glad you thought to look up all the... Maps and stuff!" He was pretty sure she wouldn't let them get lost. Then again, if they did... Well, they would just make the best of it! "New York City, right!" he chirped, turning onto a busier road. "I've never been there. This is gonna be great." His smile was still in place as he added,"You wanna turn on the radio and get some music going? Six hours will fly by."

He didn't mind driving, especially with good company. But jamming out (carefully) to some top 40s stuff would make it even better. "What do you want to do first thing when we get there?" River asked after a moment with another glance over.

[Carleigh Davidson]

Carleigh would have liked to agree with her boyfriend, and say that she overpacked with a purpose, but it was more likely that she overpacked clothes more than anything else. And in an emergency, an extra skirt served no purpose. She blushed, knowing this fact, but didn't say anything. Oh well, if they truly did need something, then she had the funds to get them whatever the two found they forgot to pack. "If you insist." She said, grinning at River in return.

While the two had a rough idea of where to go and what to do, Carleigh had prepared in case either of them changed their minds and wanted to go somewhere else, or if something else along the way caught their attention. Too much preparation would have taken away from the sense of adventure.

The blonde watched River's face, smiling to herself at his adorable face and how concentrated he was on the road. Her eyes landed on the road ahead, but the traffic bored her. No wonder she hadn't got her licence. Not to mention, the thought of her on the road was... scary, to put it bluntly. She looked back at her cutie, nodding and smiling in agreement. "Me too. It's all I've been thinking about since we planned it." Flipping open the map book of the Eastern United States, Carleigh zeroed in on the state of New York within the thick pages and slipped a piece of paper to bookmark the spot. In preparation. She shrugged, matching River's grin. "Eh, had to contribute somehow." She said before letting out a giggle. They were on a busier road now. "Neither have I." She nodded, flipping through the radio channels before What You Know by Two Door Cinema Club was blasting through the speakers. Carleigh began humming along to the song, as River asked her what they wanted to do. Shrugging, a beaming smile appeared on the blonde's face. "I don't know, what do you wanna check out while we're out there?"

[River Tseung]

River definitely wasn't against seeing Carleigh in all the different (and probably adorable) clothes she had brought along, so he still wouldn't complain. He was looking forward to just spending time with her and making memories in the various cities he'd never been to before. He sighed dreamily (internally) thinking about how romantic the cityscapes would be at night...

Despite never having been in a relationship before, River was a hopeless romantic through and through.

He was glad she seemed as excited about it as he was. Had River been a less optimistic person, he might've thought that the hours of driving might get old after a while, but that was the last thing on his mind. "You sure your parents would get after dangerous, rebellious ol' me for taking their daughter on such an extended trip?" he teased, eyes crinkling as he smiled. Yeah, because that was totally the type of person he was. "I almost hope we get lost there, because that would make this even more of an adventure," he chirped. It wasn't like they had to be anywhere at any strict time.

He began nodding his head along with the music, making sure he was keeping most of his attention on driving. Safety and all that. "Oh, gosh, I don't know..." he mused, thinking about what little he knew of the city. "The Statue of Liberty, obviously. Um... Maybe something on Broadway? And," he added, with a laugh,"I'm sure you'll want to do some shopping while we're there, right?" River wouldn't be against that. He liked shopping too! Maybe Carleigh could even pick out some outfits she liked on him.

[Carleigh Davidson]

Staring out the window ahead, Carleigh let her eyes linger on the horizon for a moment, excited for the weeks ahead with River. It wasn't often that someone got the chance to spend time with a significant other, travelling to different states and cities, and it was something she was grateful for. There was nobody else she'd rather spend time with than her sweetheart.

The thought hadn't occurred to the blonde. It was impossible for her to feel bored when River was around. Snorting, Carleigh shook her head before letting out an amused giggle. "You're ridiculous." River... dangerous and rebellious? The thought of him being any of the two was enough to get another laugh out of her. "They'll be fine... ignorance is bliss afterall." Not that her parents were that involved in her life to care. "Well, I can conveniently give you the wrong directions and we have to figure out a way back." She added, lightheartedly. Planned or not, the road trip was something she'd been looking forward to for a very long time. Getting lost wouldn't be an inconvenience.

Nodding along to his suggestions, Carleigh agreed with his thoughts. The Statue of Liberty was a must. Seeing a show on Broadway could be exciting. "Obviously Times Square." She added, thinking of all the people and the lights. She grinned, blushing when River mentioned her need of shopping. "Of course!" All the beautiful clothes... it beckoned her. "I'm down for anything, really." Carleigh said, smiling.