I turned the radio on, and tried to drown out the awkward silence that had filled the space. I sang along to the music on my own, hoping to pull Owen in... nothing. After nearly half an hour, I'd had enough. I pressed the power button on the stereo, and cleared my throat.
“Will someone please tell me what's going on?” I asked.
Morgan squirmed in her seat then, and brought her hands up to cover her mouth.
“I think I'm gonna be sick.” She said, before emptying the contents of her stomach all over the floorboard.
“Shit!” I said, as I sped up so that I could change lanes.
There was a rest stop just up ahead, and from the looks of the place it had showers. With any luck I'd be able to get the smell out of the truck before it set in. That was the thing about the morning after pill. It messed with your stomach. I remember the first time Morgan took one she was sick for two days. Vomiting, cramping, diarrhea. Why she kept putting herself through this when she could just use a contraceptive was beyond me.
I could faintly hear Owen comforting Morgan from the backseat as I pulled into the rest stop, and put the truck into park. I immediately climbed down from my seat, and ran over to Morgan's door. I helped her out, and tossed the floor mat onto the ground.
“Do you need me to go with you?” I asked, as Morgan started towards the building.
“Just... bring me something to change into.”
“I'll be right there.” I assured her.
Owen came to stand beside me then, and he crinkled his nose in disgust from the smell. I frantically pulled napkins from the glove box, and began to blot up as much as I could from the carpet. I could feel my own stomach churning, and had to turn away for a minute.
“Why don't you let me handle this? You go and check on Morgan.”
“No. I couldn't ask you to do that.”
“You Aren't. Now go.”
I nodded, and then ran around to the back of the truck to grab some clothes from Morgan's bag. A few minutes later, I was inside the building calling Morgan's name. There were only three stalls that were occupied, which made my search a little easier, especially when I spotted her bright pink heels underneath one of them.
I tapped on the door lightly.
“Are you alright?”
“Just a little embarrassed.”
“I brought you some clothes.”
She stood and opened the door then, taking the items from me.
“Can you come in here? I can't set the clothes down anywhere.”
“Sure.” I smiled, before squeezing into the small bathroom stall.
It was a bit of a struggle, but we managed to get her straightened out. I wrapped her soiled clothing in paper towels, and then pulled her toothbrush and toothpaste from my back pocket. She shook her head, smiling before accepting both and heading towards the sink.
When the two of us finally emerged from the restroom, Owen was leaning against the side of the truck. The passenger door was still open, and he gave me a slight smile as we approached.
“Feeling any better?” He asked Morgan.
“Much.” She lied. “I am tired though. Do you mind if I lay down in the back?”
“Not at all.” He said, pushing the lever to fold the front seat down.
The two of us helped her back inside, and then Owen went around back to grab her a blanket. The instant he tucked the soft fabric around her she yawned, and closed her eyes.
“Thank you.” I said, reaching for his hand. “You didn't have to do any of that.”
He shrugged his shoulders, and pulled his hand away from mine before climbing into the passenger seat.
“We should get back on the road.” He said in a cold, and distant tone.
“OK.” I said with confusion, before walking around the front of the truck to reclaim the driver's seat. “Is something wrong?” I asked, as I fastened my seat-belt.
“When were you going to tell me that your ex had moved into the same apartment complex as you?”
I was genuinely taken aback. All the tension in the truck when I returned from the pharmacy made so much sense now. Morgan must have told him, but why? That kind of thing just doesn't come up in conversation. She wouldn't say something just to be vindictive. Would she? She's done it before. Tried to anyway. She's the one who brought Derek up on my first date with Owen.
“I was going to tell you.” I sighed with defeat.
“Really? When?” He asked, the anger evident in his voice.
“I don't know! When we got to Jersey maybe? It didn't seem important.”
“It didn't seem important? How does the fact that the man you almost married being in the same city, the same complex as you not seem important?”
“Why does it matter?” I snapped. “You're the one who said we'd go out with a bang! If that's all I am to you, why should it matter who my neighbor is?”
“It fucking matters, Ronnie!”
“Why!”
“Because I have feelings for you!” He said, with exasperation. “Real feelings, and they aren't just going to go away when this little road trip ends.”
I was stunned. I wasn't expecting any of this. The friendship, the jealousy, the feelings. Owen wasn't the only one to catch feelings. I found myself thinking about him way more than I had any right to. He was always on my mind. The way he smiled, laughed, even the way he smelled. Everything about him was like a drug, and he was my addiction. I knew the second that we started flirting that he was someone I wouldn't be able to forget. How could I be so stupid to think that I could possibly walk away from him?
“I- I don't know what to say.” I said, trying to keep my focus on the road.
Morgan sat up in the backseat then, and smacked me right in the back of the head.
“What the hell is
