"Are you close to your mother?" Ali asked as Nora approached a traffic light. The light turned red, forcing her to stop, and she pulled out a piece of chewing gum from the small compartment as she looked in his direction.

"Huh?" It was a random question at best, and surprised her, but Ali didn't seem to understand that his query bordered personal lines. Even Leo knew not to ask about their mum most days and her sigh somehow persuaded her road trip buddy to enquire further.

"You said that your mother is always worried about you. I just assumed you didn't talk much...or maybe she called and you didn't...."

Nora exhaled through her nose as flashes of her childhood returned to her mind.
It had been a happy period for the most part. She'd been fortunate to have parents who seemingly loved each other until one day, her parents chose to amicably divorce. Then, Arlo, her mother's husband arrived and being raised by someone who wasn't her blood, had never allowed Nora to feel quite comfortable. It wasn't that she minded Arlo, in fact when it came to conversation partners, she'd choose her step-dad any other day, it was just...different. And her mother had never quite understood Nora's predicament.

"We talk," Nora confirmed, "but sometimes it gets a little too much, so we distance ourselves. We have a good relationship, for the most part. She can just be a little...overbearing,"

"And have you told her this?" His reply gained a snort as she giggled and shook her head. Her mother had never been the type of person who could just listen; talking to her would be utterly pointless.
Still, Nora didn't need to disclose that to the stranger beside her, and so instead, she turned the table, directing the questions to him.

"How about you? You spoke about your sister, but you haven't mentioned your parents,"

Somehow the mention of Ali's parents was enough for him to stiffen his spine and glance out the window. Assuming she was correct, parents were a point of contortion for him too, and she wasn't sure if she was grateful for the silence his response brewed or if she was even more curious.

"My parents...never quite understood me," he revealed, breaching the walls she had assumed were in place. "Growing up, it was my sister who took care of me, of all of us, and when they passed away, I could only accept it was a part of our life together. I see my sister most regularly, because she is all I have left,"
The ageing brown eyes drifted to the window as Nora peaked at the man beside her. She was surprised by his candour, but appreciated that his own history quite possibly stopped his judgement.

Or that's what Nora thought, until Ali added:
"You should try with your mother, you won't realise it not, but you'll miss her when she's gone,"

The temptation to roll her eyes was irresistible but Nora held firm, gripping the steering wheels as she offered one assertive nod. Though what Ali stated was true, he was yet to meet the famous Anita Torres, he'd understand if he had.

"So, who else is in your family?" Nora asked, choosing not to explore the topic of parents further. "How about a wife? Children?"

"I have a daughter yes," Ali nodded, encouraging Nora's lips to curl in a smile. She was trying her best not to imagine Ali in his younger days, forcing a teenage girl to hurry up and be on time, but her snigger revealed her thoughts.

"Fortunately, Leena took after me,' Was all Ali added to correct her amusement, but Nora ignored the truth, and instead revelled in her day dreams, just as street lights began to turn on. His simple answer also contained a hint of warning, one perhaps she should heed, and for once Nora listened to her gut, using her blinker to indicate she was moving off the motorway, just as the street lamps beamed to life.

"So, and if you don't mind me asking," she asked, politely...which must have sounded startling as for the time in the last three hours Ali looked at her properly. "Why did you name your cat Billy?"

"I didn't," Ali revealed with a small smile, "My sister did; Billy means cat in my home language...."

"You named your cat...cat?"

"She did, yes,"

And then Nora honestly laughed, and Ali joined her, his eyes creasing until the whites of his eyes were hidden by his lids, and his chest reverberated with the deep sound.

"A cat named cat," she chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief, "I think I've heard it all," she sniffled, her eyes watering from her hilarity, causing her nose to run. "Shall we stop off here?"

A Travelodge sign approached, indicating they were only a mile away, and she was thankful when Ali nodded his head in agreement. Nora didn't think she would be able to tolerate any more driving, and she took the slip road to the hotel, grateful that there were plenty of empty spaces in the parking area, indicating there would be rooms available.

"Hi, welcome to the Travelodge hotel," An older man greeted them as they approached, carrying their suitcases. Nora didn't even want to think about how she looked. There was a fresh tomato stain on her sweater, her hair was greasy and curling, and her head was spinning from exhaustion.

"Hello," Ali replied, "can we have two single rooms for one night, please."

"Of course," The hotelier nodded. After displaying their ID, Ali paid, and they were offered rooms next to one another. Nora couldn't even remember the journey they had taken to get to their rooms, but she was quick to unlock the door, dump her suitcase on her bed and pull out her favourite ratty t-shirt. It had once belonged to Leo during their teenage years, but the benefit of being a younger sibling included being on the receiving end of hand-me-downs, including cool t-shirts. This one, featured The Mighty Ducks, from one of her favourite movies, and so despite the frayed edges, dull colour and holes, Nora would never have the heart to throw it away.

Stripping off her clothes, she headed straight into the shower, relishing the feeling of the water running down through her hair and down her back as her shoulders finally relaxed. She was too tired to sing, as she usually did whilst showering, and all she craved was some time to relax and possibly, a hot chocolate.
Once she was towel-dried, she dressed in the t-shirt and complimentary robe and moved to open the window, as she opened a packet of crisps as the cold air cooled her warm face.

She rested on the floor, her eyes heavy as she reached for her phone to alert Leo that they had arrived. Her mother had also sent a series of messages, and though she was exhausted, it would be better to call than to avoid her any longer.

"Hello?" Her mother answered on the second ring. "Nora, es que tu?" (Nora, is that you?). From her surprise, one would think Nora hadn't called in the last few weeks, but she had. This was just how her mama responded.

"Yes, mum, it's me," She replied in English, knowing that it would frustrate her mother, but she was too tired to translate the words into Spanish. She wasn't exactly fluent. "How are you?"

"I'm okay; I've been trying to reach you," Adele added.

"I know," Nora sighed, "Leo told me, but I've been busy on a...business trip,"

"A business trip?" Her mother asked as she chewed the contents in her mouth, finding comfort in the salt that soaked into her bloodstream. "For a pet shop?"

"Yeah," She lied, "It's for...experience,"

"Oh," Her mother responded, and Nora could tell that her fib didn't pass the lie detector. Still, she was glad she didn't press until the real reason for her call was exposed. "Your dad's getting married in a week...." Nora would have preferred to have been scolded for losing her job, and she sighed, crumpling the packet and dusting her hands before she climbed onto her bed. "He wants you there,"

"Are you going?" Despite the assumption, one would hold against most divorced couple, amicable was too harsh of a word to describe the relationship between Nora's parents. Somehow, they had remained real friends throughout her youth, and her father even gave her mum away at her wedding. Still, Nora hadn't quite maintained the same kind of relationship, and after moving to Milton Keynes, she'd only seen her father a handful of times for Christmas, Easter and Father's day. The latter was a tradition her mum and step-mum-to-be had orchestrated, and Nora sighed as she thought back to the first time they'd celebrated as a four; her step-father, Arlo, also having been present. Leo had been off gallivanting the world when this had all occurred, and to this day had been fortunate to never had attended a party, that should have centred Nora, but instead made her feel even more adrift.

Her birth father, Miguel, had been thanked by receiving a bowl of beans over his head, and it was hard for Nora not to smile at her fourteen-year-old self. She'd certainly been a badass, and her smirk remained when her mother confirmed that she and Arlo would be present.

"I don't know if I'll be back home by then," Nora revealed as her mother harrumphed in response. "The trip is in Inverness; I've been driving all day...."

"Leo said you were heading up north...maybe you can take a diversion? Technically it won't be out of your way...can't you just make an effort, just this once? Even Leah wants you there," As much as it pained Nora to admit it to herself, she knew her mother wasn't lying. Her step-mother-to-be had made an effort for the last ten years. The only reason why they didn't have a close relationship was that her father never pushed for it. Still, deep down, Nora knew that he never asked for more because he knew that's what Nora wanted.

After everything that had happened, she just needed space, and unlike her mother, her padre had given that to her.
"I'll think about it," She decided, "It's late; I need to get some sleep now,"

"Okay," Her mother responded, "Dulces suennos" (Sweet dreams)

"Te Quiero, mama'" Nora responded genuinely, sending her love as she hung up the phone. Her brain was still foggy from the drive, and so she slipped into the sheets, ignoring the thoughts that threatened to stir up the memories she longed to forget.

Fortunately for Nora, sleep found her quickly, and she woke up, comforted by the large, comfortable bed and the dim light that streamed through the blinds. She rolled over, checking her mobile, only to realise that it had died as a result of her not using her charger.
The groan was imminent, but when she buried herself into the sheets, she ignored her annoyance and closed her eyes once more.

Only, within seconds, a knock thudded her door, and she opened her eyes, turning to glare at the entry way she now faced. For a moment, she thought she had imagined it, but a second pounding forced her to crawl out of bed, adjust her robe, and open the door slightly so that the one who dared interrupt her sleep could be seen.

"What?" She demanded, her anger depleting when her eyes landed on the tall man before her. She should have known it was Ali but based on his smile, he was almost unrecognisable. "What's wrong?" She asked again, this time politely, as he maintained his grin.

"We've got to go!" He gushed, "Inverness is a three-hour drive; we could have Billy by midday!"

"Alright," She nodded in agreement, a yawn spreading her lips as she failed to mirror his excitement. Despite sleeping well, she still longed for the comfortable bed, but a slight gurgle in her stomach quickly became her priority as she stroke up a deal. "I want breakfast first,"

"Okay, I'll meet you in the dining area. Bring your bags; we can check out straight after," She closed the door after bobbing her head and groaned as she took in the state of her room. She hadn't bothered to unpack her bag the night before and so finally unzipped it to pull out her toiletries and a yellow dress, accented with azure blue polka dots.

The sight that met her when she entered the bathroom forced her to freeze before she immediately turned on the taps. Though she'd showered the night before, old mascara had caked beneath her eyes, giving her the perfect raccoon look. Using some wipes, she cleansed, brushed her teeth and renewed her makeup, thankful that the foundation concealed the dark shadows that had formed beneath her eyes.

By the time Nora emerged, it was almost 9 am, and so she quickly checked she had all her belongings, plugging her mobile into the portable charger before leaving to find the lift. It was the same route that she could vaguely remember from the night before, but the wall lamps brightened it. The signature blue carpet ran through the halls and smelt musky from old use.
It was her rumbling stomach that encouraged her to move forward, however, and when she finally entered the dining area, she could spot Ali's mop of curly hair from a mile away.

"Hey," she smiled, lowering the handle of her suitcase as she met up with him. "Have you eaten already?" She asked upon noticing his empty plate.

"Yes, I highly recommend the French toast. Do you have your key card? I can check us out while you eat,"

"Err sure," She gave him the card from the pocket in her dress-a feature that had persuaded her to fall in love with the outfit, before picking up her plate and heading to the buffet.

She pulled out her phone, glad to see there was enough battery to receive her messages, and snapped an image to send to her brother. Helping herself to several slices of French toast, along with some danishes that appeared to have custard in the middle, she hummed to herself happily as she returned to the table where thankfully her belongings remained untouched.

"That looks delicious!" Read Leo's text as she took her first bite, her mouth-watering in its newfound heavenly state, as she messaged her confirmation. They texted back and forth, just long enough to inform one another of their planned day, including Leo's invitation to have dinner at his mother-in-law's. She was about to add her conversation with their mother, she'd had the night before when Ali arrived and reclaimed his seat once more.

"Come on; we need to go!" He grinned, and she nodded, spooning the last of her eggs into her mouth as she moved to her feet. Ali was in such good spirits; he didn't even wince when she agreed verbally that they could go, her mouth full as she picked up her bags. He was a different person entirely.