❝She left with reckless abandon, for her life had only ever amounted to something good enough to leave behind.❞

Dahlia was stunned by his request, too startled to form proper words as she gazed at him with her jaw slightly dropped. It was so sudden – hell, they didn't even talk to each other on the regular. "Do you even know where I'm going?" she asked, the words falling from her mouth awkwardly.

"You're headed away from the palace, right?" Eloise's nerves at his characteristically bold move finally showed through as his eyes dimmed at the resistance. "Well, so am I. Preferably. And look, you need someone like me. I can drive," his eyes flickered towards the driver, "and I know my way around the Royal Territories decently well. Better than you, anyways. You need a guide, so let me come. Take me with you."

Dahlia exhaled, her shoulders falling as she glanced to her left. His whole proposal was preposterous. It was out of the blue, risky, and completely unplanned. But as her eyes met the driver's, the answer seemed clear. His reasoning made sense, and Dahlia found herself nodding for him to turn off the car and leave them.

The driver obliged, leaving the keys in the ignition and bowing. Eloise left his backpack in the backseat and raced to the front, slipping into the driver's seat next to her.

"You're legal right?" Dahlia asked skeptically. She wasn't sure what the requirements were to be able to drive a car, but he looked around her age. "You won't crash us somewhere?"

"I got this," Eloise said, starting the car. He effortlessly maneuvered it to the palace gates, as though to prove a point. As they waited for the guard to raise it for them, he glanced at her to ask. "So, where are we headed?"

"For now? Just keep driving."

"So...you have no clue."

"Essentially," Dahlia supplied, and he matched her grin. "I have a lot of money in my bank account – whatever that is – apparently. Let's not worry too much. We can drive and stop once we're far enough away. We can find a hotel to stay in overnight or something. I want to cut my hair, then dye it to make sure I'm not recognized. Beyond that, I have no plan."

Eloise pulled off the castle grounds, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. "I say we aim for a smaller city. Somewhere with enough infrastructure to keep us entertained. We can always move somewhere else again."

"Deal," Dahlia said, leaning back in her seat. She put on some music, and they drove in silence for a while.

For some reason, being with Eloise was comfortable. He was a little younger than Lester, around her age, and she had always gotten the feeling that he had been a bit of an outcast of the Royal family if there were any. In other words, he was similar to her. Eloise was quiet, sensible, balanced, and seemingly – as she was learning – a bit spontaneous. He was bold when he needed to be. Dahlia respected that.

Worst case scenario, she could make up an excuse and ditch him. For now, she didn't have much to lose by humoring his request.

They kept the conversation minimal throughout their drive, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Dahlia caught Eloise glancing at her a few times, but likely to make sure that she was still there. The gentle music in the background was soothing. Soon, Dahlia found herself drifting into a restful sleep for the first time in a while, lulled by the chords and the hum of the engine. The drive wasn't particularly entertaining, and while the scenery was lovely, she found herself more tired than expected.

In the middle of the drive, they made a quick stop to eat and relieve themselves at a small fast-food restaurant on the way. Their silence finally fell apart when they got back in the car.

"Why aren't you asking me why I wanted to leave?" Eloise asked quietly as they got back onto the highway. The slight clenching of his hands on the wheel was the only sign of his annoyance at his own confusion, his breaths falling evenly.

Dahlia didn't turn to look at him as she answered, instead choosing to prop up her elbow on the small ridge between the door and the window. "I'm sure you have your reasons."

"You're more trusting than I'd assumed you would be," he commented.

"Am I?" Dahlia's expression contorted in a look of surprise, and she laughed. Trusting. That was a new one. "It's not that I'm trusting of you, it's that I'm trusting of my own judgement."

"Isn't that a bit arrogant of you to presume?"

"Perhaps, but I don't have a lot of other people that I trust. If I didn't rely on myself, I would have had a much harder life up until this point. Is there a reason that I shouldn't trust you that I need to know about, Eloise?"

He made a face. "How is it that you can make my name sound so formal?"

"Eli, then," Dahlia settled on. Then, "you dodged my question."

"I'll let you know if I think of anything," he murmured playfully, then began belting out the chorus of the song on the radio, having had enough of talking.

The next four hours passed quickly, the two of them beginning to badly sing songs on the radio together and get to know each other more. Something about Eloise made her relax in an instant, and Dahlia savored the laughter they shared.

It was nice to be around someone she felt like she had more in common with, for once. Really nice.

When the sun finally went down, they decided to call it a night at the next city they passed. Eloise turned into a small city called Roaner, and they found a cheaper hotel to crash in that seemed decent. They ordered takeout using the hotel phone and ate a small dinner together.

The air was clear in the city, the stars were bright in the night sky. Eloise crawled into his bed, and Dahlia cut off her longer hair with the military knife that she'd brought, cleaning it up with scissors. 

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what genres are you currently really into and why?

i'm starting to think about my next work and what direction i want to go in, but i honestly have no freaking clue where i'm headed. what a year, y'all.