"I got arrested." The voice says.

"Come again?"

"Arrested. In Mexico." Noland rolls his eyes. Marco, of course.  He loves his friend, but he's in his thirties now and it's time to calm the fuck down. He is the only person Noland knows who still acts like a child.

"What exactly am I supposed to do about this?" He already knows what he's going to say and Noland is tempted to leave him there to learn a lesson.

"Post my bail, come get me." Noland hears yelling in the background.

"Man, I have a job. I can't just come down to fucking Mexico." He's not really in the mood for this shit.

"Well... well, tell Korrie to come get me." He stutters.

"She ain't gonna do it."

"You owe me. You owe me a trip to Mexico twice over. This is nothing compared to the shit I've done for you. Stop bitching, put Korrie in the car and drive down here." Noland knows this is true. Marco has bailed him out more times than he can count when they were younger.

"Fine. But I'm not bringing her."

"Bring Korrie, she's got bail money." Fuck.

***

She is livid when she finds out.

"He's so fucking stupid. What did he even do?" She flutters around her room tossing clothes in a bag.

"I don't know exactly." He watches her, fascinated by the way she maneuvers around the furniture. "We're not going to be gone that long. How much stuff are you packing?" It's a day away if he drives straight through, and a day back. Two days at most. But Korrie looks like she's packing enough for a week.

"I've worked so hard to save this money. So fucking hard. And I now have to give it to the Mexican government, because Marco is a dumbass." Korrie has a decent paying job. But when you cut out expenses she never has much left over. To save money she doesn't go out much, doesn't buy frivolous things, and counts her pennies. She's managed to save a good chunk of change and now she's got to give it up for her brother. Noland feels for her, always having to be the responsible one.

"You don't have to go. I can do this without you." He intends to pay the bail anyway.

"I'm going." She grabs her bag and heads out the door without another word. He figures she's saving all her choice words for Marco.

***

Korrie turns the radio on after a half hour of silence. She hums a tune and hangs her foot out the window. It's relaxed in this confined space, his leather seats squeaking and the engine purring. He catches her glancing at him once or twice with a small smile on her face. She thinks this is going to be an adventure, he can see it in her eyes. She thinks they're going to bond and talk about the tension between them that's been building for years. She's wrong. Driving to Mexico City and driving back. That is all.

***

 "So how's school?" Noland stares at the table and drinks his coffee. Four hours in the car and Noland needed to breathe.

"Oh my god Noland. Small talk? Really? With me?" Korrie likes to think they are closer than that. Sure they hadn't seen each other in months, but there's no way they've been reduced to this.

"I don't know what to say to you," Noland shrugs. She's so much younger than him and he's is willing to admit she's beautiful. It was something he's never handled well. He's been tip-toeing a line with her for years, which is why he's put so much distance between them these past couple of months. She's his best friend's little sister and he's willing to bet Marco wouldn't be ok with it.

"I'm sorry." He shakes his head. It's just Korrie, he tells himself.

"Don't apologize. Just relax. You've been way uptight since we got on the road." She sips her coffee and takes a bite of her apple pie.

"Sorry. We don't talk enough anymore. It feels new." He doesn't like being strangers with her. But you do what you gotta do.

"That's your fault." Noland nods. He knows. But he didn't realize she knew he was avoiding her. "What's with that? You used to always be around."

"I got old, Kor. I can't hang around kids forever." He's never taken a direct shot at her age but it slips out before he can catch it. She just shrugs.

"I used to have the biggest crush on you when I was in high school." He wishes she hadn't said that.

"Shouldn't be crushing on guys 10 years your senior." He sips his coffee nonchalantly, pretending the words don't mean anything.

"You weren't just some guy, Noland." She rolls her eyes. "You used to walk me to school every day. You kept all the guys in line. You're probably the only reason I was popular in school. Everyone wanted to get closer to you." Marco and Noland had walked Korrie to school almost every day all throughout high school. He could say it was only logical considering the University was just a few blocks down. But sometimes it really made more sense to sleep in. He got up with Marco -and sometimes- without Marco and walked Korrie all the way to class. Occasionally he had to threaten a touchy teenage boy on the way.

"Yeah I am. Remember that."

***

It's getting late and they stop for the evening at a motel. Two beds, quiet and surprisingly clean.

Noland strips down quickly and showers. Stepping out with just a towel, Korrie acts like she doesn't notice the hard body on display before rushing in the bathroom for her turn.

He's never wondered what Korrie wore to bed. It wasn't a question her ever let slip into his mind. But he now knew the answer as she slipped into her bed wearing a white tank top and pink, ruffled panties. She's all long legs and underwear that doesn't hide nearly enough of her ass. As if reading his mind, she covers her legs with the sheet and faces the wall. He wishes they were home with Marco in tow and this trip passed over without incident.

That morning they eat a small continental breakfast of pastries and coffee. There's no eye contact and the wood grain on the table is incredibly interesting to both of them.

***

It's sweltering in his truck. Even with the windows down it feels like an oven. Noland has his shirt unbuttoned and sweat is dripping down his chest. Korrie's thighs are sticking to his leather seats.

Despite the heat, Korrie doesn't sit next to the window. She sits at his side, shoulder to shoulder, thigh to thigh. When he asks her why she insists on being so close she asks him why it matters. Noland shuts up because if she's not making a big deal of it, he isn't either.

***

They find a stray puppy trotting along the dirt road. Korrie begs him to stop for it. The pup is tiny and dirty. High- pitched barks and smelly fur spread throughout his truck. They pull over at a rest stop and Korrie takes the pup to the restroom-- to bathe him he hopes. Noland gets gas and tries to rid the dust and dirt left from the beast of his front seat. Korrie comes back smiling, after what feels like an hour, with what looks like a new dog. A light brown thing with curly hair and floppy ears. She's cuddling it and rubbing its belly as it yawns. The puppy smells like hand soap and it's a huge improvement. So much that Noland allows it to sit on his lap as he drives.

"I save its life and it falls in love with you? Figures." Korrie mumbles watching the puppy curl up and go to sleep in his lap. Noland just rolls his eyes.

"Are you pouting?"

"No." She huffs.

"Technically I saved his life." He chuckles. "Thought of a name yet?"

"I don't even know if I'm keeping him yet." She shrugs.

"Well if you don't, I am. I kind of like the little guy." He rubs it's head.

"He only likes you because of the ridiculous real estate space in your lap. Could fit 4 puppies on there." She uses a finger to scratch behind the pups ear. "What do you want to name him?"

"Something intimidating."

"He's a little guy, he's not going to get bigger than 20 lbs."

"Exactly. Spartacus?" The puppy perks up with a wagging tail. "Yeah, he likes Spartacus."

"I wanted to name him something sweet. Toto or Douglas."

"Oh god no. That's awful. The other dogs will take his lunch money with a name like that," Noland laughs.

***

"Are you going to tell me why you stayed away for so long?" She knocks her shoulder against his when the truck hits a bump.

"No."

"Why not?" She pets sleeping Spartacus in Noland's lap.

"You're not old enough." That seemed to be his excuse for everything.

"What does that mean?"    

"It means you're not old enough for me to be talking to you about my problems." She looks over at him with her eyes narrowed. "Fine. But after I tell you, you have to let it go."

"Ok." Korrie smiles innocently at him.

"I might have had a little thing for you." He keeps his eyes on the road and doesn't see the surprised look on her face. "I couldn't turn it off so I didn't want to be around you."

"Noland-"

"Uh-uh. Let it go Korrie." He shakes his head.

"We're just making it harder on ourselves by denying it."

"Ourselves?" As in, her crush hasn't faded.

"It's not easy to date when I'm comparing everyone to you." Noland doesn't know how to respond. He shuts up. "Can we stop for ice cream?" She asks meekly. As if Noland could deny her anything. Ice cream is nothing compared to the puppy in his truck. They pull over at the small stand selling Italian ice and vanilla ice cream. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realizes that this trip has nearly doubled in hours. They've made far too many stops and Marco is probably pissed.

***

Korrie has been silently staring at him for longer than he feels necessary. Her small hand reaches up and caresses his beard.

"What are you doing?" He asks patiently.

"I like you with greys." Her fingers gather at the hair just under his lip.

"Kor," he says in a warning tone. He's noticed she likes to push his buttons.

"You're only in your thirties, what are you even doing with them?" She runs her fingers just under his chin.

"I'm pretty sure you gave them to me." Too many years of teasing is bound to takes its toll in some form. "Korrie."

"What?" Her fingers scratch the nape of his neck.

"I'm trying to drive," he grits out. He's a grown man and simple touches like this shouldn't be such a turn on. But it's Korrie and she knows exactly what she's doing.

"What's stopping you?" She smirks. "You know, I used to have wet dreams about you." Noland chokes on his own spit.

"Jesus Korrie. You can't say shit like that." He hits his chest trying to catch his breath.

"Back in high school when you would come over. Some days I'd hide in my room and wait for you to leave because I was so embarrassed." She shakes her head laughing. "Come on. You never thought about it?" She sips her water bottle casually.

"Doesn't matter if I did."

"So you did?"

"I never said that." Korrie has taken the tiniest bit of information and chosen to torture him with it.

***

"I have a suggestion." Her voice cuts through his thoughts of Marco rotting in a cell.

"For what?"

"Our dilemma."

"What dilemma?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." He assumes she's referring to their obvious feelings for each other.

"It's not a dilemma. It's not even an issue. And it's not happening." He simply states.

"We don't have to tell Marco."

"I'm not going to lie to him."

"You kind of already are."

"How so?"

"You want me. You have for years and you didn't say anything."

"I'm not acting on it. I'd say that's the important thing."

"Well l have a solution."

"I thought you said it was a suggestion." She rolls her eyes and smiles.

"Shut up. Listen, we can keep it a secret. We both get what we want." He shakes his head. This isn't happening. "Noland, I've been crushing on you since I met you. Now that I know you feel the same, I'm running with it."

"I wish you wouldn't."

"Too late." Korrie rests her head on his shoulder and is silent for the next hour.

***

He's at whit's end when she starts rubbing his thigh. He's gritting his teeth and breathing through his nose.

Noland pulls the truck over on the side of the dirt road. He puts the keys on the dashboard and turns to face her. For the past hour her hands have been roaming over his arm, his thigh, his stomach, any place she could reach. To anyone else the touches would seem subtle, accidental even. But he knows Korrie. She's been taunting him as he tries to be strong and just keep driving.

He scoots towards her, the old leather squeaking under his weight. She backs up, cornering herself in the passenger seat. With one hand across her on the door and the other on the seat, suddenly the truck is too small, suffocating him. Maybe this wasn't the best way to try and call her bluff. She licks her lips and rests a hand on his bicep. Noland gets a whiff of her subtle fruity perfume and hesitantly buries his face in her neck. Korrie's quick inhale to their close proximity makes his heart race. The hand on the door finds its way to her hip and Korrie's body sinks down. His hair has fallen in his face and Korrie, with a look of absolute focus, pushes it back and grips the back of his head. Her lips are parted and he can feel her breath on his mouth.

He could kiss her now. She was willingly lying beneath him, eyes glazed and mouth open. He could kiss her. She looks like she's waiting for his lips. Like she wouldn't mind if he finally claimed them as his.

She doesn't reach up and take a kiss, give him the push he needs. Because if their lips touch even the slightest he knows all his logical thinking will be out the window. He thinks she's waiting for him to decide but he can't. He can't cross the mere inches between them because it's Korrie. A girl-- woman, he's known almost his whole life. Marco's kid sister.

It isn't something that should happen here, in his old truck on the side of the road. He backs away and promises himself that given the opportunity, he won't punk out next time.

***

When they finally arrive at the police department there is a stack of paperwork waiting for them. They show proof of identification, pay bail, and mean mug the shit out of Marco, who is oddly silent.

***

The atmosphere is buzzing with energy as they get back in the car. He's not sure where it came from and why he's not ashamed of it but Korrie is giving it off too. This excitement because it's not over. They get to drive back to Albuquerque together in his cramped truck for hours. She hops in the passenger seat not even bothering to hide her smile. She sits just as close as before with her head on his shoulder and her hand resting on his thigh.

He wants to tell her to knock it off because Marco is right next to her. But she keeps looking at him as if he was something special that deserved her attention. She keeps looking at him like she could make him happy.

"Where the hell did this dog come from?" Spartacus jumps in Marco's lap, wagging his entire butt with excitement.

"That's Spartacus, be nice to him." Korrie picks him up and sets him in Noland's lap, where he belongs.

***

There's a touristy shop Korrie wants to stop at. She browses the handmade jewelry and handbags while he buys a few water bottles. She buys a bracelet and a necklace while the shop owner stares at her chest.

Noland doesn't stomp over and hit him like he wants to. Instead he calmly ushers her out insisting that they needed to get on the road. The man at the counter practically growls at him and Noland brushes it off because let's face it, he won. No need to assert his dominance.

***

Korrie's thigh keeps knocking into Noland's under the diner table. The back of his hand keeps rubbing her bare arm. "You two look cozy." Marco comments. Something he's obviously noticed since Mexico.

"It was a long drive. We bonded over our intense hatred of you." Noland forgot how snarky Korrie could be. He likes it.

"I apologized already." He huffs into his plate.

"Not good enough." She cocks her head waiting for a proper apology.

"I'm buying you guy's dinner," Marco shrugs. As if it should be sufficient. Burgers and fries don't cover it.

"The fact that you think we're even shows how truly selfish you are." Korrie steals the leftover food from all the plates for Spartacus.

"I'm exhausted. Can we stop for the night?" he huffs out. They're only a couple hours from home but stopping for the night sounds like a good idea.

***

They stop at the same motel they stayed at on the way down. Marco gets room keys while Noland and Korrie wait by the truck.

"I'm sleeping in your room." She says matter-of-factly.

"What?"

"In your bed."

"How am I gonna explain that to your brother?" This is an awful idea. The worst idea to ever be thought of in his presence.

"We don't have to explain shit. We're adults." She rolls her eyes as Marco makes his way back. Korrie has always been like this. Setting her mind to shit and not letting go until she's got it. In his opinion, it's a real problem.

"Keys for everyone. We're a bit spread out, this motel is surprisingly crowded." He hands them out and Korrie grabs her bag and heads towards her room on the second floor.

"What the hell is going on with you and Korrie?" Marco demands once she's out of ear shot.

"Nothing, man. It was just a long ride," Noland shrugs hoping his friend will just drop it.

"Something happened. Don't lie to me." He has Noland by his collar but he doesn't look like he's gonna actually do anything.

"Dude, relax. You're tired. Just go have a hot shower and sleep. You look rough." Marco chuckles and shakes his head.

"You're right," he pats Noland gently. "Sorry, I need sleep." Noland nods quietly watches as Marco with his heads to his room.

"Fuck." He makes his way up the stairs, Spartacus tucked in his arm, and before he even reaches his room Korrie is waiting for him outside his door. She's wearing her usual smirk. "This is a bad idea."

 She simply takes the keycard from his hand and opens the door. He follows hesitantly, setting the pup on the floor.

"Let's take a shower." She pulls off her t-shirt and tosses it to the bed.

"We are not taking a shower together," he laughs at the suggestion and tries to ignore the lime green lace that's molded to her body.

"Why not?" She asks as she tangles their fingers together and stands on her toes to plant sweet kisses on his neck.

He caves. No neither of them are surprised.

He pulls his shirt over his head, flexing just to show off. Korrie backs up, surveying the man in front of her. He tosses his shirt to the floor and stalks towards her. "You asked for this," he growls as his hands squeeze her hips and his mouth devours hers. Korrie isn't prepared for this, for the weight of him on top of her and his rough hands gripping her soft skin.

"That's incredibly bright." He smiles at her lacy bra before tearing it off.

"Electric lemonade" she mumbles and kisses him again.

She's not prepared for the light kisses he peppers her torso with or the nibbles he gives her breasts. He quickly discards her clothes, leaving her bare and open to his ministrations. She thrives under his scrutiny. His eyes taking in her body, she feels powerful. Knowing how long he's wanted this, how happy he is to have it now.

Her mouth is soft, pliant, letting his tongue caress hers. His large hands have found her ass and he kneads. He kisses at her panty line. His beard tickling her skin has her squirming.

"Fuck, can I have this?" Korrie almost laughs because Noland can have anything he wants from her. She nods her head and he wastes no time sliding the lacy electric lemonade panties down her thighs.

Noland regrets nothing and is slightly pissed he didn't give her what she wanted sooner.

***

The next morning the two grab orange juice and toast and Marco is already in the car waiting.

"I called both of your phones. What the hell."

Korrie rolls her eyes. "We're together. Dating, or at least fucking."

"Dating," Noland clarifies and she smiles at him. Marco is quiet, letting his eyes shift between the two of them. Noland is ready for the backlash. Ready to take a hit.

"There's nothing I can do about this is there?" Korrie shakes her head. "Fine. But I'm not happy about it. It's weird." Noland just shrugs. At least the air is clear and everyone knows what the hell is going on.

They spend another 4 hours in the truck. Marco humming along to the radio, Korrie dozing on Noland and the puppy has squeezed himself between the two for a long nap.

***

Getting home feels good. It's late and the sun is going down when they finally arrive. Marco takes the bags inside and the puppy lets some energy out in the lawn.

 "Well we have a dog now. And I'm not big on custody battles so I guess that means you'll have to come around more." Spartacus runs off to explore his new home.

"I could do that." Noland has to refrain from bending down and kissing her. He knows Marco is staring through the window watching his every move. "So, maybe I can take you out on a proper date tomorrow?" His hands are in his pockets to keep from wrapping around her body.

"Proper? I feel like we've been dating for years. Can we skip the dinner and go straight to dessert?" She gets up on her toes and kisses his lips quickly before Marco can come barreling out.

Noland drives home with a grin and texts Korrie to be ready tomorrow at 8pm.