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It was too different than she would have liked it to feel. Had it been that long since she let herself feel this kind of connection to the ocean? Did she need this trip to remember that the sea could be warm and welcoming instead of cold and harsh? Did she need the person sitting in the driver’s seat next to her to make her feel that way? 

These were some of the thoughts that had rattled around in Kristen Shearer’s mind as Highway 1 continued to unfold in front of the [url=https://i.imgur.com/ixeEL9B.jpg]sleek black Mercedes[/url] that raced like a shadow underneath the Caribbean sun. Nothing but the shimmering bright blue waters of the Florida Basin surrounded the thin stretch of pavement that allowed the machine to walk on water towards the promised land of Key West. Passing through Marathon was a true herald of the stretch the Seven Mile Bridge was on this trek, yet there was no fatigue for the moment. Only contemplation.

The long voyage to get here was nearing an end. It was amazing that Kristen could have held any doubts about making it, although the typical British Airways delay that had left her stranded at Heathrow for a lengthy period of time before her flight cast a pall over the 10 hours in the air. Still, if she could have driven across the Atlantic the way she was gliding across the waves now, she might have taken the opportunity, especially if it meant she could finally reconnect with some of her lost roots. Sure, there were FaceTime chats with the clique, they were always there for birthdays and weddings and major events, but this was the first chance she had to return to her Sunshine State homeland, and Bruna Di Francesco had welcomed her back with open arms. The past couple days staying in Bruna’s Palm Beach flat, catching up over a bottle of fine wine, taking way too much guff for the English accent that had crept into her voice during her six years spent on the island, especially given Bruna’s occasional Italian-inflected tones, it felt like old times. Sure Kristen had her friends among the WAGs in the stands at West Ham, but as her “husband’s” exploits became more well-known, the chill she got from that crew mirrored that which she received from the North Sea during her escapes to the Essex coast to try and avoid the publicity. With Bruna, it was just like old times already. Sure her birth certificate and undergrad degree read New York, and her driver's licence had a crown, but the family and the friends made sure it was Florida that always held her heart.

The brunette in the passenger seat looked over at the driver, concentrating on maintaining her purchase on the road. Bruna always seemed at home behind the wheel. Of course, she always seemed at home whatever she was doing. The mat, the pitch, the sleepovers, it never mattered with her. Maybe it was that upbringing of hers that imbued it in her soul. Kristen had to find it again, and Bruna was definitely a key to bringing it back after Aaron so callously ripped it away.

The talk had quieted a little bit as the music wafting through Bruna’s stereo was allowed to soundtrack the drive over the ocean, but the silence was starting to play into Kristen’s mind, and she couldn’t rely on a drive-by shout at Fred the Tree to alleviate those notions. [color=FF7F50]“It’s flippin’ amazing, innit?”[/color] she noted, exaggerating the English tones just to make sure she got a rise out of her travelling companion. [color=FF7F50]“All this was a couple hours away the whole time, and I never once thought to come down here until this reunion thing was happening?”[/color]

Bruna’s mind wandered as she guided her Mercedes around the sweeping curves that preceded them, letting her body flow with the car as it effortlessly took each turn. The twin-turbo'd V8 engine under the hood purred in a surprisingly tame manner as they drove, though the german-engineered vehicle [i]did[/i] have a way of hiding the feeling of speed. Truth be told they were going far faster than they should’ve been going on these roads, but Kristen didn’t seem to have noticed. Bruna’s head fluidly bobbed back and forth with the gentle bassy beat that played from [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0SC3NjsOiY]Matt Maeson’s [i]Put It On Me[/i][/url], mouthing the lyrics silently having almost completely forgotten that someone else was in the car with her.

When the song finally ended and something less involved began to play, Bruna snapped out of her little daze and glanced over to Kristen. With a warm smile, Bruna returned her eyes to the road. Even despite their lack of conversation, it was already clear that Kristen was enjoying herself. 

Truth be told, Bruna had really missed seeing her friends from high school. She may have been the quietest of the bunch at the time, but when it was just the four of them Bruna always felt infinitely more comfortable. It was like there was a weight on her chest that was lifted when they were together and she felt like she could actually have a voice. And when she found out that Kristen was landing on what was essentially her doorstep? Bruna was ecstatic. She’d offered the Di Francesco mansion up immediately if Kris needed a place to stay and the pair was finally able to catch up on some much needed stories and accompanied laughing. Even if this high school reunion trip hadn’t been happening, these few nights spent with one of her best friends was more than enough to brighten up her spirits again after two years of being alone.

Ah yes, there it was. The little storm cloud that had been hanging over her head since the disappearance of her ex-husband. Still an ever-present thought in her head, but one that she was not going to let ruin her weekend. He’d done enough to ruin her life at this point, Bruna wasn’t going to have that lovely image of her ex-husband lip-locked with her sister in their own god damn house stay in her head. She was gonna have a good time this weekend damn it!

When Kristen finally broke the silence, Bruna was thankful that she could focus on something upbeat. [color=0076a3]“I’ve actually never driven down here and… … Yeah, it's beautiful here, truly. Part of me wishes I’d looked a little closer to home before booking my wedding, not that it matters now though anyways.”[/color] she replied, the little hint of awe audible in her voice, her eyes glancing around at their surroundings. It took a second but the exaggerated English accent hit her again and a grin spread across Bruna’s face before she playfully nudged Kristen’s upper arm with her elbow. [color=0076a3]“What happened to trying to ditch the accent? Still hooked on that cold, wet country that you call England?”[/color] Bruna teased, shaking her head with a laugh. [color=0076a3]“Welcome home my darlin’.”[/color] she stated playfully in a thick and quite terribly-imitated southern accent.

The short time in Florida was already drawing more laughs out of Kristen than she remembered from the past couple years in the United Kingdom, and the sound of Bruna, proud Italian she is, doing the full on southern accent was quick to add to that tally. [color=FF7F50]“OK! OK, c’mon! You cann’t do that to me! Not when you’re as southern-fried as a Scotch egg!”[/color] She was trying hard to shake the accents and the euphemisms but it was difficult.

Especially with the reminder of weddings and what not. She still regretted how her wedding with Aaron went down. It was so sudden, and she wasn’t able to get Jasper and Margeaux over for it, due to time and possibility of Roman sightings respectively. Only Bruna was able to fly in on such short notice to act as her maid of honor, paying Kristen back after the trio were able to serve as bridesmaids at the di Francesco knot-tying a couple years earlier. Of course, neither marriage was going to have a happy ending from the looks of things. That was something Kristen was not looking forward to discussing with the other members of the clique… or anyone who checked out the British tabloids. She prayed no one at King’s would dare pay those rags any mind.

But she was able to let loose the sordid details with Bruna, the alcohol that flowed over a traditional Italian dinner able to get Kristen to open up about just how bad Aaron had gotten in recent months. The London club scene was a maddening influence on the boy from the West Midlands. It wasn’t as personal as the trigger to end Bruna’s marriage, but still, having a woman’s belly button ring caught on his tongue during a body shot was only number four or five on the list behind the public snipping of the wedding band.

This voyage back home was supposed to serve as a palette cleanser for Kristen, to allow her to forget the ongoing issues happening back home. England was growing less and less hospitable by the day and it was hard to ignore Bruna’s remarks about getting those hooks out of her system. Even if it meant giving up the home once she officially secured it from Aaron in the divorce. Hopefully Margeaux would be willing to come on board and be as ruthlessly efficient as she was dealing with Stefan’s pitiful lawyers. Once, of course, M made Kristen admit what a mistake it was to get married in the first place.

Still, if there was nothing in the UK keeping Kristen attached to the rock, it made sense to come to a familiar spot. Her family would be pleased, even if Brittany had moved on into the world herself. Plus, those special dinners would be way more frequent. Even if everything her diet told her was screaming no, that second serving of handmade ravioli screamed “More.” 

[color=FF7F50]“I’ll admit though, home is sounding and looking a lot more appealing nowadays. Especially if I have enough money to get a spot down here along the ocean. You don’t happen to know any businesses that need a CFO or anything like that, do you?”[/color] She shook her head for a second, large hoop earrings swaying as she did. [color=FF7F50]“Actually, never mind, I don’t even want to think about that sort of trash this weekend. This is all about you and me and Jaz and maybe Marg, we’ll see how smug she wants to be, but we’re just here enjoying life, right?”[/color]


[color=0076a3]“Even if you don’t want to discuss details, I’ll just plant a little seed in your mind. You’re always welcome at my place while you look for a position and a house. You know my family loves you and lord knows we have the space. Just keep it in mind, kay?”[/color] She shot a smirk at Kristen before changing the topic. [color=0076a3]“Like you said, we’re here to enjoy life and we will enjoy it this weekend if it kills us!”[/color] She exclaimed playfully. [color=0076a3]“Oh! A little late but I completely forgot! I packed a small cooler-bag of drinks for the ride. It's behind my seat if you can reach it. Help yourself to anything you want. Grab me a bottle of water if you do, yeah?”[/color] 

If the tiny blip in Kristen’s thoughts threatened to derail this weekend for even a moment, it was good to know that Bruna was there to shut that down instantly, in multiple ways. One of the biggest problems the former Miss Blake was having with the situation was not having a plan whatsoever for what would happen once the proceedings with Aaron were done. Bruna made sure she wouldn’t have to deal with that thought for a second. If nothing else, having one of her besties nearby after so long away was draw enough to convince her this was where she needed to be if she wanted to move forward. She reached in behind the seat and fished a pair of water bottles out of the cooler Bruna alluded to, plunking one in the cup holder before cracking her own open and taking a long sip.

After Kristen’s little indecisive moment, Bruna reached back over to the Mercedes’ audio controls and flipped through a few songs before arriving at one that brought a smile to her face. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M11SvDtPBhA&ab_channel=HollywoodRecordsVEVO]Party In The USA[/url]. A more fitting song didn’t exist in her mind. After tapping it, she turned up the volume a bit before listening to the trademarked guitar intro began and the sound of Miley Cirus’ voice filled the car.

And as the lyrics began, Bruna began to sing along to every word.

[indent][indent][color=0076a3][i]
I hopped off the plane at LAX
With a dream and my cardigan
Welcome to the land of fame excess (Whoa)
Am I gonna fit in?
Jumped in the cab, here I am for the first time
Look to my right, and I see the Hollywood sign
This is all so crazy
Everybody seems so famous!
[/i][/color][/indent][/indent]

As she sang, Bruna nudged Kristen’s arm again to sing along with her, her own head swaying along with the upbeat, happy song. What a perfect way to start the weekend, singing in the car with her best friend, not a care in the world between them. Bright, sunny skies, rich blue water around them on all sides and the black tarmac between the tires.

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… And a JAY-Z song was on
And a JAY-Z song was on

So I put my hands up
They're playin' my song, the butterflies fly away
I'm noddin' my head like, yeah
Movin' my hips like, yeah
Got my hands up, they're playing my song
They know I'm gonna be okay

[b]Yeah, it's a party in the U.S.A. 
Yeah, it's a party in the U.S.A.[/b]
[/i][/color][/indent][/indent]


Kristen had gotten the message with Bruna’s bump and started shimmying her shoulders from side to side in tune with the beat, mimicking the best of Carpool Karaoke dancers as she did. She couldn’t help but start to add her own voice to the melody, blending it in as a Miley from a different era echoed her thoughts about her return to America. She was sure this wasn’t going to be a London party, or at least it was going to be one she could take part in. And that could only be a good thing. She wasn’t sure what Britney song would come on, but in contrast to the narrator, she knew her DJ was going to put the right song to make her feel alright to make her not regret hoppin’ on that flight to her hometown. Kristen’s hands went up and all the butterflies flew away. Because although they were on the southern edge, this was gonna be a party in the USA.[/color][/indent]
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