[IC] City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

[Tyler Night]

"I was sure you were gonna say that."

He smiles.

"I am thinking about buying a spitzer dragster here soon and building a top sportsman car."

He looks over at her.

"I think you will love it. 4 to 5,000 horses in a 1,400 pound car."

[DELETED08735]

Skipping and holding to Tyler's hand, Ele beamed a big smile up at him before they got to the Miata and she let go of his hand to go to the passenger side of the car,

"I only understood that it is going to be small and fast! I like that idea!"

Grinning cutely, Ele slid into her seat happily.

[Tyler Night]

He slides in with her and says.

"Alright, lets do this."

He starts up the car and starts buckling up. As he gets strapped in he smirks and backs out.

"Longer road trip sound good to you?"

He asks driving to the end of the driveway.

[DELETED08735]

"I'd go anywhere with you, baby,"

Ele said, reaching across and laying her hand on Tyler's thigh. Giving it a gentle squeeze, Ele smiled softly at him,

"Take me away!"

[Tyler Night]

Turning right he heads to town.

"I think we should drive up to the Mackinac bridge, maybe someday soon we can make a weekend of it."

He drives down the road smiling at her.

"It is 2 hours 1 way so we might spend the day up there."

[DELETED08735]

"Sounds perfect! I do think maybe we should either convert the back of the minivan to hold a bed, or we should invest in a camper."

Smiling and looking out the window, Ele felt excited to take pictures she could paint later. Rolling down the window so she could stick her hand out, Ele closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the headrest. Sighing a deep breath, Ele realized she hadn't quite relaxed until that moment. Even though Tyler's family was nice, they were still strangers to Ele and she had been tensed throughout meeting them.

[Tyler Night]

"Oh we are doing that already. You can lay down in the back of it but it isn't a bed so much as it is 2 couches. I am gonna add a piece between the seats so we can actually put a mattress in there."

He smiles over at her.

"But it would still be fun to get a bus and convert it to a camper."

[DELETED08735]

"We should get the old style school bus and just totally overhaul it into a mobile apartment."

Ele said with her eyes closed still,

"Or a box truck would work too! Could you imagine rolling around in that?"

Opening her eyes and giggling, Ele rolled her head to look at Tyler,

"The yard is going to look like some sort of weird used car lot."

[Tyler Night]

"One of my favorite drag racers, John Force, does lots of charity work and he was surprised by the guys at Overhaulin' he had this old 50's school bus that he wanted to get restored but never got around to it so they took it and overhauled it. Put a big block ford in it and all kinds of stuff. He uses the bus to pick up kids from the hospitals he works with. Enough power to chirp the tires."

He chuckles.

"It would be fun to do something like that."

[DELETED08735]

Enjoying the thought, Ele smiled and pulled her phone out of her pocket before snapping a picture of Tyler,

"Let's get the other cars finished first, get the store up and running, and then we can think about ripping up a bus and making a rolling apartment. Deal?"

[Tyler Night]

"Oh, of course."

He says with a smile. Getting on with the trip he drives to the far off freeway, heading north.

"We will have 3 rest stops between here and the bridge. Just let me know if you need to stop."

He says as they drive down the road, heading further from civilization.

[DELETED08735]

"I'll let you know!"

Ele said brightly, playing with the radio until the classic rock came through clear. Singing along with the songs she knew, Ele took pictures as she wanted and chatted about what she would do with the gallery.

[Tyler Night]

As they drive he shows her different sights and animals along the way. The trip to the bridge taking 2 hours one way he pulls off before reaching the bridge itself. He drives up to the lake and parks looking over the water.

"These are the straits of Mackinac. Right now we are on the Lake Huron side, cross the bridge and you will be on the Lake Michigan side."

He parks the car smiling over at her.

"Quite the view isn't it?"

[DELETED08735]

"It's beautiful!"

Ele gasped, leaning forward over the dash to see the view of the water with the bridge. The area was serene and picturesque, so much so that Ele forgot to actually take a picture with her phone. There was no way that a picture could do the view justice, so she committed what she was seeing to memory.

Opening her door, Ele hurried out of the car and around to the front, determined to get closer to the water.

[Tyler Night]

Deciding to go into photographer mode Tyler pulls out his EOS Rebel. Selecting a wide angel lens he sticks it on and walks out to meet Ele. Standing next to her he says.

"May never be able to do this view the true justice it deserves but I damn well will try."

He turns his head to look at her with a smile.

"That land mass over there..."

He points out over the lake.

"That is Mackinac island, no internal combustion vehicles allowed there except during winter where the rule is lifted for snowmobiles. It is lost in time, it looks and feels like it would be 100 years ago."

He raises the camera and starts snapping pics of the lake and bridge.

"By the way, that water is about 40 degrees year round so be careful."

[DELETED08735]

Already on her way to the water, Ele called back to Tyler,

"I'm definitely not going in!"

She promised, making her way along the water's edge and picking up rocks and other things she found interesting as she went. Standing up straight as a breeze kicked up, Ele smiled into the wind and closed her eyes. Feeling peace wash over her like the small waves lapping by her feet, Ele breathed out a big sigh, feeling burdens fall away.

[Tyler Night]

He takes several dozen pictures, some of the water and island some of the surrounding city and several of Ele. He smiles watching her enjoy the sights and sounds. Walking up to her he wraps his arms around her waist.

"So, what would you say to a ferry ride to the island and spend most the day there?"

He asks in a spur of the moment.

[DELETED08735]

Leaning back into Tyler's embrace, Ele smiled as she looked out over the water. It was a moment she wanted to freeze and live in forever, but Tyler's voice brought her back. Twisting to look up at Tyler, Ele nodded happily,

"That sounds like a great idea! I would love to see it!"

[Tyler Night]

"I know you would love it. 45 minute boat ride to the island, yes it is that far."

He smiles and kisses her cheek before breaking the hug.

"Shepler's Ferry is just down the street a short drive from here."

[DELETED08735]

Nodding, Ele took Tyler's hand and went back up to the car. It was still striking to her that last month Ele would have never expected to find herself living in Michigan of all places. It had never been on her radar as a state to live in, even temporarily. Now, Ele,couldn't imagine being anywhere else, she had Tyler, a gallery all to herself, and was beginning to,really heal from her past. It was all she could ever ask for.