AR Returns Ch61

Little trips closer to home have to happen too. There are chalets in Aspen and also cabins in the Florida wetlands, which can actually be very cute and charming. OK, so it’s not anyone’s first choice, but there is a convergence of tragic circumstances. Riley has been away for a special exhibition game in the UK that Adella was not able to attend as her guest because literally everyone at the gym has COVID and Adella had to manage the place by herself. Meanwhile, Stef has been on the road for days, leaving Jess to fend for herself during tax season. The one time that both Stef and Riley gave permission for Adella and Jess to do it together on Facetime, Mary inconveniently showed up before they could even get going. Riley’s still annoyed about that; her mother’s timing is the worst. Not that she wanted Adella to fuck Jess solo a thousand miles away, but Riley had been alone in an English hotel room, and beating off to a live show would’ve been the highlight of her trip to the UK.

Toys, memories, and photos are not enough for Jess during this stressful time. They all miss each other and are stressed by work. But the moment Riley got back to Florida, Jess and Stef suffered the greatest of all Floridian misfortune, second only to a major hurricane: HVAC failure. With 48 hours until it can be fixed, their home might as well be an active volcano.

Desperate times. Riley rented the cabin, they packed like crazy people, and two vehicles peeled out of Gurlberg as though there was a hurricane advisory. Which, of course, there is.

Riley’s new UX Hybrid shudders and jolts through muddy puddles as the storm pounds the car and the swamp. They can barely see twenty feet in front of the car; the stormy night swallows the headlights. Jess and Stef are close behind them in Stef’s Silverado, which is definitely a better car for this. When they got into the car, Riley joked about being so horny that maybe some of that lean over and give head while driving action might’ve been on the table. Now she’s more worried about getting there alive. The storm has slowed them down so much. They were supposed to be at this rental cabin by eight. It’s well past eight now, and they aren’t even close.

“Lights,” Adella notes, pointing.

Riley glances over.

“We aren’t even nearly close enough.”

“Darling.”

With that one word, Adella communicates a great deal. Riley’s learned a lot and grown a lot from being a Team Captain in a serious league for this long. Sometimes you have to cut your losses.

“OK. Call them,” she says.

“Are we there?” Jess asks hopefully when Stef picks up. She sounds rough. Driving in this is terrifying.

“No. We have to stop. We’re going to crash and drown if we don’t,” Riley says. “There’s something up ahead to the right. Let’s check it out.”