“As long as you’re there, everything seems fun”.

Rain, thunder and the most beautiful smile ever.

“What do we do now?”.

My girlfriend, Robyn, asked with a worried expression on her face.

My idea of a trekking date had gone well, up until it didn’t.

_

It was monsoon, and she loved adventurous and competitive activities.

“Raven! Let’s do something different this weekend”.

“Hm?”.

We were chilling at Robyn’s place.

I was deep in thought, trying to think of the perfect sarcastic reply to some dumb tweet I had just read.

“Raven!”.

“Oh, huh? Uh, sorry. What’s up?”.

She was too used to this to bother to comment on it.

“Let’s do something different this weekend”.

I had already been planning to take her out on a trek.

Monsoon was *the* season for it.

Light showers of rain, the earthy smell, a pleasant morning breeze, and watching a sunrise from the top of the hill.

I knew she’d love it.

“I got you. Be ready in a cute track-suit, with a backpack of towels and water bottles at five in the morning on Sunday. Yeah?”.

I looked her in the eye and booped her nose.

She smiled the most beautiful smile ever.

“Okay!”.

_

*pitter patter, fuck this weather*

The rain is pouring in sheets.

The visibility is as good as zero.

We’re stuck smack in the middle of nowhere.

And we’re drenched in mud and water.

_

The climb was great. We got to the top.

With Robyn calling me ‘grandma’, ‘slow slut’ and ‘potato sack’ at least a hundred times.

She could jump from rock to rock as if she had springs inside her shoes.

I had to crouch, calculate and make a move – and even then I slipped and fell.

The clouds had shrouded the sunrise.

So we just sat there, soaking in the view for a bit. And then decided to begin the downward climb so we could get time to grab some breakfast.

Twenty minutes in, and the raindrops made an appearance.

Then soon, like an orchestra – it went from little, solitary notes to a thundering chorus.

Robyn, being the angel she is, had carried raincoats.

But they weren’t a strong enough armour to resist the monstrous downpour.

Somehow, we made it to our car, that stood randomly at the foot of the hill.

We got in and slumped down on the seats.

Robyn let out a heavy sigh, “That was fucking nuts, Rave. It’s a miracle I didn’t have to carry you down bridal-style”.

I made a face at her.

She giggled and took out some towels so we could clean-up.

My priorities are screwed, and so my first reaction was to turn on some music.

After a ten-minute breather, I turned the key and drove the car out onto the road.

After a good run of about half-an-hour, the car started acting funny.

The clutch wasn’t working.

My dad had warned me that this could happen.

“What’s wrong?”, Robyn asked with a concerned look.

“I think the clutch is burnt out”.

We were in the middle of a mountain pass. It was a tricky drive, especially with the rain.

I quickly pulled into the first open area that I spotted on the side of the snaking road.

“Wait… what? What do we do now?”, Robyn asked.

“Let me see…”.

I got out of the car, and sure enough, I was immediately hit with the smell of burning rubber.

The car was pretty much useless now.

I got in and sat behind the wheel.

Robyn gave me a look as if to say: “Is it a fixable issue?”.

I shook my head.

We sighed, then stared at each other, thinking about what to do in this hopeless scenario.

I checked my phone, no network.

“Great”, I thought to myself.

“Rob, you got any network?”.

“Two bars”.

“Good enough”.

I took her phone and rung up the first ‘Mechanic near me’ that showed up on Google.

“We’ll be there in thirty minutes”, was all they said.

So we waited.

Robyn hummed along to the music and sang in a soft, calming voice.

I sat with my eyes closed and my hands on the wheel.

She poked my cheek.

“Why’s my Rave so quiet?”.

“I was just thinking… never mind”.

“What??”.

I turned to her, she had a confused look.

“What?”, she whispered this time.

“I was just thinking… as long as you’re there, everything seems fun”.

We smiled at each other.

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