Kyle listened to her as best he could while watching the road, talking on the phone and thinking about what he said a minute ago. Partially preoccupied as he was, he wound up being somewhat oblivious to the level of emotion in Angie’s voice. It wouldn’t dawn on him until later just how upset she was below the surface. Blissfully ignorant to her emotional state, he continued the conversation as if nothing much was going on with her.<br/><br/>“You could never be a burden. Seriously. Besides – this is what friends are for, right? Why have friends if you can’t lean on them once in a while? I know you’d do the same for me,” he said without a moment’s hesitation. “By the way you’re doing me a favor, too. It is so damn lonely out here when no one else is around. I really can use the company. It will be a blast to have you here, trust me,” he added, flashing her a warm smile before glancing back in front of them. By then the road had turned into a windy dirt track that had forced Kyle to slow down. He did his best to continue the conversation while staring intently through the billowing dust.<br/><br/>“I’ll start with your work on the kindle and see how it… oh,” he said, completely losing his train of thought when she touched his knee again. His knee jumped slightly at the unexpected contact as if she had hit it with a rubber hammer. The electricity shot through him even more intensely than before due to the surprise. He had to shift slightly in his seat due to his body’s physical response to the touch, and it took him a moment to gather his thoughts.<br/><br/>He looked over at her again with a thoughtful expression and studied her face for a moment. Kyle wasn’t convinced that the touch was meant to turn him on (as it unintentionally had), and instead he came to the conclusion that she was just looking for some non-romantic reassurance that she was going to be OK. With the pride and self-confidence that were his trade mark, in that moment Kyle decided a bold move was in order.<br/><br/>“As your friend I can say this. I can tell you need a shoulder to lean on right now, and I just happen to have one free.” He reached over and unbuckled her seat belt before taking her hand off his knee and gently pulling her closer to him. Since they were only driving about 18 miles an hour Kyle figured this wasn’t all that dangerous. If she let him, he gently brought her to his side and took hold of her right shoulder with his right hand, squeezing it reassuringly.<br/><br/>“Go ahead, lean in,” he suggested, wiggling his shoulder. “It’ll help,” he added before breaking out into a campy version of an old song that she hated. At least, one she hated when they were together, anyway.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Lean on me when you're not strong<br/>And I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on<br/>For it won't be long<br/>'Til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on…</span><br/><br/>Whether or not she leaned in Alex decided to get in on the act by howling from the back seat.<br/><br/>“Sing it girl!” Kyle added, laughing at himself as he went on. “Big finish!”<br/><br/>Before Alex could howl over the chorus, though, she scooched up and began to lick both of their faces intently from behind. She was jealous of what was happening in the front seat and wanted to be part of the action.<br/><br/>“Auugh, Alex, sit! Angie’s not in the mood for slobber!”<br/><br/>The truck bumped along the road as chaos reigned in the cab.