"Guys, I don't think we're gonna make it to Venice tonight in all this traffic." Said Martin, urging to go faster than 3mph, but honestly still sinking into that feeling that he and Zoe were engaged.
"We could just pull off somewhere and try to find somewhere to park for the night." Suggested Lucy, before looking over at Zoe in the passenger seat, who's eyes were red, and the little mascara what was left had transferred below her eyes. "Are you alright, Miss?" She asked.
"I'm absolutely fine." Zoë replied, smiling at her while grabbing a tissue to try and blotch out her eyes.
"Mr McCafferson I think you've got a job to do." Said Ollie, patting his teacher's shoulder and signifying Zoe trying to clean herself up.
Martin and Zoe met eye contact, and Martin blushed as he gazed at her lovingly and smiled, looking at the engagement ring on her finger.
"I think I've already done it." He responded, grinning and indicating right into a side road.
"I'm suspicious of you two." Announced Jemma.
"Yeah, you probably should be." Said Martin, laughing as he smiled, speeding up into fifth gear.
"Why are you both crying?" Asked Ollie,
"I'm not crying." Said Martin.
"Your cheeks and your eyes are so red you may as well be." Ollie replied.
"We're fine." Laughed Martin, taking Zoe's hand and stroking it gently, fiddling with her ring.
"I highly doubt that, come on, what's up?" Pressed Jemma.
"You're a clever bunch; you'll figure it out eventually." Said Zoe, as Martin stopped the car and folded his arms, sighing.
Zoe looked over at him a bit confused as to why he had pulled over, "You alright?" She asked.
"The road's bloody closed, that's why there's no one else." He sighed.
"Is it?" Asked Zoë, looking around.
"There's wet tarmac right in front of us, look at it." He indicated.
"I didn't see any signs?" Said Zoe.
"Would've been in Italian... oh well. Zoe; do you trust me?" He asked her, grinning.
"Oh god, promise whatever you're going to do you're not gonna kill us all." She told her, anxiously biting her lip.
"Have you guys got your seatbelts on?" He asked, looking back at the five curious teenagers who slowly put on their seatbelts in confusion.
"Do you reckon this van is any good at off road?" Martin asked,
"Wait- Martin What are y-"
Zoe was cut off by Martin turning on the engine and the full beam headlights and driving as fast as he could into a nearby field and bypassing the road completely. Everyone screamed, including Martin as the van completely flew over the bumps; before the field turned more into a forest, and he meandered his way through the trees, the engine screaming at him before he had to suddenly stop at what appeared to be a huge lake.
"Thanks for the warning!" Exclaimed Cloda.
Zoe looked over at Martin with an open mouth, "I am pregnant with your child!" She gasped, slapping his face, "but you're so bloody awesome that I forgive you 'cause that was amazing!"
Martin laughed at her switching off the engine and turned on the torch on his phone the inspect the area as he jumped out of the van.
The ground was dry, and the high moon reflected on the ripples of the looming lake. They appeared to be parked on some kind of beach area, but it was completely desolate from what Martin could see in the dark.
"This is so weird." Martin said, out loud, listening to the crickets in the distance.
He walked around the van, looking at all the wheels, the back two seemed to have tread into the sand quite a bit, making Martin dread trying to move it tomorrow.
He climbed back inside the van, rolling up his sleeves and turning round to face everyone.
"I guess we're here for the night!" He announced, sliding the back of his seat down into a flat position that he could sleep on for the night.
"What's with you and the spontaneity today?" Asked Zoë, smiling at him and spinning her chair around to face the others.
"Woah- I didn't know you could turn that chair around!" Martin exclaimed.
"Yeah- and there's a secret compartment under the seat too!" She said, about to demonstrate.
"We know! We know we know!" Interrupted Ollie, as the others laughed, conscious of the alcohol storage.
"Well, What are we gonna do now? it's nine o'clock, it's pitch black, there's no signal and we're in a swamp." Said Ryan.
"Cards?" Suggested Lucy, pulling a packet out from her bag.
"Legend." Martin responded, standing up, "bag-zee the bed!" He said, running towards it and lying down in the double bed on the bottom bunk. "Oh I love a good shitty mattress!"
Zoe laughed at him, sitting down on the bed beside him as Lucy dealt out the cards on a cardboard box in the middle of the van.
"Right I think we should have a forfeit to whoever loses." Suggested Ollie, looking over at his teacher and grinning.
"What you looking at me for?" Martin asked, smiling back at him.
"If you lose you've gotta propose to her."
Martin laughed, "she's literally sitting right beside me, that'd ruin any sort of surprise."
Zoe pinched Martin behind his back and Martin chuckled, knowing that the band would soon figure out that they were already engaged.
Eventually they concluded that whoever lost had to jump in the lake tomorrow morning.
They ended up playing jack change it, and everyone was extra competitive as no one wanted to go for the dip.
"I win!" Exclaimed Ollie, putting down his last card and outstretching his arms in celebration.
"Aggghh!" Martin groaned in frustration at his lack of decent cards.
As Zoe delicately placed down her card, Cloda noticed her hands.
"I love your ring- did you always have that?" She asked her.
"Oh thanks- Mr McCafferson gave it to me." Zoë responded, holding her cards again as the others suddenly went silent, their eyes wide.
Zoe and Martin tried as hard as they could to keep in their smiles, but when Ollie, with his opened jaw looked directly at them they just burst out laughing.
"Is this for real?!" He squeaked.
Martin chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, it is." He admitted, wrapping his arm around Zoë as she giggled and leaned on his chest.
"What the hell?! Congratulations!" Laughed Jemma, as her teachers blushed with all the attention.
"Come on lets carry on!" Chuckled Martin, "or we'll all be going in that lake tomorrow morning."