The Five-Hour Drive Home

He drove five hours to meet Emma's family properly. By midnight he is eating cold fries in a highway hotel while his phone lights up with her name again.

By midnight, the fries had gone cold enough to bend without breaking.

I sat on the edge of the hotel bed with the cardboard box balanced on my knees, dipping them into a small plastic cup of ketchup that had formed a dark skin around the edges. The burger was dry. The wings tasted mostly of salt and old cooking oil.

On the bedside table, my phone kept lighting up.

Emma calling.

Then darkness.

A few seconds later, it glowed again.

📖 Start reading The Five-Hour Drive Home free

Quick answers about The Five-Hour Drive Home

What is The Five-Hour Drive Home about?

He drove five hours to meet Emma's family properly. By midnight he is eating cold fries in a highway hotel while his phone lights up with her name again.

Is The Five-Hour Drive Home free to read?

Yes. Every story on RapidTale is free to read in the browser, with no sign-up and nothing to install.

How long does it take to read?

This story runs 1 chapter — most readers finish in one sitting, and you can stop and return to any chapter using the contents list.

Who wrote it?

Nimra Khan — original fiction published on RapidTale.