"Tap tap tap," I said as we drove down the highway.

"What?" Tia asked, looking at me.

"Tap tap tap," I repeated. "The sound of the raindrops on the windows and the roof. And the road I guess, but I don't hear that as much."

"That sure is a sound," she said, looking out the front window. "Normally being silly is my job."

I smirked a bit. "It can be both our jobs," I replied. "Tap tap tap."

"Yeah, tap tap tap." Tia looked out the side window and put her beautiful black fingers on the passengers-side window. She sighed. "I wanted to take you camping."

"Can't control the weather," I said. "Tap tap tap."

She drummed her fingers on the window. "Tap tap tap. Probably our last chance of the year. I booked it and everything."

"There's always next year."

She chuckled. "I've never been with anyone long enough for there to be a 'next year.'"

"Yeah, me neither. Tap tap tap." I rolled my fingers on steering wheel.

"First time for everything," Tia said. "I guess."

"You don't sound hopeful," I pointed out.

"I've never been with anyone long enough for there to be a 'next year,'" she repeated. "I love y- uh, this, Penny—"

"Pel, please." I'd been too shy to say anything about it for the first two months we'd been together, and I'd spent the last week trying to reshape that habit.

"—Right, sorry. I love this, Pel, but I don't hold out a lot of hope. Especially in the rain." Tia sighed and drummed her fingers on the window. "Tap tap tap," she said, idly.

"Tap tap tap," I agreed. "Even after this morning?"

She chuckled. "You think I haven't brain-fucked someone like that before?"

It wasn't even the first time she'd brain-fucked me like that. "Not what I meant," I said, shifting a bit in my seat as I thought about it. Normally I woke before she did, so it was a nice surprise when I woke up to Tia's fingers sliding over my breast, slowly and rhythmically, her words bringing me up only far enough for me to understand them before she sent me spiralling down again. We'd been playing with hypnotism in the bedroom since we met, but that morning she had me hanging on a thread in so many ways.

And I don't think I'd ever orgasmed quite that hard. Or made someone else cum so much.

It was a consolation. The day before, I was supposed to pick Tia up from work, and we were supposed to go camping, like she'd said. Just as I was starting to get things packed up, the rain hit, and hit hard. We knew from watching the long-term forecast that it was possible, but we were hoping... Almost as soon as the storm landed, I got a call from Tia. We decided not to risk our first camping vacation on cold and rain and miserable times, so she grabbed a u-bake pizza on the bus ride over and we spent the evening watching terrible movies naked in the living room and practicing giving each other little fun hypnotic suggestions. Like when I got up to get some popcorn and then wound up doing a little sexy dance for Tia, or when she decided that letting me sit on the floor so she could rub my shoulders was the best possible plan.

Still, I could tell that Tia wasn't satisfied, so I'd suggested the only thing I could: a drive in the country after lunch. Still get out of the city, still get to see the scenery, still have a little nature to look forward to. It was the best I had to offer, and she reluctantly accepted. I wanted to get out of the apartment, too; I'd been looking forward to the trip, myself. But I sure didn't want to be lying on ground, fighting off the cold and wet. There would be other weekends... next year.

"Obviously, tap tap tap," I continued, "I'm a little more sure of this than you are."

I could see her faint smile in the reflection of the window. "Tap tap tap. I really want to be sure, Penny."

"Pel."

"Pel, sorry. Gah, that's hard to get used to." Tia shook her head. "I really want to be sure, I just... My history says..."

I reached over and put a comforting hand on her thigh. "Mine too. But if we get through the fall, then it's Christmas, and then it's the spring, and then..."

"Camping," she said with a nod. She didn't look back at me. "Tap tap tap."

I tapped on her leg. "Tap tap tap," I confirmed. "Inevitable as the rain on the windshield."

She nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I... I hope so."

We were both dressed in jeans, t-shirt, and sweater, because of the chill in the air. The heat didn't work in my little beater, so driving in less-than-ideal weather could be a very uncomfortable experience. Fortunately, I knew a little about making people in general, and Tia in specific, comfortable.

"Tap tap tap," I said. "Inevitable as the rain..."

"Inevitable," Tia replied, nodding. "I really want that." Her fingers drummed slowly, rhythmically, on the window. "Tap, tap, tap. Inevitable."

I squeezed her leg. She was already starting to relax. "That's right, Tia. Too many to count, but each drop makes its mark, tap tap tap."

"Too many to count," she said, weaving a bit in her chair. "Know what you're doing," she sighed. "Tap... tap... tap..."

"But you tap tap tap anyway." I tapped on her leg. "Because it's...?"

There was a pause. Tia sighed again. "... inevitable. Tap..."

"That's it, Tia."

"... tap..."

"Just like the rain falling on the windows."

"... tap."

Her hand slipped from the window and her head lolled back against the rest. Her eyes were still open, but half-lidded.

"Tap tap tap," I said softly. "Just watching the rain fall. Inevitable."

There was the merest hint of a nod. "'nevitable...'"

"And today, tap tap tap, while we're having a good drive..." I waited for her to take a breath and relax a little more, "while we're out today, you'll find it easy to see signs like the rain, that tell you that next year's camping trip is...?"

She took another breath, and chuckled. "Inevitable," she said. "Good suggess...'gestion."

"Tap tap tap," I said, "which is something you can forget all about, too, when you wake up from your trance."

"Yeah," she muttered. "All 'bout it..."

I squeezed her leg. "Just like you dropped off watching the rain fall and the grass and the trees and the farmer's fields passing by. It's so easy to nap just listening to that tap tap tap."

She gave a slow, sleepy giggle. "Like... nap... nap... nap..."

I laughed. Couldn't help myself. "Just like that. So why not close your eyes, and nap nap nap, and when you wake up, this can all be a lovely dream while we drive?"

"Sure," she slurred, and she took a couple deep breaths and relaxed down into her chair. It wasn't long before she was clearly asleep, even if just lightly.

I kept driving down the highway, slowing down a bit as the rain picked up. As a semi sped by, I pulled over towards the shoulder and hit the indicator strip, and the sound made Tia start awake.

"Hm wha?" she muttered. "Sorry, Penny—"

"Pel," I replied automatically.

She winced, obviously embarrassed. "Pel, ugh. Sorry, were you talking? I think I nodded off."

"It's fine, we had a busy morning," I grinned as I got back into my lane.

She smiled sleepily. "Yep. We really did. I'd do something fun to you if you weren't driving."

I snickered, but didn't say anything.

Tia turned back to the window, then, putting her hand up to the glass and drumming her fingers lightly. "Tap, tap, tap," she said.

I grinned to myself.

Then she gasped. "Penny! Sorry! Pel! Whatever! The sign! We just passed! Two clicks! Turn right!"

"Whoa, shit! Sounds good! Why are you shouting!" I said back in the same tone.

We laughed, but Tia was clearly excited. "I just saw a sign! I want to explore!"

Her excitement was contagious. "What was it?"

"A inevitable sign," she said. "It said 'Pel-Tia!' I mean, not really, but it's close enough. There!"

I saw the turnoff, onto a rough road that would be a challenge in the rain, but the sign said Pelletier Antiques.

Well, I said to myself, it's a sign alright.

I braved the challenging road. Five kilometres of soggy mud and gravel were not fun to drive on with my terrible shocks, and it ruined any chance of conversation, but during the ten-minute drive there was a palpable anticipation in the air. The sun even came out as we pulled into the parking lot of an old farmhouse with a hand-made sign over the door.

We stepped out into the mud, and Tia practically leapt up to the porch. "Come on, Penny!" she urged me, pulling the door open and ducking inside.

"Pel," I corrected her, knowing she wouldn't hear. I followed her inside.

The interior of the shop wasn't especially nice or attractive or even that well organized. Glass objects were one set of shelves, and they ranged from ashtrays to drinking glasses to hurricane lanterns. Another corner held books in piles, some as tall as me. There was a collection of records, casette tapes, and CDs near the books, and movies on tape and DVD next to them. Other random assorted sports paraphernalia was spread through the shop, as were old board games, magazines, posters, and the like.

At least it's clean, I thought to myself as my girlfriend buzzed through the place like a hummingbird on too much sugar. The proprietor came out of the back room, an older man with a slight limp and a broad smile. "Somethin' I can help you two find?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No, I think we're just—"

"This is it!!" Tia shouted. She was standing on her tiptoes at a shelf with a wooden box on it. She pulled something out of it, and I heard metal sliding against metal.

"Whoa, you seem awful excited about somethin', miss," he said.

"She's kind of excitable," I said apologetically.

"Shush," Tia said, putting something on the narrow counter. "How much?"

He shrugged. "It's silver. $30 sounds fair to me."

"Done."

"Tia, what—" I started.

"Nope, don't question me," she said, fishing her wallet out of her jeans pocket. "It's a sign, and we're taking it home."

I knew when to raise my hands and give up, and that's what I did. "Your money," I said.

"Damn straight." Tia paid as I looked around the store a bit. Nothing caught my eye, and this sort of store was pretty common in the city, too. "Anything you want?" she asked, heading towards the door as if she knew the answer.

"A snack, but I don't think they have those here."

"No miss," said the proprietor, "but there's a little burger stop on the corner, just head back to the PTH, turn right, go about ten clicks to where it crosses the 74 northbound, you can't miss it."

"Sounds great!" Tia said, walking out the door. "C'mon, Penny!"

"Pel," I said under my breath, following her out the door after giving the shopkeeper a quick wave.

We got back in the car, Tia hiding her purchase in her pocket. I had to focus on the drive and so couldn't ask her what she was so excited about, and when got back on the highway it had slipped my mind. Tia was excitedly talking about how great these little highway-corner rest stops could be, and my mouth was watering even though we'd had lunch just a couple hours before.

The burger stop turned out to be a walk-up-to-order, eat-outside kind of place, and I didn't really want to get back in the car, so we put in our requests for food and sat at one of the picnic tables that dotted the yard.

"So," I said, finally, "what'd you buy back there?"

"Our sign!" Tia answered excitedly. "The sign that next year's camping trip is inevitable!"

"At an antique shop?"

"At Pel-Tia Antiques," she corrected me.

"Pelletier," I said. And, "Oh, sure, that's how you remember my name."

She sighed. "Sorry, Pel, I'm just... so used to... anyway! You can fix it with this!"

She pulled a long silver chain from her pocket with some sort of circular charm at the end of it.

"I'm supposed to dangle it in front of you and hypnotize you with it?" I asked, looking around. "It's... I mean, I don't usually do the eye-fixation thing, just..."

"You could, I guess," she said, "but look. Look at it! Isn't it perfect?"

I looked closer. "It's a snake?"

"It's a snake eating its own tail. The Ouroboros! It has, like, meaning and shit."

"Why does it mean that next year's camping trip is inevitable?" I asked, honestly curious.

"Because," Tia replied, lifting the charm up and letting it swing. "You can't take your eyes off it."

She was right, it was hard to look away.

Tia was drumming her fingers on the table. Tap tap tap. Tap tap tap. Like the rain on the windows. I hadn't realized how tired driving had made me. I knew it'd be a few minutes before our burgers arrived, I could just lay my head down on the picnic table, listening to Tia tap tap tap and talk about inevitability and signs and the Ouroboros and how perfect the rest of the drive would be.

"Y'know, if she's that tired," I heard an unfamiliar woman's voice saying, "my cousin runs a B&B just a half hour up 74, if you gals need a place."

"We weren't planning on it," Tia said as I picked my head up off the picnic table, "but that's some good advice. Anything interesting to do around here?"

The other woman, a redhead about my age in a greasy apron, shrugged. "I mean, not really, but there's some good hiking, and there's a boat tour place up in town if you wanna take a ride on the lake, I guess. Do you fish?"

Tia shook her head as I eyed the French fries with hunger.

"Yeah, me neither. Anyway, thanks for stopping by, don't feel you gotta rush off, take your time, I don't wanna hear about you bein' in an accident on accounta fallin' asleep at the wheel, you get me?"

I smiled at her. "Thanks," I said wearily.

She nodded and headed back to the store.

I looked back at Tia. "Where's your pretty necklace?"

"Around your neck," she replied, grabbing a fry.

I started and looked down. There it was, looking back up at me from the middle of my sweater. "... Huh," was all I could think to say.

"It makes sense, right? Okay, I was never big for symbolism," she drummed her fingers on the table again, "but I think it's important that we both have this. And I kinda like the idea, since we can't go camping, of going to that little B&B." Tap tap tap. "Feels like it's... inevitable."

I nodded and took a bite of my chicken burger. It was pretty good.

"Like the sign pointed us at Pelletier, and Pelletier pointed us here, and from here..."

I swallowed and nodded again. "Yeah, I hear ya, and if we can't go camping..."

Tap tap tap. Her fingers drummed on the table. I couldn't help but remember the rain on the windshield. "That's right, Pel, we've got a whole evening to ourselves, no expectations, no plans..." She leaned in close, and, despite there being no one around, whispered, "I'm going to use that little silver snake to hypnotize you into next week, and then I'm going to fuck you so hard that you'll be madly in love with me by Christmas."

I shivered. Tap tap tap, went her fingers. "A-and when I want to put you under?"

"That's the beauty of it," she replied, leaning back. "The snake, eating its own tail. You can just use that right back on me. Although we'll probably need some rules."

I let my fingers drag over hers. "Maybe we should discuss this in our room."

"Wearing less clothes," she responded.

"None at all."

"Nothing except that little charm."

I smiled. "Got a little more hope now?"

She popped a fry into her mouth. "You know, Penelope, this might just work out."

"At the very least," I said, "we're going camping next summer."

"Fuck yes."

It was a sure thing.