The Stalkers' Guide To Roadtrips

Day 25: There's Nothing Better Than Good Food

But don't you want to see the world, boy,

All the countries and the stars, boy.

Start Destination: Amsterdam, Netherlands

End Destination: Brussels, Belgium

Via: /

10:23AM (GMT) / 11:23AM (Local Time)

We all settle into the car surprisingly quickly. Elise argued that she hadn't driven in ages, and Rosie was first to scramble into the front seat and so Levi and I take our places in the back without arguing. It seems that neither of us is up for doing much anyway, I for one feel like all my movements are lethargic, as if they're taking me far more energy than they should be. I have been feeling the late nights and busy days catching up to me for a while but today it appears I am finally succumbing to them.

Levi doesn't ask me if I'm okay, he just wraps a friendly arm around my waist and tugs me so that my head is resting on his shoulder, a wordless suggestion that I should just sleep for the whole journey.

I find that I can't sleep, but I do let my eyes flutter closed and don't bother to join in with the conversation the other three are having. The music today is soft and quiet, and I let it lull me to the brink of sleep although my mind seems to be refusing to shut down.

My mind is abuzz. It is not like I am thinking of a single thing; my mind is darting around several topics as if desperately trying to find something that will hold my interest. Sometimes it seems like all my mind is full of is endless questions. I wonder whether we'll ever get to meet Blakely again, I wonder what will happen when we all go off to university. But most of all I wonder if Levi is happy.

I hate my mind for thinking about this. He's told me he is enough times and yet I just can't shake the worry that maybe he's not. It was sat in the warehouse in Copenhagen that the thought first came to mind. Levi has always needed adventure and change, he's the kind of boy that needs constantly entertaining and I worry about him. There are lines on his face and bags under his eyes that I'm fairly certain weren't there when I saw him before we broke up.

I'm not saying that I was some magical remedy for him or that we should get back together. As far as I am concerned, that chapter of our lives is firmly shut but that does not stop me worrying about him as a friend.

And so with my head resting on his shoulder I think about all this and desperately try to shut my mind down.

Levi must see the frown forming on my face as he leans down and whispers in my ear.

"You okay?"

"Fine," I reply. "Why?"

"You seemed like you were thinking hard about something," Levi says, "and you didn't look too happy about it. Anything I can help with?"

"No," I tell him, "it's fine anyway. I'm sure it'll sort itself out."

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

"Did you just quote Dr Seuss?"

"Don't look at me so judgmentally," Levi scolds, "Dr Seuss is a genius."

"I'm not discounting that," I reply, "Dr Seuss is great. I'm more wondering why you of all people are quoting him."

"I'll try not to be insulted by that."

"That might be difficult; it was intended as an insult."

"Shut up Jess," Levi whispers, "you're supposed to be asleep anyway."