One For The Road ✔ | A short novella |

3. New York

Chapter Three

New York City

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"New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down." LCD Soundsystem - Jessie

New York City. August 3rd

Jessie

I can't stop laughing at him. We're on the subway headed back to Times Square and it's crowded but Ellis insists on swapping t-shirts.

I'm pretty sure the potent mix of heat and exhaustion (the story of my life for the past three days) is why I'm giggling like a school girl watching him struggle, like a baby giraffe to slip on the new sweat-free FDNY tee.

Finally as we approach our stop and Ellis has on a tee that he took forever to pick and pay for during our mini tour of the infamous red-fronted Ghostbusters Firestation, I knock back the last of my water.

It's barely even lunch time and between us we've gone through enough bottled water to fill a small paddling pool.

Once out of the subway station, we take five against the shaded enclave of a clothes shop selling tacky souvenirs and Ellis stuffs his old sweat drenched t-shirt into his backpack.

"I need air-con," he says, sounding defeated though he's smiling like a loon. Obviously still high off the tour and the first movie location officially ticked off his list.

I scrape my hair back and nudge his shoulder, which is a mistake. We end up sticking. "Same. This heat is hard work."

To be honest, New York has been hard work. The past three days have had their moments where I wouldn't ask to be anywhere else and it's got a charm, sure, but it's been gruelling too. And not least because travelling with Ellis and living out of each other's pockets for 24 hours straight each day has been eye-opening, to say the least.

We might have separate beds but we're sharing everything else. I saw Ellis's bum once during an outing to the leisure centre swimming pool when we were twelve.

So far this trip I've seen it at least five times. It's still lily white. And he's not one for changing under towels or in the bathroom like I am.

Also I never could have prepared myself for just how freakishly tidy he is or that he'd ever cop a strop over a few wet towels, which he did. It was our first sort-of argument of the trip and I hope, the last.

So, I've been on my best behaviour since. And though I'm currently embroiled in a love/hate relationship with New York, I've taken it upon myself to tick off as much from our "Typical Tourists List" as humanly possible, in spite of everything working against.

Our tightly packed schedule has so far included an early morning visit to the High Line, to snap pictures of dilapidated buildings and all the greenery. And a whistle stop tour of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

Then, came obligatory venture up to the Empire State Building and the Top of the Rock Observation deck, where we both soon realised (if not a little too late) that we both might have issues with height.

After that we kept our feet firmly on the ground - Radio City Music Hall, the bright lights of Broadway, Central Park and New York Public Library, just so Ellis could get me to take a picture of him sprinting up the gigantic steps, like old Gyllenhaal does in The Day After Tomorrow when a tidal wave of ice chases him.