[FREE STORY WITH EXCLUSIVE CHAPTERS]
When George Shaw tries to find a plan for the last fifteen days to spend with his best friend, who he's had a crush on for as long as he can remember, all he needs is a map to plot out a road trip and his daily h...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
WE STARTED THE DAY EARLY.
Seligman was considered the beginning of Route 66. Abby was eager to explore the city so we visited the significant places, took notes—she did—and finally dropped at a pancake shop to have breakfast. I stuffed my stomach as much as possible. I felt so energetic after sleeping beside her last night. She was my fuel.
"I don't want this to end," she suddenly said as she took a sip from her filter coffee.
"What?" I asked, the sides of my lips tilting up. "This road trip or us?"
The sudden blush washed over her face at my unexpected question. She took her time before she answered, "Both. It's just strange." She met my eyes smilingly. "I'm looking forward to college life but I don't want to think about the departure."
Rolling my eyes, I covered my hand over hers. "Isn't this too bitter in the morning?"
"What?" She replied, mimicking me. "Coffee or topic?"
"Both."
When we realized we'd just repeated the same conversation, we looked at each other in shock and laughter kicked in soon after. I could relate to what she meant, but seriously, I wanted to push those evil thoughts away as far as I could, in fact, until I had to face the reality once we returned and I had to see her leave. For now, she was with me, and that needed to suffice.
The road directed us to Grand Canyon Caverns first. These beautiful caverns were illuminated by colorful lights and the sound of dripping water accompanied us as we walked around this natural beauty. Our footsteps echoed against the ground, for the place was silent and peaceful. The peace that induced within me lingered even after we were out of the caverns.
In Valentine, Abby insisted that we should visit the wild safari center again. When she held my gaze, my hand and finally my heart, I couldn't find it in me to resist her. If she asked something absurd, I'd even be okay with it and it scared me a lot. Love was a weird thing. I sometimes felt like we were on board together but sometimes alone.
Though I first asked if this was a drive-thru safari again. Knowing the first one didn't end well for me, it was essential to know. An amused grin spread over her lips before she shook her head no. "They can't come reach us," she explained. "And I'm with you. Don't fret."
After we purchased two tickets, we entered into the place and got on the safari car. Abby's excitement was written all over her face and her smile was contagious. Our guide started talking once we started moving. There were two more safari cars with us, full of people. "We want to offer you a challenge," she said. "Water gun fight!" Everyone started yelling in unison but I wasn't sure about that. I was already nervous about the animals and now, I was going to get wet, too. I met Abby's gaze in hesitance, but she looked quite thrilled by the idea.
