Charlie
I paced behind Nixon while he signed the rest of the paperwork so he could drive the car too. It was costing a freaking bomb with extra fees and insurance, but his credit card could handle it. He may have been twenty-two, but his overbearing parents still supplied all his needs.
Shaking my head with a wry smile, I couldn’t deny a small burst of triumph. If only his dad knew that Nixon was racking up a hefty bill so he could spend some time with me.
Essentially his father was funding a road trip that he would be against in so many ways.
I wondered if time had managed to change his mind at all, if he was still anti-Charlie with the same vehemence he used to be.
My forehead wrinkled. His son had become the man he’d wanted him to be. I’d helped make that happen, so it wasn’t like he could hold that against me.
He’d still find something to hate. I rolled my eyes and tried not to think about it.
Nixon’s dad wasn’t in New York, so he couldn’t go shitting all over our plans.
A smile tugged at my lips when I glanced at the back of Nixon’s head.
A road trip with Nix.
It was like a dream come true. The chance I’d been waiting for.
A chance I didn’t deserve, but still…I was taking it.
All those years of pining and regret.
I wanted to tell him the truth, give him a reason to forgive me. But I wouldn’t do that. The truth was too destructive. Four years ago, I left for a reason. And even though that reason hurt, I…
With a shake of my head, I kept pacing.
I didn’t want to taint the trip with serious conversations and ugly truths. I just wanted to live in the moment and have some fun.
I’d make this the best frickin’ road trip Nixon had ever been on.
We’d hang out, have a good time, walk down memory lane with a few laughs and tons of music. It was just what we needed, a way to set things right again.
My phone started playing “Thunderbirds Are Go” by Busted. As usual I took my time answering it so I could enjoy the song first, and ended up singing the line about Tracy Island instead of saying “hello” when I lifted the phone to my ear.
“Ugh, you seriously need to change your ringtone.”
I grinned at the sound of my roommate’s voice. “Not a chance, Flissy. The Thunderbirds will forever be cool.”
“You’re unbelievable.”
“I think the word you’re looking for is adorable.”
Fliss’s snort turned into a giggle. “I’m just calling to see if you’re okay. The news said flights out of JFK are not in the cards tonight.”
“Yeah, I was gonna call. You don’t have to pick me up at an unreasonable hour of the morning anymore.”
“And I love you for that.”
“Why? Because it means you can spend the night with Flick?”
“He’s actually right here, and now that I won’t be waking him with my alarm, I think he might just stay.”
“As long as his naked ass doesn’t touch the couch again, I’m cool with that.”
“You got home like three hours before you said you would.”
I rolled my eyes as we replayed the same argument we’d been having for months. “Catching you guys is not even the point. His ass cheeks were on the couch where I sit to watch TV and do things that normal people do on a couch.”
“Everybody has sex on a couch.” Fliss’s tone was dry and unshakeable.
I frowned. “Not everybody.”
She groaned. “How many times do we have to say sorry for this one?”
“Until Flick buys us a new couch.”
She snorted and relayed my message.
“Not happening.” Flick’s shout was distant but made me smile.
I loved the guy, and I was so happy he and Fliss had lasted as long as they had. The amount they bickered and “discussed” stuff was unreal, but they just kept coming back to each other.
In the nearly three years they’d been dating, they’d broken up four times, but never for more than a month. They were currently on their longest stretch and things were going well enough that I couldn’t see a breakup anywhere in the near future.
“Anyway,” I brought the conversation back on point, “I’ve decided to drive back.”
Fliss sputtered on whatever she was drinking. “Drive back?”
“Yeah, I um, found a driving buddy and we think we can make it back in like four days.”
Fliss didn’t answer right away. Never a good sign.
I forced a smile when Nixon caught my eye. He pointed to the men’s bathroom and I gave him a thumbs-up.
“Driving buddy,” Fliss eventually muttered. “Please tell me this isn’t one of your spontaneous I’ve just made a new best friend moments, and tomorrow I’ll be reading about how the police found your body in a ditch outside of New York.”
“Okay. You’re allowed to call me crazy, but not stupid. It’s an old buddy of mine from high school.”
I could picture Fliss’s eyes narrowing. “Who?”
“Um…” I scratched the side of my nose and looked down at my purple boots. “His name’s Nixon. You don’t know him.”
“Nixon? As in the guy you never got over?”
My eyes rounded. Shit. When had I even told her about that?
“I… That… I’m over him. I’m not… We were never a couple.”
“Yet you’ve always been in love with him. I’ve done enough shots with you to know that much.”
I gritted my teeth, cursing my drunken mouth. “We’re just driving back to LA together. It’s no big deal.”
“O-kay.” She drew out the word, basically telling me she thought I was full of shit.
I huffed. “You don’t believe me.”
“No. I think you’re going to end up falling in love with him all over again and you’ll get back to LA a sad, pathetic mess.”
My nostrils flared as I gripped the phone, and for a fleeting second I wished I’d never moved in with Kelly’s sister-in-law. “Thanks for your encouragement, roomie.”
“Yeah, well Maestro and I will be available for comfort cuddles as soon as you get back.”
As if agreeing with her, Maestro barked in the background. His tail was probably going nuts.
I bit back a smile and managed a clipped, “You suck.”
“Yet I love you enough to say it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Come on, Fliss. This decision is not all bad. It’ll give me a chance to—”
“What if he has a girlfriend?” She cut me off with a thought that felt like rusting copper in my belly—a green, toxic ache that I had to douse with serious amounts of logic.
“This isn’t about hooking up or anything. I’m not…” I sighed, not sure what my answer even was. “I just want to spend a little time with him. Somehow make it right.”
Fliss only knew part of the story. At least I thought that was all she knew.
I left Nixon with no explanation. That’s all I could admit to. Saying more only made me cry and I hated doing that.
“Okay,” Fliss whispered. “Just don’t do anything impulsive, okay? Your life is good right now. You’ve been in the same place for nearly a year. That’s like a record for you. And his life is probably settled and awesome. So, you know, be careful.”
I pursed my lips, scrambling for a light way to end the conversation. I didn’t want her worrying about me.
“You know, for someone who dates a rock star, you’re extremely boring.”
“I think the word you’re looking for is sensible.”
“Boring.”
“Sensible.”
I gave up with a huff. If Fliss was anything, she was stubborn, and I’d never win a fight like that with her.
She giggled in my ear. “Drive safe, Chuck. I love you.”
“Love you too,” I muttered before hanging up.
I slipped the phone into my bag just as Nixon came out of the bathroom. His smile was sweet, the way it always had been, and I walked toward it…hope, excitement and maybe just a touch of fear fluttering in my ribcage.
I was about to get the redemption I’d been hoping for since the day I took off to Montana.