He smiled, his eyes remaining on the road. “I think I’d like that,” he said. “Although you would probably try to get me high to relax,” he joshed, and I laughed.
“What exactlydoyou do to relax, Corbin Chambers?” I asked, readjusting in my seat and again catching the brief flick of his gaze. The longer I spent in his presence, the gigglier I was becoming. I was literally catching myself wanting to toy with my hair like some teen with a crush and the salacious glint in his eyes coupled with his roguish smile made me weepy. Thoughts of loneliness dissipated replaced with need.
God. Why was he so handsome?
“What do you think I like to do?” He challenged, and I grinned. I liked this carefree version of him. With nothing but the ocean on one side and a road which appeared to stretch for weeks, it felt as though it was only us and our truck full of Alworths trinkets. Nothing else could reach us out here and for a moment I let go of the true meaningof our trip, of the sadness I’d brought with me, of worrying how Blake was going in the snowfields and what my life would look like when I went home. For a moment I basked in the present. With my friend. My very grown, very intelligent, thoughtful and observant friend.
“Hmmmm,” I pretended to ponder, a mischievous smile on my face. “I think you organise your wardrobe into colour order.”
His laugh bounced around the car, and it wasn’t long before I joined him. “That’s already done.”
“I think you go on dates and then scrutinise the things they order from the menu,” I tried again, and he huffed another laugh.
“I wish I was that exciting. The last woman I dated, and I use that term loosely, told me it wouldn’t work between us because I was a bore. Apparently not having had an alcoholic beverage in six months made me boring.”
“Ouch,” I replied with scrunched brows. He’d never outright told me he dated until now. Obviously, I knew he would but it was a topic we seemed to unknowingly choose not to discuss. Not that there was much to tell lately on my end.
“Well, she’s wrong. And I hate her on principle,” I said, meaning it entirely. “You’re the best person I know, Corbin. And nothing even close to boring. I’ve never been a people person, but you make the hardest things feel easy. Even when you do nothing but just be there.” He flicked his eyes to me, watching me carefully, and I wondered what he was thinking.
“What about you? Any interesting dates?” He didn’t look at me again, but I noticed his knuckles were whiter, a tension which wasn’t there before.
“It will come as no surprise that I’m the opposite to you. I haven’t really had time to date,” I shrugged, not needing to explain where all my time had gone over the last couple of years, “But when I have, I’ve been told I’m too much,” I laughed self-deprecatingly.
“Well, they’re wrong. And I hate them on principle,” he replied effortlessly, and my shoulders released the tension I was holding as I grinned at him gratefully.
After a minute of silence, he spoke again, “I like the ocean,” he shrugged. “I’m not a daredevil, so I’m not talking surfing or jet skiing, but I love time in the salt water, where your sole focus is on the next wave moving towards you.”
“You always loved the beach.”
“And you were always scared,” he retorted.
“I wasn’t scared,” I protested weakly. “I just preferred building sandcastles to nearly drowning.”
“Sure, sure.”
“I don’t remember a lot from when we lived here,” I admitted, “but most of my memories include you.”
He smiled fondly as a new song started, his thumb tapping along to the Shania track I began singing. There was no room for speaking anyway, this was a performance, and I was a solo artist. When the song faded and he applauded me with a one-handed clap against his leg, he spoke again.
“I’ve also booked a place for your birthday next week.”
I reached for his arm involuntarily, the shock of his words taking control of my movements.
“How did you even remember?” I asked sullenly. I didn’t enjoy celebrating my birthday anymore, a day which was forever marred with news Mum’s illness had returned. The smoky, waxy paraffin still lingering in the air when she blurted out the truth she could no longer hold tight, mere seconds after I’d blown out my candles. A scent I will forever relate to endings. A whisper of smoke disappearing in the air, alongside any fondness I would associate with celebrating another year around the sun.
“How could I forget? It’s your thirtieth, Shelbs. And before you get mopey, I already know you don’t want to celebrate. So, we won’t evenmention it but I’ve found a nice spot not far from Crimson Coast. We could spend a few days there and then head over.”
I turned to sit straight in the seat, reaching into the packet of crisps for a distraction. Anything to ignore the warmth which was seeping into me at his thoughtfulness. Anything to stop myself reaching for him again but this time to run a hand across his chest – to top up my touch battery the slightest amount.
“You’re just glad I will be older than you in numbers,” I sulked, reminding him of the four-month gap which fell in his favour.
“Correct,” he said with a chuckle. “I can see the grey hairs already.”
I whacked his arm, a laugh of my own forthcoming, before sliding my hand down to pull his wrist over to the centre console where I drew a line along his skin.
“Okay smart arse,” I quipped, “I will now be taking aten for tenand you’re not allowed to complain.”
“I remember when you used to force me to play dolls becauseyou were older and I had to do what you said,and you always gave me that scary looking doll with one eye.”
