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Apparently I didfall asleep because the next thing I know, Luke is tapping me on the shoulder.
“Come on, Sleeping Beauty,” he says.
I blink, confused, and stretch as I look around. We’re in a random parking lot next to a building. The sun is just starting to set, the clouds turning a soft orange color.
“How long was I out?” I sit up. My neck aches and I stretch it from side to side, rubbing at the muscle.
“An hour.”
I rub my hand down my face, a little annoyed at myself for missing part of the day.
“Have you been driving this entire time?” I ask, still trying to gain my bearings. We’re near some buildings, so we must be back in Vik.
“You clonked out before we got off the dirt road, so I’ve just been exploring.” He points to a red church on top of a hill in the distance. “Went up there.”
I frown. “I missed it?”
Luke lets out a guilty laugh. “Not exactly.” He passes me his phone to show me a picture of me with my head against the window with the church in the background. He reaches over to swipe the screen to another photo. Again I’m asleep—my head against the window—but the background is different. This time we’re up high, overlooking the town of Vik. He swipes to another photo—me with a mossy lava field in the background. Another swipe, and there are horses off in the distance, my sleeping figure in the foreground.
“Oh my God,” I mumble. “Luke, delete all these!”
He takes his phone back. “Why? They’re the only photos I took. They’re funny.”
I blink once. Twice.
Does this count as being humiliated for a third time today? It’s like having your crush witness something embarrassing while he laughs at you. Except this time my crush is Luke, and the embarrassment is him keeping funny photos of me on his phone.
“Okay, I get it. You had fun while I took a nap,” I concede, putting my hands up. The grin he gives me is almost worth the embarrassment, but I’m still contemplating stealing his phone and deleting the photos. Even then, though, IwantLuke to have photos of me on his phone. Not me sleeping with my mouth hanging open, but nice photos. Photos of us, like the one we took at the canyon before I made a fool of myself and asked him about the text message.
“Come on, let’s eat dinner.” Luke gets out of the car.
I have to reorient myself as I step out into the parking lot. There’s a large glass building that Luke walks toward, so Ifollow.
When we get inside, it’s all sleek and bright, mostly because two of the four walls are glass. The tables look like massive butcher-block counters, and the seats are leather chairs that look like they’d fit better in a modern office than in a restaurant. There are a few booths with green plants hanging over them, making the entire place feel warm and cozy while the outside world is cold and sharp.
“Luke, I’m not sure if we’re fancy enough for this place,” I say, taking it all in.
“Sure we are,” he says, approaching the woman at the entry. “Can we get one of the seats by the window?”
I glance around. Luckily, we seem to have arrived before the dinner rush, so there are plenty of empty tables.
“Of course. Come this way,” the woman says.
I’m still staring out the window when she starts walking, so Luke grips my hand to drag me along. The touch sends another flutter through me, and I chastise myself once again.
We’re seated at the table that has arguably the best view in the house. We’re along the window at the perfect angle to see the mountains without any obstruction.
We both order drinks and choose our meals. When our food arrives, looking like a display of modern art, I really feel like this restaurant is out of our league. My chicken comes out so perfectly plated that even Gordon Ramsay would be proud.
“Okay, seeing as we’re both in clothes that are borderline workout attire, I really feel like we’re underdressed.” I gesture to my food and then my leggings.
Luke takes a bite of his steak. “I don’t know. I just thoughtthe view was nice.”
“This is the type of restaurant you get dressed up to go to,” I say, motioning to a couple who arrived a few minutes ago in a dress and button down.
Luke doesn’t bother glancing over to them. He points to another table with two little kids in bright-colored clothes and parents who look like they had to roll in the dirt to catch a toddler at some point.
