Which of course was a silly question. They might be a little-known indie band, but after sampling his music collection, I knew Alec listened to everything and anything. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a playlist composed of tribal chants.
He nodded. “I take it you’ve heard of them?” His shoulders dipped slightly, as if I’d spoiled his fun somehow.
“They’re tied with Shades of Sky for the coveted spot as my third-favorite band.”
My answer made him snort with laughter, and he shook his head as if someone up above was playing a joke on him. “Of course they are.”
“What?” I asked.Was he making fun of me?My question was answered when the song changed. It was “Crazy for You,” one of Shades of Sky’s bigger hits.
“And here I thought I was being cool,” Alec said.
“Thisiscool,” I insisted.
Beyond cool. That Alec was able to pinpoint the artists I enjoyed listening to from the little time we’d spent together was incredible. It also revealed a lot about him. First, that he was more observantthan I’d originally thought. And second, that his knowledge of the music world was vast.
“Oh yeah,” he said and rolled his eyes. “A playlist with a ton of songs you know by heart.”
I waved him off. He was looking at this all wrong. “If I know them by heart, that means they’re worth listening to.”
Alec paused, considering. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he said, and then he leaned over and turned up the music.
***
We were cruising somewhere along the coast when Alec turned on his blinker and pulled off the highway. A small town rose up to meet us, and in the distance, stripes of sparkling blue flickered between the buildings we passed. I wondered if we were lost, but Alec casually gripped the wheel with one hand, while the other tapped against his leg in time with the music. He looked comfortable, like he knew exactly where he was going, so I let my questions die inside me.
Asha didn’t have the same faith. “Is everything okay?” she asked, sitting up straighter to get a better look out the window.
“It’s past lunchtime” was Alec’s only explanation.
At the mention of food, my stomach rumbled loudly enough for everyone to hear over the music. I placed a hand on my abdomen and looked down in surprise.Shut up, shut up, shut up!I commanded. It growled again in rebellion.
“Good thing I pulled off here, huh?”
I could hear the smile in Alec’s words, and a burst of laughter spilled from the backseat. “Felicity’s stomach definitely thinks so,”Asha said.
Ignoring her, I turned back to Alec. “Where exactly ishere?”
“Pismo Beach,” he answered. “A quintessential California coastal town.”
He turned onto what must have been the main road, and we passed little cafés and restaurants and palm trees. From the way Alec’s eyes lit up as he took in the scenery around us, I could tell that this place wasn’t just quintessential, but sentimental.
“You’re been here before?” I asked, rolling down the window so I could smell the sea air. A warm breeze whipped through the car, swirling my loose curls around like dancing flames.
“This is where my mom grew up,” he explained. “Vanessa and I spent our childhood summers here visiting my gran. There’s a restaurant called the Splash Café that has the best clam chowder. Every time we’d walk down to the beach, we’d stop and get a cup. It’s a bit touristy, and Vanessa said I only liked going there because it looks cool, but it’s still my favorite place to eat in Pismo.”
Splash Café lived up to its hype. At least, the facade did—we had yet to taste the food—but it was easy to see why kid Alec loved it so much. The roof and awning were bright blue, and a surfer was mounted to the front of the building, framed by two massive orange and yellow surfboards. A huge beach mural was painted on the side of the building, and judging from the line that stretched out the door, it was a popular spot to eat.
“Crap,” Alec said as we parked across the street from the café. “I should’ve known it would be packed.”
I shrugged. The promise of delicious food outweighed myreluctance to wait. “I don’t mind. How long do you think it will take?”
“Er…that’s not what I’m concerned about.”
“Then what?” I asked, but Alec didn’t respond. He watched me silently, waiting for me to figure out the answer on my own.
“He doesn’t want to be spotted,” Asha said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Ohhh!
