I could do this. People moved out all the time. They started new lives every day. And technically, I wasn't completely alone. I had a backpack with as many clothes as I could carry, my dog-eared, worn copy of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, my trusty Terrific Teddy, Mr. Ford. And of course, my towel.
Honestly, when you thought about it, that was a pretty solid expedition team.
Right?
2
Chapter 1
You know those feelings you get in the pit of your stomach that tell you to stop, drop, and roll?
No?
Cool. Love that for you.
Because that was exactly the feeling I had right before I walked into a middle-of-nowhere convenience store to grab a cold bottle of water and maybe a few bags of jerky. In retrospect, the univers had probably already filed this entire situation under 'Things That Were Somebody Eles's Problem'. Unfortunately, that somebody appeared to be me.
And yet.
Despite the fact that I had been walking for what felt like the entire length of the planet with zero luck getting a ride, my spirits were just high enough that I ignored my gut completely. I pushed through the glass door and did a small, internal happy dance at the cheerful jingle of the bell above it. I had to find my joys where I could, okay?
My mood skyrocketed even higher when the air-conditioning hit me. I'm not saying I nearly cried. But I'm also notnotsaying that.
The cool air wrapped around me like a blessing, and I was already drafting my next blog post in my head. Something truly poetic. Something profound. Something about the unsung heroism of small roadside shops that invest in the proper climate control for their weary travelling clients.
If they also had a decent slushie machine?
Oh, I’d absolutely name-drop them.
Eventually.
Like, in a few weeks.
After I was far enough away that no internet weirdo could track me down and try to harvest my skin for a bodysuit.The internet has taught me many things. Mostly that the galaxy contains far more aggresively strange lifeforms than anyone warned me about. Even more aggressive than Ravenous Bugblatter Beasts if you would believe it.
Which, by the way was now unfortunately, a legitimate concern for me. My travel blog ‘A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Surviving the Road’ had blown up over the last six months, and while most people were lovely, there were definitely a few who were… enthusiastically unsettling.
Anyway.
I was so busy composing literary genius in my head that I didn’t notice him at first.
Not him.
And definitely not the situation happening around him.
Nope. Not a clue.
I wandered in, made a beeline for the fridges, grabbed the biggest bottle of ice-cold water I could find, and then turned in search of the slushie machine that was about to change my life.
That's when he cleared his throat, and my gaze zeroed in on him.
Holy hot Batman alert.
Okay, so not Batman. More like a cross between Batman and Alfred (snort!) in the best way possible.
He was tall. Like,reallytall, with shoulders so broad I feel like he could throw me over one of them and still have room to spare. His hair was salt-and-pepper perfection, and his beard leaned heavily toward the 'I chop wood for fun' aesthetic.
In short?
