AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Great. Just great.
I push myself off the door and walk to the oval kitchen table, reaching for the map I left there. I unfold it and smooth it across the hard surface. I could have used a computer to map out my trip, I know that. But technology still does not come naturally to me, and I prefer to do certain things the “old-fashioned way”—as Lenix would put it. What an odd expression.
I trace my finger along the highlighted path I decided I would take months ago. Route 66. California to Chicago. When I found out about the famous highway in an old movie I watched with Lenix, it spoke to me. It was one of the first movies I ever watched, and it tugged at my soul like a tethered thread telling me it was time for an adventure. I am not quite sure why, but it resonated so deeply that I have desired it ever since.
And now, after all these months of planning, it is about to become a reality. Not even the idea of being stuck in a car with Bastian can ruin the thrill lighting up my veins.
3
The smoke curls around my eyes, momentarily blanketing my vision in white. I inhale deeply and flick the ash from my cigarette with my thumb, letting my hand fall to my side. Lucy’s talking animatedly with Lenix outside of her condo building beside the black BMW X3 that I’m assuming we’ll be taking for this whimsical fucking trip.
I’m a block away, relishing my last few moments of peace and quiet. I took a cab here—had them drop me off further up the street so I could assess the scene first. Nothing much to see, just two sisters standing beside a parked car. Lucy’s wearing a navy tracksuit with sneakers, and a white baseball cap, her brown curls falling to the middle of her back.
I take one last drag, before an unnecessarily long exhale, dropping the cigarette on the sidewalk, grinding it with the tip of my checkered Vans.
I chuck the bags I brought over my shoulder and leave my hideout for the glaring sun and my impending future as a babysitter. As of yesterday, I’m half a million richer, but I’d rather take a papercut to the eyeball right about now than have to suffer through small talk and fun facts about whatever tourist attraction Lucy is bound to drag me to.
Approaching the car, Lenix is the first to notice me.
“Hey, weirdo! Ready to go on a trip of a lifetime?” Lenix’s tone feels forced like she’s trying to put on a good face for her sister’s sake. I let my eyes fall on Lucy, who jumps when she sees me, flashing a nervous smile but quickly busying herself with a suitcase in the trunk. I slide my gaze back to Lenix and shrug. Circling around her, I drop my two bags next to Lucy’s five or six and step back, shoving my hands in my faded blue jeans.
Lenix’s expression drops, her eyes turning hard. Grabbing my arm, she pulls me toward the front of the car. I yank myself out of her grip but still follow. She glances back, presumably to check if Lucy is out of earshot. “Don’t ruin this for her, Bastian,” she says in a low hiss.
“Ruin?” I drawl.
“You’re going to have to speak more than your allotted five sentences a day if you two plan to survive the month together,” she answers heatedly.
I fix her with one of my dead-eye looks I know freaks her out. She bristles but doesn’t step down.
“The deal was that I’d go.” I wave my hand down my body as if to sayhere I am. But before Lenix has time to over-dramatize the situation, I cut her off. “Look, Connor already went through all this with me last night. I don’t need to hear it all over again. I thought you said you trusted me with your sister. Was that a lie?”
Lenix presses her red-painted lips together and drops her shoulders in a small exhale. “No.”
“Settled then.”
Before I can step away, she flings her arms around my body and hugs me.
Fuck.
I keep my arms stiff to my side and stand still while she has her moment, mumbling a thank you into my shoulder.
When she pulls away, I quickly head for the driver’s side, where I find Lucy already opening the door to climb in. Her almond eyes widen and I fight the urge to give this entire ridiculous situation a giant eye roll. Instead, I say, “I’m driving.”
Lucy’s brown freckled cheeks turn a shade darker as she flusters her way into answering me. “I–um…well, I was going to, ah…”
“She’s driving. Don’t push it,” Lenix interjects while walking up to her sister.
Lucy’s gaze hasn’t left mine, and I decide to stare her down a little while longer. She’s like a startled bird, and all I want is to tighten my grasp to see how much she’ll struggle.
“Bastian,” Lenix chides.
Suddenly bored with this entire exchange, I turn around and leave them to their teary goodbyes, grabbing my backpack before slamming the trunk shut. Opening the passenger door, I slide into the seat, adjusting it to give me enough leg room to sprawl out and set my laptop on my knees.
The silence is interrupted by a door opening and closing, followed by a small sigh. The subtle notes of mandarin and warm florals fill the air. I haven’t looked up from my computer, but a quick rap on my window forces my gaze up. Lenix waves, her smile wide but cheeks tracked with tears. I consider a half-smile but give her a lazy salute instead. She blows kisses to Lucy beside me, and finally, I look over.
Her green eyes are sparkling as if this is truly the adventure of a lifetime for her and fuck, maybe it is… all things considered. I guess it wouldn’t kill me to make an effort.
“Ready to Rock ‘n’ Roll?” I ask her with as little condescension as I can manage, trying not to visibly cringe at what I just said.
