AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Olivia squeals as we near the passage. “We’re going through there?”
“I’ve done this a hundred times,” I tell her. “Trust me, it’s safe.”
I’m out of my element in so many ways when it comes to her.
I don’t know a thing about traveling the world. Blogging. Fancy food or fancy hotels, or how to do Down Dog or speed-read a book.
But Idoknow this.
We soar over Farmdale, and I point out a few things about the town. Stuff I know that I think might interest her. When she sees the cows and sheep that look like little toy animals in one of the ranch’s pastures, she glances back toward Blue. “See? You’re in good hands. He knows all about animals.”
Then she looks at me like I’m her hero.
I like being her hero.
A lot.
Too much, maybe.
What am I gonna do if she doesn’t want what I want? How would it feel, to try to go back to our old ways once we get back to town?
My mind starts spinning, trying to come up with ways to get her to keep looking at me like she is now.
As I circle above Silver Creek, I do my best to sound cool—like I’m not internally angsting over what it’d feel like to take that awful step back. To sit side-by-side at The Moon bickering over who’s gonna pay the tab, without being able to lean in and kiss her.
She loves seeing her grandparent’s house, including the little apartment over the garage where she lives. Main Street looks like a toy set complete with Matchbox cars lining the streets, and she likes that, too.
“Pretty neat, hunh?” I say as I steer us in a big U, so we’re facing southwest again.
“Amazing,” she says. “I’ve traveled a ton, Cole, but there’s something really special about seeing your own hometown, you know? It’s beautiful because it’shome.”
“I can’t argue with that.”
“It beats Bora Bora, I bet,” she murmurs.
The comment almost gets lost in the loud hum of the rig’s engine and the blades above us. I’m not sure I heard her right.
I yank my eyes from the scenery to look her way. “What’s that?”
“Bora Bora,” she says louder. “I said this is a nicer view.” She hesitates and looks out her window. “I actually heard fromDream Vacation,that show. I haven’t had a chance to tell you… I got the job.”
Shoot. Now I’m struck speechless. Thinking about her in some far-off place, miles away from home. Miles away from me.
My heart sinks like a rock.
I should be happy for her….
But I’m not.
Not even a little.
Maybe it’ll come with time, that happiness you should feel when a friend or acquaintance gets good news. Right now, though, all I feel is the hopes I’ve been building up falling and breaking apart at my feet.
I can’t let her see me frown, so I face out toward my window.
Like I’m checking our route, or sightseeing, or keeping an eye on a flock of birds. But I know this flight path well and we’re in an easy section of it now, and there’s nothing to see out there but land and air that I’ve seen hundreds of times before.
“That’s great,” I manage. “Good for you.”
