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“Oh, la la,” Riley stepped into the bus and removed her sunglasses. She looked around the bus, standing shoulder to shoulder with Harlow. “This is nicer than I was expecting.”
“There’s only one bedroom,” Harlow stated flatly. She hadn’t thought to check the bus’s specifications with Johnny, but surely he knew better than to make two strangers share a bed.
“Johnny said there’s a pull-out bed. I’m guessing it’s the couch.”
“Oh.”
“I’ll take the couch, don’t worry.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“I mean I’ll take the bed if you don’t want it.”
“I do.”
Riley smirked. “I thought so. I really don’t mind the couch or the pullout. A lot of nights I fall asleep on my couch at home anyway.”
As if proving her point, Riley plopped down onto the couch. It made an awful creaking sound, and Harlow cringed. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“I’m sure it’s fine.” Riley waved her off.
Harlow hated small talk. She never knew what to say or when to end a conversation or how to read a room. Part of her wanted to talk more with Riley, but she couldn’t think of anything to say or ask that didn’t feel awkward.
Like what should I ask? What’s your favorite color? She’ll think I’m crazy.
“I need to get some work done.” Harlow pointed to her backpack as if Riley would know her laptop was inside. She sat down at the desk and opened her laptop, thankful that Riley did the same on the couch.
The drive to Phoenix, Arizona, would be almost seven hours, which meant Harlow had to occupy her mind for the next seven hours. She could always retreat to the bedroom to watch a movie. Or, well, several movies, but she didn’t know if that was too antisocial. Granted, working on her computer in silence was probably antisocial too. Harlow’s mind was so cluttered she couldn’t concentrate on anything and found herself mindless clicking around on Tumblr.
She found Riley’s Maine Event fan club website again and perused it. Riley kept the blog updated nearly daily with photos and videos from rehearsals. There were also several band member highlights where she wrote about a specific member of the band. Even after spending years with the Maine Event members, Harlow still found all the insider information interesting. Riley really did have a great way with words.
Looking over her laptop at Riley, she tried to see what she was doing on her computer. Harlow was thankful the table and built-in bench seat faced the front of the bus which meant she could see Riley on the couch. Of course, she wasn’t expecting Riley to be looking back at her. She had her feet up on the sofa with her back against the wood paneling wall that sectioned off the driver from them. Riley smiled over her laptop when she saw Harlow looking at her.
“I’m going to make a sandwich.” Riley stood, taking a moment to regain her balance in the moving bus. “Would you like one?”
“Um, yeah. Sure. Thanks.”
Harlow watched Riley as she pulled out the pack of sandwich meat and cheese out of the refrigerator. There were no condiments in the fridge—Harlow hadn’t included any on her list and apparently Riley hadn’t either. But Riley worked with what she had and made two sandwiches. She handed one to Harlow before grabbing two sodas out of the fridge.
“Oh, I’ll get a bottle of water, thanks. I can’t do sodas this late in the day.”
“I should probably do that just to cut out my caffeine intake.” Riley chuckled as she took a bottle of water from the fridge and handed it to Harlow. She watched as Riley took her sandwich and soda and plopped back down on the couch, which made another creaking sound. “That really doesn’t sound good.”
“I tried to tell you,” Harlow smiled as she took a bite of her sandwich. “Thanks for dinner.”
“You’re welcome.”
An almost comfortable silence settled over them for the rest of the drive. Harlow took her favorite blanket out of her suitcase and wrapped it around her shoulders while she got as comfortable as she could in the seat at the table. She was desperately behind on TV shows and took the time to catch up on them. Riley must have also been watching something, as she occasionally laughed to herself.
By the time they arrived in Phoenix, Harlow was ready for bed. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and let her hair down from the bun she’d held hostage all day. The bathroom was tight, but she managed to change into her Snoopy pajamas, which included a matching shirt and pants. Exiting the bathroom, Harlow smiled at Riley, who had changed in the bathroom right before Harlow. Her T-shirt and basketball shorts looked comfortable, and Harlow wondered if she always wore that to bed.
“Well, goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” Riley waved sheepishly at Harlow. “I hope you sleep well.”
“Do you need help with the pullout bed?”
Riley shook her head. “No. I got it. Thanks.”
