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“I think so,” he chuckled. “I can see over you just fine. Just don’t move too much.” The sketch pad rested against my knees.
I couldn’t stop staring at his hands as they glided across the page, right in front of me. The faint lines soon grew bolder, taking on the shape of the train trestle. “This is incredible,” I whispered. “How do you do it so fast? Is this talent or simply self-taught? Not that it’s simple, it’s just so—”
“Calculated?” His voice was deep and husky and I wanted to melt into him.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “I can see you have a method, to make it all proportional and stuff. But seeing it up close really shows the nuance in the steps.”
“I’d say ten percent talent and ninety percent practice.”
He continued sketching, and I was mesmerized. His hands were never still and the beautiful arches and textures of that strange trellis became a reality on the page. Eventually, his hands stopped and I felt his cool breath by my ear as he blew across the page.
“All done?” I asked.
“Too dark to keep going.” He scooted down until he could lay flat, I moved to the side and laid next to him, both of us on our backs, staring at the sky.
“Do you know any astrology lore?” he asked.
“No,” I admitted. “Always found it too overwhelming.”
He let out a soft laugh. “What states do you want to go to?”
“What?” I asked, staring at the night sky.
He grabbed my hand, playing with my fingers, kissing them, and rubbing my knuckles over his lips. “Which states, for our road trip?”
“Are you serious?” I tried and failed to keep the excitement out of my voice.
“Hell yeah, graduation trip for me. But I refuse to be stuck in your tiny car. We’ll take mine. So, where will it be?”
“I don’t know, I guess I haven’t really thought about it too much. It was just a fun fantasy. Would you want to swing by California? Say hello to your brother?”
“That could be fun.” Trask turned on his side to face me and I ran my fingers through his hair. He leaned into my touch and gathered me in his arms, pressing my face against his chest.
“Where else?” he asked.
“I’ve always wanted to go to a national park in Utah. Bryce Canyon. See the big rocks.”
“It’s on our official list now.”
And that’s how we spent the rest of the night, wrapped in a blanket, staring at the stars, naming off all the places his truck would take us.
16
TRASK
When she started to doze against me, I gently caressed her cheek, whispering “Wake up, sweetheart.”
She shivered against me. “I’m cold.” She yawned and tried to fall back asleep.
“I know,” I laughed. “Let’s get going.”
She sat up, fast and looked around, wild eyes. “What time is it?”
I looked at my phone. “Almost nine. Been dark for hours though. Come on, you must be hungry. I know I am.”
I pulled her from the truck bed and walked her to the cab, opening the door for her. She looked at me with her big eyes, still glassy from sleep. “I can’t go back tonight, probably. Could you maybe drop me off by my car? It’s at the end of the driveway.”
“No,” I said, shutting the door in her face. When I got in after her she was still stunned speechless. “Come back with me, not to my parent’s house, but to my apartment. My roommate is probably gone, staying with his girlfriend or something. If not, I’ll take the couch and you can have my bed.”
