Page 24 of Stops Along the Way
“I appreciate it.”
We fall into an easy groove, chatting for a while, mostly about anticipated Rivalry character decks, until I mention thatI could’ve eaten another slice of pizza and Declan jumps up to grab us some more from across the hall.
When he heads back, I check my phone to see if there’s any update from Amelia, but there’s not. “Actually,” I say, waving my phone toward Declan while he puts the pizza on the coffee table in front of the couch, “let me send you the hotel info before I forget.” I forward him the address.
He nods while taking a bite, not checking his phone. “Cool. We’ll put that in the GPS.”
“And…maybe reserve it online?” I say, shrugging.
“Yeah, maybe. Or we’ll book it when we get there.”
“Are you sure?” I reach to eat the cold pizza, which still tastes just as good as it did when it was slightly warmer.
He searches the hotel on the map and swipes around the surrounding area, a mix of chain restaurants, gas stations, and suburban housing. “Yeah, it’s in a random Indiana town. Unless there’s some convention nearby or something, I’m sure there’ll be rooms.”
“But wouldn’t you feel better knowing there’s already a room waiting for you?”
“Wouldyoufeel better knowing there was already a room waiting for me?” There’s something about his question that feels suggestive even though it wasn’t meant that way, and I look down at his phone quickly.
“You have it right there. You can just book it.”
“It’ll be fine,” he says. “I promise.”
I laugh and give up. “I genuinely don’t understand how you can live like this. Just hoping things will work out.”
“Does stressing about things make them any easier?” he asks.
“Not really.”
“So I skip that step.” He’s finished eating and slumped a few inches back on the couch so that we’re closer to eye level as we talk.
I hold a hand over my mouth, talking through my final bite. “Then what if it backfires?”
“I’ll change my plans. Go with the flow.”
“I simply don’t understand,” I say. “It feels like a board game, though, doesn’t it? I’m even dreaming in board game ideation these days.”
Even though I didn’t fully explain my thought, Declan knows exactly where I’m going with it. “A road trip does hit so many classic beats. Maybe it’s not even about sightseeing, but more about leveling up with mundane tasks, like getting experience tokens for filling up a gas tank.”
“And the tank can only take you so many spaces around the board,” I say, jumping into the brainstorming without missing a beat. “Then you could have to somehow refill or get stranded.” Unfortunately, the more I think about it, the less sure I am. “What’s interesting or unique about it, though? How is it more compelling than just a drive-across-a-map game?”
“I’m not sure.” Declan taps his fingers on the couch.
“Well, we can ponder,” I say. “I’ll text you if I think of something.”
He smiles. “Yeah, now you can text me anytime.”
Shoot, withthetext still nagging at me, I inadvertentlymentioned texting, and now there isn’t a single doubt in my mind that we’re both thinking about that crush text.
I need to pivot away immediately. “How did I not know you have a brother?”
Declan raises his eyebrows. “Hey, I wasn’t keeping him a secret. You never asked.”
“I’m asking now!”
“I have a brother,” he says, amused by his own joke.
I shake my head multiple times; it makes me dizzy. “Okay, well, tell me something else I don’t know about you.”
