“Wait in the truck, I’m going to grab us some food and coffee.” He closes the door behind me once I get in and I hear the truck beep as he locks it behind him and walks into the restaurant next door to this hotel.
When Nate gets back, he’s carrying a tray of coffees—one iced and one hot. Plus, a bag with some food inside. When I take a sip of the iced coffee, I let out a slight moan at the way it tastes. It’s exactly how I like it.Exactly. A little almond milk, no extra sugar, add caramel. His hand reaches into the bag and he hands me a fruit bowl with a small breakfast sandwich. I smile as he crumples up the bag and tosses it in the backseat.
“Thank you,” I say quietly.
“Okay, I can’t do any more sing-alongs right now, I’m going to lose my voice and I told my parents I’d do a speech,” Nate says through laughter.
We just finished our fifth duet, this one was Halsey and The Chainsmokers, “Closer.”
“Okay, okay fine.” I laugh and pull up my phone, seeing a text from an unknown number. I open it.
Connor
Hi Mia, it’s Connor. I would love to take you out this weekend if you’re free.
My eyes go slightly wide at the unexpected text message from him.
Hi Connor. I’m actually out of town for the week, but I can let you know when I get back.
Connor
Sounds great, where are you headed?
Wisconsin.
I leave out the part that I’m taking a week-long trip with my best friend who he happens to be neighbors with.
Connor
America’s Dairyland! Have fun!
I try to hold in a giggle at that, but it comes out like a snort, drawing Nate’s attention to me.
“What’s so funny?” he casually asks.
I don’t know why telling Nate that I might go out on a date with Connor feels like some form of a betrayal. I’d hardly call them close friends, but they at least know each other and are kind of friends and that somehow makes it feel that way to me.
Nate’s never known any of the guys I’ve dated–they’ve all always been so far outside of Nate’s realm that it just never mattered to either of us. But Connor’s part of his world, in a way, and that just feels different.
“Um, well… Connor Hughes just asked me out.”
Nate’s smile vanishes and all I see is surprise and confusion in his features.
“When did you give Hughes your phone number?”
“He lives next door to you. The morning I took Hendrix for a walk, I ran into him.” I leave out the part where it’s technically his dog’s fault for making a ruckus outside of Connor’s apartment, causing him to open the door to begin with.
“And he just asked for your number? Are you going?” His questions are coming out like rapid fire. It feels like I’m being interrogated and I’m hesitant to answer anything further, but I’m not going to lie to him.
“Yes, Nate. He asked for my number and I gave it to him. I told him I was out of town.” I lock my phone and set it down on the seat beside me.
“When we get back, are you going to go?” Nate’s third-degree is really confusing. Who I give my number to or date hasn’t ever been something of interest to him.
“I don’t know, maybe.” I shrug. It’s not a lie. I did tell Connor I’d let him know when I was back in town, but I never committed to a date. Nate’s reaction combined with everything Laura and the girls said before we left is really making me question everything I thought I knew.
The windows are down and the breeze is ripping through the truck as we continue our road trip. We’re halfway to Wisconsinalready, but we are making a quick detour for a couple of hours to stop somewhere. Before we left, I did some research trying to find at least one thing off the beaten path that Nate and I could do.
The car ride for the last hour has been shaky, at best. Ever since Nate found out that Connor texted me, he’s been short. I’m doing my best not to overthink it and to just stay on our plan.
