So…he was gorgeous. Super smart. Considerate. Sexy. An amazing lover, and also…
Neat?
What else was there to learn about this man?
Would I get the chance to find out?
By the time I made it to the bus, my brain was in full spiral mode—having looped through these questions and about a thousand others while I showered, got dressed, repacked my suitcase... and yes, for some reason, tucked one of the condom wrappers into a zippered pocket like the world’s strangest souvenir.
But I kept telling myself I was fine.
Just a girl on vacation.
Enjoying a cute guy.
A super sweet, gorgeous, heroic guy.
Still, when Tay welcomed us all onto Love Bus 2.0—almost identical to the original—I felt a strange wave of imbalance.
The layout was the same. The seats were the same.
And yet...not.
This one was newer. Shinier. Better, probably. And yet, standing there, I felt a flicker of loss. Silly, really.
But maybe not entirely.
Sometimes when the old breaks, you have to let it.
Sometimes it’s okay to move on. It’s okay to start over with something new.
Before I could dwell on it too long, I caught sight of Noah already in his seat—the one next to mine. And even though my heart did a little happy dance, I tamped it down.
Because very early this morning, we’d agreed to keep whatever this was between just the two of us. Less complications.
And this way, in my mind, we wouldn’t have to deal with forty senior citizen spectators.
I’d already endured one very public breakup; I had no desire to repeat the performance. When this tour ended, when Noah and I went our separate ways, I could lick my wounds privately.
Perfect. Excellent plan.
But then he stood up to let me climb into my spot over by the window, and our bodies brushed.
It wasn’t by accident.
It wasn’t fleeting.
“Morning,” he said, voice low and casual, like it was just any morning.
Like we hadn’t both been naked, wrapped around one another just a few hours earlier.
I hadn’t even noticed that he had an extra coffee until he handed it over once we were both sitting down.
“Mostly cream with a dangerous amount of sugar, right?”
I blinked. “You remembered?”
His shrug was almost casual. But then he licked his lips. “I pay attention.”
