“That’s not safe,” I grumble.
“Ah, I’m sitting,” she says. “You can…”
I follow her line of sight and immediately release the fist I still have on her sweater.
“Sorry,” I say. “Habit.”
“No problem, though I find words are generally just as effective.”
Is she— “Are you teasing me?”
Her cheeks flare with the prettiest shade of pink. “I just didn’t know that personal security was so…handsy.”
“Can’t help himself,” Chief hollers from the back of the RV. “You’re two sides of the same coin…never meant to be separated.”
My fingers flex, and I realize my palm is now resting on her thigh. It’s like she’s her own magnetic field, and my entire body is tuned into her force.
Breaking our connection takes physical strength and a mental pep talk.
“Oh, look at that barn! Did you see it?” Clover’s eyes are wide, the discomfort fading into wonder. “The entire thing was painted with sunflowers. Who paints a whole barn?”
“Hippies?”
“Happiness seekers,” she corrects.
It’s going to be a long road trip if she gets this excited about everything. I don’t have the heart to keep turning her down.
Chief snorts from the kitchenette. “Clover, there’s a whole world out there just waitin’ for you to explore. Maybe after all this is said and done, you’ll finally take one of those adventures you’ve been daydreaming about your whole dang life.”
“I have plenty of adventures.” Her protest is weak at best.
“Making them up in your head isn’t the same as experiencing them, and you know it,” he hollers back.
“Secret gardens are great places for making plans,” I say quietly. “Now you just have to unlock the door. Living in fictional worlds is safe, I get that, but you’ve been living in black-and-white when you were made for Technicolor. And you, Honeybee?” I cut my gaze to hers and find her staring at me with her mouth agape. “When you unlock your story, you’ll shine brighter than any star.”
“Now, that’s a line for a Heartmark film if I ever heard one.” Chief chuckles from the belly of the RV, and just like that, the tension breaks.
“Thank you, Valen. For saying all that.” Clover’s words are almost lost to Chief’s overpowering laughter. But I heard it, and once again, my name triggers a memory I can’t quite catch, but I know it’s there. I feel it, and when they do come flooding back, my world is going to change forever.
“Always.” I flash her a smile, and as the miles fly by, she relaxes, settles in, singing along to whatever Chief’s playing in the background. But never once does she count, and that hits me like a personal accomplishment I’ve been chasing my entire life.
By the timewe stop for gas a few hours later, Clover’s entire demeanor has shifted. It’s subtle. Her weighted sweater has fallen to the floor, and her cheeks are flushed with excitement. She even gets out of the RV, standing in the parking lot like she’s conquered Everest.
“I’m on a road trip,” she says, wonder coating every word. “Doing things I’ve never done before.”
“What’s that?” My body feels lighter, more at ease too.
“I’m…standing in a random gas station parking lot in North Carolina.”
“Technically, we’re still in South Carolina?—”
“Shh. Let me have this.” She spins in a circle with her arms spread. “I’m having a moment.”
And what a fucking moment. She’s the beautiful innocence in life I never thought I’d get back.
Chief pumps gas while I watch Clover photograph everything. The gas station. The vending machines. A stray cat that’s eyeing Wrecks while he chases a butterfly he has no chance of catching.
A dark SUV pulls into the lot with tinted windows and out-of-state plates. My whole body stands at attention. I track it while it parks on the far side, until a tired-looking family of four spills out, heading toward the restrooms. Jesus, I’m on edge. Still, my hand stays on my hip until they’re inside, and I make a mental note of their license plate. Just in case.
