“Yoga has a lot of important benefits. Everyone should do it.” Even though he says this in a serious tone, he sounds like he’s joking, and I give him the side-eye so hard it hurts my head. “Can I askyousomething now?”
“I’d like to say no, but I suppose we’ll both be really bored if we don’t talk during the drive.”
“I could just sit here and look at you,” he says, and when I glance over, he’s doing just that. My cheeks heat, and I turn down the fan on the car’s warm air.
“Alright, creeper.”
His laugh comes easily. “I’m joking, though you are very nice to look at. That’s a simple fact.”
“I look like a wet rat.”
He raises his finger to his bottom lip, scanning me, considering. “Soggy rodent is a good look for you.”
The laugh that bursts from me is an unexpected surprise. I think about my roommates, and how shocked and jealous they’ll be tohear that I had the grump in my car. Ana appears in my mind, urging me to pull over and have my way with him. “What do you want to ask me?”
He’s looking out the side window, where we’re passing by a cluster of small seaside resorts on the outskirts of town, the ocean visible beyond them through breaks between the buildings. “I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation you were having before you got into your car.”
I wince, keeping my eyes fixed on the road ahead.
“Actually, I didn’t hear it, so much as see that whoever you were talking to made you upset.” I feel his eyes on me, but I don’t look over. “Is there anything I can help with?”
“No, everything’s fine.” Even though he came to my rescue with my car, what else could he possibly help me with?
“I’m a good listener, if you’d like to talk.”
“We’ve exchanged names, and you’ve declared us instant friends, but I still don’t know you.”
“When you have a problem, sometimes an outside perspective can help you find answers.”
I don’t think there are any answers for my problems, but as we approach the next town, and coincidentally, the resort that will be the site of Sadie’s wedding, I wonder if itwouldfeel good to vent to this near-stranger. I’m sure my roommates are tired of hearing me gripe.
I let out a deep sigh. “I was on the phone with my mom.”
“Ahh,” he says, as if he instantly understands.
“My sister’s getting married soon, right here, in fact.” As we pass, I point out the grand archway that marks the resort’s entrance.
Max swivels his head, taking it all in. “Fancy.”
“And my mom is determined to make this the wedding of the century, with every detail perfect, yet nothing is ever good enough.”
“Ahh,” he repeats. “Sounds stressful.”
“It has been, but all of that was okay, until I found out that my ex will be there. And it’s not just a one-day thing. There are multiple events, filling several days, and he’s dating someone in the wedding party, so I won’t be able to avoid him.”
“Sounds like a good opportunity to show him you’ve moved on.”
This earns him another side-eye. “From your expression every morning in class, I didn’t peg you as one of those ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ types.”
Again, he chuckles, and I hate to say how much I’m starting to like the sound of his laughter.
“I may not always show it, but I like to look at the bright side.”
“I’d look at the bright side, but I haven’t found it yet.”
“How long ago did you and this jerk break up?”
“About four months ago, and what makes you assume he’s a jerk?”
