That's what I tell myself as I knock on her door a good twenty minutes early. But when she opens the door, clearly flustered, the smile falls from my face. Her light brown hair is pulled up in a messy bun, and she’s in jean shorts and a t-shirt. Her tan legs are on display, and she looks beautiful but still comfortable enough for a road trip.
"What's wrong?" I ask, ready to jump in and help fix it.
"Since we’re driving and have 'so much extra room,’” she uses air quotes around the last part. "Nate gave me a list of shit to bring since he’s moving there. I guess it's stuff he left here when he moved out."
"Well, that explains why he insisted I rent an SUV to drive us out there. What’s going? I’ll start loading it up."
She points to a few boxes by the door, so I start there. By the time the boxes are loaded, she has her bags ready to go and seems calmer.
Thirty minutes later, we are finally on the road, and she’s relaxed slightly, but not much. She seems still a bit on edge, but I want her calm and enjoying the trip.
"What’s our first stop? You are in charge." I ask, thinking maybe if I can get her mind back on the trip she‘ll relax and enjoy it.
Growing up, I can remember her talking about driving Route 66. She even had a book of stops and things she wanted to do on the drive.
"I figure we can stop in St. Louis tonight. That's four hours of driving and gives us plenty of time to stop along the way. There are a few places I'd like to see," she says.
Then she plugs the first stop into the GPS, shifting so she’s leaning against the door.
Finally, her posture is much more relaxed. After I put on some music and then after our first photo stop, she seems to be loosening up and enjoying the drive.
"So, we have to stop at the Cozy Dog Drive-in for lunch," she says.
"Isn't that where the corn dog was invented?" I ask.
"Yes!" A huge smile lights up her face as she starts to bounce in her seat.
That smile is going to do me in because I know there isn't anything I won’t do to keep it there over the next two weeks.
We get our lunch, and she makes sure to order something different from me, and we try each other’s food. I was never really a fan of sharing food, but with her, it's easy and natural.
Day one, and I'm already falling down a dangerous slope.
After lunch, we hit the Pink Elephant Antique Mall, and I follow behind her as she walks through rows and rows of things for sale. Watching her bend over to look at items is driving me crazy. With the bottom swell of her beautifully round ass cheek peeking out of these cut-off shorts, I’m trying to tamp down a hard-on.
If I want to keep my cock in check, I’ll have to keep my eyes diverted. The last thing I need to do is make things uncomfortable from day one. Plus, I'm sure there is no way she feels the same way about me.
I'm sure she sees me as another annoying older brother, especially after being forced with me on this trip.
But I'm a glutton for punishment, so I still walk behind her and watch the way her hips sway down the aisles.
When we get back to the car and on the road, I breathe a sigh of relief. As we near St. Louis, she turns down the radio.
"I was thinking we’d go visit the Gateway Arch, then grab dinner and head to the hotel?" She asks like I'm going to tell her no.
This is her trip, and pretty much anything she wants to do, we’ll do, assuming it's not going to put her in harm’s way. If she wants to visit the Gateway Arch, then we’ll visit. If she wants to bungee jump off the Arch, that's where I’ll put my foot down.
The smile I love is back as we ride to the top of the Gateway Arch. It's just the two of us in our pod on the ride to the top. While we are sitting on opposite sides, her leg keeps brushing against mine, and it’s causing some sparks, making my heart race.
"You, okay?" She gives me a funny look.
I'm a big guy as it is, and while this pod might have five seats in it, I can't imagine if there were three other people with us. It's tight enough with just us here. So, I go with that as my excuse.
"Yeah, I think it's just the small space," I tell her because she doesn't need to know that it's her who is affecting me like this.
That was the wrong thing to say because she moves to sit beside me and wraps her arms around mine.
"It's okay, I'm right here with you. After this, I promise no more small spaces. I didn't realize they bothered you."
"No, we are not changing your plans. I can handle tight spaces, I promise. It's easier with you here."
While I know this is a dangerous road, but if the small spaces get her pressed up to me like this, I'm all for them. Even though I shouldn't be.
At the top, we take photos and enjoy the view. I'm looking out over the water when one of the old riverboats glides by. It goes at a slow, lazy speed, almost like it's reminding me to slow down and enjoy this trip. I’m going to have two weeks with Rory.
Two weeks of just us. I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts.