I lean in close, wrapping my arms around his neck as I whisper, “I love you too.” The words fall from my mouth easier than I thought they would. Dash pulls me into a hug, wrapping his arms around my waist. Encasing me in his love, I can feel it in his touch.
With the SUV loaded up with everything we should need over the next few weeks, I smile as Darrell starts the vehicle. I’m bouncing off the walls, well in my head. I’ve voiced time and time again that I was excited about leaving home. I’m sure they’re tired of hearing about it.
My impatient eyes watch as Darrell drives us out of town. Seeing theThank you for visitingsign as we leave makes my heart skip a beat, this is really happening. I get to leave, without a shadow of a doubt. I grab Mitch’s hand as I look out over the bridge as we cross the large lake. The trees dance in the wind as the water ripples. The sky has a slight gray hue to it, promising the lands some much needed rain. This bridge is but a hop, skip, and a jump from the city limits, yet I’ve never seen it.
Dash confessed his love to me, the first one to do so. Even though he scared the daylights out of me, I’m still glad he said it. I let out a yawn; all this excitement seems to have drained me of some energy. Blinking away the tears that formed from my yawn, I lay my head on Mitch’s shoulder and just watch the world speed by as we drive.
The SUV comes to a sudden stop, startling me awake. “Are we there?” I snap up asking. I blink my eyes to see that we have stopped at a gas station, so the likelihood is slim to none.
“No, sweetheart. Just gas and bathroom breaks.” Mitch helps me out of the door. I stretch reaching up for the sky, letting out groans as I feel my muscles moving.
“Okay, I’ll be in the ladies,” I say, moving toward the door.
“Nope. Not without one of us,” Mitch says, grabbing my hand. He walks me into the gas station, the second the door opens, you can smell the food, pizza. I close my eyes and breathe in. A fresh slice of pepperoni sounds amazing. I hear the bell above the door ding as we walk through. “Bathrooms?” Mitch asks the man behind the plexiglass. He just points to the back, and we see a large red sign with white words that says‘RESTROOMS.’
“Thanks.” I nod to him, looking at all the different snacks as we walk by. Chocolate bars, sour gummies, all of it looking so good. I can tell you one thing, from all the movies I’ve watched, if your gas station trip doesn’t look like a seven year old with a hundred dollars set free to buy whatever, then are you really roadtripping correctly?
Mitch pushes the women’s door open for me and looks around. It’s a single bathroom type, one toilet. Which means there’s literally nothing stopping him from walking in with me.
I step into the bathroom, and much to my surprise, Mitch lets the door shut. “Lock it and don’t come out until I come back,” he says through the door.
There’s no reason to lollygag around in the bathroom, so I do my business and then lean against the door, waiting for him to come back. “Sweetheart.” Mitch knocks on the door.
I unlock the door, pull it open to see Mitch standing there. “I waited,” I say with a smirk. I wouldn’t have before, but after the whole Sadie thing, I'm not risking it.
“Good. Now, let's get some snacks for the road. We still have a ways to go.” Mitch holds a hand out for me, and I take it, letting him lead me through the store. I grab a mixture of things, soda, sweet and sour gummies, a couple chocolates, and head up to the register. I swipe my card before Mitch can get his out, laughing the whole time.
Once everything is paid for, we gather it in our hands and head out the door. Mitch got something for everyone else, and when we get back to the SUV, he hands everything out. I climb into the seat and pop open the soda, taking a large drink of the red delicious liquid.
“Let's go!” Colson laughs as he gets into the driver's seat.
“How long have we been on the road?” I ask Darrell who climbs into the back next to me.
“About four hours, we have another six to go,” Darrell says ,laying his head back on the headrest. “I’m gonna sleep for a bit, wake me when we stop for gas again.” I feel his hand touch my thigh, sending a shiver through my body. I love how his touch lights me on fire.
Dash climbs into the seat on the other side of me, as Mitch climbs in the front. “What is this, musical chairs?” I ask, but they all laugh. “How come I have to always sit in the back middle? Maybe I want to sit up front.”
“We like rotating seats, so we can all have time sitting next to you. It’s not nearly as sexy if I have to smoosh into the back seat with Mitch and Colson,” Dash says, pressing his lips to my cheek. “Besides, you know you love all the attention we give you.”
Dash’s fingers trace up my thigh, pushing a finger under the hem of my shorts. “Not in the car, I’m trying to sleep,” Darrell says, like he’s got an extra pair of eyes watching us.
“Where exactly are we going?” I ask, looking around at each of my guys, who have all decided to keep it under wraps.
“You’ll see, Lolli. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.” Colson puts the SUV in drive and takes off out of the parking lot. I couldn’t even tell you what direction we’re going. Nothing outside of the SUV looks even remotely familiar. Not that I would know it, even if there was a sign telling me exactly where I’m at.
“Fine. But, it’d be nice to know if I was headed for something fancy, backwooded, or weird,” I huff, sitting back with my sour gummies. I rip it open and pop the amazing watermelon shaped pieces into my mouth, letting that sour sting hit right before the sweet takes over. Before I know it, the whole package is gone, and I feel slightly sad.
“You didn’t even offer me one,” Dash says, taking my trash, putting it in the plastic bag at his feet.
“Offer you my favorite candy of all time? Ha!” I laugh, causing the others to laugh.
“Let’s play a road trip game. It’s called the ABC game. You have to find signs, buildings, license plates, whatever you can find for the next letter in line. The first person to complete the whole alphabet wins. Also, you can’t use the same thing someone else uses. Like if I use a license plate for the letter G then you cannot use the same plate for the letter J.” Colson looks back in the rearview mirror.
“You know how much harder it’s going to be playing from the middle seat?” I say, unable to see much from my seat. “But the challenge is accepted. Does it have to be outside of the car?” I ask.
“Yes,” Colson says.
“A for auto repair!” I shout seeing a sign for the next exit. I clap my hands, excited that I’m the first one to get something.