“Hey, I’m,” Mitch coughed to break up the droning white noise that had permeated the vacant space in the car. “I’m pretty sure I thanked you earlier, but I sincerely appreciate this. You didn’t have to, especially after I was being a twat.” He winced as he recalled the conversation from the birthday party. “ESPECIALLY the whole ‘you don’t know me‘ garbage. That…was shitty.”

“Don’t mention it,” Avi gently replied, then followed up with. “I sort of panic offered-“

“UGH, I knew it!” Mitch’s head slammed back against the seat.

“BUT,” Avi held up a finger, “I was sincere about the notion of getting used to one another. And I got free Starbucks. So ultimately, I don’t regret offering.”

“If you say so.” The sullen mood that Mitch had been plunged into was barely contained.

“I do!” exclaimed Avi; his flustered state was a direct contrast to Mitch’s petulance. Taking a breath and dropping his shoulders, Avi’s features rearranged back into their typical amiable demeanor. “That being said,” he started slowly, redirecting the climate with such subtlety that it almost went undetected. “Aside from the fact that you have a busted shoulder, your ex dumped you, and you’re emulating Eddie Vedder’s wails, let’s hear about you. You know I’m from Washington, but what about you? Are you from around here, or-?”

“No, not exactly. I’m originally from France,” Mitch started to explain.

“Wait, what?” Avi’s head shook as he did a doubletake.

“Valence, specifically. I moved over here when I was about…11.” That sounded right, although he may have been 10 or 12. There was a block of memory from his childhood that was more or less a blur, but he wasn’t about to expand upon that.

“From France?”

“Yes, from France.” Mitch nodded. “And then I lived in Burlington for a while with my Uncle and his wife.”

“Where’s that? Is that Vermont?”

“Yes.”

“And where’s Valence, specifically?”

“The southeastern corner, close to Italy and Switzerland.”

Avi gave a low whistle. “That’s wild, man.”

“Is it? I’ve never really given it much thought?” He fully expected further questioning, and braced himself to explain why he’d ended up in the US, but Avi bypassed it and asked, “So do you like New England? Like you obviously stuck around.”

“Oh,” Mitch blinked and changed gears, and the tension that’d accumulated due to talking about himself began to drain. “I’m sort of ambivalent. I’ve stayed because life happened the way that it did, and Jodie’s here. Parts of it are nice. The foliage’s pretty in the fall.” Mitch’s head lolled to the side and he stared at Avi. “What about you? Pacific Northwest to here? That’s gotta be underwhelming.”

Avi’s lips pursed, but he kept a neutral expression. “Honestly? I’m barely ever home. Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful out there, and as an outdoors guy, it can’t be beat, but staying in one place too long…” He paused, his brow furrowing then relaxed. “I get cagey? There’s so much world to see, y’know? Like I’ve never been to Valence!”

“Beautiful city. Not much in ways of wrestling, though. Last I checked, anyway,” Mitch commented, pleased with himself when Avi broke into a smile. “I’ve never been to Everett, for what it’s worth. Or Washington state, for that matter. Always wanted to go.”

“Everett and Seattle and that whole area used to be much cooler. Now it’s just expensive. It’s a significant part of the reason that I’m never too desperate to head back, because I’m not too hot on the idea of paying those rent prices. Even if the views are spectacular.” He let out a sigh. “Miss having mountains in the backyard, though.”

“There’s an overrated hill some 20 minutes from the house, if you ever need a nature hit.”

“What’s that, Wachusett?”

“That’s the one. We’re actually about to pass it.” He glanced out the window and at I-190’s signage for the Wachusett Mountain. To the north, the lone mountain came into view, towering over the surrounding forest.

“There’s where I’ve been doing my runs in the morning. It’s…” Avi’s mouth formed a line. “It’s, y’know, nice!”

“You don’t have to defend it to me. I grew up at the foot of the Alps. But it is better than nothing.” Mitch refrained from cracking up as Avi’s face collapsed into what appeared to be relief, like he was concerned with offending the county’s most prominent geographic feature. “Wait until it gets closer to winter. There’s a ski resort up there, and they have a radio jingle that simply will not leave your head.”

“Oh yeah, I’ve seen the chairlifts!” Avi lit up. “Hey, out of curiosity, do you ski at all?”

“Not so much these recent years, but I used to.”

“I snowboard. Try to get a good run in at least once a year, but it gets harder and harder to carve out the time. Might make an effort since I won’t be anywhere tropical, and there’s a place close enough.”

“Be warned, snow out here isn’t like the west coast. It’s wet and dense. Icy, even.”

“You ever go skiing out west?”

“I’ve been to Aspen a few times with my ex.” Referring to Calvin in such a way was still alien, and the phrase ‘my ex’ did not make an easy departure from his mouth, clinging to his tongue and teeth like caramel before being forcefully ejected.

“Lucky you! I keep meaning to go, but never do.”

“Although he was always a little more interested in how he looked in the gear and drinking in a hot tub than actually getting out onto the slopes.” Mitch rolled his eyes, recalling the constant complaints about Colorado’s thin air and the freezing temperature in the mountains.

“He sounds so fun,” Avi flatly stated.

“That’s the word for him alright,” Mitch snorted and rested his head against the window, closing his eyes for a short while as he shoved the bitterness down as far as he could. Avi didn’t speak up, and Mitch was thankful that the conversation didn’t drag on any further; however, he did start humming along as Roxette’s ‘It Must Have Been Love’ started playing, the noises getting more high pitched as it reached the vocal portion. It was a Herculaneum task to not burst into a fit of giggles, but Avi must have noticed that he was vibrating in the passenger side seat.

“What?! I like this song!” declared Avi with some indignation.

“I’m not judging!” Mitch insisted. “Roxette fucks pretty hard.”

“Do you want me to change it?” Fingers were already on the phone and hoovering over the forward arrow.

“What? Why?” Mitch raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“Didn’t know if it hits too close to home,” Avi’s fingers drummed the steering wheel, the sincerity that dripped off of him nearly killing Mitch where he sat. Never had he met someone so unwilling to be offensive, even by accident.

“Oh? Why’s that, because…” he waited a few seconds until it reached the chorus, then belted out along with it, “IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE, BUT IT’S OOOVER NOW?“

“I’M DRIVING!” Avi reminded, as his body clenched and he started shaking with glee, but Mitch didn’t stop.

“IT MUST’VE BEEN GOOD-“

“BUT I LOST IT SOMEHOW!” Avi joined in, and together, they finished the chorus, then mumbled through the second verse. The sing-along continued well into Worcester’s city limits, a half hour come and gone since they’d left Monument, but it was as though no time had passed at all.