In a thousand years, I wouldn't imagine being waking up beside Abby, her head resting on my chest, and one of her legs thrown onto mine. And last night—we kissed for the second time, and sober and in charge. I could still feel her taste on my lips, which reminded me that it wasn't a fantasy of my own but a reality. As I noticed she was wearing my hoodie, I figured out she woke up a while ago and slept back. So, she wasn't running away from me anymore.

Fuck, I was indeed living in a dream.

Moving my free arm, I suddenly slapped myself again and again until I was convinced that I wasn't in a type of alternative universe. Releasing a sigh of relief, I looked down at Abby, who was unaware of my personal crisis at the moment. I slowly shifted and grabbed my phone from the table. We still got thirty minutes to set off, but if we got prepared in ten minutes, we would have time to have a prolonged breakfast.

If it were up to me, I'd take this day off and lie beside her until eternity. This was a gift from heaven, and I loved her to bits. Being with her was like standing by fire; when close, it warmed you, but there was always a possibility to burn if too tight. I wasn't sure what to think after last night, though I'd seen the truth in her eyes.

How would she react if I told her I'd loved her all along? Was I an attraction to her, that she suddenly developed throughout our trip, something temporary and would eventually pass when she left for New York? Or did she share my feelings, willing to maintain a real relationship beyond this friendship? I didn't know, and for that, I couldn't risk it.

We'd been best friends forever. Even if I was burning for this love, it didn't mean I would throw this friendship into flames for nothing. One kiss, yes, it was giving a message—a compelling one, indeed, but it wasn't enough for me to come out. Not yet.

My thoughts hid back under the rock when Abby moved beside me, slowly breaking apart from me, and gave herself a stretch. "Morning," she mumbled, turning back at me with a smile.

"Hi," I whispered back with a smile. "If we get ready in five minutes, we can have breakfast."

Propping herself with her arm, she tilted herself and looked at me. "I woke up early and had breakfast—I'm sorry. I was just so hungry, you know. But I can drink coffee to accompany you."

"I feel cheated," I replied, getting up from the bed. "But okay. It will do."

"I also borrowed your hoodie," she said when I was pulling my t-shirt on. "I felt sort of cold. I hope you don't mind."

Turning around, I wandered my eyes up and down her body. She looked so great in it that I minded. But she wasn't going to know this. "It looks so good on you," I commented slyly. "I don't mind." Making her blush was my aim, and I loved to see my accomplishment.

After we packed, we went upstairs to the terrace. The breakfast looked rich with many options, and I lost myself between buffet tables, trying to fill my plate with everything as much as possible. Meanwhile, Abby took us two cups of filter coffee and found a table by the scenery. I joined her a few minutes later with a plate full of pancakes, omelets, and pineapple. A weird combination, indeed.

"How are you feeling?" I asked when I was almost full.

"Pretty good." Then, hesitatingly, she asked, "When will we talk about last night?"

I was pretty surprised that she opened up this conversation, for I was thinking she was going to shut it down there. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Actually, yes."

"Tonight, how does it sound?" She nodded softly. "I mean, we could now, but we should start driving so...I don't want to rush things."

"Right."

When I thought things would be relaxing now, the thick air between us took the lead. I said tonight—fuck. We didn't talk again as we descended the stairs and went out to get into the car. She wanted to drive this time. It felt good because it was my turn to play with the radio and pick the songs—not that I didn't approve of her taste, but it was vastly different from mine.

When I changed stations, it was surprising to land on a song from my mixtape. Love Is Here To Stay. As if she could understand it, I suddenly went rigid like I was busted. However, as I cast a glance at her, I saw her fingers drum against the wheel, and her lips hum the lyrics, her eyes fixated on the road. She didn't catch anything suspicious, but how did she know this song?

She doesn't know about the mixtape, I kindly reminded myself, to stop being paranoid.

It was just—there was a feeling, in all of us, that if we knew something, we suddenly believed the secret could be read from our eyes or our mind. However, it wasn't possible. She couldn't say that.

Today, we were crossing the last state before California: Arizona. The reddish soil, called Casa Grande I remembered, welcomed us as we drew closer to the country. I was sort of familiar with it, for we visited this state with my family several times before, but we never looked about it in a traveler sense. Everything was different with Abby. It was like looking at the world from a different perspective, a window that opened to a green, infinite garden with lots of colorful flowers and evergreen trees. I was living the spring—my favorite season of the year.

When the sign of Arizona state emerged suddenly, I felt her foot touch the brake. "Arizona, here we go!" She yelled, throwing me a look. "I need a photo there," she said, pointing at the sign as we got close, and she soon pulled over. "It should be good."

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my camera, and we left the car. She stood by the sign with a wide grin. I took a few shots and told her to give me different poses. "I should charge you for this, you know," I said, "I'm working as your personal photographer."

"You're taking my photos, isn't that enough?" She put a hand on her hip, throwing me a daring look. Against the glowing sun, her blonde hair was what I noticed first. Bringing the lens before my eyes once again, I caught that moment—her daring look, her lopsided grin, and her sun-kissed skin. This photo was to stay with me, to remind me of this moment, when we were together, even after she was miles away in New York.

Hanging the camera on my neck, I approached her. Under her eyes clouded with confusion, I pulled my phone out and motioned the Arizona state sign behind us; I took our selfie. Since she looked somewhat astonished in the first pose, she demanded a second, pulling closer and resting her head on my shoulder. I slung my arm around her neck, and there happened my favorite photo of all time.

"We should go to a souvenir shop in Lupin," Abby suddenly said as we got back inside. "I want to buy a gift for my father and your parents." I just nodded, letting her take the lead. My mind was stuck elsewhere—at night. I had to plot out a way to confess, and my first thought was to book a ballroom or so in a hotel and have an elegant dinner together. Then, the mixtape would be playing in the background, and by the time my confession was about to go in, I would take her to dance with me. I placed the confession so strategically after the seventh song. So, as we were dancing, eye in eye, and hand in hand, my voice would fill out the room, and she would finally learn what I was feeling.

That would be perfect.

"You zoned out," she said, pulling me back as she threw a grin at me. "You 'kay?"

"Yup," I replied with an assuring grin. "I was just thinking."

"Of?"

I didn't see the point in hiding. "Tonight."

"It doesn't have to be tonight," she said, her voice confident. "We can talk about it in Lupin. I'm sure we can find a diner or somewhere quiet enough to discuss this over."

I let out a breathy laugh. I'd waited for this for a long time, so I wasn't going to confess to her in a random diner. It was special. "No way. We should talk about it when we settle in the hotel tonight."

When she murmured 'As you wish,' it finalized that topic. Though her willingness to converse about this surprised me, for Abby wasn't the one to dive right into a matter but rather avoid it at all costs, it also unnerved me. This meant she knew what was coming next, and she was ready because she shared my feelings.

It took us less than an hour to arrive at Lupin. I unbuckled my belt and excused myself a little to call my mother as Abby went right into that famous souvenir shop that she was talking about.

I waited in line until my mother answered. I hadn't seen them in a while, and this was the first time I'd been away this much. "George," she said.

"Mom. How have you been?"

"We are fine. How about you? Where are you now? You haven't shared anything on Instagram for a while, so we can't keep track of you."

I laughed at her shameless stalking, but that was so sweet. "I haven't got time to post. We are in Arizona now. It's hot over here."

"How's Abby?"

"She's nice," I replied skeptically. "She's in a souvenir shop now." Then, she told me about something irrelevant, which was rather dull but I listened anyway because I sort of missed hearing her voice. "I miss you, baby," she said at last. "Stay safe, okay?"

"Mom," I said abruptly, feeling ready to let her know about tonight and ask for advice. I took a few further steps away from the shop, keeping a safe distance, and cleared my throat. "I love Abby."

When silence followed, I looked at the line to make sure she was still there. "I knew it," she said finally in a cheerful tone. "Aw, my baby boy is in love." Then, she called for my father, and I suddenly found myself in a family session. "Yes, he's in love with Abby—I know, right? I told you all the time, but you said they were just friends. I know my boy well enough."

"Seriously, guys," I suddenly cut them. "I need advice. I don't know how to tell her. I prepared a mixtape, but that's it."

My father took the phone. "Hey boy," he said first. I thought my mother would be the only one to learn in the first place, but having my father in the equation didn't hurt. He had his tricks back then, so my mother said. "You'll just stand before her, look into her eyes, and tell her that you love her."

"Just like that?" I said in surprise. I was also gazing at the exit of the shop, not to miss Abby.

"Yes," he replied laughingly. "There's no other way to do it."

When I was about to tell him that it wasn't so simple and I was certainly not that direct, Abby suddenly stepped out with a couple of bags in both hands. She waved as she spotted me, and when I muttered a goodbye to my father and shut the call, her eyebrows knotted. I tried to steady my breath until she approached. "Thought you were coming in. Who were you talking to?"

"Mom," I replied swiftly, grabbing the bags from her hands and walking back to the car.

"How's she?" She yelled behind me, trying to keep up with my pace. "Why are you running, George? Slow down."

I opened up the track and placed the bags in. "She's well. She said hi." I hadn't had an answer to her latter question, so I'd ignored it. She was somewhat dumbfounded when we climbed back inside, and she shot me a look before she twisted the key.

The awkward air in the car spread out when we passed by Houck and Sanders—two ghost towns. She was back to her chatty self, telling me about what to expect in our next stop: Chambers. She'd checked the pictures of the complex before, and she said it was one of the most beautiful places on the whole trip. I believed her, for her enthusiasm, rendered everything much more special as well as her presence.

Ho ho ho!

I'd love to write a Christmas bonus chapter if I wasn't in the middle of posting this story AND this didn't take place in summer. Remind me not to write a summer novel in the midst of winter again. Well, no regrets though, these dorks warm my heart. 🥰☕️

However, ! 🎅🏽🎄 We don't celebrate it here but I know many of you do, so enjoy your holidays with your beloved ones.

Things are slowly unfolding, and I'm really excited about your reactions! Please let me know what you think, and don't forget to vote. ⭐️ It really helps a lot to motivate me and help this story gain more recognition—that's something I'd love. (yay 40K!!!)

❤️🙈😍😉

. It's the end of my final season (wish me luck please).

Love you all,

Sev xx