The Road That Leads to Us

by Micalea Smeltzer

  I couldn’t see her because the shelves were piled so high with shit.

  “Dean!” She sing-songed.

  “What aisle are you on?” I called back, although there seemed to be no marker to indicate aisles.

  The place was a fucking maze.

  A second later her laughter sounded closer and she came barreling down the aisle I was on with the most obnoxious yellow hat on I’d ever seen.

  The thing was huge, four times the size of her head, and covered in yellow feathers.

  “Did Big Bird attack you?” I asked.

  She pursed her lips. “You mean I don’t look fabulous?”

  “I didn’t say that.” I chuckled.

  “Take a picture.”

  “Do you have your camera?” I asked.

  She nodded and let her backpack strap slide down her arm. She tugged the zipper open and pulled out the camera. I nearly dropped it when she thrust it into my hands but managed to recover.

  Willow tossed her head back and grinned broadly while waving her hands through the air like dancers sometimes did.

  I held the camera up and pressed the little button to take the picture. The flash was nearly blinding to even me, and I wasn’t the one standing in front of the camera. Willow blinked rapidly while I waited for the picture to print out.

  She took the camera and Polaroid from me and returned them to her backpack.

  Grabbing my hand, she began to tug me along behind her. “There’s something I want to show you.”

  I let her guide me, but it didn’t really matter.

  I’d follow that girl anywhere.

  She turned down an aisle that was covered in so many feathers it made her hat look like it had none.

  She reached out and grabbed a fluffy pale pink boa and tied it around my neck.

  “That’s a good look for you,” she commented, fighting a wide smile.

  “Mhmm,” I hummed, tilting my chin up, “does it make me look like a model?”

  “Absolutely.” She fiddled in her pocket and pulled out a lollipop. She undid the wrapper and stuck it in her mouth. Willow’s sweet tooth was insatiable.

  She pulled her camera out once more and snapped a picture of me.

  As I blinked my eyes, letting the white dots disperse, it became clearer and clearer to me how much I wanted this girl.

  I didn’t know how much longer I could resist the pull I felt.

  And what if in the end she didn’t feel the same?

  Willow

  It was late when we stopped, nearing ten at night, but I was still wired.

  It might’ve had something to do with the Red Bull I had about an hour ago. Dean had told me not to drink it, but I never listened to him even when I should. I’d downed it in five seconds flat and now I was all jittery.

  Dean unloaded the car and handed me my duffle bag, which I crossed over my body.

  Once he had his duffle bag and guitar case we headed inside and up to our room.

  Dean set his stuff down on the bed beside the wall, leaving the one by the window open for me.

  I dropped my bags on the floor and strode over to the open window, which looked down on the pool.

  “I’m going swimming,” I declared, turning towards my bag.

  Dean froze, eyes wide. “You heard the receptionist. It’s closed already.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Nothing would ever be accomplished if people always followed the rules. They’re meant to be broken.”

  “No,” he countered, slicing his hands through the air, “I’m pretty sure they exist to prevent you from doing something stupid.”

  I sighed, my hands dropping to my hips. “If you don’t break the rules you’ll never live.”

  He growled and pinched the bridge of his nose.

  “You’re the one that keeps reminding me I’ve been different.” I pointed at him accusingly. Raising my arms in a whatcha-gonna-do gesture I added, “This is me being me.”

  He squished his eyes closed and let out a hefty sigh. “Fine.”

  I grinned triumphantly and did a little victory dance.

  I rifled through my bag and pulled out my black bikini—it was the most ninja-like one I’d packed—and scurried into the bathroom.

  The door clicked closed behind me and through it I could hear Dean mumbling to himself.

  “Crazy girl. She’s gonna get us kicked out of here and then we’re going to have to sleep in the car. Probably be attacked by a rabid raccoon.”

  I snorted. “A rabid raccoon? Really, Dean?” I said through the door.

  “Stop eavesdropping!”

  “I don’t think it counts as eavesdropping when you’re talking to yourself. Besides, these walls are paper thin.” I shimmied my shorts down my hips.

  He grumbled some more, which only served to make me laugh.

  I folded my clothes—and by folded I meant I scrunched them in a ball—and carried them back out to the room.

  Dean had changed into a pair of green swim shorts and a plain white t-shirt.

  I felt severely underdressed.

  He looked up from where he’d been fiddling with his phone and I swore I heard him gasp.

  My whole body heated with a flush and I quickly reached for a long tank to cover myself and slipped into a clean pair of shorts.

  When I glanced over my shoulder Dean was still looking at me.

  His eyes kept roaming up and down my body and there was a hunger in his eyes I’d never seen that made my heart race.

  When his eyes connected with mine he seemed to realize he’d been staring and he made this small noise of surprise before looking away hastily.

  I suddenly felt nervous and I didn’t know why.

  There was this strange fluttering in my stomach too, something I’d never felt around Dean before.

  He’d always been Dean, but what if—

  I stopped that thought in its tracks.

  “You ready to head down?” I asked him, hating how my voice shook slightly.

  He nodded, his voice seeming to have disappeared.

  I strode to the door as quick as my legs would carry me and he followed.

  We were both quiet as we headed for the elevator.

  “That receptionist is so gonna bust us,” he muttered, “did you see the look in her eyes? It’s like she knew we’d try to do this.”

  I shrugged. “We won’t stay long, I promise.”

  I knew Dean had to be exhausted from driving all day and I felt a little bad for dragging him out, but not bad enough to turn around.

  The elevator doors opened and we started down the hallway, following the signs directing us towards the pool.

  There was some sort of creaking sound behind us and Dean jumped, grabbing my arm and pulling me against the wall.

  “What was that?” He gasped. “Was that her?”

  “Calm down.” I poked his stomach. “We’re ninjas.”

  “Ninjas?” He repeated, brows raised.

  “Yeah, ninjas,” I reiterated. “Now be quiet and follow me.”

  I crouched down, totally playing up this whole ninja thing, and reached behind me for his hand. His calloused fingers slid into mine and I smiled.

  Walking as stealthily as we could we made our way to the pool exit.

  I slid the keycard into the slot and it lit up green.

  Once we were outside I grinned at him. “We can’t be doing something too bad if the door opened.”

  He made a face like he still didn’t believe me.

  I grabbed the bottom of my top and lifted it off my body, tossing it onto a lounge chair and doing the same with my bottoms.

  Before Dean could even blink I was running towards the lit up pool and diving in.

  I surfaced in the deepest part and turned around to find Dean standing at the edge of the pool.

  “Come on scaredy cat!” I called, blowing at the water. “Live a little! Isn’t that what you’ve been reminding me to do? Why don’t you do the same?”

  “But I’m not y
ou,” he countered.

  I began to make chicken noises.

  He turned his head away and I knew he was fighting a smile.

  After only another moment of hesitation he tore off his shirt and dropped it to the ground.

  He cannonballed into the pool and water sloshed over the sides.

  I laughed, pleased that he’d actually gone through with it.

  I’d been doubtful there for a second. He swam under me and tugged on my foot before surfacing. He shook his hair out, sending droplets of water everywhere like a dog who’d been given a bath.

  I found myself wrapping my arms around his neck and my fingers tangling in the wet strands of his hair.

  “You did it.”

  He grinned. “I did. But only because my best friend can be really bossy.”

  I tossed my head back and my laughter rang into the night.

  “You can be pretty bossy too,” I told him.

  He scrunched his face up. “Me? Bossy? Never.”

  I let go of him and swam away on my back, staring up at the night sky.

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Dean commented.

  I hummed in agreement. “I’ve always been rather fond of the moon and the stars, of the endless possibilities it represents. It reminds me that anything is possible.”

  “How insightful of you.” He chuckled and the water lapped against me as he swam by.

  “I like to think that I do have a brain.” I began to tread water.

  From a few feet away Dean tilted his head to study me. “You’re brilliant, Willow.”

  He said the words seriously, without a hint of sarcasm, and I felt my stomach stir from the intensity of his stare.

  I quickly looked away and swam to the opposite end of the pool.

  When I reached the end I saw that he was swimming towards me. Even in the dark his green eyes were searing.

  I held on to the side of the pool and kicked my feet in the water.

  Dean crossed his arms on the concrete and turned his head towards me.

  “So, what now daredevil?”

  I shrugged. “I didn’t think much beyond getting in the pool.”

  He chuckled, the sound of it vibrating over my body. “That’s one of the things I love most about you.”

  “What?” I prompted, curiously.

  His eyes sparkled. “The fact that you get these crazy ideas and it’s all you can focus on, but once you do it, that’s it. You don’t think beyond, you let things happen. We could all learn something from you. All too often we forget to live in the moment.”

  “Sometimes I do too,” I confessed.

  He shook his head. “Not like most people.”

  He was so close to me that I could see each individual eyelash and the tiny droplets of water clinging to them.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  Dean laughed.

  “Oh, shit,” I muttered, making a face, “did I say that out loud?”

  He nodded. “Most guys probably wouldn’t appreciate being called beautiful, but I’ll take it.” He winked.

  Before things could get too serious again I kicked off the wall and dove underwater.

  After being in the car all day, and dealing with the hot blazing sun, being able to swim felt amazing.

  I should’ve been worried about getting caught, but Dean was probably stressing enough for both of us.

  Sure enough, when I surfaced, Dean said from the other end of the pool, “Uh, Willow, do you think maybe we should head inside?”

  “Not yet party pooper.”

  He sighed heavily but let it go.

  We swam for another fifteen or so minutes before making our way inside.

  Dean kept muttering about the receptionist finding us, but we encountered no one on our way back up to our room.

  “See?” I said when the door closed behind us. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

  “I guess not,” he agreed reluctantly, using a towel to dry his hair.

  I shivered in the cool room and wrapped my arms around myself.

  “Go shower before you get sick,” Dean scolded, rifling through his bag.

  “Don’t be such a worrier.”

  “I’m not,” he defended, “but you are shivering.”

  He had a point there.

  “I won’t be long,” I told him, knowing he’d want a shower too.

  I grabbed everything I needed and closed the bathroom door behind me.

  Maybe it should’ve been weird sharing a room with Dean, but it wasn’t. I didn’t feel awkward at all, and I felt more comfortable having him near.

  I stepped into the shower and audibly sighed at the feel of the warm water on my skin.

  I washed my hair and reveled in how nice it felt to be clean. True, I’d showered and washed my hair the night before, but when you were traveling all day in the summer heat you ended up a sweaty, sticky mess by the end of the day.

  I scrubbed my body with my favorite cucumber scented body wash and watched as the soap bubbles swirled around the drain before disappearing.

  I turned the water off and dried my body before slipping into my pajamas. I brushed through my hair quickly and braided the damp strands.

  I hadn’t been in the bathroom more than twenty minutes, but when I stepped into our room I found Dean fast asleep on his bed. He was lying diagonally across it on his back, with his arm crossed over his face. I knew he was asleep because of the soft snoring sound he kept making.

  I warred between waking him up so he could shower or letting him sleep.

  I opted to let him sleep. He could always shower before we left in the morning.

  I grabbed the blanket off of my bed and used it to cover him. He would get cold in his damp swim shorts.

  I grabbed my journal and the photos we’d taken today and climbed into the empty bed.

  I wrote down every detail I could remember about Day Two of our trip. I even wrote about the strange fluttery feeling I felt around Dean now. Sometimes it felt good to write things down, it also helped me to gain clarity on certain situations.

  Unfortunately I felt no clarity here.

  Still feeling confused I began to add the photos from today into my journal.

  When I finished with that I put my journal away, stuffing it all the way at the bottom of my backpack in case Dean decided to try and find it.

  It was nearly midnight at this point and I suddenly felt exhausted.

  I sent a quick text to my parents and siblings, knowing none of them would probably see it until the morning, and settled into bed again.

  “Goodnight, Dean.” I said into the quiet room.

  I was almost asleep when I heard his quiet whisper of, “G’night, Willow.”

  Dean

  It was Day Three of our road trip and Willow was back to counting cows.

  “Forty cow, forty-one cow, forty-two cow,” she droned. “I’ve honestly never seen so many cows in my life,” she muttered, “and there are farms galore in Virginia.”

  I tapped my thumbs on the steering wheel in time with the music. “Apparently people really like cows.”

  “I wonder if any of them have one special cow that’s like a pet,” she mused quietly.

  “I’m sure someone out there does.” I shrugged.

  “I want a pet cow,” she added.

  “What happened to the armadillo you wanted?” I teased. Willow had gone through a phase when she was about twelve where she was obsessed with armadillos.

  “Apparently you can’t have them as a pet. ‘Tis a shame, I know, feel free to cry with me.”

  I chuckled under my breath. “Besides, with all your dad’s hedgehogs an armadillo might be a bit much.”

  “True,” she agreed. Glancing at me, she said, “Why don’t you have a pet?”

  “Because I can barely remember to feed myself.”

  She laughed and bumped my shoulder with hers. “Dean, that’s hysterical. We both know food is practically all you have on your mind.”

  My
lips twitched in amusement. She was right.

  “A pet is a lot of responsibility,” I reasoned, “and I work a lot. I’d like to have a dog eventually.”

  “You just lost a few points in my dad’s book for not saying hedgehog,” she jested.

  “I’m pretty sure I already had zero points in his book.”

  “But now you’re in the negative numbers.” She poked my cheek, just trying to mess with me. Willow was always trying to push my buttons, but what she didn’t realize was there wasn’t much of anything she could do to get on my nerves.

  I glanced down at the gas gauge. “We’re going to have to stop soon,” I warned her.

  “Good, I need to pee and we need to restock our snacks. I’m out of gum and I’m absolutely beside myself.”

  “How are you doing on lollipops?” I asked, even though I knew.

  “Getting pretty low. There’s only five left, so we’ll have to get more or I won’t share.”

  “Oh, come on,” I grinned, holding out my hand, “give me one.”

  She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “No, but here’s a sour gummy worm instead.” She dropped a red and blue one in my hand.

  “Sour gummy worm…lollipop,” I mused, biting into the sour gummy worm, “those are two totally different things.”

  “I said I wasn’t sharing until we got more.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I mean, I’m not even having one. I have to ration them off until we find more. There’s always a chance the gas station might not even have them, so if I have one now and you have one, that leaves me with three. Three is a scary amount of lollipops to be left with.” She rambled endlessly.

  “Willow, your logic amuses me, but I can’t argue with that.”

  “Thank you for seeing things my way.” She grinned triumphantly.

  A few minutes later I turned off at an exit and followed the signs to the gas station.

  “Pee time!” Willow cried gleefully as she got out of the car and scurried into the building.

  The burly guy pumping gas into his massive Dodge pickup truck beside me eyed me at her exclamation.

  I shrugged as I pulled out my credit card and swiped it in the machine. “When you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go.”

  He chuckled and shook his head.

  I finished pumping the gas and waited outside for Willow.