The Endless Road to Sunshine - Nicky James Page 0,155
four hours.
I didn’t care. Every minute of our time together was precious. Since he’d been released from the hospital two months ago, we were inseparable. We’d even spent the holidays at his parents’ house where I’d been accepted with open arms despite my horrific past. Skylar and Walter were working on their relationship, and it was far better than it had ever been.
Things weren’t perfect. I wasn’t the only one plagued with nightmares anymore. Skylar’s erratic sleeping had grown worse, and I’d been nursing a wicked black eye after taking an elbow to the face in the middle of the night a few days ago.
He’d apologized relentlessly, insisting he should stay at his apartment or on the couch, but I’d wrapped him in my arms every night and told him he wasn’t going anywhere.
He was crooning to The Rolling Stones, moving in his seat like he had ants in his pants. At least he’d chosen music I recognized. The old stuff, he’d called it.
“Sing with me.” His smile was contagious. It shone out of his gorgeous eyes I loved so much, and it was hard not to return it. I kept my features firm regardless, even though Skylar knew it was all a ruse.
“You’re making your cranky face again.”
“I’m driving.”
“You can’t sing and drive?”
“You’re singing enough for both of us.”
“You can’t drive and smile.”
“Nope. Impossible.”
“You’re impossible.” He flipped to a new song. Bruce Springsteen. “How about this one? You like this one.”
“Still driving.”
“This one.” He chose another song, something I didn’t know. “I could do this all day. We still have several hours until we get there. You will sing with me.”
I removed his phone from his hand and punched the stereo off. “How about quiet for a bit?”
Skylar sighed but rested his head back, still beaming as he watched the landscape pass. After another mile, the tunes he heard in his head flowed out of his mouth. I should have known there was no stopping him.
It was Levi and Autumn’s ten-year anniversary this weekend. We’d rented a hotel, despite being invited to stay at the house. It was the first time we’d gone away together, and it was refreshing. Exciting.
Skylar was no longer my student. The second semester had begun, and we’d been more open about our relationship. With my help, he’d written his case study and earned an A. For as hard as it was to dredge up the past, it was healing. For both of us.
Like Levi had predicted, Morgan’s fame and my subsequent fame had died off quickly. Once the public knew who I was, the hype had lasted about two weeks, and only because of what had happened with Skylar. The semester had ended, and with the break, people had gone back to their normal routines. The university rode the wave and let me stay. There were still inquisitive looks from students, but overall, it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.
“Do you have plans for the summer?” Skylar asked after we’d driven about ten minutes.
“Not really. You?”
“I think we should travel. Go somewhere. Anywhere. You and me.”
I glanced in his direction, taking my eyes off the road for a second. “Really?”
“Why not? You said you’ve always wanted to. I’ve got a nasty itch to get away, so we should go together. Wherever you want. Your choice.”
I wrung my hands on the steering wheel. “My choice, huh?”
Skylar tipped his head to look at me. I felt the heat of his attention. “Any idea where you’d like to go?”
I could think of a hundred places. “Maybe Greece. Or Scotland. Spain?”
“I’m not picking. You tell me where, and I’ll be your tour guide.”
I couldn’t fight the smile anymore. “Okay. Let me think about it. Is there a country where you haven’t fucked some random guy?”
“Sorry, I’m not allowed to talk about that. Dating rule number one.”
“Fine.” I smirked.
“You do know you have to travel à la Skylar. I don’t do fancy resorts or vacation packages. I stay in hostels and do shit on the fly. It’s freeing that way. I play it all by ear.”
“I trust you.”
The words were out before I registered them. They were monumental, and Skylar knew it.
He touched my leg, squeezing once. “Thank you.”
I fit my hand over his, weaving our fingers together, and we drove the rest of the way connected.
We were greeted at the door by two little girls in party dresses. Claire spun in so many circles, she grew wobbly. Jessica bounced until I picked her up in my arms. “Hey, beautiful.”