Page 99 of Places We've Never Been

CHAPTER 24

“What the crap?” The words woke me up from dead sleep. I blinked against the light, then squinted through my lids to see Paisley standing there, mouth slightly ajar.

It didn’t register for several moments that she was above me, not the perspective I’d have had if I were in my bunk. It took another moment to feel Skyler up against my side, the weight across my stomachhisarm, not mine. I nudged him with my elbow. “Good morning,” I said to Paisley. “We must’ve fallen asleep talking last night.” Which was absolutely true but I was trying to say it in the most casual way possible so Paisley didn’t make a big deal out of it.

Skyler shifted next to me, then turned onto his other side, still asleep. I took the time to look around and see if Paisley was the only one awake. She seemed to be. I picked up my phone from where it sat next to me and saw that it was five in the morning. “It’s early,” I said.

“Yeah, I had to pee.”

I swung my feet to the floor and stood. “Thanks for wakingme up.” I pointed to my bunk. “I’m going back to sleep for another hour or two.”

She looked between me and Skyler, suspicion in her eyes, but her bladder must’ve taken over because she just nodded and went to the bathroom.

I walked around the couch bed and just as I went to climb into my bed, I looked back at Skyler. He was sprawled out, mostly on his stomach but a bent leg kept him partially on his side. One arm hung off the bed, his friendship bracelet was on his wrist, and his cheek was scrunched up against the pillow. He was adorable. I wanted to climb back in bed next to him and cuddle up against his back.

Nope, not happening, Norah.I crawled into my bed and eventually fell asleep.

***

“Spokane, take two,” I heard Ezra announce as the RV rumbled to life. I stretched and reached out for my phone before even opening my eyes.

Eight a.m.

A text from Willow was waiting for me.Do I get to call these two an official couple or what?Below those words was a picture of Skyler and me. This was from the same day as the last picture she’d sent me, close to when he’d left, us sitting on the couch. But where the last one was of me looking at him with loving eyes, this was the opposite.

No, but we are friends again.

Just friends?

I thought about the night before, lying in bed with him, whisper-talking until we fell asleep. We’d moved on from talking about his dad to talking about my mom. He’d assured me that everything was going to be okay.

I decided since we’re both going to our separate states in a week and a half that I would save us both some heartache.

Lame. Also, why haven’t you found more of my notes? They’re not that hard to find.

Oh! I did. I foundthe friendship defies deathone. It was very time appropriate.

I didn’t send you a friendship defies death note.

I was paraphrasing.

Yours sounds cooler.

It is.

The curtain moved aside and Skyler’s smiling face was on the other side. “I thought I heard you texting in here.”

“I’m a loud texter?”

“Yes, super loud.”

He held up the notebook and I nodded. Instead of getting up, which I should’ve, I scooted over, wanting to feel him next to me again. I really wasn’t doing a good job of stomping out these feelings I couldn’t afford to have.

He climbed up and lay down beside me. “Where did we leave off?” he asked, flipping pages.

“Hiding Ezra’s charger.” The pressure of Skyler’s shoulder against mine made me happy.

“Oh, right.” He ran his finger along a date on the corner of the next entry. “The year we turned twelve.”