Page 82 of Starrily

Theia only meowed.

As the afternoon hours of their drive added on, Simon veered to the north. “There’s a lodging I’d like to check out,” he said. “Cabins looked great in the pictures. And the food’s fantastic, apparently.”

They drove through a sparse forest of green pines and gold grass until the trees to the right cleared and a view opened up. Simon stopped the car. Callie took off her sunglasses and rose from her seat.

“Look at it,” Simon said. “The Grand Canyon. Now that’s a sight to behold.”

Callie ran out of the car and to the rock wall fencing off the viewpoint. Cliffs reached straight to the bottom, and valleys and crevices spread as far as the eye could see, shifting in layers of greens and oranges. From here, she could only see one smallpart of the canyon—and it still looked so vast, so easy to get lost in.

Simon joined her, and they enjoyed the view for a bit, then got back on the road. Soon, they reached their lodgings: a group of cabins, varying in sizes but similar in style with rustic facades combining logs, stone, and adobe. Simon pulled up to the main building, which looked like a hunting lodge enveloped in dark wooden beams, and headed in to get rooms. Callie turned back to Theia. “You get to sleep in a cabin tonight. How about that, huh? If that’s still not enough for you, I’ll get you your own room tomorrow.”

Simon came back out, looking serious. He scratched the back of his head as he approached. “I have good news and bad news.”

“Bad news first.”

“Really? You’re one of those people? Okay.” He shrugged. “They only had one cabin left.”

Callie’s heart skipped a beat, but she quickly calmed it down. If that was the bad news, Simon didn’t want them to share a cabin.

She sighed inwardly. This was why she didn’t want serious relationships. They were too damn confusing.

And this wasn’t even a relationship yet.

“And the good news?” she asked.

Simon handed her a brochure with a stunning picture of the Grand Canyon on the cover. A bright yellow font over the background of the deep blue sky proclaimed,Grand Canyon Zipline.

“You and I need to work out the meaning of good and bad,” she murmured.

“Sorry?”

“Nothing,” she said louder. “You can go. There’s enough time left in the day.”

“See, here’s the thing, Phoenix.” He leaned on the car door. “I want to go with you.”

She scoffed. “No. I can’t.”

“Take a look at the bucket list. What’s the first item?”

She didn’t need to take another look—she had it memorized. “Fly.”

“And you said it was our list.”

“Are you sure it’s a good idea? What if you phase out while you’re ziplining?”

“I’ll be fine. It won’t happen so soon again.”

“Soon? It’s been almost a week.”

“Right.” He cleared his throat. “Fate would have to really hate me with timing that bad.”

“If there’s anything scientists know, it’s that the universe loves bad timings.”

He opened the door and offered her a hand. “Come, Phoenix. We can zipline in pairs. You’ll be safe with me.” He gave her the sweetest smile. “Live a little.”

She promised herself she’d be brave. She’d need bravery in the future when she’d have to confront her past. This would be good practice.

And more enjoyable than what awaited her at the end of this journey.