Brook Bare
Sarah wasn’t sure if her luck was very good or absolutely, tragically bad.
She watched her family and the Williamsons, their oldest friends, divide into the first two vehicles parked in her parents’ driveway. Including her traitorous brother, Aaron, who had originally promised to ride with her. The third vehicle, containing nearly all the luggage and camping equipment, only had enough room for two passengers— her and the older Williamson brother, Lucas.
Lucas, who had only just moved back to their tiny hometown after nearly eight years of living and working two states over. Lucas, on whom she’d had a severe crush for most of her childhood.
Sure, they had been friends nearly all their lives, but when he left, he’d still been the lanky, barely-out-of-his-teens boy she had written about in her diary since the fifth grade. And here he was, back and settling into the driver’s seat.
His dark hair wasn’t shorn close to his scalp anymore. Now, it waved gently and brushed the tips of his ears. He had filled out too, she thought bitterly. Broad shoulders complemented the height he’d had since puberty, and he wore the new bulk like he’d always had it.
He adjusted the rearview mirror, flashing her the smile she definitely didn’t find dreamy anymore. They were both adults, and she didn’t have any residual feelings. He was practically a stranger after all.
His smile faded as he looked at her. “You okay, Sarah?” he asked.
She relaxed her scowl and tried not to feel embarrassed. She blushed at the drop of a hat and couldn’t afford to allow the emotion to have any room whatsoever.
She forced a smile instead. “Yep! Sorry, it’s still just a little early for me, I guess.” Good grief. Why did her voice sound so high.
He smiled a little softer this time. “You never were a morning person.” He took his phone from the mount on the dash and handed it to her. “Passenger gets to DJ.”
The procession pulled out one by one as the group began their two-week road/camping trip. Their first stop was in a beautiful area just outside the state line where her family and the Williamsons had camped many times before. It was a six-hour drive.
Six hours in the same car with a man she had spoken to only a handful of times over the past few years. All because Aaron went back on their deal to ride with her. Sarah suspected it had little to do with her and a lot to do with Aaron’s mission to learn more about a particular friend of Lana’s.
Nothing she could do now though. She just had to get through it. She would think of this as making a new friend, rather than awkwardly sitting next to an old friend. Ugh.
She found they used the same audio-streaming app and signed into her own account to access her playlists. As the music filled the silence, she watched first their neighborhood, then the town go by. When he turned off into a parking lot, she glanced over at him in surprise. They’d only been driving fifteen minutes.
“What are you doing?”
He shrugged. “You’re right. It’s still much too early, and if we’re gonna drive this long, we’ll need some fuel. Of the caffeinated variety.”
Sarah realized he had pulled up to a local coffee shop.
Lucas looked at her. “You still drink coffee, right? That hasn’t changed?”
She grinned, forgetting that she was supposed to be uncomfortable with this guy. “Some things never do.”
She climbed out of the car with more enthusiasm than she’d felt all morning. Lucas held the glass door for her and stood beside her as the teenaged employee, who looked half asleep himself, took their order.
“Two medium iced caramel lattes, one with extra whipped cream and caramel drizzle, please.” Lucas pulled out his wallet. Sarah tried to hide her surprise, but she couldn’t help staring at him.
He flushed. “Sorry. I should have asked. Your order has probably changed, huh?”
“Actually, it hasn’t. I’m just surprised you remembered.”
“Yeah, well, you ordered it enough times it stuck I guess.” He handed his card to the employee and didn’t meet her eyes.
Back in the car, they sipped their coffee, and Sarah soon felt more relaxed. She began talking more openly, pointing out changes in the route, old landmarks, anything really. They were well into the mountains when his phone lost signal and the music stopped playing. Sarah realized the more she talked, the quieter Lucas got.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t keep jabbering at you. You’re probably ready for some peace by now.” She smiled to hide the returning anxiety.
“No! No, it’s not that. I don’t mind listening to you. I’ve never minded.” Despite the reassuring words, his body was still tense, his eyes firmly on the road ahead.
“Oh. Well. Okay then.” But she faded into silence, anyway, lost in her thoughts.
When he blew out a breath, she almost jumped.
“Okay, I have to tell you something. Better to just get it out once and for all.” He pulled into an outlook and turned so he could look her in the eyes.
“I remembered your coffee order because I’ve been in love with you for most of our lives. I thought that after all these years it would have faded, but it hasn’t, and I can’t focus on anything else without you knowing. So, at the risk of making the rest of this car ride really awkward, if you aren’t completely sick of me by the end of the trip, I want to take you out. On a date. Just the two of us. What do you say?”
Sarah smiled. She had a lot to say. And she suddenly had a very, very good feeling about this vacation.
For Brook, time spent reading, writing, crocheting, playing fetch, or trying out new hobbies is never wasted.
Spark Flash Fiction 