I couldn't control my laughter. She was so entertaining. I'd never had anyone tell me so much about themselves within five minutes of meeting them.
"So, what about you?" she asked, turning the tables. "Negative qualities first."
I made a humming sound and paused to think. "I sing in the shower."
Now it was her turn to laugh. "How is that a bad thing?"
I self-consciously scratched my jaw. "I guess if you heard it, you'd understand why."
ANGEL
And now I was thinking about him in the shower. Not in an innocent way either. No, I was imagining the whole shebang. His hands soaping up his body, water running down bare skin all the way down to his … What was wrong with me? I was being so inappropriate.
Maybe it wasn't so much about what was wrong with me, but what was right with him.
Travis was hot. Really hot. And I wondered why he was here, behind the wheel of a semi, instead of modeling somewhere.
It wasn't just about physical attraction, though. He had a lightness to him. He exuded happiness. When he laughed, it was unrestrained. Big belly laughs. And he was the first person to make me smile-really smile-in over a month. My own laughter sounded foreign to my ears.
Maybe he affected me this way because he was older. He wasn't a boy.
The boys at my old high school were rowdy and immature. I'd had a brief relationship with one guy at the end of my junior year.
After dating for two months, word got back to me that he had been bragging to all the guys in the locker room that we'd had sex.
Not just any sex-anal sex.
Only, he worded it much more crudely than that. It was disgusting. It was disrespectful. And most importantly, it was a big fat lie. The truth was we'd barely made it past second base.
I broke up with him-very publicly in the lunch room-and swore off dating until college.
That was one reason I hadn't been terribly opposed to switching schools after my aunt's death. When you're forever dubbed "butt-sex girl", moving on doesn't seem like such a bad idea.
Yawning, I suddenly realized how tired I was. The past few days of traveling were catching up with me.
"Why don't you take a nap or something?" Travis suggested. "You look exhausted and we'll be on the road for hours."
It wasn't a bad idea. I suddenly felt the fatigue weighing down on me and my knees were starting to ache from all the walking.
"Yeah, maybe just for a little while," I agreed as I laid my head against the passenger door.
I thought about thanking him again, letting him know how grateful I was for the ride, but my eyes were already closing.
*
When I woke up, I was momentarily disoriented because it was dark outside.
"Hey," a voice said beside me, and I jumped.
It took a second for the events of the day to come back to me. The awful truck stop bath. Hitchhiking. Travis.
I looked outside and realized we were parked at a rest stop.
"Hey," I said, rubbing my eyes. "I didn't mean to sleep so long. Where are we?"
"Near Mount Vernon, Illinois. I got dinner for us about an hour ago but I didn't want to wake you up." He pointed at the fast food sack between us. "I didn't know what you like. I hope you're not a vegetarian."
"Nope, I'll pretty much eat anything except for sushi," I said, already digging through the bag. "Because sushi is disgusting. I know, I know. Everyone is supposed to love sushi. It's like New York City or wine or The Beatles," I rambled on. "Everyone says they love it because everyone else says you're supposed to."
My mini-rant ended when I took a very unladylike bite of the cheeseburger and moaned. It didn't even matter that it wasn't warm anymore. Delicious.
"You don't like those things?" He chuckled.
I made a face when I remembered the sip of Merlot Claire let me try at dinner once. "I've only tried wine one time. I expected it to taste like grape juice. It didn't." I shuddered. "And I don't dislike The Beatles. Love them, actually. But I bet if I didn't, you'd give me a funny look," I accused. "And I've never been to New York City, so the verdict is still out on that one."
Seeming amused, Travis sat back in his seat and allowed me to finish my food in silence.
"Thank you, Travis," I said, balling up the wrapper and placing it back in the sack. "You didn't have to get me dinner."
"I ordered off the dollar menu," he informed me. "It's not a big deal."
He handed me a napkin and coughed to cover his laugh when he pointed at the giant glob of ketchup I had on my face. Grimacing, I wiped at my cheek. I couldn't seem to stop embarrassing myself around this guy.
"So, listen," Travis started, sounding hesitant. "I should've told you earlier that I have to make another drop off in the morning … Which means we'll need to find somewhere to stay the night. Usually I just stay at a rest stop because I have a sleeper cab," he explained, nodding his head toward the back of the semi where there was a beige curtain hanging over the small doorway. "But that sleeping situation isn't ideal for two people. We should get you a motel room. My treat."
I was already shaking my head before he could finish. "That's not necessary, really. You can still take the sleeper bed. I'll just sleep right here." I wiggled my butt in the seat, demonstrating how comfortable I was. Travis started to protest so I continued. "Seriously. I slept here just fine all day. I don't want to be in the way any more than I already am."
"You're not in the way. It's not safe for you to sleep up here, even with the doors locked. I wouldn't feel right about it," he explained, his voice gruff.
"And I don't feel right about making you get a motel room."
We entered some sort of stare-down, both of us trying to assert our stubbornness. I wasn't willing to use my own money for a motel and I wouldn't let him pay for it either. That wasn't his responsibility and he was being silly. There was no reason for him to change his original plan.
"Fine," he conceded. "A compromise then. You take the bed. I'll sleep up here."
"No way." I shook my head. "I'm not going to kick you out of your own bed. And you've been driving all day."
"Take it or leave it. Otherwise, I'm driving straight to the nearest motel and getting you a room." His tone left no room for argument as he leaned back in the seat and crossed his arms over his chest.
I narrowed my eyes at him and huffed out a breath of defeat. "Okay."
Travis's face broke out into a huge grin, showcasing straight white teeth. You'd have thought the guy won the freaking lottery. "Dang, that was easier than I thought," he gloated.
His smug facial expression made my lips involuntarily curl up in a smile and he grinned back at me. A fluttery feeling spread through my chest as an awkward silence followed our little argument.
Our eyes were still locked, but it felt different now. The seconds ticked by and suddenly, the air felt charged. It was as if we didn't want to look away but neither of us knew what to say either.
We'd been staring at each other for far too long for it to be completely innocent.
Travis's eyes roamed my face before they flicked down to my mouth, and I automatically licked my lips. Which, in return, made me look at his lips. They looked soft, yet firm, and they parted as though he was going to say something, but he didn't.
More seconds passed. I felt my breathing pick up as I wondered if he was thinking about kissing me, which was crazy because I just met the guy.
Being the moment-ruiner that I am, I blurted out the least sexy thing possible. "I really have to pee."
TRAVIS
After using the restroom and having way too much fun with the vending machines, Angel and I made our way back out to the truck, our arms full of snacks and soda.
I'd changed into black track pants and white T-shirt to sleep in and Angel was now wearing black leggings and another off the shoulder shirt, this time a sky blue that brought out her eyes.
Before getting back into the driver's side, I assisted her up into the passenger seat, unintentionally admiring the way the tight material of the leggings stretched over her shape.
"I can do it myself, you know," she said, her tone exasperated.
"Oh, I know you can. Maybe I just like the view," I teased and winked at her, causing her cheeks to turn pink. Making this girl blush was quickly becoming my new favorite hobby.
After getting settled down behind the wheel, I turned to her. I wanted to know more about her, and I had no idea how long I'd have before she was gone. She could take off tomorrow and I'd never see her again.