His laugh filled the car. “You would choose to be lost on a desert island with Michael Scott?”
“ And Jim,” I smiled proudly, imagining my dream guy.
We drove for another hour, heading north with no real destination in mind. I propped my feet up on the dashboard and stared at the landscape whipping by. At one point, I pulled my phone out and recorded a video through my passenger window to send to Caroline. It was just twenty seconds of dried grass and trees, but the sky was so blue and cloudy; I knew it would give her a taste of life.
Around lunchtime we were passing through a small town when I saw a huge sign that read “Texas’ Largest Flea Market - 5 miles”.
“ Beck, have you ever been to a flea market?” I asked, shifting my gaze toward him. He’d slipped on his Wayfarers so I couldn’t see his eyes, but there was a little bit of stubble dotting his chin. I thought if I were his girlfriend, I’d make him keep it like that. It morphed him into something even hotter, that slight shadow of facial hair.
“ Not that I remember. I saw that sign back there too.”
“ Could we go?” I asked, wanting to see if their claim about it being the ‘biggest in Texas’ was true.
“ Do you think we’re ready for a flea market date? I heard that usually doesn’t come until later on in the relationship. I mean we hardly shared a lap dance last night.” How he could tease me and make me smile all in one sentence, I wasn’t sure, but I sat there staring at him like I’d been searching all of my days to encounter that very moment. Was I supposed to comment on the fact that he was joking or that he had called it a date or that he mentioned “relationship”? I ended up not saying much of anything. I grunted awkwardly and turned toward the window, praying he couldn’t see my blushing cheeks in the glass’ reflection.
“ That was the best lap dance I’ve ever received, by the way.” He wasn’t going to drop it.
I didn’t shift back toward him. “How many have you had?” I asked, concentrating hard on the gravel road splashing rocks as we exited the highway.
“ Just the one. But it was by far the best I’ve ever had,” he spoke confidently.
I tried to hide my all-consuming smile. “Beck. Turn into the flea market.”
“ Alright, but there’s no coming back from this experience,” he declared, turning right into an expansive parking lot.
I know he was being silly, but his sarcasm wove around me, making it feel as though going to a flea market together actually was a big step. I shook my head clear of the thought, unbuckled my seat belt, and hopped out of the car. The sign a few miles back wasn’t bluffing-it had to be the biggest flea market in Texas. The parking lot alone could have been a small metropolis. There were trolley cars looping around the perimeter, taking people to the entrance who didn’t want to walk the half mile themselves. Beck bypassed them and started weaving through parked cars.
“ Wait for me!” I shouted, picking up my pace so I could catch up with him. The wind whipped my hair and I turned toward the sky, noticing the dark rolling clouds blocking out the sun completely. At least the flea market was covered because the sky looked like it was going to open up any second. When I looked back down, Beck was studying me with a serious gaze— one that couldn’t be mistaken for friendship. I stuck my tongue out at him and he pretended to lasso me toward him. I played along and he pulled me into him so he could kiss my cheek.