“Sure thing.” He tipped his hat and walked to the truck. “Be careful out there.”
“I will.” I almost jogged to the driver side. I was ready to get the last part of the trip underway. Nine hours and I would be in Grey’s arms.
I pulled twice on the lever, climbed into the cab, and screamed. Damn it. I had forgotten about the horsefly. He landed on the side of my neck and bit hard before I could dodge him. I rolled down the window and watched him fly into the road. I could only hope he became someone’s hood ornament.
I winced as I looked in the rearview mirror. On the side of my neck, a puffy red mark started to swell. My fingers pressed along the skin. So much for looking flawless when I showed up on Grey’s doorstep.
I switched on the turn signal, put the truck in drive, and waited for someone to let me merge onto the highway. I could do this. I could finish the rest of the trip on my own. Nine hours. I would see Grey in nine hours.
I didn’t want to pull over again during the last leg of the trip, but the Welcome to Texas sign called for a stop. I had never lived in any other state other than North Carolina. This was momentous. I took a few pictures with my phone, and then positioned myself so the stone star was in the background over my shoulder. I was careful to turn the opposite direction of my hail-sized bug bite.
I smiled as I exited onto the interstate. I was officially in Texas. My new home. The state where I would reside for…hmm. I didn’t have a timetable in mind. Love wasn’t about setting limits. It was about facing the future together, whatever that future might be.
My phone started to ring and I tapped the speaker button.
“Hey, Taylor.”
“Eden, where are you? Are you there yet?” She sounded frantic.
“I actually just crossed the Texas state line.”
“Oh, I thought you’d be closer than that.”
“Me too. I had a flat tire in Louisiana and it took forever to get it fixed, but I’m back on the road.” I didn’t have to worry about Taylor ratting me out to Grey. She was still in Chapel Hill.
“You ok? You sound happy for someone with truck trouble.”
I laughed. “Surprisingly, I am.” I felt downright giddy. I was in the same state as Grey. Only seven more hours and I would be at the Palm Palace. “Other than that and the enormous horsefly attack I went under this afternoon, it has been an easy trip.”
Taylor sighed. “I wish you had let me come with you. It could have been our last big trip together, you know?”
“I know, but it was something I wanted to do on my own. Besides, you’ll be here in a month.”
As soon as I told Taylor I was moving out of our apartment at the end of our July lease, she made a reservation to visit me in South Padre. While I was planning my big move to Texas, she enrolled in graduate school, and stayed in Chapel Hill. I moved home for a month to spend time with my parents and go through the process of what to pack and what to store.
“Fall break can’t get here fast enough. I want to see South Padre and you’re new place with Grey.”
“I can’t wait either.” I hoped I wasn’t homesick in a month, but having the Taylor plan made it seem a little less daunting.
“So, are you moving straight into the motel? How is that going to work?”
I chewed on my bottom lip. “I guess that’s the plan.”
For the past few weeks, I had tried to imagine how Grey and I were going to combine our lives into one motel room. I was bringing bedroom furniture, a TV I received as a graduation gift, and enough housewares to stock an entire apartment. We didn’t even have a kitchen at the Palm Palace. Anything we couldn’t squeeze into room twenty-four would have to go in storage.
“Does Grey know how much stuff you’re bringing?”
“He told me to bring what I couldn’t live without and we’d figure it out together.” I guessed he probably meant survival items, like my hair dryer, but I wasn’t going to part with my books or my bed.
“It’s going to be so much fun moving in together.” Taylor sighed. “I don’t think I’m headed in that direction with Jesse. He is more non-committal lately than anything.”
“Why are you still dating him? He reminds me of Brett.” It wasn’t the first time I had told Taylor her boyfriend was less than stellar.
A few students stayed around the summer after graduation. Sometimes it was to finish out leases and to job hunt. Sometimes it was the layover before grad school classes started, and sometimes it was for the last summer hoorah before real life began. Taylor met Jesse at a graduation party, and she still hadn’t figured out his reason for staying in Chapel Hill.
“Because every time I think I’m going to break up with him, he does something really sweet. And have I mentioned the sex is amazing? Like, off-the-charts amazing?”