Page 5 of Chosen

“Was that your boss?” Sam asked from the passenger seat.

“Not boss. Co-owner,” I explained. “One of my oldest friends, too. He was just checking in about how long the trip is taking.”

“Of course, he was.” Sam sighed. “You can tell him you have me to blame for that.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Sam.” I shrugged. “Not like you control the traffic.”

Sam offered me a small smile before he turned to look out the window. I took a moment to eye him up and down, taking in every inch of him, the slope of his jaw, the fullness of his lips…

And then, I turned back toward the steering wheel, feeling the color draining from my face.

What the hell is going on with me?

I was straight. I’d always been straight.

So, why was my brain working overtime to figure out if Sam was straight, too?

Why did it suddenly matter so much to me?

I took a deep breath and turned up the volume on the radio. I blasted out my thoughts with some old-school rock station. I let the music drown out any chance of a conversation striking up again, as I tapped my fingers to the beat.

Just then, I noticed a few small raindrops beginning to roll down the windshield.

* * *

By the time we were almost at the cabin the storm had intensified tremendously.

The flash flood warning had turned into a flash flood in motion, the roads suddenly watery and treacherous to cross, and the truck engine was making ominous sounds. We were in a remote part of the woods, the sky darkening as we edged ever closer to the Wild Woods cabin. I cursed myself for not planning for this, for not assuming the worst and insisting Sam spend his first night in town, checked into a nearby hotel instead of the remote cabin.

But it was much too late for regrets.

I spared a look over at Sam, who seemed terrified. I inwardly grimaced as I realized this was going to be his first impression of Wild Woods from here on out, watching mud go flying whenever I turned the wheel, feeling the truck sinking into the ground, the sight of the road head seeming to disappear.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” I said, trying my best to sound like a source of comfort. “It’s just a little storm. We have these up here all the time.”

“All the time?” Sam’s question was lined with horror. “Are you serious?”

“It’s just a part of reconnecting with nature.” I smiled, as the truck momentarily lurched forward through the mud. “Sometimes, you have to take a little bad with all the good—”

Before I could finish speaking, a huge crack of lightning cut across the sky.

A few seconds later, rumbling thunder followed it, and Sam jumped at the sound.

“Holy shit!” he exclaimed, folding his arms across his chest. “What the fuck?”

“Close your eyes.”

“What?” Sam looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “Are you telling me to close my eyes? Right now?”

“I am.” I nodded along with my words. “Trust me. Close your eyes.”

Sam hesitated for a moment.

Eventually he did what he was told, closing his eyes, and leaning back in his seat.

“There we go…,” I started, now eyeing the cabin in the near distance. “Okay, now, I just want you to relax. And listen.”

“Listen to the sound of us drowning to death out here?”

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