Page 28 of Reckless

It’s another reminder I can’t do anything without the goddamn world reporting on it. I’ll lose my shit if anyone gets wind of where I am, or more importantly, who I’m with. The last thing I want is to bring that to Krista’s door. I’m hoping moving around every day will keep them off my back. But this doesn’t help.

I can’t stay in her bedroom forever, even if the thought of lying down under the covers and shutting everything out is appealing. The bed is made, but there is still a lingering smell of her. Immersing myself in that is hard to pull away from.

The dulcet tones of Eddie Vedder, and the surprisingly sweet tone of Krista’s voice singing along, eventually draw me out. She jumps when I pull the sliding door back, putting a hand to her chest and going quiet.

“Don’t stop on my account,” I say.

“I can’t carry a tune,” she cringes.

“From where I’m standing, it sounded fine. Good even.”

“Bull,” she rolls her eyes, but her cheeks pink a little. It’s cute. “So,” she grabs a hoody. “Do you want to hike, or are you staying here?”

“Yeah, I’ll come. There’s gonna be a lot of walking the next couple of weeks.”

“It’s good for you.”

She’s said that once before, but she’s right. It has to, in part, be why I’m looking and feeling better. Aside from her company, obviously.

Krista eyes my footwear but must find them acceptable because she gathers everything we need, puts on a backpack, and heads for the door.

Chapter 8

“I’m pretty sure I’ll never walk again.”

My eyes roll at the big man-baby flopped on the couch in front of the TV.

“It was barely five miles.” I kick off my hiking boots and place them in the cupboard out of the way.

“Yeah, but I’ve walked more in the past two days than I’ve walked in the past two years.”

“It’s good for you.”

“So you keep saying,” he mutters, but there is nothing angry in his tone.

“Does that mean you’re not making dinner?”

His brows lift, making me laugh.

“Don’t worry, I’ll order pizza.”

“You can order pizza deliveries here?”

“I’m going to choose to believe your brain is not functioning because of all the fresh air you’re not used to getting. What toppings do you like?”

We decide on a pizza and a couple of side dishes, and I suggest a movie. He’s surprised when I say we can go outside. Another mod con of the RV is like the stereo and cooking unit. There is an outdoor TV hidden in the side of the RV. The van parked next to us the night before left early this morning, so I don’t feel bad about using the TV.

“This thing will never cease to amaze me,” Jude says as he sets up the canvas chairs.

He catches the blankets I toss to him, though it’s still not that cold. We talked a lot about our families while we walked. Both my parents are doctors, and my sister is in college training to be a teacher. He remarked I’m the odd one out in that dynamic.

Maybe I am, but my family never made me feel that way. They’re all incredibly proud of both us kids and hail our achievements at any moment, sometimes embarrassingly so.

Jude filled me in on how Reckless Soul came about. I didn’t expect him to be as animated when he was talking about the band, but it’s clear it remains his passion. And his three bandmates are as close as family. He has one older, and one younger brother. He admitted he hadn’t seen either of them in a while, adding quietly he misses them.

After the summer, he’s going to go back to work, but their tour schedule won’t restart till the end of October. He said they’ll likely be in the studio recording some new music till then.

It is interesting hearing the dynamics of the band. It’s good to know they support one another. He clarified his relationship with Solene, their drummer. I’ve seen the speculation in the news about him and his drummer because they seem so close.

---