Page 101 of All Roads Lead to You

“Yeah, it really does feel that way.”

Logan tugged the back of my head and brought my lips to his, kissing me. His scruff tickled and chafed, all reminders that he was a man—a man I was falling fucking hard for.

“Do you think my mom and Mrs. McKnight are out here watching us? Do you believe in life after death or that we go somewhere? Our family isn’t very religious, but I often wonder if there’s more after we go.”

“I don’t know. I’d like to think so, but my scientific brain says no.”

“Yeah, that’s like what my brain says, too. I wonder if humans created life after death because we struggled to let go of our loved ones. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine those we love just end up as dust and bones, back into the soil.”

It was heavy thinking, but Logan was often like that as I got to know him. He also got me thinking deeper, too. Most of my friends were rather superficial back in high school. Logan’s friends were probably similar, which explained why he often separated himself from others, not only to mask that he was gay.

I hadn’t been much better, assuming Logan had just been a dick on the whole. All that time, he’d been struggling and suffering from loneliness.

“There it goes,” he whispered in my ear.

The sun slowly sunk behind the tall cliffs, blanketing the world in oranges and reds as the sky started to turn purple, dotted with the first stars forcing their way into our world.

And as it grew darker, you could see the entire galaxy out there.

“Look!” Logan said, pointing.

We watched a shooting star plummet to Earth and then another and another. The sky danced and performed just for the two of us.

“Make a wish,” he whispered.

I wished we would never end, and it would always be like this between us. It was absolutely fucking perfect.

Chapter 31

Logan

Day 17

There were only four more days before we headed off to our schools. Then we’d have to fly back to Virginia for the funeral. At least we were all registered for classes, and we’d make it back on time.

Part of me didn’t want our little special bubble to pop. The trip had gone by way too fast, yet it lingered like a slow-moving river. I wanted us to continue driving until we could drive no more, but I was also eager to get back to Hunter.

Nick and I left camp early in the morning because the drive to Lake Tahoe would take about ten hours.

“When we stop for gas, we need to call our parents,” I said, going through my mixtapes as Nick drove. “Pull over to the first station we see.”

I popped in a tape, and the rhythmic beats and haunting melody of Kate Bush singing ‘Running Up That Hill’ played.

“Want a quickie later?” Nick said, waggling his brows.

“Fuck, man… wasn’t giving each other head this morning enough?”

“I’m sorry, it’s like you’ve learned nothing about me.”

I smiled, grabbed his hand, and stared out the window. At least I wasn’t fucking blushing anymore. Talk about humiliating.

Ten miles later, Nick pulled into a gas station in the middle of nowhere and turned off the car in front of a gas pump. An attendant came out as I went in search of a pay phone. There was one on the side of the building.

I lifted the receiver and called the operator to put me through to my parents’ phone.

After several rings, my dad finally answered, out of breath.

“Logan, is that you?”

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