Page 36 of Something Like Fate

“Oh yeah. She was a cutie so I forgave her, just like I’ll forgive you for messing up my back.” He shoots me a disarming wink. “But aside from working, I keep my expenses low. I only have with me what I really need. Turns out, it’s easy to part with a lot of shit once you carry it on your back for months at a time. I actually ditched half of what I brought with me initially.”

“Wow, I can’t imagine throwing my things away.”

“It’s just material stuff,” he says with a shrug. “There’s something really freeing about shedding the deadweight, traveling with only the essentials, and trusting yourself to get from point A to point B. I also don’t have any bills, no phone or anything.”

I cough. “Wait, you don’t even have a phone?” Who is this unicorn?

“Ditched my phone after my first month of travel. If I need to get in touch with family or friends, most hostels have a computer you can use.”

When I cracked my phone screen, I had to go without it for an entire week while Dad’s tech friend repaired it. And the whole time, I found my hands reaching for it constantly like an addict. Relief surged through me when I finally held it again. But Caleb looks so relaxed, so untethered by the shackles of modern society, but not in a pretentious way.

“I just can’t imagine not having it. For safety, even.”

“I get it. It’s a privilege to not feel like I need it. I mean, I’d never let my sister go on a trip like this without a phone. Sorry—I hope that doesn’t sound sexist or anything.”

“No! I mean, male privilege is just a reality,” I say. “But what do you do if you need directions? Or information about something?”

Caleb shrugs. “The old-fashioned way. Ask people for directions. And paper maps and brochures. It’s been the best decision of my life, honestly. It’s wild how much more I notice when I’m not glued to my phone.”

God, this guy is so cool. He could probably stand in the middle of Saint Mark’s Square singing “Baby Shark” and still look undeniably cool.

“So how long are you traveling before you head home?”

He leans back against the column next to me, eyes trained ahead as the street performer packs up his accordion. “Not sure. I’m supposed to go home at the end of the summer for school. I deferred my history program for a year. So if I don’t go back, I’d have to reapply. But honestly, I don’t know if I even want to go to college.”Wait. Are we the same person?

“I’m considering deferring too—well, taking a leave, actually, or dropping out entirely,” I confess. It feels freakin’ amazing to finally say that to someone who understands.

“Really?”

“I’ve really tried to love it. I’ve taken so many different courses but just don’t like anything enough to pay so much money. It’s not that I want to close the door on college, but I want to have a better idea of what I want to study before I spend that much coin.”

“That makes total sense. It feels like such a waste of the best time of our lives, you know? I bet I’ve learned a hell of a lot more in my year traveling than I’d ever learn in some dim lecture hall. Abiding by traditional markers of success just seems like a recipe for unhappiness, you know? I mean, having that dream job and money only makes you happy for so long. Once you have your basic needs and a little extra to enjoy life, happiness is probably pretty stagnant.” I nod in vigorousagreement. “So does that mean you’re sticking around Europe for a while?” he asks.

“Just a month,” I say. “Going to Rome from here, then Florence. And then who knows. I wanted to leave things flexible ... well, as flexible as Teller will tolerate.”

He smirks, nodding toward Teller, who’s squinting down at his phone. “He seems like a guy who abides by a schedule.”

“Oh yeah. But I need that. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know what I’m doing or where I’m going day to day. He’s got a whole itinerary planned for us in Rome.”

His eyes light up. “A full schedule, eh? Well, I’m happy to show you guys around Rome if you want, give you a more authentic experience. Show you some places off the beaten path. I’m no expert by any means, but—”

“Yes!” I practically scream. “You’re more than welcome to join us, if you don’t already have plans.” I have an immediate pang of guilt. I probably should have checked with Teller first. But I’m sure he won’t mind, seeing as Jenny and Riley already basically invited themselves to Rome with us.

Caleb smiles, flashing his perfect teeth. “I don’t have a schedule for exactly this reason, so I can go with the flow. And trust me, one week in Rome and you will fall in love.”

I think you’re probably right.

“Anyway, we better get back to the group.” He tilts his chin in their direction. “It was cool chatting with you. Really cool. I just saidcoollike, five times, didn’t I?” he says, cheeks flushed in the most endearing way.

“Three,” I correct.

“You’re weirdly easy to talk to.”

Of course I am. We’re soulmates, after all. No big deal.

I want to tell him. But I refrain. This is going so well. The last thing I want is to prematurely scare the crap out of him with the psychic business. “So are you.”

A beat goes by and we’re just standing there, smiling at each other. It feels like a movie scene, a slo-mo moment when the light hits just right. The moment you justknowthis person is going to be in your life in a big way.

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