Page 62 of XO

“Yes! The answer’s yes. On one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“We eat first. I’m famished.”

~

Jacob pushes his scrambled egg around the plate seemingly preoccupied. While I’ve hoovered mine down, including a stack of pancakes, an orange juice and now a coffee. Jacob I’m certain, hasn’t even had a bite.

“Not hungry?” I ask, one eye on him, the other on the new patrons entering the diner.

“Not really a breakfast person.”

“I am.”

“I can tell,” he says with a cheeky grin.

I gently kick him under the table. “Watch it, buddy. We aren’t on the road yet.”

Jacob bites the corner of his bottom lip, again zoning out of the conversation.

I swallow hard, fearing he’s harboring a secret I won’t like to hear but will drive me crazy not knowing.

“You’ve been acting really strange since I woke this morning. If there is something wrong, you’d tell me, right?”

“Of course.”

“I mean we are about to go on a road trip together, so I kinda need to know now if you’re planning on axing me to death.”

His eyes have glazed over, his head lost in thought.

“Jacob!”

“Yes?”

I place my knife and fork neatly on my empty plate and carefully observe the stranger sitting before me. Something is drastically wrong, but whatever it is he needs me right now.

“Let’s go.”

His brows raise. “You’re ready?”

“Yep. Let’s get on the road and as far away from here as possible.”

~

Jacob perks up once we’re in the car and on the move, some of the etched worry lines fading. As a result, I begin to relax, knowing whatever is troubling him, he’ll tell me when the time is right. Studying the surroundings whizzing past as we pull onto the highway, I grow a little panicked. I’m all for a road trip, but a girl needs to be prepared. And right now, it looks like I’m the girl who partied a little bit too hard at her high school prom.

“Um… Jacob?” He squeezes my hand and raises his brow in question. “Where are we going?”

“I told you, babe, we’re winging it.”

“Yeah, I get that part, but look at us. We have no other clothes, no toiletries… nothing. We may start resembling homeless people if we don’t have supplies. Perhaps we should go home first and gather some—”

“No!” Jacob blurts far too quick for comfort. “No. I’ve got plenty of cash. We’ll stop at the nearest store and get some stuff.”

“Wow… you really thought this through, didn’t you? Cash and everything.”

“Here,” he says, handing me his cell. “Pick some music. Can’t be a road trip without music.”

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