Page 11 of Ride By Your Side

6

Miles

I’manasshole.Theworst part is, I actually feel guilty this time. I’ve never cared about hurting someone’s feelings, especially not Veronica’s. It’s not that I don’t stand by what I said, but I get that now isn’t the time or place.

Do I think she needs to be coddled for life? Hell no. However, she does deserve a break before shit totally hits the fan. With us living in a town where everyone feels entitled to have opinions about everyone’s lives and misfortunes, she’s going to get plenty of that when she gets home. She doesn’t also need that from me, especially not when she’s so obviously trying to run away from all of it.

I need to apologize, but it’s clear she’s done with this conversation and I’m not sure she’s even in a place where she can be apologized to, or if she’d even accept it. She’s beating herself up, and while I believe she totally brought all of this on herself with her horrible decision-making, I’m not looking to make things worse.

As her eyes close, it’s hard to ignore the weight behind the gesture. This so-called "nap" is less about rest and more about shutting me out, and honestly, I can’t blame her. I’d been a complete asshole. I try to focus on the road, but my attention keeps flickering back to her. Her breathing finally evens out, soft and steady, signaling that despite everything going on, she’s somehow managed to fall asleep.

As I glance over once more, I can’t help but notice how adorable she looks, curled up on the seat with her legs tucked into her stomach. While I’ve never let myself see her in that light, I get why people do. She’s like a modern-day Disney Princess with her big, round brown eyes, petite button nose, and perfectly plump, kissable lips

Not that I want to think about her or her lips.

Not only is she Blair’s best friend, but she’s been nothing but a constant source of irritation throughout my entire life. Veronica Prescott is not my type.

If things were incredibly different and I was looking for nothing more than a one-night stand like I do in my normal day-to-day life, then sure, maybe it could happen. I could’ve found myself drawn in by her outgoing personality, but given who we are and how much I know about her, she’s not only not my type, but most importantly, Blair would kill us.

Okay, maybe she wouldn’t go that far—after all, there was a time long ago, back when we were just kids in elementary school, where she joked about Veronica and me getting married so she and her best friend could officially be sisters. But those days are long gone. Now I’m pretty sure Blair’s main concern would be the fallout if I ever so much as thought about hurting her best friend.

I know Blair loves me and we’re as close as two siblings can be, but without a doubt, if I were ever to truly hurt her best friend, she’d one hundred percent take Veronica’s side.

Thankfully, those thoughts are interrupted as the view changes and we return to civilization. I consider waking Veronica up to show her the new scenery, but her peaceful expression stops me. I know she didn’t sleep well the night before, and I’m guessing sleep is more important than watching us drive through some random Southern California cities.

Without my co-pilot to guide me, I turn on the GPS on my phone, eventually getting the alert that we’re only ten minutes away from the ocean. While I’m sure she’d be fine missing out on the rest, I have to imagine this is something she’d actually be excited for. I know I have a tendency to hide my excitement, but I’m strangely stoked to see the ocean for the first time.

It actually feels somewhat monumental, which is why I do my best not to startle her as I place my hand on her shoulder. “Vee,” I say softly, my voice barely more than a whisper. She exhales slowly, her eyelids staying shut as she gently tilts her head away from the window.

How does she somehow look even cuter, especially as her perfectly plump lips pout out in her sleep. I shake off the thought, quickly regaining my composure as I clear my throat and tap her shoulder a little harder. “Vee,” I try again, and her eyelids slowly flutter open. “Morning, sunshine,” I say, noticing the brief moment of confusion on her face as she returns from whatever dreams had overtaken her for the last part of our drive.

“How long was I out for?” she manages, her voice rough with sleep as she reaches up to wipe the sleepiness away from her eyes.

“A couple of hours.”

“Are you serious?!” she asks, sitting up straight in her chair as she looks out the window.

“Yeah, I think your body needed the rest. That, or your body needed a break from eating all that junk you’ve been consuming,” I tease, hoping to start things off on a fresh note.Yes, I still feel bad, and I want to apologize at some point, but right now, I just want to see her to be happy and excited again, especially as we near our destination.

“Ha, ha!” she scoffs, saying the words as if to somehow prove that my joke wasn’t funny, despite the fact that she’s got a giant smile on her face that says otherwise. “So where are we, anyway?” she asks, her head swiveling from window to window as she tries to place our location.

“Uh, I’m not entirely sure,” I admit, since unfortunately trying to navigate all these freeway changes on my own has me all mixed up. “But according to the GPS we should be arriving at the ocean in... eight minutes,” I say after checking once more.

“Oh my God, are you serious?!” she loudly squeals, and I scrunch my forehead at the noise. Given that I’ve lived with a younger sister for a lot of my life—who acts an awful lot like the one next to me—one would think I’d be used to that kind of reaction. But nope, still annoying as hell.

“Yep.” I nod, doing my best not to look over again, especially since the traffic here is insane. In Evergreen Grove, two people meeting at a stoplight at the same time is considered a traffic jam, so for a small-town guy like me, this is a bit overwhelming.

I’ve, of course, driven to Denver and attended some sporting events and concerts there. I’ve even traveled to some of the bigger cities to spend time with Blair when she was working, but in those cases, I flew and was ultimately driven around. This is definitely a whole new ball game and something I never could’ve truly prepared myself for.

Luckily, with Veronica now awake, she takes over as the navigator, making my life much easier as she tells me when and where to turn.

“Aw, there it is!” she squeals again, pointing the short distance ahead, and this time, even the high-pitched noise can’t bring medown. Driving down a hill, the sight of the endless blue ocean merging with the sky on the horizon creates a mesmerizing view.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this is pretty damn amazing.

“You know, you don’t always have to do that,” Veronica says, eyeing me with a giant smirk on her face.

My eyebrows knit together. “Don’t have to do what?”

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