Page 60 of The Riley Effect

“I’m going to put our bags in the car and turn on the heat.”

He’s been on auto-pilot all day. He’s done laundry, cleaned out the kitchen and got his car ready for the drive home. The only time he sat still was when I told him I was sending my application in.

It’s adorable how excited he is for me to go home with him for Christmas. For the past three weeks, every conversation has ledback to New York and what we will do while we are there. Who wants to meet me, and what traditions he can’t wait to share.

Deciding I should be helpful, I go upstairs and grab our bags. I wince at the size difference in our luggage for the five-day trip. I’m able to take Jalen’s duffel and backpack to the door without a change in my cadence. My full-sized suitcase is going to be another story. I asked Jalen what kind of outfits I should bring with me, and he responded, “You look great in anything, babe.” While it was charming, it was completely unhelpful. On top of all that it’s winter so the clothes are bulkier making me look like some primadonna who doesn’t know how to pack and a forty-pound suitcase and a steep set of stairs.

My heart is beating like I just completed a shuttle run. By the time I make it to the front door–with only a few dings to the floorboards–I am completely out of breath. I stop in the kitchen to fill our water bottles and grab the snacks we got for the road.

“Thanks for getting the bags, Vee,” Jalen’s voice carries from the front door. “Damn, babe, your suitcase is heavy.” A muffled laugh escapes me, if he only told me what to pack.

When everything is in the trunk, I grab my coat and scarf, but I know better than to put them on for our four-hour car ride, instead I lay them on the back seat.

“Are we all set?” I ask Jalen as he finishes maneuvering my suitcase into the trunk of his car.

“We’re ready to go, I just need to lock the front door.”

Jalen’s roommates, except for Byron, left earlier this morning. Byron said he had to do something on campus and would just take the train home. Jalen thought it was a little suspicious because the semester’s over, and Christmas is the only time the campus completely shuts down for the year.

Jalen skips back to the car. I’m not kidding. The six-foot-five hockey player is skipping to his car, giddy with the excitement of a little kid on Christmas morning.

“You really are excited to show me what you love about New York, aren’t you?”

“I’m excited to show you what we’ll be doing in New York next year.”

Long before I met Jalen, my dream was to attend Cornell University Medical College in Manhattan,and long before Jalen met me, he hoped to be drafted by his hometown team, The New York Rangers. So, in a perfect world, we would be in the same city next year.

I tense at the talk of the future. It’s not that I don’t see myself with Jalen. He’s been the picture-perfect boyfriend, but perfect doesn’t mean forever. Any relationship that should have been my example of everlasting love has ended in tragedy. It’s only a matter of time before the Rhodes family curse strikes me.

I put any thoughts of the future to bed, as it only causes my brain to run free with all the what-ifs that will never be answered. Instead I remind myself how excited I am about spending the next few days in the city with someone I really care about.

“What is an appropriate amount of time in the car before we stop? The first thru-way stop has a Shake Shack, and I could use a burger right now,” Jalen asks, completely serious.

A deep laugh that originates deep in my belly tunes out whatever song Jalen put on. “It’s never too early for a burger.”

Jalen places his hand over mine, which is resting on my lap, and gives it a tight squeeze. ‘I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

Forty minutes and two bacon cheeseburgers later, we are back in the car and a couple of hours away from New York. I’veheard people say that you really get to know your partner when you travel with them, and so far halfway through this drive, I’m loving traveling with Jalen. To fill the silence, he has the perfect playlist of random genres— including songs from our favorite musicals. He packed snacks and insisted on playing a road trip game.

To my dismay, we decided on never have I ever. I was no saint in high school, but I am sure my life in recent years doesn’t carry the same skeletons that Jalen’s has.

“We need to wager on this game,” Jalen informs me. “I’ve been thinking about it since you equaled the series with that Pop-A-Shot win,” he scoffs.

“I didn’t realize you were keeping track.”

“I don’t care if you’re my girlfriend. I hate losing.” He’s so serious that I can’t help but laugh at him.

“Then why would you want to play Never Have I Ever? You’re almost guaranteeing yourself a loss.”

Something clicks, and he runs his hands down his face. He tries to change the game, but I cut him off. “We’re playing this game.” I may not want to play it, but I also can’t let him change the game, so he has a better chance at winning.

“Fine, but I am not happy about this.” He stares me down his bright blues turning navy.

“You start.”

“Fine,” Jalen punches out. “Never have I ever taken a biology class.” My five fingers turn to four as Jalen uses my lackluster social life against me.

I decide I’m going to use this game to figure out what rumors about Jalen are true. Nobody adds fuel to the rumor mill like Westvale University’s Men’s Hockey Team.

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