Page 48 of You, with a View

The miraculous thing is, I am, too.

“I have ideas for more,” I admit as we make our way over to Paul. My mind was racing last night. I stared at the ceiling for nearly an hour dreaming up the stories I could tell next. “I want to do a couple videos for our Yosemite leg.”

“Then keep going,” Theo says bossily. “And stop thinking so hard.”

Paul grins up at me when we get to him, handing Theo hisphone. “Good morning! I saw your Tic Tac. It was just lovely. So many nice comments, too, though I didn’t understand half of them.”

“Social media vernacular is confusing,” I agree, offering my hand to help him up.

He gives my hand a squeeze once he’s standing. “You, my dear, are a storyteller. I’ve seen it in your photographs, and I see it here. You’ll do more, right?”

The lump in my throat is so vicious that I can only nod at first. Eventually I get out, “Yes, I’ll keep going.”

My gaze slides to Theo. I’ve repeated his phrasing. He acknowledges it with a wink, and it tugs at me, a thread that’s just been created between us. If I’m not careful, it’ll turn into a web I can’t get out of.

I turn back to Paul. “I told Theo this, but I won’t include current pictures or videos of either of you unless you want that.”

“Oh.” Paul’s eyes widen, his mouth twitching into a smile. “Well, I’m already a little bit famous, aren’t I?”

“You’re very famous by TikTok standards,” I laugh.

“Tell the story how you want to tell it. If that includes the current version of me, I’d be honored.”

“I’m okay with it, too,” Theo says.

I arch an eyebrow at him. “It won’t affect your reputation as the very serious cofounder and CFO of Where To Next?”

“You showing me, the cofounder of a traveling app, traveling?” he responds. “No, I think it’ll be okay.”

“Maybe you’ll accumulate a fan club.”

Deep in my bones I know people will go wild for him. I swear he was specially made for fantasizing over. Already I’m thinking of the ways my camera will love the planes and angles of his face, that body, and the way hungry, anonymous eyes will devourwhatever I put up. It stirs something in my stomach. Not jealousy, but something sticky like that.

Theo shrugs, cheeks flushing. “Not my problem. If you’re going to tell the story, might as well tell all of it. I’m not going to stand in your way.”

Paul grins at the two of us, then takes me by the elbow as we walk out to the van, sharing his favorite comments.

Theo’s already loading up the trunk by the time we get there, and instructs us to drop our bags so he can finish. Paul settles into the backseat as usual, and I take advantage of Theo’s absence to add my phone to the Bluetooth, disconnecting his.

When he slides into the driver’s seat and turns the ignition, Maggie Rogers’s voice snakes out through the speakers. He looks at the multimedia screen, then over at me, unimpressed.

“I told you, more Thom Yorke and I’m going to throw myself out of the car. Allow me to introduce you to modern music.”

He sighs. I settle into my seat, smug and singing along, as Theo puts us in reverse.

“All right.” Paul claps his hands. “Where to next?”

We make it to Death Valley before sunset, hiking the quarter mile to Badwater Basin, a popular tourist spot. The landscape is monochromatic, an ombre of browns that fuse together to make something beautiful. In the distance, the mountain range looks painted on the horizon. Though it’s evening, the air is still heavy with heat.

I walk next to Theo while Paul meanders ahead.

“So, which came first, Paul sayingWhere to next?or you naming your company?”

I know the answer already, but I want him to say it out loud.

Theo gives me a sideways glance, letting out a quiet laugh. “Of course you’d pick up on that.”

“Yes, I’m a genius. Did you name it after him?”

---