The Start Of Something New (WSSME Sequel)

Chapter 34

"Did you pack everything?" Daniella asks as she walks into her room, already dressed and ready to leave. "We need to leave soon."

"Yes, I did," I say, zipping up my suitcase. "You?"

She nods, looking over at the bed where Carrot lays. "Will she be fine with Soph?"

"She has been taking good care of Potato," I say, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her in for a quick kiss. "She'll be fine."

She nods again, biting her bottom lip. "Ok."

"Such a worried mom," I tease as I grab my suitcase from the bed, walking towards the door. "Let's go."

She lets out a soft chuckle as she follows me, picking up Carrot before closing the door. "Ok then, let's drop her off at Soph's and we're ready to go," she says as we make our way downstairs, putting on our coats.

"Are you excited? Because heck I'm so excited."

"I'm excited too," she shakes her head, putting everything inside the car as I hold Carrot in my arms.

The first few hours of the car ride go by pretty fast, the two of us mainly listening to music and chitchatting as we make our way to Flagstaff — Daniella's hometown. "This is nice," I say looking out the window, watching the snowfall, it's funny how Phoenix and Flagstaff are only a few hours away but the temperature difference is pretty insane.

"Yeah, it's one of the things I love about this time of year," she says, glancing at me. "Are you cold?"

"A bit."

"Here," she says, turning the heat up. "We're not far from the house I grew up in."

"Will you show me your room?" I ask with a teasing tone, earning a chuckle.

"It's just a room, there's nothing special about it... all the embarrassing stuff is in the attic."

"Will you show me your attic then?"

"Absolutely not."

"I'll see all of your baby pictures eventually, wait until I'm able to bribe your mom."

"I'm surprised she hasn't yet," she groans, parking the car in front of a house — I kid you not, twice the size of her already huge house back in Phoenix.

"Holy shit," I whisper, my eyes wide open as I look at the house.

"I know, it's a little much."

"You think?" I mutter under my breath, earning a playful glare from her.

I put on my beanie as we make our way out of the car, taking Daniella's hand in mine. The house seems even bigger on the inside — it looks like a mix between a lodge and a modern-day mansion, the main area having a high ceiling and big windows that give a clear view of the garden in the back. It's insane.

"I'm sorry if it's a bit dusty, we usually only hire someone to come clean up when we stay for a few days."

"It's fine," I say, giving her a reassuring smile. "It's nice."

"Let me show you around," she says, leading me to the second floor. She opens the door to a room and steps aside. "This is my room."

I step inside, taking a quick look around — it's simple, a white bed, a desk with a small bookcase, a big window, and some photographs. I walk towards the bookcase, looking at the framed pictures. "Is this you?"

"Yeah, it's from my senior year of high school," she says with a shrug.

"Oh my Gosh," I laugh, looking at the picture of a younger version of her standing next to another girl with long blonde hair — her arm around her shoulders as they smile for the camera. "Who's that?"