Wanderlust (Kellic)

Chapter 15

Chapter 15 - New York State of Mind

As soon as we leave our hotel and get in the car to begin our night drive, Vic reaches across and intertwines his fingers with mine, resting both our hands on the console in between us. After a few moments of silence, he says, “Hey, I’m gonna play a song for us.” With that, he lets go of my hand and starts searching on his phone for the song, simultaneously driving with his free hand.

"Are you gonna tell me what it is?" I ask.

"Nope," he says, and then a lone piano starts up. It takes me a few moments, but when I recognize it, I laugh, thinking of Bree’s clue.

"You listen to Billy Joel?” I say. It’s “New York State of Mind”.

He sticks his tongue out at me. “You’re the one who recognized it.” Suddenly, he pulls over to the side of the busy road. “Hold on a sec. I don’t think I can do this with one hand.”

"Do what?"

Vic opens the console up and starts digging through it, eventually pulling out a cord and plugging it into the phone. This causes the music to flow out of the car’s speakers rather than the phone, making everything sound louder and fuller, like it’s surrounding us.

"There we go," he says, sounding satisfied as he returns to the road. When the singing starts in, he gives me a cheesy smile. "Some folks like to get away, take a holiday from the neighborhood,” he sings along. “Hop a flight to Miami Beach or to Hollywood…”

After a quick, teasing roll of my eyes, I decide to fuck it and join in. “But I’m taking a Greyhound on the Hudson River Line…”

Vic takes my hand again as we both sing, “I’m in a New York state of mind…”

My smile gets bigger as we keep going, but it’s not because of the song; it’s because of Vic. It’s because this has turned into so much more than a road trip with a stranger. It’s because this has changed my life. It’s because I am in love, and I am not afraid.

There’s a strange feeling in this car as we drive, and soon, I’m able to put a name to it: It’s the feeling of ending. It’s the air of us both knowing that this is the last stop before we come back home. It’s not too uncomfortable, actually. It’s just there, a gentle reminder in the backs of our minds.

I sleep a little bit, but the drive is only about four hours, so for the most part, I’m awake, talking (or singing) with Vic. He doesn’t feel like a stranger to my anymore; actually, the only time he ever really did was when I first saw him, but within a few minutes of us chatting together, I felt like he was something a little bit more. I felt at home with him, and that’s not something I feel often. I guess I sort of knew, that day. Somehow, I could tell that it was the beginning of something other than Bree’s little agenda.

When we reach New York City, it takes my breath away, more than any other city. I glance at Vic and find that he’s amazed, too. I’m not sure what it is about it, but I like it.

"So this is New York," Vic says softly.

I nod, smiling at him. “So it seems,” I say. He laughs.

—

When I wake up in the morning in our hotel, Vic isn’t with me like he was when I fell asleep. For a moment, I’m worried, but then I see him through the screen door. He’s sitting on the balcony and smoking as the sun rises over the city, casting bright orange light everywhere.

After a few minutes of letting myself wake up completely, I climb out of the bed and join him out there, sitting down on the other chair.

He smiles at me. “Morning, beautiful.”