Wanderlust (Kellic)

Chapter 20

Chapter 20 - End of the Dream

“It’s not too late for us, then?” I ask, my head on Vic’s shoulder as he plays with my hair.

Vic shakes his head. “Of course not. I’ll never believe in that.”

I lift my head up. “Believe in what?”

"In ‘too late’. I’ll never believe in ‘too late’. I mean, I’ve been through some rough patches, but…" He shrugs. “‘Too late’. It sounds so final. That’s the line I’ll never cross. It’s never too late."

I just stare at him, amazed at how strong and determined he is. This is the guy who told me he wanted to die. This is the guy who never seems to be able to sleep. This is the guy who feels like he cares too much, like he lets his emotions control him. And he’s telling me that it’s never too late.

"You’re incredible," I breathe without meaning to.

Vic just stares back at me, looking pleasantly surprised. “Not nearly as incredible as you,” he replies, kissing me softly.

—

Shortly after that, Mike and Tony come over, and the five of us head off to another party. Vic holds my hand the entire drive, as if to reaffirm that I’m his and he’s mine.

This house is a bit smaller than the last one, but the atmosphere is similar. Lights, music, alcohol, people. Vic kisses me on the cheek before we head inside—ignoring the teasing of Jaime, Tony, and Mike—and I can’t help but smile. Everything is going to be okay.

We end up getting drinks in the kitchen first, both of us leaning against the bar and just talking, talking about everything and nothing, talking about things like the trip that brought us together and the distance that threatens to tear us apart. We laugh as we talk about those crazy fucking clues, and Vic comforts me when I start to worry about the future. It’s nice to just talk with him. He’s such an interesting person to talk to.

I smile as that thought crosses my mind. That’s the same thought that seemed to signal the beginning of something, back when we were driving to Vegas. When we talked, that was my thought process—that he was just so incredibly and unbelievably interesting. And now here I am, a month later, dating him and still thinking that exact same thing.

"Let’s go out into the living room," he says eventually, taking my hand and leading me out. Most of the furniture is back against the wall, but there’s someone sitting on the couch, so we decide to go over and sit down, too, Vic on one end and me in between him and the other guy.

"Hey, remember when you and I first met?" Vic asks, smiling as he plays with my fingers.

I smile back at him. “Of course I do. You were playing a song.” I rest my head on his shoulder. “And I liked it.”

He smiles even wider at that. “You liked it,” he says. “Some random guy liked my music, and he became my boyfriend. Wow.” He looks over at me and kisses me on the nose. “What made you decide to come over to me anyways?”

I shrug, reaching up and running my fingers through his hair. “I liked the song. And you were hot. I like hot people who make good music. And I wanted to tell you that it was good, because nobody else was paying any attention to you. And…I don’t know. You just seemed nice. You seemed like someone I could be friends with. Oh, and your voice was perfect. Still is.”

He giggles like a little child, his face starting to get red. “That’s…wow.”

Before either of us can say anything else, a rude, familiar voice interrupts us: “Hey, Vic, do you think you could get me a bottle of vodka?”