I pulled out my credit card and narrowed my gaze at the yellow bag he added. “No Funyuns. That’s a rule.”
“No, it’s not. The Funyuns stay.” He flashed a bright smile and extended it to the attendant who heartily agreed they were amazing while she swooned over my boyfriend…I mean, Declan. “They’re a classic. Your mom loves ’em too.”
I waited until we were on the road to bring it up again. “What’s with my mom and you and Funyuns?”
Dec kept his gaze forward and his hands on the steering wheel, a mischievous smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
“They were our inside joke. I ate dinner at your house one night when we were maybe eight, and our favorite snacks came up. I said I loved Funyuns, and your dad and sisters and you groaned. Rachel said they were repulsive, Maggie said they were gross, and you said they tasted like snail butt. The discussion devolved from there. And while your sisters were grilling you about the last time you ate snail butt, your mom leaned over and said, ‘I like them too.’ From that night on, she’d slip a bag of Funyuns into my backpack every so often. We never talked about it. She’d just wink and gave me a thumbs-up sign.”
“Ha. Sounds like my mom.”
“It’s true what they say about random acts of kindness. Your mom was always good at giving unconditionally.”
I smiled. “That’s true.”
“Want to know something funny? I haven’t actually eaten those things in fifteen years. I don’t know if I really like them anymore.”
I twisted in my seat to stare at him in dismay. “Then why buy them?”
“They remind me of you.”
I opened my mouth and closed it. Twice. “Should I be insulted?”
“No, moron. Good memories, you know?”
My heart did a somersault and triple axel. I pursed my lips to rein in my grin. “Yeah. But…Funyuns?”
Dec chuckled. “Open ’em. Let’s see if they’re still delicious.”
I sighed heavily and ripped the bag open. I handed a couple to Dec, then picked up a single ring, staring at it suspiciously before crunching into it.
“Oh. Yuck.” I rolled down the window, spit the onion ring in my hand, and threw it. There was a decent chance it landed against the SUV, but it was a rental so who cared?
Well, Dec did. “Jesus, T! What are you do—oh. Ew. These aren’t as good as I remembered.”
“Told ya they sucked. You’ve got the real deal. Don’t waste your money on old memories. I’m dumping these.”
“Do not litter!”
“I’m not throwing away the bag. Just the Funyuns.” I tipped the bag over, sending the processed treats flying in the wind.
Two seconds later, Dec pulled the car to the side of the road and pointed vehemently. “I cannot believe you just did that. You have to go pick them up.”
“Pick them up?”
“Yes. They’re everywhere…all over fucking New Mexico!”
“They’re biodegradable, babe,” I said with a straight face.
“Are you sure? Do you know that? Does anyone know that? You can’t just go around throwing crap out of moving vehicles in the middle of fucking nowhere. Someone could get hurt!”
“By a flying Funyun?”
Dec opened his mouth to argue or defend Funyuns everywhere, but he met my gaze and busted up laughing instead. We both did. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d laughed that hard. I had tears in my eyes and my stomach hurt.
He laid his head against the seat rest and sighed. “Okay, well…now that I’m sufficiently traumatized, it’s your turn to drive.”
“Deal.”
I waited for Dec to skirt the SUV to the passenger side, then I pulled him into my arms and fused my lips to his. We stood on the side of an interstate on a cold February afternoon, kissing. No tongue, no groping…just a sweet embrace and a tender touch. And when my traitorous heart soared, leaving me breathless and dizzy, all I could think was…
I don’t want this to end.
Meeting up with our bands after our mini vacation was going to feel strange. No doubt about it. I’d spent a collective twenty hours on the road with Dec, laughing, singing, talking about everything under the stars. We explored Santa Fe, visited the Grand Canyon, and drove through a freak snowstorm in Flagstaff, Arizona. It felt like we’d lived a year in a few days, making up for missed time. Yet nothing seemed rushed. We took our time. We lingered over dinners, took long walks, and made love every night.
Yeah, we had flat-out raunchy sex a few times too. Like the bathroom quickie in the restroom stall at a gas station. The place was deserted. The teenager managing the register didn’t look up when we both entered the one-person bathroom. Dec’s mouth was on mine and his hands were on my ass as soon as I locked the door.
We made out feverishly as we unbuckled and unzipped. Dec tore open a travel packet of lube and suited up as he fingered my hole. Then he parted my ass cheeks and pushed. I met his gaze in the cracked mirror and braced myself on the basin as he fucked me, hard and dirty. We grunted through our release and laughed like idiots as we fumbled around with one-ply toilet paper, cleaning up as best we could.