"Ha-ha, you wish, big boy," I said, laughing.
"Maybe," he said, turning serious before leaning in to give me a kiss on the lips. I didn't protest when he deepened it before pulling back. "Well, nuts."
"Destined to be friends," I said, smiling sadly at the spark we were missing. I almost wished there was something there so I wouldn't feel so alone.
"Destined to be friends," he repeated, kissing my forehead. "We could be friends with benefits," he teased.
I socked him in the arm. "You're such a guy."
The rest of our time passed quickly as we chatted about more lighthearted topics.
"I better head to my dorm," I finally said. "I'm hitting the road early."
"When is your dad coming?" he asked, walking me back toward my dorm.
"On Monday, the day before Christmas Eve."
"Are you excited?"
"Yeah, I kind of am. I've dreamed about spending Christmas with my father my whole life."
"I'm going to miss you," he said, pulling me in for a tight hug.
"Me too," I said, wiping a stray tear away.
"I'll visit, and you better call me whenever you're in town."
"I will. I promise," I said, watching as he descended the stairs. I couldn't help feeling a small pinch in my heart, wondering if I was making the right decision. Just because we were missing a spark didn't mean we couldn't be together. For a brief moment, I debated calling him back. As if he sensed it, he paused on the stairs, but didn't turn around. After a moment, he moved on.
I swiped another tear away as I headed up to my room. I knew the decision was right, it just felt like déjà vu.
Chapter 20
My departure the following morning was gut-wrenching and filled with tears. After promising to text daily and call with weekly updates, I was finally on the road. The three-hour ride passed quickly as the excitement of my new venture began to creep in. I would miss my old life, but I was looking forward to spending time with Rick and Amy.
I pulled into the driveway just before noon and Mom greeted me at the door.
"How was the drive?"
"Uneventful. Hopefully, my trip with dad will be the same."
"It was nice of Rick to offer to make the drive with you," she said, grabbing my suitcase from the trunk of the car.
"Yep, it'll definitely help getting all my crap there."
"Are you hungry?" she asked, dumping my bag on my bed.
"Sure," I said, unpacking my art bag. My sketchpad flipped open when I tossed it on my bed.
"Is this Dan?" Mom asked, bending over to pick it up.
"Yeah, he wasn't crazy about me sketching him with the wheelchair and all, but I told him it might be really helpful with the campers at Unlikely Allies."
"You're portraits are spectacular," she said, flipping through the pad, past the one of Dan. I reached out to grab the pad before she could flip the page again, but I was too late.
She studied the drawing carefully and then flipped to the next page and then the next and the next after that. "They're amazing," she finally said, stopping on the last drawing of Mason I had done.
"He was a good subject," I lied, stowing the sketchpad away.