“Don’t you worry about that. It might be a tight squeeze, but I think I have a pair I can borrow.”
“That’s a little weird, but thanks, I guess?”
“You’ll be thanking me tomorrow. Five a.m. sharp, Xavier. Don’t be late. Meet me here and we can take my car.”
“I can drive.”
She chuckles again. “Trust me. You want me to drive. See you in the morning.”
“Later.”
I toss my phone on my desk and can’t help but smile.
Looks like I’m going hiking.
“Wow, color me impressed.” Cassie stands next to her car as I get out of mine.
“What?” I ask.
“You’re here five minutes early. Going for extra points?”
“I honestly was about twenty minutes early, but didn’t want to wake you or your roommate in case you were still in bed.”
She narrows her eyes. “Do you think I’m not a morning person?”
I laugh. “I think mornings are not a close friend of yours.”
She glares, but it turns into a small smile. “We haven’t always been on the best of terms. You really like mornings?”
I shrug. “It’s not about liking it. I’m just used to it.”
“I don’t think I could ever get used to waking up this early, but every once in a while I can do it. Let’s get going before it gets too light.”
“Where are we going, anyway?”
“You’ll see.”
We get into her car and get on the road.
“So you like hiking and dancing. What else is there to know about you?” I ask to fill the silent car.
“Coffee. I need coffee before I can take too much talky. We’re stopping by the diner to get some.”
“Coffee it is.” I try to suppress my laugh.
“Laugh all you want, Avi. You won’t be laughing when I bite your head off because I haven’t had my coffee.”
“Avi?”
“Shhhh.”
We make it to the diner in five minutes and get our coffee and a couple of breakfast sandwiches to go. Once back in the car, she blows on her coffee before taking a large sip.
“Heaven. This is heaven.”
“Can we talk now or am I still in the danger zone?”
She takes another long sip. “Now you may talk.”
“Why thank you, your majesty,” I jest.
“That’s right, loyal subject. Bow to the queen of crazy.”
“I don’t think you’re crazy.”
“All women are crazy. It’s what level of crazy that you need to worry about.”
“Ah, so I should be worried I got in a car with the queen then.”
“That’s right. Maybe I’m actually planning to drive you out to the desert to murder you and defile your corpse before leaving you to the vultures.”
“Oh. Wow. Drink more coffee. You’re not you when you’re cranky,” I tease.
“Watch it, Avi. It’s still early.”
“Where did this new nickname for me come from?”
She shrugs. “Xavier’s a lot to say. I think it’s cute. Avi. Rolls of the tongue.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone call me that.”
She glances at me with a smile. “Good. It’s just for me then.”
“Well, shit. I feel like I should have a special nickname for you now. Cass? Dra? Dre?”
She bursts out laughing. “A lot of people call me Cass. Dra? Really? Dre doesn’t even make sense.”
“Sorry, I’m not quite creative as you.”
“What about Adra?”
She laughs. “Whatever you want, Avi.”
“Adra it is. My own special nickname for you. I better not hear your friends calling you this.”
“I can assure you no one has ever called me Adra. It’s all yours.”
“Great. Now that we have that settled, how about telling me where we are going?”
“Nice try. It’s not a long drive. We will be there soon.”
“How’s rooming with Jack?” she asks.
“Good, I like him. He’s a good dude. Do you like your roommate?” I trail off.
“Rebecca.” She nods. “She’s one of my best friends. We grew up together. Like spending every weekend together at one of our houses. So it made sense when we came to the same college. We knew we could live together without jeopardizing our relationship.”
“What about Mara? She said she was your best friend, right?” I ask.
“Her mom and mine are best friends, so we grew up together. But I’m closer to Rebecca.”
“That’s cool. I moved so much that I never really got to build relationships like that.” I shift uncomfortably in my seat.
“Yeah, but I bet you’ve been to some pretty cool places.”
“I have,” I say thoughtfully.
“Well, don’t hold back now,” she teases, making me laugh.
I launch into telling her about Paris, England, Dubai, and more. One story after another. Describing each place. From the people, the food, and the culture.
I watch how the plains turn into valleys, then rock cliffs, and into desolate mountains.
Wouldn’t want to get lost out here.
“Here we are. Welcome to Guadalupe Mountains National Park.”
“I’ve never heard of this place,” I murmur to myself.
“I don’t think most people know about it unless they are from Texas.” She shrugs. “Come on, let’s grab our packs.” Cassi hops out of the car, popping the trunk. I follow, looking around.
“It’s so dry.”
“That’s why we have plenty of water, city boy.” Cassi smirks. “Here, try these on.” She points to a pair of boots in the trunk.
“Where are we hiking?” I ask, ignoring her jest. Grabbing the boots, I open the back door of her car and slip off my shoes, trading them for the boots.
“We are going up to Guadalupe Peak,” she says sliding her pack into place. “How do the boots feel?”
“I should be good,” I say, standing, testing the boots out. “How high?”
“It’s a little under nine thousand feet above sea level. We should be good.”
Shutting the door, I grab the second pack, tossing it onto my back. “Lead the way.” I wave, letting her walk in front of me.
Cassi
I don’t know what I was thinking when I invited Xavier to hike with me. I’m attracted to him, which should be my first red flag. I don’t need to be getting into any more complicated relationships.
My second red flag? He’s actually funny. He’s kind and considerate. He’s what I would normally look for in a
