Road to Arcadia: the Path East

Chapter Thirty-two: Sunset

They stopped for the night at Jey's request. According to the map, they were only two hours from their final destination. They had reached a sweet spot, a lull in the hubbub--a small side road obscured from the view of the main highway. It was open enough they could see their surroundings, quiet enough where they knew they could be alone.

They had passed the mountains. Now the terrain had leveled out, closer to sea level with a clear view of the sky. They weren't at the ocean yet, but it was carving out a path for them. Their stopping point was all grass and some lingering trees. Buildings were mere blips on the horizon.

While Kai was settling in, Jey maneuvered his way to the back of the van. He stepped over the last row of seats until he was huddled in the storage area against the rear doors. Kai couldn't see him, only hear the squeaking of ungreased metal as he unlatched the doors and let them swing open.

Kai sat up, trying to get a better view. "What're you doing?" he asked.

"Perfect timing," was all he responded with.

Curiosity got the better of Kai. He stood up, making his way to the back of the van.

Jey was still there, seated on the floor just behind the edge, legs folded under him.

"What's up?" Kai greeted, head tilted as he stood underneath some overhead storage.

Jey only pointed out.

His eyes followed. In front of them, the sun hung heavy in the air, ready to begin its descent. The sky was neatly painted pink and orange with thin strips of yellow stretched throughout. A single cloud added a streak of purple in the space where his line of sight met his peripherals. The show was about to start and all it was waiting for were these two.

Kai took the liberty of sitting down next to Jey. He sat with his knees up, hands resting on top.

They were quiet for a moment, carefully observing the view in front of them. Kai snuck a couple glances at Jey, but his eyes were fixed.

"You really like sunsets, huh?" he spoke softly, not wanting to spook him.

Jey nodded. He took a moment before responding.

"This is my Selene."

Kai fell silent. He let the words sit with him, hanging in the air for as long as they would stay afloat. The glow of the orange sun was intense, coating them in marigold.

When he finally responded, his words were light, careful. "I-I like that. It makes sense, you know? The sunset is consistent. It's there every day, even if we can't see it."

Jey's head bobbed. "It's there to let you know you made it. You survived another one."

Kai understood well enough to know that was no small message. Especially for someone like him--especially for people like Jey--any day reached to completion was a major accomplishment.

"It's perfect for you, really. And it only comes along once a day which is great for your--" he searched for the right word, but couldn't nail one, "--loner tendencies."

Jey's nose wrinkled. "I'm not a loner."

"Well, okay," he scoffed. "In my defense the messaging has been mixed. In my, what, five days of being with the squad, all you did was sit in the shadows and not talk to anyone. That is very loner behavior, in my opinion."

He let out an exaggerated huff. "Look, just because--I don't like to talk when there's a lot of people around. It's overwhelming and I would rather listen, anyway."