Here Lies the Lives Left at the Altar (On Hold)

Chapter Four

Rosie

It's most definitely a challenge to keep my eyes on the road and not on the boy next to me as I drive back to where we met.

I never could have expected the day to go like this. I woke up ready to be married and know exactly what kind of life I would live. Now, I have not a single idea as to what I'm doing. My life was planned down to the very last detail. Now, I'm not sure what I'll do, and it makes me happier than I've ever been.

I don't think I could have been so okay with leaving my ex-fiancé, Miles, at the altar had it not been for Archer. I don't think he knows it, but he showed me what life looks like when you're not doing everything to please someone else. I saw how carefree he was and how he nonchalantly he acted throughout the day, and I want that. It helped give me peace with my decision.

I've noticed everything about Archer today. How he seems to fight a smile and mask it with annoyance. The way his eyes look when I gave him a smile. I didn't miss the way his elbows were on the table. The way he spoke with food in his mouth. Everything he did was improper. A weird part of me loved it.

We pull back to the church his car is at and he directs me to find it. When we get there, I eye his car. I can't help but laugh, it's the exact same as mine. "All right, I see the confusion."

Archer chuckles too, shaking his head in disbelief. He's probably still processing the day, same as I am. It's not everyday this happens, and it all started with a bit of accidental car theft. As I put the car in park, I notice that he doesn't move to get out of the car. He's just staring at his car. His fingers tap his thigh rhythmically, and I don't even think he realizes he's doing it.

"Back to life I guess, right?" I say sorrowfully.

"Here's to crappy jobs and crappy relationships," Archer says and I can hear the bitterness in his voice, eyes locked on his car as if it were the last place he'd rather be.

I bite my lip hesitantly, wondering if I should tell him about what I'm planning. I have an extra spot on the trip now, and I have a feeling Archer needs to get away as badly as I do. And in a bizarre way, even though I met him only a few hours ago, I feel good with him. I really like his company. He doesn't treat me like I'm porcelain, and it's refreshing. He doesn't act in a way that's both controlling yet frightened to not give me my way. He just treats me like a person, and I don't want that feeling to go away.

I think that he would make the perfect travel buddy.

"You ever wish you could get away?" I ask in a soft voice.

"In what way?"

"Like..." I begin, trailing off with hesitancy, "pack your bags, pack your car, and just drive."

"I mean, yeah, who doesn't?" Archer says in a gruff voice.

"Do... do you want to?" I ask hesitantly, eyebrows raised slightly.

Archer lets out a deep chuckle. "What are you talking about?"

"I have an idea," I begin, perking up slightly. I reach over to the glove department and rummage through the organized papers. I pull out a neatly folded map and slowly unfold it. I fight the urge to succumb to sadness when I think about how Miles reacted to it when I suggested it as our honeymoon.

"I planned a trip— a road trip, actually," I begin, grazing my fingers along the map and hovering over the circled points. "It's from Seattle to New York City. It's... it's a almost a two week trip... but it's filled with these amazing stops with such cool sight seeing. The driving is scenic and... it'll be beautiful."