Anomaly; Stranded The Series (bxb)

Chapter 1: Departure

Eli sat in the backseat of Jonah's beat-up Toyota, staring out the window at the blur of trees and endless highway. His mind buzzed with anticipation, mixed with the slightest tinge of anxiety. They hadn't done something like this in years—spontaneous trips used to be their thing back in high school, but life happened, and that carefree spark dulled with time. College, work, and other people got in the way. Now here they were, trying to recapture what they once had. Two best friends on the cusp of a much-needed escape.

"Dude, you still with me?" Jonah's voice cut through the hum of the car engine, laced with a familiar bite of sarcasm that Eli had come to expect.

Eli blinked, pulling his gaze from the window and glancing at Jonah through the rearview mirror. Jonah's brows were furrowed in that way they always were when he was in deep thought—or about to say something stupid. Eli hadn't decided which was worse.

"Yeah, I'm here," Eli replied, shifting in his seat. "Just thinking."

"About what?"

"About how your shitty car is gonna break down before we even get to the airport," Eli shot back with a smirk.

Jonah laughed, a low, raspy sound that filled the car and somehow made Eli's chest tighten. It was stupid how much that laugh affected him. It always had.

"Relax, my car's got character," Jonah said, eyes still focused on the road ahead. "Besides, I've driven this thing through hell and back. It'll survive another trip."

Eli rolled his eyes but couldn't help grinning. "Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that when we're stranded on the side of the highway."

"Pessimist." Jonah's voice was playful, but there was that underlying tension, the kind that had been hanging between them for years, unspoken but always present. Eli could feel it thickening the air in the car, making the space feel smaller, more suffocating.

He shifted again, uncomfortable in a way that had nothing to do with the worn-out car seats.

It had been a while since it was just the two of them like this. No girlfriends. No third-wheel friends. No distractions. Just them. And honestly, it scared the shit out of Eli. Because with Jonah, there was always something more simmering beneath the surface, something Eli had never dared to acknowledge out loud. Not to Jonah. Hell, not even to himself, most days.

"Seriously, though," Jonah said after a beat of silence, his tone more subdued. "It's good we're doing this. I've missed this."

There it was. That fucking softness that crept into Jonah's voice sometimes, the part of him that Eli wasn't sure what to do with. He could handle the sarcasm, the banter, the bullshit. But this? This was different. This was real.

"Yeah," Eli muttered, his throat suddenly dry. "Me too."

They didn't say much after that, letting the music from Jonah's shitty playlist fill the gaps. Eli half-listened, his thoughts wandering back to when they were younger. Back when things were simpler. When it didn't feel like every glance, every touch, every shared laugh carried weight. When it didn't feel like something was about to crack wide open between them.

The airport was as crowded as expected, a mess of people rushing to catch flights or dragging their luggage like zombies through the fluorescent-lit chaos. Eli dragged his own suitcase behind him, Jonah at his side, both of them looking out of place in their worn-out sneakers and hoodies among a sea of business travelers and vacationers.

Jonah nudged him with his elbow. "We should've gone to Mexico or something. Get some sun, drink our weight in tequila."

Eli laughed, shaking his head. "You would pass out before the second shot."