I broke my promise to that city, but only for the man I loved more than the city itself. It took us several months to plan and for me to pack my things. Josh would leave the house in LA-we would visit it whenever we needed a break. Perhaps we could even spend entire winters there.
As of now, we were driving to Ohio, the three dogs flopped in the backseat of Josh's car. My things were piled in the trunk, though not many things were there. Just a few suitcases, and everything I needed for the dogs. It wasn't much, but it was just enough for me. We had left the city-and my shops-far behind a couple of hours ago. I would need to fly back to LA every month or so, to check up on the shops. In the meantime, the two different shops would be run by two very good friends-employees that had been with me since I had taken over Thress's. They were the only two I trusted, and I would always be available via phone to answer any questions or give advice.
It had been a hard decision to move to Ohio, to Josh's home there, and I had been reluctant. I feared I was rushing things with him, but then again we had known each for nearly two years already. We had both changed in adulthood, however. I still didn't know everything Josh had done since the time we were eighteen, whereas he knew everything I had done. Everything I had told him, except for my frantic graffiti left in so many cities. I wasn't sure how I felt about my spurs of vandalism; my marks left all across the country. I wasn't even sure Josh had seen any, besides the one in Thress's. Because of this uncertainty, I hadn't mentioned anything to Josh.
It was a long drive to Ohio, and we would be stopping to rest later that night. We were already a few hours out, having made it through Arizona and part of Colorado already. I was beginning to grow restless, hating sitting still for so long. My stomach was yelling at me to stop and get food, but the last town we had passed through we had only stopped for gas. Josh promised me that we would stop at the next place that had food, and I was looking forward to it. For now, though, we drove peacefully on the long highway.
I fell asleep sometime before we reached the next stopping point, and was woken by a soft shake to my shoulder. I blearily blinked, noting the darkened sky. Josh told me we were stopping at a motel, but first we could stop at the McDonald's and grab some food. I nodded sleepily, and rubbed my eyes. I let Josh order for me, then we headed to the motel to check in for the night.
I dug out the food and water bowls for the dogs, along with the portable box of kibble. They could sleep on the floor or the bed with us, I didn't really care. I opened the motel room door and smiled at Josh, who was already passed out on the bed. I didn't bother to change, and flopped next to him. The dogs soon finished their food, and lay around the small bed. It was quiet, with just the hum of the light outside near Josh's car. I relaxed, and closed my eyes.
The soft light of morning filtering through the heavy, cheap curtains of the motel woke me the next morning. I sat up and stretched. We had a few more hours of driving ahead of us, and I wasn't about to let Josh drive. He was already awake, sitting on the edge of the bed petting the dogs. He smiled at me, and I grinned back. I couldn't help it. He stood as I put my shoes on. Josh went for the keys sitting on the small dresser, but I beat him to it. Sticking his tongue out at me, he headed out the door. Once I'd loaded the dogs and myself into the car, we headed on the road again.
I drove for an hour, then two. When I next looked over at Josh, he was asleep, leaning against the window. I smiled. The CD player in Josh's car was already loaded with a disk, and I pressed the play button. The track he had last been listening to started from the beginning, and I grinned. Leave it to Josh to have left the track on my favorite Death Cab for Cutie song. The very first song we had ever played together so long ago now sounded through his car. It reminded me of so long ago, a moment very similar to this.
We sat on the hood of Josh's junky red car, just like we did almost every day. Today was different. Josh was seventeen the next day, and he was trying to bask in his last day as a sixteen year old. Basking by literally laying under the warm rays on that June day. It had been so perfect. I had been sitting there next to him, by old beat up six string in my hands. He hadn't given me any requests, but I played a song I knew he loved. It was a song that had come out only a year or so earlier, and it was one of our unofficial anthems. With my dark-haired boy laying next to me, his hand draped across my ankle, I began to strum my old guitar. He smiled sleepily at the opening chords. I allowed myself a small smile before I began to sing. I hated singing in front of others, but for Josh there was always an exception.
Squeaky swings and tall grass
The longest shadows ever cast
The waters warm and children swim
We frolicked about in our summer skin
I don't recall a single care
Just greenery and humid air
Then Labor Day came and went
And we shed what was left of our summer skin
On the night you left I came over
And we peeled the freckles from our shoulders
Our brand new coats so flushed and pink
And I knew your heart I couldn't win
Cause the seasons change was a conduit
And we'd left our love in our summer skin
