EVERETT yawned and checked himself out from the motel he had spent his night in. The young man at the desk smiled at him. It was seven-thirty in the morning and he was thirty minutes late. He walked out of the motel and jumped into his van. Before speeding off, he grabbed a granola bar and ate it as his breakfast. Granola bars had always been his go-to meal.

He escalated the speed, thinking about taking the quick way to Peakview rather than the one that takes a couple of more hours. The earlier he reached, the more time he'd get to take in the sights. His second yawn was gulped down when a girl suddenly took a turn in front of his van. Everett widened his eyes and hit the brakes. The van came to a halt as he jerked forward, almost hitting his head. He muttered a few curses, but fortunately, they didn't crash.

The girl tucked her hair behind her ear and jumped from her bike, throwing it away. He recognized her short dark brown hair as she walked to his car. He couldn't help but scowl.

He rolled the window down. "Are you out of your mind?!" He yelled at her when she stopped near his window. She scrunched up her nose.

"I'm sorry. I was looking for you," she said. Everett knotted his eyebrows.

"I want to come with you to Peakview," she announced. Everett looked at her blankly, wondering if he had heard her correctly.

"What?"

She shrugged. "You heard me. I'm coming with you." She sounded more sincere this time.

"First of all, I'm leaving right now and two, I don't know you or your name. Three, are you out of your mind?" He reasoned.

She scoffed. "Ugh, I'm fine. And I brought my stuff." She tilted herself and showed the bag that was hanging on her shoulder. He hadn't noticed that before. "And, well, my name is Aahana. I'm originally from India but moved here five years ago and will turn eighteen next week. Is that enough?"

Everett looked at her, surprised. From her light brown skin, he had assumed her to be a South Asian but she looked older than she originally was. He expected her to be twenty. But that's not even the part that astonished him, it was the fact that she wanted to come along with him, which if she hadn't considered, was nobody but a stranger.

Aahana deciphered his look and said, "I have money, so we can split whatever you're spending and I'll give you anything you want." Everett didn't react.

"I don't want anything from you," he muttered and rolled the window up. She banged on the windows as her muffled voice penetrated through the glass. He refused to look at her. His eyes were fixated on the long road ahead of him.

"C'mon! I'm stuck with my parents and granny while my friends are enjoying summer vacay. I'm...please just let me come with you!"

He glanced at her. "You're stupid. We are strangers. For all you know, I could be a serial killer."

She sighed in frustration. "I know my defence tricks!"

"Go away, Aahana," He emphasised her name with hope that she would go away. She paused and looked at him with a mixture of annoyance and exhaustion.

"You're a horrible person!" She whined and stomped to the front of his van. She picked her bicycle up and sat on it. She rolled her eyes at him and rode back in the direction she came from.

She'll thank me. Everett thought.

The sun filtered through the glass and kissed his face. This was one of his favourite feelings. No matter how many times he felt it, it was never enough. The sun, from miles and lightyears away, reached for him everyday. He liked it. Nothing was constant in his life but the sun--it's always there. The moon hides away, changes everyday but the sun, it stays. And he needed that. He needed something that stayed with him forever, no matter where he went.

The trail of his thoughts was interrupted by the GPS installed in Everett's van. It informed him in a robotic girl voice to turn right after two kilometres. He nodded and glanced at the rearview mirror.

There was no one on the wide road except for that all-to-familiar brown girl. He closed his eyes for a second and sighed dismissively.

He hit the brakes and parked on one side of the road. He rolled down the window of the passenger's side and waited for Aahana to stop. Betraying his expectations, she rode away without glancing at him.

"Ay, you," he called out. "Aahana!"

Aahana halted her bike and rode backwards without looking over her shoulders. As soon as she reached near the window of his van, she smirked. "Yes?" She asked with innocence.

"What are you trying to do?"

"Uh, I am just riding on my bike."

Everett looked at her for a long time. Finally, she sighed and shook his head. "Get in the car," he ordered as he massaged his temples.

"Excuse me?" She mocked. The mischievous grin still displayed on her circular face.

"Park your bike in the rack and get in the van. You don't have to follow me to get what you want. I'm convinced. Get in."

Everett was far from convinced. He merely wanted to get rid of this new allergy named Aahana. And the only way to get rid of her was, unfortunately, to let her in.

"Um, are you out of your mind?" She mocked again. "We are strangers. For all I know, you could be a serial killer."

He groaned.

"Fine. I'll go on my own," he said.

Her jaw-dropped. "Nonononono. I'll park my bike. Wait!" She hurriedly went across the road and parked her bike before running and sitting beside him. She threw her backpack behind and smiled.

"Before we get going," Everett started, "we are splitting everything, okay?" She nodded. "The offer of you giving me anything still stands." She nodded again. "Am I going to get in trouble if I let you accompany me?" She shook her head. "Is there any way I could get rid of you?"

She chuckled. "Not a chance."

Everett rolled his eyes. "What if I asked you for something and you couldn't give it to me?" He didn't want anything. He was trying his best to make her second guess her decision.

"I told you--I'll give anything you want," she repeated. "Except," she added, "I won't let you penetrate me." Everett pressed his lips, not sure what to say. This is going to be a very long trip. He thought. "It's a joke, idiot." She laughed dryly. "But...um, just tell me what you want."

Everett bit his lip. "Let's get going or we'll be late." A happy shriek left her mouth and she gleamed with happiness. She nonchalantly threw her hands around him. Everett shrunk in her petite arms, unfamiliar with this feeling. It was strange--he hadn't been hugged in a long time and he wasn't sure if he liked or despised it.

After all, she is still a stranger.

She cheered after sitting back, "Let's go!"

Everett brought the engine to life and started the journey again but for the first time, he had company.

"Let me get this straight." From the corner of his eyes, he watched her pry her eyes away from the window. "Do your parents know because I can go to jail for abducting you?"

She chuckled. "My aai knows. And I left a letter near the dining table."

Everett frowned. "Who is that?"

"My grandmother's native dialect is Marathi, a language in India and she prefers calling Aai which means mother rather than grandma."

"Well, don't worry. You don't have to give me the specifics of everything. I know quite a lot about India," Everett told her.

She raised her eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? How? You've been there?"

"My trip ends in India."

Aahana nodded. "Take the next left," She ordered.

Everett glanced at her. "No, that's not the way to Peakview. The GPS says to go straight."

"Yeah. That's a shortcut. If you really want to enjoy Peakview, you have to enjoy its way there as well. Don't you know, it's about the journey and not the destination." She air quoted the last statement. "Are you seriously a travel blogger?"

Everett slumped his shoulders and sighed. "How long will it take?"

She smacked her lips. "Um, not much. We will be there by tomorrow."

Everett shouted, "What the hell?"

That would ruin his entire week's plan.

"Cool down, man. It will be fun, I promise. Wouldn't you enjoy going through the woods and watching a little waterfall under the twinkling stars?"

He had done that. Plenty of times.

"But...I--"

"No buts. Take the next left."

Not willing to get into another argument, he took the next left. 

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