Adam's List (7 page)

He wraps his arms around his knees, looking past me to the Mississippi in the distance.

“If I’m going to do something, I have to do it
now
. You know, while I’m unattached to any real responsibilities.”

“Wow,” I say quietly, glancing back down at the list. “It’s definitely not my business, but are you planning on washing windshields along the way? Flying to Hawaii isn’t exactly cheap.”

He hums a quiet laugh under his breath, his gaze swinging back to catch mine.

“Ever heard of Ausgez beer? My grandfather was the founder. Money isn’t a problem.”

“That explains the car,” I say, trying to imagine just how wealthy his family must be.

Everyone’s heard of Ausgez beer. I stare at him, my eyes narrowed. “You haven’t told me anything about yourself. Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“One younger brother. You?”

I feign surprise. “You mean I don’t scream
only child
? Tell me more about this brother.”

“Erik is...
Erik
. He’s the golden child in the family, and he knows it. I do everything I can to avoid being in the same room with him.”

“Sounds charming. How old is he?”

“Nineteen.” He rubs the back of his neck while scowling at the ground, signaling that there won’t be any more talk of his brother. “What side of town do your parents live?”

“Would you quit? I’m trying to get to know
you
, but you keep throwing it back on me.

You already know what my parents do, and that I travel a lot. I want to know more about
you
. Where did
you
grow up? Tell me more about your childhood.”

“I was raised in Milwaukee. My parents still live there. It’s like I said, I lived a pretty sheltered life. I spent a lot of time in my room, to myself, usually with a stack of Legos.”

I recline back on my arms, letting the remaining sun soak into me. In another month it’ll be time to break out my bikini, and work on a real tan. “You’d think with all that money your parents would’ve taken you on vacations.”

“They were always busy. My life story is pretty boring.” He raises one of his eyebrows. “I brought that list because I was hoping you’d help me add to it.”

“You’re
seriously
planning to do whatever I suggest? Like, you’re literally going to buy a plane ticket and just take off? Are you certifiable by chance?”

He chuckles in the deep, rolling sound I’ve decided I adore. “Within reason. I’m not going to climb Mount Kilimanjaro or anything that extreme. You’ve been to a lot of places. I’m curious where you’d tell someone like me who hasn’t been outside of the state to visit. I have no idea where to start.”

For the smallest second I’m extremely jealous. If I had that kind of time and money, I probably wouldn’t hesitate executing my own bucket list. Still. Who
does
this kind of thing? What if he’s actually a complete nut job?

“Wow, this is a lot of pressure,” I tease, playing with the tip of my braid as I think.

A list of my favorite family trips rolls through my head. Ever since I was little, I’ve been the type who appreciates a trip anywhere. Anything outside of Wisconsin feels like an adventure. But my favorite trip of all-time was with my parents the summer right after I graduated high school, when things weren’t so complicated.

“What about New York? Everything in that city is so iconic. You wouldn’t
believe
all the buildings in Manhattan. You can walk for hours without leaving the city. It makes Milwaukee look like a skating rink. When they say that the city never sleeps, they’re not being facetious. There’s literally something fun to do any time of the night. There was this little bodega that we would visit every night before checking into our hotel, they had the most amazing pastries...” When I realize I’m babbling and he’s watching me closely, I blush. “I mean, it’s cool, if you like that kind of thing.”

He licks his lips and nods. I swear he’s taunting me to kiss him.

“Maybe. It sounds like a pretty big place.”

“Well, New York would probably have to have a list all on its own. For sure the nine eleven memorial. The Brooklyn Bridge and skyline are a must see. And for sure the top deck of the Empire State Building. The view at night is spectacular.”

Laughing, he says, “For someone afraid of heights, you really seem to like high places. So New York is a definite. What else?”

Folding the list back up, I hold it out for him. “It was fun when we were just talking about this hypothetically. Now that I know you’re serious, I think you should hire a real travel agent. What if I choose things that you find incredibly lame? I can’t be responsible for a bad trip.”

He pushes the note back at me. “I get the feeling you’re not capable of that. And I think instead of telling me about all these places, you should be my tour guide.” His eyes hold the intensity that drives me wild as he beams back at me. “Jewels, I want you to come with me.”

Staring back at this handsome stranger I’ve known for less than twenty-four hours, I giggle. Any girl would probably jump at the chance to travel with him as he’s suggesting, if he was actually serious about it. He’s like one of those shirtless models they put on the bags of trendy clothing stores, and seems impossibly sweet.

“Yeah, right. Maybe if I won the lottery.”

Adam’s intense gaze doesn’t break. “You can get cheap flights through your dad, right? I can take care of the rest. I plan to hit the road for most of the places. It wouldn’t have to cost a lot if we camped some of the time and rented timeshares.”

A burst of intense feelings races through me. Ever since I first met Adam, I’ve become a new version of my old self. Not only am I completely charmed by him, but I’m thrilled by his proposal.

Still.

“
Dude.
I can’t just up and leave on the kind of trip you’re talking about.”

“Why not?” The right side of his mouth turns up. “Is it because of this non-committed guy you’re seeing?”

“No. It’s because I have school, and my parents would never agree to it!”

With the elevation of my voice, the parents of the two little boys both glance our way.

I pull at my braid, completely flustered. A million more reasons pass through my mind before the biggest reason that
should’ve
popped into my mind first hits me.

“I don’t even
know
you, Adam,” I tell him, trying to calm myself. “We
just
met.”

My heart races at the thought of actually doing what he’s suggesting. Of course, it would be exciting, and probably the trip of a lifetime, but I...can’t go. I just can’t. This is ridiculous.

He holds his hand up, obviously seeing how worked up I’ve become. “Just hear me out. It’s less than a month until the end of the semester, right? You can finish your classes for the year, and we can get to know each other in the meantime. If you decide I’m not the kind of guy you want to spend your summer with, I’ll just go alone. There wouldn’t be any pressure.”

My mom already lined up a summer job for me in one of the clothing stores she manages downtown. I worked in a different store for her last year after high school, making pretty decent money, and saved half of it hoping to rent an apartment with Kelly next year. It wouldn’t be enough to live off for an entire summer, but—

I rise to my feet like a Jack-in-the-box when I realize I’m seriously considering his offer. “You’re crazy. This is crazy!”

“Can we calmly talk about it?” He gently pulls on my hand. “I think those people over there are
this
close to calling the cops.”

When I look back to the parents of the young boys they’re staring our way with matching frowns. I wave awkwardly. “It’s all good,” I yell to them. “We’re just having an intense debate on the tragedies of Shakespeare. You know, the creepy thing with Romeo and Juliet being so
young
and all.”

The man looks at me like I’m completely crazy, but the woman smirks like she knows I’m full of shit. She calls out to her boys, and the four of them head back to their minivan.

“Shakespeare?” Adam snickers behind me.

I turn back to him. His face is all lit up like he’s the happiest he’s ever been. “Would you quit looking at me like that? It’s not helping the crazy thing. At all.”

Wiping at his face, he chuckles quietly. “Sorry. I’ve just never met anyone like you before.”

I lower myself back to the ground beside him. “It’s safe to say I’ve never met anyone like you, either. You’re asking a stranger to go on a really big trip. If you’re serious about this list, why not take one of your buddies, or someone you actually
know
?”

“Because the few people I know are so damn boring.” He rolls to his back, folding his hands behind his head, grinning, even though I told him to stop. “I don’t know, I guess you seem fun. You’re into music, and traveling, and probably a handful of other interesting things.”

“If you think I’m interesting, then you really
must
hang out with some boring people.”

I sigh loudly. “You can’t ask a girl you’ve just met to travel across the country with you.”

“Why not?” He looks up into the blue sky and laces his hands over his chest before closing his eyes. “Have you ever been close to someone who died way before it was their time?”

My breath catches in my throat, and my hands begin to tremble. “Yeah,” I whisper. “I have.”

“My best friend died last fall.”

My eyes burn with phantom tears that won’t come. I know exactly how the pain of losing a loved one festers over time, relentless. I squeeze my legs to steady my hands.

“God, that really sucks. I’m sorry.”

“He was one of the funniest guys I’ve ever known, even when he was lying in the hospital bed, dying. He was sick most of his life, so he never got the chance to travel either. He would pick movies for us to watch in his room based on where they took place just so he could pretend he had been there. When he found out his heart wouldn’t hold out much longer, he made me promise that I would quit putting things off for another day, and do something unexpected, something I’ve always wanted to do. It’s part of the reason I dropped out of school.”

His watering eyes meet mine. “I know it probably sounds lame, but everyone I know is guilty of taking advantage of life when there’s no guarantee that we’ll be here another day, or even another hour. I’ve watched my dad bust his ass all my life. He worked insane hours and hardly ever came to see anything I did at school. I don’t understand why there’s this pressure to work ourselves to death if we can’t even stop to enjoy life.

Why should we have to work five or six days a week, and leave the fun for a few hours at night, maybe a day or two on the weekend? We’re beings with complex emotions. We should be able to enjoy ourselves.
Experience
things.

“Zach taught me life’s not supposed to be about just trying to survive, it’s meant for
living
. We’re young. We should be allowed to see what’s out there before we decide exactly what we want to do for the rest of our lives. I mean, we have
years
to decide that kind of thing.
That’s
why I think we should go on this trip together. Why
not
throw caution to the wind? Why not see what else is out there? I’m just asking you to give me a few weeks of your life.”

My heart thrums wildly in my chest when he’s done talking. There’s a feeling in the pit of my stomach whenever I’m around Adam. I know it’s ridiculous considering we
just
met, but he makes me feel all kinds of things that I thought were deadened from my medication. The intense energy between us can’t just be my imagination, can it?

Neither one of us mentions the list or his unclaimed offer as we walk down an easygoing trail in the park that weaves through the thick forest of tall oaks that have become gnarly and twisted with time. Adam has a million questions for me, yet he still seems unwilling to share anything about himself. I end up telling him stories of concerts Kelly and I caught in the past year, probably boring him to tears considering he knows so little about music.

By the time we return to his Challenger, the sun’s just beginning to set below the horizon, making a stunning display of soft colors reflecting off the river below. A few more couples have gathered around the couple in beanies to witness the spectacular sight. Sunsets are
definitely
something reserved for romance, and I’m not having any of that.

I try to summon the courage to ask Adam to take me home, even though the last hour has been so awesome that I’m already dreading telling him goodbye. I should just walk away before things get complicated, before the tangle of complex emotions becomes uncontrollable, and I’m back in a situation where I’ve lost all control.

Adam’s eyes snap onto mine as he runs a hand through his hair. So much expression lingers in his gaze, the loudest being hope. “I know you said you have to study, but it’s still early and my friend’s playing in a band at the Starlite. If you’re up for it, I could have you back by eight.”

Ugh, the dreaded promise of
a
live
band
.
It’s as if he already knows exactly what it takes to entice me. I tell myself it’s just
music
. I’ll go, hear this band with him, and we don’t ever have to see each other again.

I roll my eyes as if it’s a ridiculous question. “I’m
always
up for music.”

With a tilt of his head, we meet up at the passenger’s side where he opens my door.

I flip through the radio stations as soon as we leave the park, taking care to play a good variety so I can culture him on more of my favorite tunes.

Adam parks in front of Buzzard Billy’s, and leads me up a steep set of stairs inside.

I’ve been to Billy’s a few times with Kelly and other friends, but never upstairs to the lounge. The place is totally retro, reminding me of the Rat Pack days with its paneled walls and bright colors. Cocktail tables with high-backed turquoise chairs and a various styles of couches look inviting under the dim lights.