Clyde blinks at me, his eyebrow raised and steps a little closer. "A road trip to where?"

He still has his hands in the pockets of that stupid jacket. I shrug. "Anywhere. Somewhere warm preferably."

Clyde's eyebrow raises even more as he takes a look behind me at all the junk piled in my truck. "Dude, that's a lot of stuff you have packed. How long were you planning on going?"

I sigh and roll my eyes, turning toward my truck. "Are you coming or not?" As if I even need to ask.

Clyde looks annoyed for a split second before giving in, taking a step back. "Fine, but I have to pack first."

I watch him hurry back home as I climb into the driver's seat. I knew he would agree to come with me if I asked. Clyde always goes along with my plans even if he thinks they're stupid at first. He's always been loyal like that. I also know he doesn't have the best home life either. There's something about a dead parent that really throws a wrench in the family dynamic.

He comes back with two packed suitcases and a duffle bag slung over his shoulders. I think he knows I'm not planning on coming back. He throws his stuff in the back seat and tries to climb in the passenger seat before he notices the cage.

"Are you gonna move Stripe?"

"It's Stripe III, and no. The middle seat belt doesn't work. Just climb over."

Clyde shimmys his way into the middle seat and plops down next to me. "The seatbelt doesn't work, so you're gonna have me sit here. I feel so loved."

I laugh and start the truck, pulling away from the curb. "You know I love you."

"Of course you do. I'm your favorite." I feel his hand on my arm and glance at him for a split second. All I find is a mix of concern and sadness. "You know I'm here for you, right?"

I don't know what to say for a second. I don't really want to say anything, but Clyde's hand is still on my arm and that's more comforting than he'll ever know. "You're here aren't you?"

He squeezes my arm before letting his hand drop. I miss the warmth immediately. I feel him settle a little closer to me on the seat, but he doesn't say anything else.

I've never told Clyde how I feel. I'm sure he knows, but I also know he likes hearing that sort of thing. He likes to know he's needed and that people care about him. I wish I could tell him more often just how much he means to me, but the idea is always daunting. Playing it off as a joke is what comes natural, but as soon as things get serious, I freeze up.

Truth is, Clyde is the best thing that's ever happened to me. We've been friends since preschool, and he's never once turned his back on me. He follows me everywhere without question, and he's everything I'm not. Everything I wish I could be.

"Can we stop for nachos?"

I pull up at a stoplight and turn to look at Clyde. He's digging through my CDs, probably trying to find something he can sing along to.

He pops a CD in. The light turns green.

"Where are we gonna get nachos this late?"

I see Clyde looking at me out of the corner of my eye, but he doesn't answer my question. No, the music has started, so now he's too busy singing at the top of his lungs to answer any questions I might ask. Clyde might be a goofy jock, but the guy can sing. It came as a huge surprise the first time I heard him singing in the shower. At first he was embarrassed, but now he sings in front of me whenever he wants.

I reach over to turn down the radio, and Clyde immediately voices his dissent. "I was listening to that!"

"We should probably think of a game plan."

"What sort of game plan?" Clyde contorts himself somehow so he can prop his feet up on the dash. I don't know how he managed it in this narrow ass cab. He's gotta be flexible.

"I don't know. Shit like where we're gonna stay, what we're gonna eat, where our destination is."

"Wait, wait, wait. You mean to say you dragged me out of my house in the middle of the night to drive across the country with absolutely zero plans at all?"

"Hey, I hardly dragged you out of your house. You left of your own volition. I gave you a choice, and you made it." I shoot a glare his way, and he at least has the decency to look sheepish.

I hear a sigh as Clyde rubs at his face. "I still have a lot of money saved up. We could stay in motels or something on the way."

I nod along. "I have money too." Thank you life insurance.

Clyde jiggles his foot on the dash and leans against my shoulder. "What about California? You said somewhere warm, and there's plenty to do there."

I bump Clyde with my shoulder and smile. "California it is."

The sun has been up a few hours by the time I pass a sort of not super shady looking motel. Clyde fell asleep on my shoulder an hour ago, and I can feel myself trying to follow suit. The sound of gravel under the tires wakes him up. I know he'll be as happy for a warm bed as I am.

"Where are we?" He stretches, letting loose a loud yawn.

"Bates Motel." He shoots me a look, and I laugh. "I'm kidding. It's just a shitty motel on the side of a highway. No budding serial killers, I promise."

Clyde narrows his eyes at me for a second before shaking his head, slipping around the passenger seat to get out. "As long as there's no cockroaches, I'm good."

I climb out my side of the truck and head around. "Stay here. I'll go check in." Clyde salutes me before turning his attention to Stripe III.

The lobby smells musty and is completely covered in floral. The walls and all the furniture have a faded floral pattern on them. I wonder if the rooms are the same. The man behind the desk grunts at me as I approach. "Checking in?"

I grab my wallet out of my jeans and nod. "Yeah, just for a night." I place my ID on the counter and look out the window. I can see Clyde out there leaning against the hood. He's still wearing the letterman jacket. I make a mental note to ask him later why he still wears it.

I sign a few papers and grab the room keys, heading back out to the truck to grab my stuff. Clyde's already dragging a suitcase out. "I'm so excited to sleep in a bed, you have no idea."

I reach around him to grab Stripe III's cage and my duffle bag, locking up my truck. " Yeah, me too. Here let's go through the side door. I don't want them to know I'm bringing my guinea pig in."

Clyde laughs and follows behind me, the wheels of his suitcase dragging in the gravel. "We're like the three musketeers. Two guys, one guinea pig."

"You definitely need some sleep, dude."

A/N: I swear it won't always be this slow. The Cryde is coming eventually. This will be a bit of a slow burn though. I want to explore their friendship and closeness before diving into anything involving romance. Let me know what you think!