Root glared at Sameen across the lake, treading water. They'd been swimming for over an hour now and the sun was starting to set. Sameen's eyes peeked out over the water, her hair in a pile on her head. Root swam forward to lightly kick her in the stomach.
"Why are you being so weird?" Root laughed. "I'm just saying that hard wood is better than Spanish tile for a living room!"
Sameen surfaced just enough to scowl. "Wood floors are for bedrooms, Spanish tile for the living room and kitchen!"
"Kitchen?" Root scoffed. "Linoleum for kitchen floors. Easier to clean."
Sameen rolled her eyes, finally raising her shoulders out of the water. "It's not about keeping it clean. It's about how it looks."
Root laughed and gave up. She turned and swam away, smiling to herself. Of all the things she had expected Sameen to have an opinion on, flooring was not one of them. They'd been talking about dream homes and Root mentioned wanting spacious wood floors. It was all downhill from there.
Root took a deep breath and ducked under the water, her hair floating around her. This trip had been one of the best decisions in her life. It felt like every day she was falling more in love with Sameen. If this was what the future held, Root was glad to be alive.
The cool water flowed around her and she watched her feet kick below her. It was quiet here, in the woods, in Washington. They'd reached the turning point of their trip and, tomorrow morning, they turn around and start back toward home. Root was dreading school for the first time in her life. She just wanted more time.
Being out here in the world made Root feel trapped in a different way. She felt the weight of the future and the expectations of everyone around her. The pressure on her was self-inflicted, she knew that, but it didn't make it feel any less real. She had to do great things or she would feel like a failure.
Hands hooked under her armpits and dragged her up. Root looked around at Sameen, confused. She turned in the water, their feet kicking together.
"What? Is something wrong?" Root asked.
Sameen shrugged and grinned. She squirted water between her teeth, hitting Root's forehead. Root laughed and pushed her away, momentarily dipping underwater. She surfaced, pushing her hair out of her face.
Sameen leaped into Root's arms, wrapping her legs around Root's waist. Treading water, Root smiled up at Sameen, admiring the way small drops of water slid down her face. Sameen looked so good, messy hair and all.
Sameen took Root's face in her hands and dipped down, pressing their lips together. Root hummed happily. She would miss their privacy.
Pulling away, Sameen nodded toward the shore. "Come on, let's get back in the car before dark."
"Ok," Root shrugged. "You have to get off, though."
"Oh, I'll get off," Sameen smirked.
Root rolled her eyes and pushed Sameen off of her. She started swimming to the shore, her long legs getting her there before Sameen. Squeezing the water out of her hair as she walked out of the lake, Root looked up at the sky.
Clouds were crossing the sky, outlined in pink and making it darker than it normally would be at this hour. Maybe it would rain later, Root thought, picking up her towel. That would be nice; she could read to Sameen under their fairy lights.
She bent forward to towel her hair. Her shoulders pulled painfully. She heard Sameen hiss next to her.
"Oh no," Sameen sighed. "You're red. You definitely got burned."
Root looked down at herself. She was burnt all over, the skin around her bathing suit dark red.
"I put sunscreen on!" She pouted. "SPF 100, like always!"
"Well," Sameen shrugged, "that was a while ago and we were swimming."
Root scowled and wrapped her towel around herself. She slipped into her flip-flops and started trudging down the path to the car. They had aloe in the cooler they'd brought. She hadn't had to open it yet and she had been hoping she wouldn't have to open it at all.
"Hey," Sameen said at her side, "I'll rub aloe all over you."
Root looked at her and Sameen winked playfully. Root smiled despite herself. She had to admit the idea of Sameen's hands all over her cheered her up.
"Alright, but I read at the same time. We have to do our summer reading."
Sameen groaned loudly, dropping her head back. "Grace will understand! We're too busy living to worry about school."
"Grace is amazing," Root conceded, "but she can't play favorites."
"Fine," Sameen mumbled as they approached the car. She stuck her key into the trunk. "You can summer read to me."
Root laughed and leaned back as the door came up, revealing their bed. She pulled their large tote bag to her. They'd bought it in Portland. It was covered in cartoon Vespas that looked just like Ruthie. Root missed Ruthie.
She dropped her towel, hanging it over their door. Root turned to watch Sameen as she climbed out of her bathing suit. Sameen hadn't been working out as much as she had at home and some of her muscles were losing definition. It made her look younger and Root wondered again about Sameen as a child. What was she like at 2? At 7?
Sameen caught her looking and straightened up. "You're always staring at me."
Root smiled and pushed her bikini bottoms down. "You're nice to look at."
"Gross," Sameen said, half-heartedly.
She crawled into the car and dropped onto the bed, reaching for the cooler. Root froze, her arms halfway to her bathing suit's knot. She reminded herself that she was sunburnt and couldn't just lay on top of a naked Sameen.
Root shook her head and pulled her top off. She stuffed her and Sameen's bathing suit into the bag and crawled into the car. She lay carefully on her front, wincing as the blanket scratched against her skin.
Sameen scooted to sit between Root's legs and she poked her butt, making Root jump.
"Hey!" Root scolded. "I'm in pain!"
"Not on your butt," Sameen joked. "It's still white as ever."
Root reached back to smack Sameen's leg. She reached into the passenger door pocket and pulled out Heart of Darkness. They'd only read three pages this whole trip. If she and Sameen weren't tied, she might not care about it, but Sameen had been top of their class at the end of last year and Root was going to beat her in the coming year.
"Ok," Sameen said behind Root, "I'm going to start."
Root nodded and opened the book. She sighed and dropped her head against the pages. "I hate this book so much. Why do we only read about white men with self-made problems?"
The sound of gel squirting from a bottle startled her and then Sameen's firm hands were softly rubbing Root's back. The aloe was cold, but Sameen's hands were warm and her fingertips soothed Root's sunburnt skin.
"We should complain," Sameen snorted. "I'll tell Grace I feel underrepresented."
"Mmm," Root hummed against the pages, "we've only had 3 non-white students before you."
"Really? Wow."
"Yeah," Root shrugged, "Small town Texas, I guess."
A finger traced along her back and Root tensed. Sameen was touching her scar, the one her mother had given her.
"What's this from?" Sameen asked, her voice quiet. "It's big."
Root sighed and closed her eyes. She should have expected this; Sameen was bound to ask about it eventually.
"It's from 5th grade. I got hit with a chair."
"Oh," Sameen said. Her hands disappeared from Root's back and a moment later returned with more gel. "A kid at school? A bully?"
Root considered lying and decided it wasn't worth it. "My mom. It was just after my father started cheating on her. He thought he was good at hiding it, but we both knew. She was already a drunk, but it got really bad. She threw a chair at me when I came downstairs one day wearing my dad's sweater."
Sameen's hands stilled. Root lifted her head and reached out to turn the fairy lights on. It had gotten dark outside. The lights looked a little dim. Root made a note to buy new batteries at the next gas station. She looked down at the book. She needed glasses.
Sameen started moving her hands again. "Have you considered calling the police? Or child services?"
"What would that do?" Root asked. "Put my mom away? Put me in the system? No thanks. I'm glad you got adopted by Mrs. Reese, but not everyone is so lucky and I'm almost 17 now. No, I've learned to live around her and I'd rather take care of myself until college and not worry about it."
Sameen scooted back and started rubbing Root's legs. "I understand that, I guess."
They sat in silence for a while. Sameen rubbing Root's legs and Root staring down at the pages, not reading. Root couldn't remember too much before Hanna. She'd just been really lonely and ready to leave Bishop. She was still desperate to get out, but it wasn't the same. Now, she was looking into the future with nervous hope, not with fear.
"Are you going to read?" Sameen asked. "Or is my touch too distracting?"
Root laughed and threw her hair over her shoulder. "You better watch it. We can't have sex for a while now."
Sameen groaned. "Don't remind me. Just read. Let's get it over with."
"Ok," Root chuckled. She squinted down at Heart of Darkness. "'The sun set; the dusk fell on the stream, and lights began to appear along the shore…'"
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Root sat in the window, the back of her shirt blowing in the wind and her arms on top of the car, holding onto the roof. Her sunburn had mostly healed and, as the sun set, she was feeling good about the day.
They'd driven down the Extra-Terrestrial highway for the second time, Sameen giving in to Root's demands. They'd been in a rush before to get everything in, but now they were on their way home and they still had a few weeks, so they were taking their time.
They'd started up in Alamo, Nevada this morning, filling up on gas and hitting the road. Root had so many pictures and notes from the trip, she'd run out of Polaroids and had to switch to digital. Luckily, they'd borrowed Mrs. Reese's camera.
The first thing they'd seen was the road sign proclaiming 'Extra-Terrestrial Highway.' Root had been excited to learn that Nevada had legally changed the highway's name a few years ago. The sign was covered in stickers and Root had taken pictures of almost all of them. She was strongly considering getting a few as tattoos.
She hadn't seen any aliens all day, but Root had convinced Sameen to stop at the Alien Research Center, a gift shop with a giant alien statue outside. Root ducked her head to look into the car. Sameen was still wearing her sunglasses shaped like alien eyes. Root smiled at the scowl on her face.
It was over 100 degrees and Sameen was very upset about it. She was wearing the Grey's Anatomy shirt they'd bought in Seattle. Of course, Sameen had cut it into a crop top. Root straightened up and sighed happily. She remembered the selfie they'd taken with the little green man at the A'Le'Inn and grinned.
Root dropped back into the car, wrenching the handle around to close the window. She turned to face Sameen. As she opened her mouth to talk, a bright flash of lightening streaked across the sky and a loud crack of thunder shook the car. Sameen hit the brakes as the sky opened up.
The rain was deafening and Sameen pulled to the side of the road, turning her hazards on. Root pressed her face to the window, but the sudden thunderstorm had blackened the sky. She'd been five seconds from being caught in it. She thought about the cool rain and sighed.
"Great," Sameen mumbled, taking her glasses off, "guess we're sleeping here tonight."
Root shrugged, still feeling light. "I love the rain."
Sameen smiled. "Do you want to run around? Look for aliens?"
"What?" Root turned to look at Sameen. "You hate the rain. You want to look for aliens?"
"Doesn't matter," Sameen shrugged. "I know you do."
Root grinned and opened her door, rushing out into the rain, immediately getting soaked. She tilted her head back, mouth open, and let the rain fill her mouth. Sameen jumped onto Root's back, knocking her to the ground.
Root's knees sank into the mud and she laughed as Sameen fell sideways sinking into the wet grass with a squelch. When Sameen tried to stand up again, she slipped in mud and Root knocked into her, pushing her back onto the swampy ground.
"Root!" Sameen screamed, trying to push her off, "I'm going to drown."
"Drown in my love!" Root said, her wet hair dragging in the mud. "Let it drown you!"
Sameen growled and rolled them over, her knees in the mud on either side of Root's hips. "How does it feel being dirty?"
Root shifted so Sameen's head shielded her from the heavy rain. "That's my secret, Sameen. I'm always dirty."
Sameen tapped on Root's forehead. "How do I make this stop?"
Root shrugged. "If you find out, let me know."
A loud boom echoed through the sky and flashing lights streaked above them, visible through the dark clouds. Root stared in wonder as they faded away.
"What was that?" Sameen asked, her face turned towards the light's disappearing point. "The military?"
"Aliens!" Root screamed, wiggling out from under Sameen. "Aliens!"
Sameen leaned back on her heels, watching Root stand up. "It wasn't aliens, Root. The lady at the diner said the government tests planes around here."
"Aliens!" Root shouted again, running back to the car. She slipped and steadied herself with her hands. "I gotta turn on my radio!"
She made it to the back of the car and yanked the trunk open, throwing herself inside. Sameen rushed in after her and shut the door. Root dug through her duffle bag to find her radio.
"Oh man," Sameen grumbled, "our bed is covered in mud now. We have to go to a laundromat when the rain lightens up. How close are we to a city?"
"Doesn't matter!" Root pulled out her radio and turned it on. She grinned up at Sameen, mud dripping from her hair. "Aliens!"
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Sameen pondered Root's question, her feet in Root's lap. They were somewhere in Southern California. They had so much time left and neither wanted to go back to Bishop, so Root had pulled out her original list of ideas and they were checking them all off.
Yesterday, they'd gone to the San Diego Zoo and now they were slowly heading towards San Francisco. Root wanted to do a ghost tour and go to the gayborhood. Sameen was excited to try tacos all the way up California. The ones in San Diego had been fantastic. Los Angeles had been alright.
She shook her head and took a bite of pizza. They were sitting in the back of the car, leaning against the sides and looking out over the water. Root had asked about her favorite family vacation with her parents. Sameen didn't really have an answer. They moved around a lot and it all felt like a vacation; sight-seeing, strangers, and new food.
"Beirut," Sameen finally said. "I really liked Beirut."
"Oh," Root said, her hands holding Sameen's feet. "I don't know too much about Beirut."
"Me neither. We lived there when I was 7, I think." Sameen tore a piece off her crust, looking at the sunset. "I just remember that we lived in a really green area. Lots of parks and pastry shops. They had really good Shawarma." Sameen closed her eyes, remembering. "So good."
Root laughed. "Of course, you pick your favorite vacation because of the food."
Sameen shrugged. "Countries blur together after a while. You have to find ways of separating them."
Root leaned her head back against the car and smiled. Sameen wished she knew how Root was feeling. Not about her, she'd finally picked up on Root's crush, but just generally. She did her best, but Root had so many feelings. Sameen was just…Sameen.
"What's up?" Root asked her, her eyes half-closed. "What are you thinking about?"
Sameen tossed the pizza crust into the box and crossed her arms. "I…Nothing, I guess. I just want to support you."
Root's forehead wrinkled. "Support me? What does that mean?"
"I don't know," Sameen looked away. "You have all these…emotions and I can't connect."
"Oh," Root breathed. She scratched her nose like she always did when she was self-conscious. "I think you do a good job. We're just different cityscapes and that's fine."
"Cityscapes?" Sameen shook her head. "I don't know what that means."
"Well," Root leaned forward excitedly, Sameen's toes pressing into her stomach, "I've been thinking about this. You're open country and I'm a big city. Emotionally."
"I'm…open country?" Sameen said slowly, not understanding. "I…don't have a lot of buildings? I'm not fully developed?"
"No," Root waved her hand. "I mean…sort of? Ok, think of how quiet the country is. It's just large plains and wide, open spaces. You can yell and, yeah, it makes a noise, but it doesn't come back. You're like that. You have feelings, but sometimes they just…don't go anywhere."
Sameen frowned. "I guess so. I think it's more like a radio. I don't have a lot of volume."
"That," Root sighed, "is a better analogy."
Sameen laughed and wiggled her toes, tickling Root's stomach.
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Sameen smiled at the waitress as she put the plate down. She looked at the stack of pancakes in front of her. The greatest thing about America was Waffle House. Nothing changed from place to place. She stuck her knife into the middle and started dividing them up into triangles.
She heard a muffled laugh across the table and looked up. Root was covering her mouth, Heart of Darkness forgotten in front of her. Sameen glared at her.
"What?"
Root shook her head, giggling. "Nothing."
"Clearly," Sameen rolled her eyes, still cutting her food, "something is funny to you."
"You looked at the pancakes, like…" she dissolved into giggles.
Sameen sighed and put her knife down. "Like what?"
"You had the same look on your face as you do when we're having sex," Root whispered, her face red from laughter. "You looked at it like it was naked!"
"Listen to me," Sameen said, leaning her elbows on the table, "don't be jealous. If you covered yourself in maple syrup, I'd eat you, too."
Root winked at her, her mouth twisting to the side. "You eat me anyway."
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Sameen lazily drew figures onto Root's stomach. It was early still, the sun just peaking over the trees. They were in Colorado. Sameen couldn't remember the plan for the day. She thought it might be some caves, or the four corners. Honestly, she didn't really care.
Root shifted in her sleep, rolling onto her side to face Sameen. Her eyelids fluttered, but she didn't wake up. Sameen watched her, eyes tracing Root's delicate eyebrows and strong cheekbones. Root was beautiful and Sameen could look at her for hours. It was easier when she was sleeping.
Sameen sat up, shivering slightly in the early morning air. She rubbed her arms, looking around for their shirt. Root had given in a few weeks ago and allowed them to have sex in the car. Sameen didn't understand her hesitancy, but she wasn't going to push. Root didn't have to do anything she didn't want to.
Sameen spotted a shirt in the corner and pulled it on. It was Root's shirt, the one that had a dog like Bear on it. Sameen wished Bear was there now. When they got back, she would wrestle with him. The boys were probably just playing fetch.
Sameen looked outside, squinting at the sun. She hadn't jogged in a while. She felt around in the blankets and pulled out her shorts. Wiggling into them, she glanced back at Root. Root reached out, her hand running over the spot where Sameen had been. Her eyes opened.
"Babe?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "Where are you going?"
Sameen leaned down to press a kiss to Root's forehead. "Jogging."
Root nodded and closed her eyes again. "Take your phone."
"I will." Sameen watched Root fall asleep. When she was sure Root was out, she smiled. "I love you."
Sameen turned and opened the car door, the morning air rushing in with a refreshing breeze. She climbed out of the car and stretched, her fingers reaching skyward. She closed the door, looked at Root one more time, and started down the road.
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Root watched Sameen facetime with Mrs. Reese and smiled. She hadn't talked to her mother in a week or so, but Root wasn't too worried. Her mother had a full-time job at Mr. Greer's ice cream shop now and she was busy. Sameen scowled at her phone.
"Lionel!" Sameen yelled, "put that down!"
Root slid off her bed. Motels kept giving them two beds. She walked to Sameen's and sat next to her, scooting her head close. Lionel was holding Sameen's NY Giants ballcap. Mrs. Reese smiled tiredly at Root.
"Hello, Honey. How are you?"
Root grinned. "I'm alright, Mrs. Reese. Thank you. How are you and the boys?"
"We're alright," Mrs. Reese sighed. "I do miss having you girls around, though."
"Mom!" John's voice called. "Have you seen my summer reading? Zoe and Joss are coming over and I haven't read any of them!"
Mrs. Reese closed her eyes, sighing again. "Lionel, take the phone."
Lionel took the phone from Mrs. Reese and grinned into the screen. "I'm gonna wear your hat to the mall and there's nothing you can do about it."
Sameen growled. "Lionel Fusco, you put that back where it came from or I will murder you."
"How? You're thousands of miles away."
"I can be home in less 2 days," Sameen threatened, "We're in Arizona. I will find you and I will kill you."
Lionel's eyes widened. "You've seen Taken? Have you watched the sequel? It's so bad, but I love it. I want to be Liam Neeson."
Sameen sighed. "Can you put mom on the phone again. I'm sick of your ugly mug."
"Wow," Lionel laughed, turning to find Mrs. Reese, "That's hurtful. I'm wounded. I've been dieting."
"You look great!" Root smiled. "Feeling ready to work out with Sameen?"
"Definitely," Lionel grinned, the camera shaking as he walked up the stairs. "I'm ready!"
"Good," Root grinned. She wrapped her arms around Sameen's waist. "Sameen here is a little out of shape."
Sameen's head whipped around to stare at Root. "Out of shape? What- I'm- How dare you?"
"I'm going to go," Lionel said, hanging up on them.
Root backed off the bed, away from Sameen, holding her hands up. "I didn't mean out of shape. I shouldn't have said that."
Sameen dropped her phone and stalked slowly towards Root. "What did you mean?"
"Nothing!" Root laughed nervously. She felt like prey; the look in Sameen's eyes predatory. "I just…you're a little softer. It's nice! I like it!"
"You like it?" Sameen asked. "You like that I'm getting fat."
Root rolled her eyes, dropping her arms. "You're not fat, Sameen. Don't be dumb."
"Oh," Sameen raised her eyebrows, her eyes twinkling, "Now I'm fat and dumb."
Root looked around and jumped on her bed. "I think neither of those things. I think you're perfect."
Sameen stepped up on the bed. She reached out and stuck her fingers into the waistband of Root's pajama pants. She tugged her forward and Root stumbled, her arms raising to grab Sameen's shoulders. Sameen still looked predatory, but, this close, it made Root's stomach warm.
"Perfect?" Sameen said, her head dipping down to nip at Root's neck. "I'll show you perfect."
She quickly bent down, hooking her hands around Root's thighs and yanking them out from under her. Root's back slammed into the bed, her breath leaving her in a huff. Root gasped, trying to suck in air.
Sameen reached up, yanking Root's pants and underwear off in one smooth motion. Despite Root's disorientation, she admired Sameen's finesse. Their two months of sex had taught them a lot and, god, Sameen had been a good student.
Sameen climbed up Root, staring down into her eyes. "Tell me I'm pretty."
"You're pretty," Root grinned, her heart pounding. "So pretty. Beautiful. Gorgeous."
"Ok," Sameen rolled her eyes, "Don't hurt yourself."
Root wiggled under Sameen. "I won't. Only you can hurt me."
Sameen smirked, smug. "You fucking know it."