Two best friends take a year off to find themselves… and end up finding each other.
Joshua Simpson has just finished four years at Purdue University, but that’s not why he’s buzzing with excitement. Once they’ve said goodbye to their families, Josh and his best friend Alex are taking off to discover America in an old but reliable VW van, planning on not seeing snow for an entire year.
Josh has always considered himself straight—except for that one time in college—so when he and Alex are living in such close proximity on the road, he’s unsure what these new feelings mean. Is it because they’re spending 24/7 together, or is it something deeper? And does it really matter since Josh has only ever seen Alex with women?
While in Oregon, Josh meets Johnno, a sexy but confusing Aussie surfer. While having an impromptu surfing lesson, Johnno helps Josh realize who he is and what he wants—but Alex’s reaction leaves Josh confused.
From a Montana ranch to the bright lights and dangerous streets of Los Angeles to a dark and lonely deserted highway in Alabama, join Josh and Alex as they drive around the US, discovering not only who they are, but who they can be together.
~*~
Alex and I climbed into the van and soaked it all in. Our parents were standing arm in arm outside watching us, big proud smiles on their faces. Some of our party guests were mingling around, talking about their own graduations and wishing they had done what Alex and I were about to do, while others went back to their beers and food and watched from a distance.
We closed the doors to shut out the noise and suddenly it was just Alex and me.
“I can’t believe they did this,” came Alex’s shocked whisper.
“I’m still trying to figure out if I’m hallucinating. How many beers have you had?”
“Not nearly enough to hallucinate this.”
“Are you sober?” I asked.
“If I wasn’t before, I am now.”
“Good, pinch me.”
The bastard punched me in the arm.
“Ow, fucker. I told you to pinch me.”
“Still think you’re hallucinating?”
“No. Thanks.”
We spent the rest of the night looking at the van, which was tricked out spectacularly, only stopping to say goodbye to our guests. By the time the night was over, I was sober and lying on my back in the rear, my best friend next to me.
“Dad apologized for the color,” I told Alex after staring at the ceiling for what felt like ages.
“What’s wrong with the color?” he asked.
“It’s purple.”
“Indigo.”
“What?”
“It’s indigo,” Alex said very matter-of-factly. “You know, the second-to-last color of the rainbow, not blue but not purple either.”
“What’s the last color?” I think I was still drunk after all.
“Violet.”
“There’s two purples in the rainbow?”
Alex reached over and grabbed my hand, squeezing it tight before releasing it.
“Yep.”The wonder in Alex’s voice had my chest tightening, and I turned to look at him, only to see a large smile matching my own.
~*~
R.J. Jones started as a reader and eventually made the progression to reviewing. It wasn’t until two men popped into her thoughts, insisting on telling her their story that she started to write.
It started with one scene. A hot and dirty one in the shower…
R.J.’s initial thought was if she could write their scene then they’d shut up and allow her to concentrate on other aspects of her day. Not so. That shower scene ended up being 3000 words long and three hours of work. And still, they didn’t shut up. They told her their entire story and she didn’t sleep for days. Sometimes she couldn’t keep up with what they were telling her and she had to keep a notebook by her bed.
Whilst she was writing their story a side character decided he needed his story told too. Then other characters followed suit.
You see the problem? If she ever wants to sleep again then she needs to write.
R.J. is a wife and a mother to two boys. She is surrounded by males. Even her dog is a boy.
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