Brief Encounters Anthology
Chapter 15
The Road Trip
As we drove north on the 5 freeway in California, cumulonimbus clouds were ahead. The sun was setting. We were halfway through our trip to San Francisco for a concert my friend Owen and I were attending. Owen sat in the passenger seat, and we alternated driving when one of us got tired. The trip was supposed to be six hours. However, there was heavy traffic before entering the dreaded famous Grapevine portion of the 5 freeway.
Owen and I were 25 years old and graduated college two years ago. We were friends for a few years and had much in common, especially music. I was gay and single, while Owen was straight and single. I came out to him in college, and his response was, "Right on," which I found funny.
Owen was from Orange County, a heavily religious right-wing area, but despite that, he didn't care that I was gay. He told me once that he didn't share many of his family's beliefs, which made me happy.
Despite him being straight, I still dreamt about Owen. He was a stunning man, after all. He stood at 6'2 with a gym-going body, a short trimmed bronze beard, and short brown hair. His eyes were green like a verdant forest. His teeth were pearly white, and I loved seeing them whenever he showed his gorgeous smile.
I had a similar build, albeit a tad shorter at 5'10. My shoulder-length hair is black, which was usually kept in a ponytail.
In the years of being friends, we've never had sex though. I've dreamt of it, but I always feared rejection. The two of us changed in front of each other a multitude of times; I had even seen his penis a few times while at the pool or in the locker room at the gym. But never had I had the opportunity to play with his circumcised cock.
For years, I felt the burden of having a crush on someone I called my best friend, but never could I muster the courage to tell him. I'd play the scenario in my head, and it always ended badly. Perhaps it was best not to do so. I fear it would alter, if not end, our strong friendship.
"Those are storm clouds off in the distance, Henry," Owen said.
I lowered my head to see the dark clouds. The rain hadn't fallen yet, but I did notice the strong winds. They weren't as strong as when we went through the Grapevine, but still required cautious driving.
Owen took out his phone and looked at a weather app.
"It looks like it's going to be raining all the way to San Francisco."
An alert went off on his phone. He clicked on the notification, "Severe thunderstorm warning. Strong windows. Flooding, blah, blah, blah!"
"Uh, what were the other 'blah, blah, blah' please? I think it's important if we're going to be driving through a storm."
Owen rolled his eyes, "Bro, it's bad. What else do you need to know? There will be Sharknados, earthquakes, flying cows..."
I tuned him out and chewed my lower lip as he continued his tirade. I was a confident driver, but if the storm was going to be bad, I didn't want to drive through, especially at night. The next portion of the 5 freeway was rural, and I didn't want to get stranded during a storm like this.
"Might I make a suggestion," I said.
"What?" he spat out.
"How about we stay somewhere for the night?"
"Dude, the concert is tomorrow. At noon! We'd have to leave early in the morning to even make it up there in time. What about traffic?"
"I understand that, but what if something happens on the road? We're about to enter the farmland, and there is nothing up there for miles. I'm suggesting it for safety. Look, I'll drive us up there tomorrow so you can rest up."
Like a sign from God, lightning struck off in the distance. Owen stared out the window, looking at the clouds growing darker. He sighed, "Fine, I'll book us a place."
It was as if someone had turned on the shower on the road. For a few seconds, there were sprinkles, and then the downpour came. The windshield wiper moved side to side at a fast pace. The tail lights from the cars ahead blurred from the heavy rain. The strong wind caused me to grip my steering wheel. I did my best to control the car on the road while Owen sat in the passenger seat, calm, looking for a place to stay.
"Any luck?" I said.
"No, a lot of these places have no vacancies. We might have to endure the weather."
"Dude, I'm fighting with the wind and the wet road. We might not be able to endure it. Find a place, or we crash!"
"So fucking dramatic," Owen mumbled.
He thought I didn't hear it, but I did.
Owen and I rarely fought, and even when we did, we quickly got over it. But today, Owen was testing me. We were in danger, and he didn't seem to see that.
"Bingo! I found a place. It's called the Neon Nights Motel. It's about ten miles. Booking now."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
We finally got off the 5 freeway and headed to the Neon Nights Motel, a few streets away from the freeway. The lonely-looking hotel had a parking lot full of cars. We were lucky to even get a room by the looks of it. As I parked, I asked, "You got us two beds, right?"
"Yeah, of course. I wouldn't want to share a bed with you."
I rolled my eyes.
The sun had gone down, and it was dark outside. The heavy rain continued. We stepped out of the vehicle and were immediately drenched. We grabbed our bags from the trunk and rushed inside to the lobby.
The small lobby was warm and cozy, but it looked damaged. The lower parts of the wallpaper were stained.
"I hate this rain," Owen cried.
I rang the bell, and from behind the bead curtain appeared the motel clerk. He looked the same as us. He was tall and thin, with pale skin, short blond hair, and crystal blue eyes.
"Good evening, sirs. How can I help you?" he said in his soft voice.
I had a feeling he was a fellow gay, but I wasn't interested in hooking up tonight, especially with Owen as my roommate.
"We have a reservation," Owen said, and then he showed the clerk the barcode on his phone.
"Let me get you set up," the Clerk said. He raised his head and looked at us for a brief moment then returned his eyes to the screen.
"That was odd," I thought to myself.
"Room 107," It will be at the far end of the complex," the clerk said and then handed us the keys. "If you need anything, there is a phone in the room. It's 24 hours."
"Thank you," I said. I glanced around the room and then asked, "May I ask what happened here? The walls look damaged."
"We had a flood last year. Unfortunately, the location of this motel is at the bottom of a hill, so it could flood. However, the city built a canal in the back to help with the flooding. It was chaotic when it happened. Thankfully, it was just me and a tenant that had to endure it. And thankfully, it hasn't happened again." He crossed his fingers.
"Ah, I see," I hoped this canal worked because the night couldn't get any worse.
"Do you guys, Doordash?" Owen said, "I'm starving."
