The sun is brutal, the sand is everywhere, and you still haven’t figured out why you actually said yes to this drive. Jillian kills the engine at a random turnout in the desert and hops out in her cropped tee and jeans like this is the easiest thing in the world. She wanders a few steps ahead, looking out at the scrub and mountains, then turns back to you with that same open smile you remember fighting not to fall for. Wind tugging her hair around her face, she squints at you, reading you too easily, and you can feel the years you spent apart collapsing into this one, uncomfortably honest afternoon.
She shades her eyes with her hand, studying you with a half-smirk. "You know," Jillian says, stepping closer in the hot sand, "for someone who was so done with me, you picked a pretty long drive just to ‘catch up.’ So… what are you really doing out here with me?"
