Just This Once

I sat there feeling something, as we drove down the familiar roads. The sun was in the moments before setting, and a yellow glow was cast throughout the car. I could feel every dip in the old road, and with every bump Kate's sleeping head would jerk and readjust on my shoulder. It felt.. calm. And then Lauren looked to me and said, "Do you realize that this is the last summer vacation we will ever have?"

And I knew she was right, of course. I have thought about it- somewhat subconsciously. But Lauren saying it, in that moment, just made me really think about it. We were headed back to her house after a full 24 hours of fun and reckless behavior. We had partied the night before, deep into the early hours and nearly "Breaking the dawn". We then all woke up way too late with major hangovers and decided to go on a hike and swim at a local river. And then get ice cream. So here we were, driving back, exhausted and feeling the pain from our hike. Half the car was drifting off into sleep as Matt fully controlled the music. It was calm, sweet, fleeting.