"Even when countless nights come, in my sky, only you shine.” -Love Me Right (EXO)

Historic Route 66, Arizona, USA

The warm Arizona wind whips through your hair as you stick your arm out of the window letting it move with the breeze. You look to your left to watch your boyfriend behind the wheel, his dark brown locks also moving in the wind. A smile appears on his face as he notices you staring.

You and Jongin have been together for two and a half years and the two of you had decided to take a cross country road trip. You’d rented a cool Ford Mustang convertible, started at the romantic outer banks of South Carolina and were on your way to Los Angeles, California. The east coast to west coast trip was nearing its end as you were now driving down Route 66 through the middle of Arizona, approximately 465 miles from the City of Angels.

“Smile, love!” you say happily, as you point your Polaroid instant camera towards your beloved driver. Jongin looks over quickly with a cheesy grin as you snap the picture. After the image prints, you smile at his beaming face. A ray of sun had even hit the camera lens at just the right angle, creating a glowing frame around the picture.

“Perfect!” you exclaim as you tape the shot into your travel book. You thought the book would be a great way to keep track of your travels and something fun that you and Jongin could do together. And it had.

Flipping through the pages, you look back on some of the places you’d been and things you’d seen over the past week. “Remember this one, babe?” you ask, pointing to a picture of Jongin in a flannel plaid shirt, a cowboy hat and boots.

He looks over, laughing immediately at himself in the country get-up. “Ah, how could I forget?” he says slightly embarrassed. “Nashville does not look very good on me.” He shakes his head playfully.

“No!” you protest, “I think it looks perfect on you!”

“Yeah, perfectly ugly.” You both laugh as you lightly hit his arm, shaking your head at his comment.

“Hey, you know there are a few shots of you in there, too, that you don’t like.” he counters. “Turn to the Chicago page.”

You reluctantly sift through the pages, knowing exactly what he’s referring to. There you are, sitting at the top of the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel, with one of the most terrified faces you’ve ever seen.

At the sight of the photo, Jongin turns his head away from you trying his best to contain his amusement. After a few seconds, he finally busts out in laughter. You look at him, your judgmental facial expressions clear.

“Oh, come on, baby!” he exclaims in between laughs. “You’ve got to admit that your reaction was a little over the top.”

“I was scared Jongin! It was higher than I thought it would be…” you defend yourself, shivering from the memory.

“Ok, ok.” Jongin reaches out for your fingers. “I’m sorry,” he says as he kisses your hand, looking at you innocently. You smile, not being able to stay mad at him.

“This one’s my favorite,” you announce, landing on a page titled ‘North Carolina.’ There you both are standing on the shore as the setting sun descends behind you. You’re wrapped in each other’s arms, both of your smiles beaming with affection.

Jongin looks over at the picture and immediately grins. He then looks up at you, his expression softening. “Mine too,” he says gently.

As he turns back to look at the road, you continue to admire his breathtaking profile and to think back on all the beautiful memories you shared.

You think to yourself, How did I get so lucky?

~~~

A few hours pass and the sun slowly starts to make its descent behind the red rock mountains. Hues of orange and pink fill the sky. You let out a yawn, slightly tired from the long drive.

“Getting sleepy, baby?” your boyfriend asks.

“Eh, a little,” you respond. “But I’ll be fine.”

Eyeing a gas station up ahead, Jongin gets an idea. He pulls off from the road and parks in front of the service station. “Why are you stopping?” you question. “We filled up just a few hours ago.”

“Oh, no reason,” he says smugly as he gives you a wink before quickly exiting the car and walking into the store. He looks around at the shelves filled with junk food. A large sign on the wall reads ‘Get Your Kicks On Route 66.’ Jongin chuckles slightly to himself.

As he roams the aisles, he picks up a few snacks and then heads to the back wall lined with glass freezer doors. He opens one and picks up two bottles of cream soda. After paying, he swiftly walks back to you and the car.

“What all did you buy?” you exclaim, eyes wide as you admire the bag he sits in the back seat. “You’ll see,” is all he responds. You playfully roll your eyes at his sneakiness.

A couple minutes later, Kai spots a place to turn off the road. It’s just an oval shaped spot on the ground, clear of any grass, where tourists can stop to take pictures.

You look around confused. What do you have in mind, Jongin? you think. 

“Stay here,” he tells you, with a smile. You watch as he gets out and opens the back door, picking up the bag of goodies he had bought and a blanket that you had brought with you.

He proceeds to walk to the front of the car, laying the blanket over the hood. You see all of your favorite snacks fill his hands as he reaches into the bag and takes them out, placing them in the center of the blanket. Lastly, he picks up two bottles of cream soda and places one on each side of the make shift table.

Jongin walks to the right side of the car and your door opens. “Right this way, my lady.” You smile hugely as you take his hand.

“What is all this, Jongin?” you question excitedly.

“A dinner under the stars, of course!” he announces proudly. By this time the sky had turned black, the only light coming from a billion twinkling stars that dotted the sky like glitter.

“Dinner?” you say in a playful tone. “Looks like junk food to me.”

“That is precisely what it is,” he responds, a-matter-of-factly. “How are we gonna stay up all night to finish this drive if we aren’t hyped up on sugar?” You let out a huge laugh at his explanation followed by a huge hug.

Jongin smiles as he leads you to your dinner table for the evening and you both take a seat on the hood. “Picture time!” you announce, snapping a shot of the two of you holding up your cream sodas.

As you go to put the camera down after admiring the printed image, Jongin quickly takes it from you and steals a kiss on your cheek as he presses the shutter button. Out prints a picture of you with a surprised look and Jongin’s lips pressed to your face. “Jongin!” you shout, playfully hitting his arm.

“What?” he replies smugly. “You’re cute.”

You stare at him longingly before pressing your lips to his. The kiss lasts a little longer than normal, as the two of you become caught up in each other. As you pull away, Jongin raises an eyebrow at you. A giggle escapes your lips as you lean against his shoulder, both of you without a care in the world.

“Hold on,” Jongin announces a few seconds later as he hops off the front of the car. He gathers the trash and left over snacks and throws them in the back seat of the car. Then, he scoots back onto the hood lying down on his back.

“Lay with me,” he says, turning to look up at you. Smiling, you move down to lay your head on his chest, his arm under your head.

“The stars are so beautiful here,” you say, admiring the Arizona night sky. “They shine so bright.”

“You’re right. They do,” Jongin responds. “But, to me, you shine brighter.”

A huge smile appears on your lips as you snuggle closer into Jongin’s neck. “I’m glad we are able to do this. Together,” you whisper.

“Me too,” Jongin says softly as he places a kiss on your head.

“You know we are gonna have to get going soon, though,” you say sadly. “If we don’t, we won’t make it to Los Angeles on schedule.”

“Ah, don’t worry about that, babe,” Jongin responds. “The City of Angels can wait.” You look over at him, the star light sparkling in his eyes. “I’ve got the only angel I need laying right beside me.”

The End~