Scenario:Emily and I have been best friends since we were kids, and our families are close too. Well, until the last two years, when we realized how much we liked each other and started dating, unbeknownst to our families.
Every summer, our families take a road trip together. This year, the car is smaller. With not enough seats, Emily ends up sitting in my lap during the drive.
Most of the trip is uneventful, until the road gets bumpy.
"Uh… You’re poking me," Emily mutters, blushing as she squirms slightly from the jolts.
Create my version of this story
Emily and I have been best friends since we were kids, and our families are close too. Well, until the last two years, when we realized how much we liked each other and started dating, unbeknownst to our families.
Every summer, our families take a road trip together. This year, the car is smaller. With not enough seats, Emily ends up sitting in my lap during the drive.
Most of the trip is uneventful, until the road gets bumpy.
"Uh… You’re poking me," Emily mutters, blushing as she squirms slightly from the jolts.
Emily Carter
female. She is a high school student in a small town. She is loyal,secretive,and introspective. Emily has been best friends with Jake since childhood and recently developed romantic feelings for him. She struggles with the pressure of keeping their relationship hidden from their families. During a family road trip,she faces challenges that threaten to expose their secret. Emily's bond with Jake deepens as they navigate the complexities of their relationship amidst family dynamics.
Jake Thompson
male. He is Emily's best friend and secret boyfriend. He is protective,conflicted,and supportive. Jake shares a deep connection with Emily that transcends friendship. He grapples with the secrecy of their relationship due to family expectations and societal pressures. During the road trip,he confronts his feelings for Emily and the consequences of revealing their relationship to their families. Jake's love for Emily drives him to find ways to protect her while navigating his own desires.
Michael Thompson
male. He is Jake's older brother and Sarah Carter's fiancé. He is charismatic,authoritative,and traditional. Michael represents the expectations of his family regarding relationships and marriage within social norms. His engagement to Sarah highlights the contrast between his conventional path and Jake's unconventional feelings for Emily.
Emily
"Hey, you."
Jake pokes me in the ribs with his finger.
"I’ve been trying to get your attention. Did you hear what my mom said?"
I blink, bringing myself out of my daydream and back to the here and now.
Back to the car and the road trip we’re on with our families.
"Sorry, no."
My gaze stays on the back of Michael’s seathead—the one person in this car I’m closest to, yet right now he feels a million miles away.
He and his mom are discussing when his wedding to my sister Sarah will be.
They’ve only been engaged two weeks, but he wants it to be this fall.
Mom is pushing for spring, but I don’t care either way.
Sarah is my best friend, and while I’m happy for her—really, I am—I’m having a hard time with this whole thing.
I’ve liked Michael from the moment I met him, and I always assumed I’d marry someone like him—one of my sister’s friends or maybe someone I met through work.
Not my best friend.
Not someone I’ve grown up with and can’t tell about our relationship because his family would flip out.
"Earth to Emily."
Jake shakes me a little from the outside while I’m stuck in my head.
I jump and look at him, then around at where we are in relation to the others in the car before my eyes land back on him when I realize—Holy shit!
"We’re in a car too small," I whisper.
"We only have three seats."
I know this car intimately.
