We hit the road around two a.m. I slept better than I expected I would at first. The rocking motion as we escaped the city slowly morphed into a rhythm. Even so, I’ve been up for hours with my head spilling out everything I want to capture.

“Filming is kind of my job,” I remind him.

He breaks into a full grin. “Cool. Mine is to keep these assholes safe. Doesn’t mean I can never turn it off.”

I pull my legs off the couch seconds before he drops onto them. Readjusting, I turn off the camera and set it on the floor beside me. Colton’s studying me, I realize, glancing up, so I settle back and serve him a stare right back. He’s wearing a tight black T-shirt again. His typical uniform from what I’ve seen.

After a second, he points his chin toward the side table behind me. “You’ve got my color.”

Next thing I know, he’s leaning over me for the red polish I used to repaint my nails. He drops the bottle onto my lap and tucks a foot under him to sit facing me. He holds a hand out, palm down.

His nails have the slightest remnants of polish lingering. I smile as I cautiously untwist the lid. I swipe the brush over one of his nails as he watches the color deposit. It’s the most normal I’ve felt since this whirlwind began. The most included if I’m being honest.

Last night at the concert, especially, I felt like a documentarian trying to get a shot of a wild animal in its natural habitat. Being as invisible as possible and taking up minimal space—watching but never a part of it.

The thought has me warm, though, closer to my dad than I’ve felt in a long time. This was his day-to-day, on the move and having only seconds to capture an entire world in a frame. Although he was actually photographing wild animals. He would travel to the most incredible places and experience the world in a way so few have. I remember the stories he’d tell me, the promises to take me with him when I was older. How he’d show me the world.

I swallow down the tightness in my throat, re-dipping the brush. Colton sighs, and I glance up at him staring out the window with a content look on his face. His gaze darts over and then back to the scenery.