Justin was up early the next morning, packing bags for both of them.  He’d looked up the weather forecast, and tried to plan accordingly. He even packed her makeup and toiletries, just in case.  The fact that she didn’t wake up was quite a relief, that way they could just go once she woke up and changed clothes.  

He came back from putting things in the car when she woke up.  “Good morning, beautiful.  Everything is packed and ready to go, all we need is you.”

“You packed clothes, toiletries, my makeup?”

“Everything.”

“We’ll see how well you did, I’m trying to trust you with stuff like that.  Let me get dressed and I guess we’ll be on our way.”

She changed into jeans and a v neck t-shirt, pulling her hair back into a low ponytail, wearing her glasses.  “In case I need to read.”

“Fuck, I forgot your book.  Grab it and we’ll put it in your bag.  I hope that’s all.  Anything else we can always buy once we’re there.”

They got in the car and headed out.  They grabbed food and drinks along the way, making a real road trip of it.  Not knowing much about California cities, the mileage signs didn’t mean much.  It wasn’t until she saw one sign in particular, then realized Justin was going that direction, that she got excited.

“Are we really?” she asked.

“Are we what?” he teased.

“Going to Yosemite?”

“Nothing gets by you.  Good surprise?”

“The BEST.  Thank you, babe.  Was it hard to find a place?  I know they book way in advance…”

“I managed to find something.  Once you mentioned it back in Fresno, I looked into it.  Made some calls, the usual.”

“That was a month ago.  You’ve been keeping it from me this whole time?”

“That and Coachella, yeah.”

“I don’t know that I like that you’re so good at keeping secrets from me…”

“Only when it’s ways to surprise you.  Otherwise they aren’t surprises.”

“Like how I have no idea how and when you’ll propose?”

“I mean, I hope you don’t.  I hope I’m not that predictable…”

They pulled up to the park gate, getting a week pass.  “We won’t be here the full week, but it’s easier than getting a new pass every day,” Justin told her.  He drove slowly, trying to give Deana as much of a look around as he could, pulling over when there were open spots on the side of the road.  

She took tons of pictures of the scenery, the falls at full capacity, roaring down the mountainsides.  They followed signs within the park, Deana getting excited again. 

“Really?”

“You’ll see,” he smiled.

A wide smile was plastered to her face as they pulled up to the grand hotel she’d seen on postcards.  “We’re staying at the Ahwahnee?”

“No, I just decided to tease you with going in to look around and then going to a tent cabin…”

“I mean, we’d have to pull a Vegas every night, other campers within earshot…”. She stuck out her tongue.  “Baby, thank you.  Even just a basic room here is a dream come true to cross being here off my bucket list…”

“Then wait until you see where we’ll be staying…”

They got their bags out of the car and headed into the lobby.  She gasped seeing everything up close, taking pictures.  Justin checked them in as she continued to take pictures, oblivious to anything he was doing.

He led her to the elevators, stopping at their floor and going down the hallway.  He unlocked the door, opening to a spacious suite, dark wood interior and a library that made her inner nerd squeal. The bedroom has a beautifully appointed bed, the bathroom with a deep tub. 

“How was this available?!” Deana gasps. 

“One of the benefits of being me. I throw my name around and it suddenly becomes ‘let’s see what we can do’… I wanted this to be something to remember. If that didn’t work, I had a few other options. The best one being outside the park, but it has a huge bathtub and a hot tub in the room, with a balcony looking over the river running behind the hotel.”

“I don’t want you to always have to use your name to get me things, but this is amazing. Thank you.”

“Anything for that smile,” he said softly, kissing her deeply. “Wanna go downstairs and go for a walk? Nothing too strenuous, explore a bit?”

“That sounds really nice, actually…”

They head downstairs, going through the lobby to the back patio, seeing a series of pathways. They go as straight as possible, trying to keep parts of the hotel in view so they don’t get lost. 

Deana heard a sound, her pace picking up speed. She heard it before she saw it, the Merced River.  It twisted like a snake where they came upon it, the water rushing past. They kept their distance, aware of how fast the current was. They stood there for a while, watching it, taking in the sounds. 

“Is this what Montana is like?” she asked quietly.

He nodded, holding her in his arms. “This is similar, yet VERY different. The same calm and quiet, but the scenery is different. I’d love to take you out there soon.”

“After school is over, we can stay for a while, no responsibilities, just connecting with ourselves and nature. It’s almost a religious experience here. My heart feels full, like I’m where I’m meant to be.”  

“THAT is what Montana feels like,” he whispers. 

They explore along the river a bit, making note of landmarks so they can find their way back. The river is a natural boundary, going away from it sends them back towards the hotel. It’s quiet, they see almost no one around them, as if they are the only ones around. 

“I like this,” Deana said quietly. “Privacy without missing out on anything.”  He wrapped his arms around her, resting his head against hers, gently kissing her temple. 

They spend what feels like an hour slowly walking along the curve of the river, listening to birds singing, watching raccoons and squirrels skitter past, seeing families of deer walking and grazing on grass. It’s what both of them needed after the rushed pace of the last few months. 

They head back to the hotel, deciding to eat in the giant cathedral-like hall that is the hotel restaurant. Deana again snaps pictures of the architecture, the giant chandeliers and giant windows letting light stream in. 

It was relatively empty, a nice surprise, but surprising nonetheless. Deana asks their server if this is normal. 

“It’s during the school year, especially during the week, so there’s not as many people compared to summer or during the holidays.”

“I guess that makes sense. It’s still fairly busy without being overcrowded. It lets us go around and do things,” Deana said. 

“I say we drive around today, then maybe tomorrow do some hikes.  I brought my gaiter I bought for Coachella, so that can help hide my identity a bit, give us some added privacy as we go.”

“That sounds nice, driving around. See some of the trails we might want to do tomorrow. I’m sure there’s a website that has guides on easy hikes.”

They headed to the car, stopping every chance they could to take pictures of new scenery. They saw a group of people standing on the side of the road looking up with binoculars. 

“There’s people climbing El Capitan, the weather this week is perfect for it,” said one person as they approached the group. Sure enough, they saw dots moving along the face of the mountain, looking like ants climbing a wall. 

They saw a small parking lot, next to the river, with a view of Half Dome, a set of 3 mountains, and a waterfall. “Breathtaking,” Deana gasped. There was a sign at the end of the parking lot showing a water line with the date 1/2/97. They looked at each other a little confused. The line was well above either of their heads. 

They stopped in at the visitor center to ask about the sign.  “We had record snowfall, then a tropical storm blew in. It melted almost all the snow, along with dumping rain. The river started to rise on New Year’s Eve, and by Jan 2 the entire valley was flooded. 

“Wait, that sign we saw was how high the water got?” Justin gasped, his eyes wide. “Damn…”

“Trees were uprooted, almost making a dam. Huge boulders were swept downstream, roads got washed away, campsites and hotels were damaged,” the ranger said.

They asked for tips on easy hikes for the next day, planning the rest of their day around what they couldn’t see by hike. They stopped at the Ansel Adams gallery and purchased a few small prints. 

“So the day after, we’ll drive more to do Glacier Point and Tunnel View since that’s all one drive in the same direction,” Justin said. 

“Sounds like a plan.”

They finished their drive around the valley before going back to the hotel. 

“Let’s just relax for a while.  We’ll do dinner, maybe another little walk by the river around sunset…”

“That sounds incredibly romantic and relaxing.  I wish I could stay here forever…”

“Then you’ll LOVE Montana, we can stay as long as we want…”

Deana got out her book, snuggling with Justin on the couch as she read aloud. Her head in his lap, he gently stroked her hair as she read.

“I admit I was worried it would be too big an adjustment to not being on tour, but this has been perfect so far. No agenda, just relaxing and enjoying time together,” Justin sighed happily. 

“Why would it be difficult? I don’t need to go here or be seen there.  I love YOU, whatever we choose to do, wherever we go, I just want to be with YOU.”

“I know. It’s been fancy hotels and all this stuff, it’ll change once we get home.”

“It’ll be better, because it’s us. What we choose to do because we want to, not because of a schedule.”

“You’re right. I shouldn’t have doubted you.”

Dinner at the hotel had a stricter dress code, so they changed for dinner before heading downstairs. Justin in black slacks and a white collared button up, Deana in her green lace dress.  The way the light hit as the sun started to set made the dining room look even grander. The food was amazing, meeting their expectations. 

Deana wore her ballet flats so she would be comfortable for their stroll along the trees and the river.  They walked hand in hand in the sunset light, taking in their surroundings. 

Justin stopped, pulling her close to him, kissing her softly.  He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, a soft smile on his face. 

“This has been a perfect first day here, Justin, thank you,” she said quietly. 

“Shall we head back to our room, get the fireplace going a little, maybe some reading by the fireplace with a couple glasses of wine…”

“Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Timberlake?” she asked. 

“Maybe…” he smiled. “Is it working?”

“Always.”