The Road Trip by Jerry Cole

College graduation usually signals the beginning of independence, the end of any remnants of adolescence and childhood, and a time for embarking on new and exciting ventures. For recent graduate Dyson, it represents the opposite – confusion, uncertainty, and fear. An artistic, anxiety-prone fellow, Dyson sees the end of college as a looming event; he waits impatiently for his best friend and secret love, Jordan, to make a decision about what his next steps are, and when he doesn’t make one, neither does Dyson.

For over nine years, Dyson and Jordan have been friends, and for nine years Dyson has harbored unrequited feelings for him. Though he knows that Jordan likes women and won’t ever love him the way he loves Jordan, he can’t bear to think of being far apart from Jordan and refuses to make a decision about his future until Jordan does. Being a laid-back, relatively calm person, Jordan isn’t too concerned about making any definite plans – that is, until the night of graduation. Running up to Dyson in an excited, drunken state, he convinces a confused Dyson to leave on a cross-country road trip the very next day, stating only that he wants to see the Grand Canyon before real life crashes down on them. Confused but willing to go, Dyson agrees and the two are on the road the next morning.

But Dyson soon realizes that being in such close proximity on such a meaningful trip with the guy he loves is much more difficult than he anticipated. And as the trip progresses, Jordan becomes secretive and Dyson becomes suspicious about the true reason for Jordan’s sudden desire to see the Grand Canyon. Will Dyson successfully wrestle with his feelings for Jordan? And will Dyson discover why the Grand Canyon is so important to Jordan – and be able to deal with the consequences?