Chapter Twenty
Lexi
“I actually woke up early today,” Brock tells me on the phone with a light chuckle. I’m lying on my bed, still in pajamas because it’s Saturday and I’m too lazy to get up. It’s only nine.
“What’s the occasion?” I ask him. “You told me your mom called you lazy bones last week.”
“Yeah. Was just thinking about stuff.”
“Like?”
Is he thinking about us almost slow dancing last night? Because I can’t stop thinking about it.
“I was wondering what your plans are for today,” he says.
I shrug, even though he can’t see it. “Don’t have any. What are yours?”
“I don’t have any plans, either, except for reading my grandpa’s book. But that can wait. I was thinking maybe we can do something together.”
“Just us?”
“Well, the guys wouldn’t like the thing I want to do. So yeah, just us. If you want.”
My insides perk with curiosity. “I don’t even know what the thing is.”
“Want to guess?”
I rub my chin. “How in the world am I supposed to guess?”
“It’s something you love.”
I wrack my brain. “Like food?”
“No. A place.”
“The dance studio?”
“Nope.”
I groan. “Just tell me.”
He laughs again, the sound touching every inch of me. I love hearing him laugh. “I thought maybe we can go to the science museum, like we used to do all the time.”
My eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. “The science museum? I’d love to go! I haven’t been there in, like, weeks.” They have exhibits of many different animals and creatures—like ocean life. I practically live there. Exaggeration, but you get what I mean.
He chuckles for another time. “There’s a science museum in Boston, but it’s nothing compared to the one we have here. So, you want to go?”
“Heck yeah! It changed so much since you last saw it. It’d be a crime not to go.”
“Okay. It opens at ten, so we have about an hour. Can I pick you up at five to ten?”
“Sounds great. I’m so excited.”
“Me, too. See you soon.”
“See you. And thanks.”
“Of course, Lexi.”
I hang up, a wide smile growing on my face as I hug my phone to my chest. This is perfect. Brock hasn’t been to the museum in years and I’m dying to go again. Even though there haven’t been any new exhibits since I last went, I never get bored of the museum. There’s always something new to discover.
Still smiling, I get out of bed and search my closet for something nice to wear. Not super nice because we’re just going to the museum and it’s not a date. But I don’t want to look like I don’t care enough about our friendship. I settle on a lilac-colored dress that reaches just above my knees which is perfect for the September weather, plus leggings.
I go downstairs, where Mom’s watching something on TV. Looks like a cooking show.
“Morning,” I greet.
She smiles. “Morning, sweetie.”
I nod at the TV. “Searching for new recipes?”
“I think this particular recipe is beyond my capabilities.” She scans my outfit. “You look nice. Are you going out?”
I do a perfect pirouette to emphasize how this beautiful dress flows around me. “Yeah. Brock and I are going to the science museum.”
“That sounds like fun. You kids used to do that all the time.”
“I know. It was his idea. I love that we’re going back to how things were, like nothing changed. Even though a lot has.”
She nods slowly. “I’m very glad you guys are in a good place. Do you kids need a lift?”
“No,” I tell her as I grab some cereal and milk. “He’s picking me up.”
“On his bike?”
I stop pouring cereal and turn to her. “Is that a problem?”
She shakes her head. “No, I trust him. I just want you to be careful, that’s all.”
“Brock is very careful. He’d never let anything happen to me.”
“Yes, I know. He’s a good kid.”
I smile. “He is.”
We talk about different things as I eat my cereal. After cleaning up after myself, I say bye to Mom and go outside to sit on the steps and wait for Brock.
I can’t sit straight because I’m so excited. Brock and I spending hours at my favorite museum, just the two of us. It’ll be awesome.
The familiar sound of his bike roars in the distance. I leap to my feet, rushing down the stairs as he pulls up before my house. Lifting his visor, his eyes smile at me. “Hey.”
“Hey.” I walk over to him. “Not going to lie—I’m dying to get back on your bike.”
He laughs. “Really? Guess it was worth suffering all those late nights getting good grades just so you can ride my bike with me.”
I playfully narrow my eyes at him. “Suuure, you did it for me. I seem to remember a much younger version of Brock Hastings bragging about the bike he was going to get one day.”
He chuckles again. “Yeah, but at least we can both enjoy it now. Climb on behind me when you’re ready.”
I point at my hair. “I should probably bind this or it’ll fly all over the place.” I gather my curls into a high ponytail and clasp it with a hair tie. “Okay. I’m ready.”
I step up to the bike and, using his shoulder for balance, swing my leg over the bike. Once I’m securely on, I wrap my arms around his waist, once again feeling his hard muscles.
“Remember to hold on tight,” he says.
I squeeze him tighter.
He’s about to kick into gear, but pauses. “We have to make a stop at the mall and get you a helmet.”
“Okay.”
After he makes sure I’m holding onto him properly, we zoom off. Woohoo! This is just as much fun as the last time. Maybe more because I make sure to soak in every second of it.
We reach the mall quickly, he parks in the lot, then we head inside. We don’t spend a lot of time in the sporting goods store because we want to squeeze in as much time in the museum as we can. Once I choose a helmet in the color of the ocean, we exit the mall.
I place the helmet on my head, fidgeting with the strap that isn’t clasping shut. “Ugh. What am I doing wrong?”
“Let me.” His fingers sweep under my chin as he closes the strap. A shiver runs through me and the place he touches tingles.
“Thanks.”
He grins, tugging on the strap to make sure it’s secure. “No prob. You’re good to go.”
“Do I at least look cute?”
“Adorable.”
My cheeks feel warm. “Take a pic.”
He reaches into his back pocket for his phone and snaps a few photos of me. He holds it out for me to see them.
“You’re right. I do look pretty darn cute.”
“The cutest.”
That makes my cheeks grow warm again, more intense this time.
Brock gives me such a sweet smile that makes me want to fling my arms around him and squish the living daylights out of him.
“We should get going,” he says, his cheeks a little red, too.
“Yeah. We don’t want to waste any precious time.”
We climb onto the bike and zoom to the museum. This ride is a bit longer and I enjoy every single second of it. I’m sure Brock can hear my yelps, squeals, and cheers because I feel him laughing.
We reach the museum and Brock slides into an empty space. It’s the weekend, so it’ll probably be filled with lots of people, but I don’t really mind.
There are many parents with kids heading inside, some jumping in excitement. One girl, around eight, is gushing to her parents what she wants to see. She reminds me of me when I was that age.
Brock and I make our way inside, where we pay for tickets. Like I expected, the place is swarming with people, but it’s not too terrible. I’m not sure we’ll have a chance to see everything we want, though.
“Where do you want to go first?” Brock asks, pushing his bangs out of his eyes.
I smile crookedly at him. “Don’t you know me, Brock Hastings?”
His eyebrows furrow like he’s solving a complicated math problem. “I don’t know. It’s been so long… I have no idea what you want to see. Could it be the birds? Maybe the elephants? What about the bugs?”
I playfully whack him in the chest.
He taps his chin. “What exhibit is Alexis West obsessed with? Hmm.” His eyes light up. “Could it be ocean life?”
“Oh my gosh! You know me so well.”
We both burst out laughing. My smile drops. “Too bad they don’t have the blue whale exhibit. That was so kickbutt.” They had a blue whale exhibit when I was eight, then brought it back two years ago.
He nods. “Yeah, too bad. You were crazy about that whale.”
“Can you blame me? Blue whales are the greatest things to have ever been created.”
Smiling, he takes both my hands, looking into my eyes. “I know. They’re incredible, just like you.”
I gaze into his beautiful eyes, the color of the ocean. “Thanks.”
We stare at each other for what feels like hours before a kid who’s chasing his sister smacks right into Brock, sending him crashing into me.
His arms wrap around me before I fall backward from the impact. “I got you.”
I bury my face in his chest, loving how strong and protected I feel. “That kid reminds me of someone.”
Drawing back, he lifts a brow. “Who?”
“You. Remember how you crashed into Noah at Evie’s eighteenth birthday party because you were chasing me? You knocked his plate full of food out of his hand.”
He laughs. “Yeah, I remember. Are you okay, though? Sorry I crashed into you.”
I wave my hand. “I’m fine. Let’s go to the ocean life before it gets too crowded.”
As Brock and I walk side by side, I take in our fingers that are only inches away from one another. I wrap my pinky around his.
He glances at our hands before shifting his fingers to interlock with all of mine. I love how warm his hand is.
We enter the ocean life exhibit and spend a lot of time here. Even though I know this place like my own house, it’s somewhat new for Brock since they made improvements. He takes his time checking everything out, specifically the sharks.
We spend many hours at the museum, visiting all different kinds of exhibits. The museum closes early on the weekends, so it’s time for us to head out. Plus, we’re starving.
“Burgers or pizza?” I ask Brock.
He shrugs. “I’m good with whatever.”
“I’m in the mood for burgers.”
“Then Mikey’s it is.”
He makes a move to head to the exit, but I place my hand on his arm. “I want to check out the gift shop first.”
“Something tells me you bought every item in the shop.”
“Not every item.” I grin innocently. “Only the ocean life ones.”
He gestures. “Lead the way.”
He follows me into the gift shop and smiles as he takes in the many items he recognizes from years ago, as well as the new items. The T-shirts and caps are pretty much the same—the museum’s logo displayed in different colors. Most of the stuffed animals are the same, as well as some puzzles and crafts. Brock heads over to the puzzles. He’d buy a new one every time we went to the museum together. Until he got them all. I remember how he asked the staff if they were getting more and was disappointed when they told him no.
He puffs out his cheeks. “Nothing new. Not even after four years. Maybe it’s time I broaden my horizons.” He heads over to the board games. “Seems like these are for kids.”
“Yeah, kind of. And I already have that one.” I point to one of the games. “Remember when all of us used to play it together?”
He nods, lips lifting in a grin. “And everyone fought who’d play because there are only four players.”
I laugh. “Yeah.”
He moves to the next section. “Pins and figurines. Hmm. I want something special. Something that means something to me.”
I lift a brow. “Something to do with sharks?”
His cheeks grow a little red. “Well, yeah. But I’m open to other stuff, too.”
“A mug with a hammerhead shark on it?” I hold it out to him.
“That’s cool, but I’m not much of a coffee drinker.”
“You can always use it for hot cocoa or something.”
He takes it from me. “Maybe. Let’s continue looking. What about you?”
Releasing a breath, I look around. “I kind of want to get a stuffed shark. I know, I know, I have tons of stuffed animals. But I don’t have a shark. I think my blue whale can use a friend.”
He smiles. “That’s awesome. What kind of shark?”
I head over to the display of different plushies and pick up a whale shark. “This seems perfect because it combines two of our favorite sea creatures. Sharks and whales. Looking at it will remind me of the fun day we had today. And it’s so soft.” I squish it to me.
Brock stretches his hand to give the whale shark a head massage. “Yeah, it really is soft.” He taps his chin. “What should I get?” His eyes roam around and widen as they settle on something in the distance. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this before.” He goes to the other end of the shop and picks up a box.
I hurry to his side and take a look at what he’s so interested in. “An LED great white shark light. That’s really cool!”
He stares down at the box with an excited grin. “Okay, it’s definitely coming home with me.”
“Nice. Anything else?”
He shrugs. “Yeah, the mug. Maybe I’ll get a T-shirt, too.” He walks over to where the clothes and caps are and takes a green one. After we pay for our stuff, we leave the museum, climb onto his bike, and make our way to Mikey’s.
Like the museum, there are a lot of people, but we manage to find a booth in the back. “I bet if we came here five minutes later we’d have nowhere to sit,” I tell him.
“Probably. You know, this place hasn’t changed at all.”
“Not one bit. But that’s what makes it so special.”
He nods. “It’s crazy that my parents and aunts and uncles hung out here, too. And if I have kids one day, they’ll come here with their friends.”
“Yeah. And they’ll be eating the same burgers and fries we eat today.”
He nods.
Macy, one of the servers here, comes over to us with a tablet. “What would you like to order?”
She’s been working here forever, since she graduated high school over thirty years ago. After we give her our orders, she nods and walks off.
Brock bends close to me, whispering, “And she still doesn’t smile.”
I poke him in the ribs. “Don’t be mean.”
“Sorry, but my aunts and uncles told me how horrible she was to them in high school and after she started working here. Thankfully, she’s gotten better.”
“Yeah. So, did you have fun today?”
“Of course. I always have fun when I’m with you.”
Even though this isn’t the first time he’s said this, my insides tingle. “Thanks. I always have fun with you, too.”
He grins cheekily. “I know.”
I playfully shove his arm. I love when he’s like this. It feels like everything is back to normal with us. His eyes still carry some pain, though, a constant reminder of what happened.
Macy returns with our food, muttering for us to enjoy. Brock and I thank her, then dive into our burgers.