Chapter 39 #2
"Let's just rent a movie and stay in," Bay suggests. "I'm too tired this week to do much." I look closer at him, but he's not obviously tired.
"Are you feeling okay?" I ask.
"Yup. Just worked a lot this week and didn't sleep well last night."
Nodding, I take a seat beside Seb. "So, what food trucks are we going to, Alex?"
"There are five," he smiles, pulling out his phone. "A dessert truck with homemade ice cream and cake, one with sweet and savory waffles, a bbq truck, gourmet burgers, and one with wood-fired pizza."
"Oh man, let's try them all," Seb moans, rubbing his belly.
"We can each order from a truck and share," Zander suggests. "They all sound good."
"Sold!" Seb announces, punching his fist into the air.
Bay takes a seat on the couch, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.
Alex tells us the plane has returned to its owner and the medical bed is back in Virginia.
I thank him again for arranging and paying for it all.
The plane and bed completely slipped my mind once they were out of sight, my focus solely on Jake.
Zander and he talk about the luxury plane while we wait to leave.
"How are you doing, Hurry?" I ask quietly.
"I don't know. E and I are awkward as fuck. He sits with us, and he talks to Alex and Bay, but we don't really speak. I miss him so much."
"I know," I reply, taking his hand in mine. "I miss him too, but I don't know how to get through to him. Has he said anything about his situation?"
"Alex and Steven talked to him, but Alex didn't know if it helped," Seb shrugs. "Jake is hot," he whispers near my ear.
"I think so," I smile.
Zander tells us it's time to leave, so we gather at the elevator, and Alex drives us over to the park.
It has a large parking lot, but it's busy, so he parks at the far end.
The guys chat with Zander as we walk across the grass to the food trucks.
I spot Ray standing off to the side and call his name.
He looks over and waves at us. There's lots of picnic tables spread out on the grass, but most are full.
I spot an empty one on the left edge. "Guys, I'm going to grab that empty table," I point. "Someone want to go with me?"
"I will," Bay offers, so we break off as the rest keep walking towards the food.
We sit just in time. The other few empty tables fill up quickly until there's none left. "So, were you working overtime at the shop all week?"
"No. I worked after school every day, but Penny's a night owl. She likes to talk late at night. We were on the phone last night until 2am."
"Ah. That would do it. How is Penny?" I ask. Why does it still make me sad when I talk about her? She's so nice that I feel guilty about feeling sad. My feelings for Bay need to settle down, and soon.
"She's good. Studying for the SATs like us. How are you doing with all this?"
"Good. I'm excited about the test on Friday. The thought of Jake being awake is mind-blowing, but I know this is gonna work."
"I assume you'll come back here for the test?"
"Yeah. I'll stay up here for a while if it works, but if not, I'll go right back home until the next one. It's gonna be hard to concentrate at school."
Bay nods as Ray joins us with a container of barbecue. "The others are waiting for their orders. Mind if I eat?"
"No, go ahead," I smile.
Ray digs in while Bay and I continue to chat about life, and I realize I can book my driving test soon. There's always a lot to do.
Zander, Seb, and Alex come back with stacks of containers and drinks. We open it all up on the table, then dig in. I try the wood-fired pizza first and love it so much I eat half the margarita pizza. Zander has a burger and waffle on his plate, while the guys have a bit of everything.
"Do you not enjoy barbecue anymore, Summer?" Ray asks.
"I do, just not a huge fan of the vinegar-based sauces down here."
"These guys don't know what they're missing, do they?" he smiles.
"No, they don't. We have better coleslaw up north too."
"You're right, we do."
"What do you mean?" Seb asks.
"Neither the barbecue nor the coleslaw is the same. Ours are creamier and thicker up north. Sweeter, too," Ray replies.
Seb nods in response. The guys keep the conversation going as they eat. Once the food is gone, we throw away our trash, and I ask to stop at the dessert truck. My guys surround me as we make our way through the crowd. "Is everything all right?" Ray asks as we wait in line.
"Oh, um, yeah. I'm not good with touch after everything."
Sadness fills his eyes as he looks at me and nods. He heard enough at the trial to figure it out, I'm sure.
We wait only a few minutes before it's our turn.
I order a dark chocolate ice cream bowl and a chocolate croissant.
The guys place their orders, then we step aside to wait.
Everything comes quickly, and soon we're walking toward the parking lot.
"You know who would love this?" I ask Hurry, holding up my bowl.
"Nick," he smiles. "He'd probably snatch your spoon and steal a bite." He gives me a side squeeze before going back to his own ice cream.
Ray parked much closer than us, so we wave goodbye to him before continuing on.
Alex asks Zander if he wants to join us in their room for a movie, but he declines, wanting to check in with Troy, so I follow the guys across the hall to their room when we get back to the hotel.
Their room is almost identical to yours.
I hop onto the bed beside Seb as Bay looks for a movie.
We pick an action film and settle in. Seb ends up lying on my lap with a pillow as I run my fingers through his hair absentmindedly.
Once the movie ends, I have to wake him up. He grumbles about moving but eventually sits up. I say goodnight to Alex and Bay, and then Seb walks me to my room. I get a quick, but passionate kiss as soon as the door to their room closes before crossing the hall to my room. "Night Hurry," I smile.
"Sweet dreams, Sunshine," he replies, giving me a hug and waiting until I'm in my room before leaving.
Zander's in bed already watching tv so I grab a quick shower and then snuggle down for the night.