by A. J. Macey
“Brinner?” I added with a shrug. “Breakfast and dinner.”
“Fourth meal,” Kingston continued the ridiculous conversation.
“But we’re not at Taco Bell, that’s their thing,” Jesse argued, “I like brinner.” His shy smile and the fact he agreed with me had those butterfly wings flapping in my belly on overdrive. I loved the little ways he let me know I mattered to him.
“Brinner it is! But right now, all I care about is flopping into bed and not moving,” Reid stated. “You’re working at eleven, right, Cali girl?” I nodded, pulling cash out and moving to pay my bill at the counter when Reid snatched the receipts and shoved them into Kingston’s outstretched hand. I half glared, but I had learned several times ago, there was nothing to say when they wanted to pay, so I let it go.
The drive back to Kingston’s was quiet, a late-night radio talk show filling the silence as we all digested our food. I thought everyone might have been asleep, but when we walked in, Stella and Kaleb were cuddled up on the couch, watching a movie. They just waved, content to let us go to Kingston’s room to sleep.
This was the first time I had been in here since the barbeque, and this time, my mind was clear enough to look around. Jesse is safe and sound with us, no need to be nervous this time. Kingston had a large, king-sized bed, covered in a blue plaid comforter and matching sheets. On the far wall, in the large open space, was a futon that looked well-loved. A TV hung on the wall next to it, and the door open to the left revealed a messy, walk-in closet. On the carpet, there was a large, blue rug, matching his sheets. While the room was massive, it felt homey and warm, with the signature scent of orange and cinnamon permeating the space.
“Got some pajamas, Babydoll?”
I nodded, realizing there was only the bed and futon for the four of us.
“Where am I sleeping?” I murmured, glancing at Kingston, who smiled.
“You, me, and Reid will be on the bed, and Jesse will take the futon as usual,” he explained.
Why does he always take the futon? I wondered, my brows dipping unconsciously. Noticing the look on my face, King’s smile softened, but he gave his head an imperceptible shake. Okay, then. Guess I’ll just focus on getting ready for bed.
“Goodnight, Em,” Jesse said when I came back out, cupping my jaw and giving me a soft kiss.
“Goodnight, Jesse,” I murmured, my lip tucking between my teeth as I stared up into his dark brown eyes, loving the way they lit up as he looked at me.
“Come on, Cali girl, let’s get some sleep,” Reid gently suggested, hooking an arm around my waist and hoisting me up onto his shoulder. I squealed at the jarring movement, but I couldn’t help but laugh as he flopped me down on the soft mattress.
“Good thing I wasn’t super full anymore, otherwise that could have been bad.” I threw him a smirk and a raised brow, but he wasn’t fazed, waving me off as Kingston and he crawled onto their respective sides.
“I don’t think a bit of Emma throw-up would frighten me,” he countered.
I cringed, the thought of vomiting, making me groan. I hated throwing up.
Nice job, Em. Totally romantic thoughts to put in your boyfriends’ heads right before a cuddle session.
“Okay, let’s get some sleep,” Kingston directed, turning off the lamp as he talked. “Emma has exactly seven and a half hours until work. Got your alarm set?” I hummed an affirmative, hunkering down in bed. “Alright, night, everyone. Sleep tight, Babydoll.”
“Goodnight, Cali girl,” Reid mumbled, kissing my shoulder as he curled around my back.
“Night, guys,” I whispered. My hand reached out until it brushed across Kingston’s soft t-shirt. As soon as it touched him, a hand curled around mine, bringing it to his lips, his whiskers coarse and rough against my skin, but the sensation helped lull me into a dreamless sleep.
A loud thud and a half strangled, muffled shout jolted me upright from my cocoon in a sleepy panic. Reid and Kingston were both out of bed before I even realized what was happening. The moonlight was the only illumination in the space, but it was enough to see Jesse hunkered down in front of the futon, his hands up around his head and torso. The others didn’t approach him, their hands open and up as they talked softly.
“Jesse, it’s okay, you’re at Kingston’s,” Reid started. His voice gave Jesse pause, and his arms dropped slightly. My heart shattered as I saw Jesse’s wide, frightened gaze.
“Yeah, you’re in my room, on the futon,” Kingston continued, taking half a step closer, kneeling down in the process. “Emma’s here, do you want to talk to her?” Kingston and Reid looked over at me.
Unsure what to do or say, I sputtered out the first thing that popped into my head.
“Did you know a giraffe only needs one-point-nine hours of sleep, whereas a brown bat needs upward of twenty hours a day?”
“Em?” Jesse’s voice cracked, confusion lacing his single-worded question as his arms dropped down. “Is that you?”
“Yeah, Jess, it’s me,” I said softly. This has definitely happened before. Reid and Kingston are handling this far too well for it to be the first time. Reid and Kingston continued moving forward at a slow and steady pace, neither making physical contact with Jesse.
“You back?” Reid asked when they reached him. Jesse nodded, a hand running down his face as he sighed.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, his shoulders sagging as he looked at them.
“You don’t have to apologize,” Kingston reassured. “Was it the usual nightmare?” Jesse nodded again, glancing at me with a frown. Not wanting him to think I was afraid or put off, I climbed out of the middle of the bed and padded around to where they were all collected on the rug. Kneeling down, I gave Jesse a reassuring smile.
“You alright?” he asked, his hand coming forward to push a strand of hair out of my eyes I hadn’t even noticed. I nodded, grabbing his hand and pressing a lingering kiss to his palm.
“I should be asking you that,” I asked with a light tone. He huffed out a single laugh, not bothering to counter what I said.
“Cali girl, why don’t you sleep with Jesse on the futon,” Reid suggested, rubbing my back encouragingly. “We can unfold it to make room for both of you.”
“No—” Jesse tried to object, but I cut him off.
“That’s a great idea, babe”—I flashed a smile at Reid—“I would love to.”
Reid smirked and moved to expand the bed, happy to let me cut off Jesse’s potential argument. Kingston chuckled, helping Jesse up off the carpet before dropping a kiss on top of my head.
“Come on, Jess, let’s get some sleep.” I offered my hand, waiting for him to choose to come with me. After staring at me for a few moments, his fingers curled around my palm and squeezed, following me to the futon. As we walked over to the now expanded bed, I glanced at Reid and Kingston, my brow raising discreetly in question. Of course, neither answered me, only grimacing with head shakes small enough, they didn’t catch Jesse’s attention. Grinding my teeth, I let it go, focusing on helping Jesse get a good night’s sleep.
Well, as good as he can get after something like that.
As he had when he stayed the night in my room, Jesse curled around me, his arm coming to rest over my chest as his nose pressed into my shoulder and neck. It was only a minute until I started to drift off once more, a soft whisper following me into sleep.
“Thank you, Em.”
After a few hours of sleep, following Jesse’s nightmare, I found myself bustling around. Coffee Grounds was busy with customers, the cold wave bringing in loads of people wanting a hot drink or a pumpkin spiced treat to get them through the day. Lyla and I worked in tandem, taking and filling orders, stocking the counters as needed, taking only a few brief moments to chill between the large groups of people.
Finally, after about four hours of non-stop rushing, the crowd slowed, and we were able to breathe. Lyla leaned against the chest-high bartop, her head propped on her hand as she wiped the top with a rag. I echoed
her tired stance, slouching against the counter behind the register. My feet throbbed, and I was tired, but Lyla stuck out her tongue at me, distracting me long enough, I didn’t swirl into negative thoughts.
“So, you’re extra quiet today, anything on your mind?” Lyla asked, giving me narrowed eyes and propping her fist on her hip. I gave a soft chuckle.
Should’ve known she’d pick up on it as soon as my thoughts went south.
“Not much,” I tried to say, but Lyla’s brows rising sharply told me she didn’t believe a word I said. “Just thinking about Thanksgiving. My mom and I went over to Kingston’s and celebrated it there.”
“Was it awkward? Your mom and your boyfriends?” Lyla questioned.
“Eh,” I hummed, shrugging awkwardly as I struggled to explain what was on my mind. “It wasn’t weird, necessarily, because my mom doesn’t know about the three of us. She walked in on me kissing Kingston, so she definitely knows about him. No, my thing was she keeps getting called away for work stuff, and I don’t know… I’m lonely, and I miss her, and the fact she left Thanksgiving for work just bothers me, I guess,” I trailed off, realizing I was rambling.
“Ugh, that’s the worst. My dad used to be like that when I was growing up, always gone for work trips. He finally retired, but that was after all of us had grown up. Not that I’d trade it for anything, mind you, but still,” she explained, her hand rolling in the air animatedly. “On the positive, though, you got to spend a little time with her, and Christmas is coming up, so you’ll get even more time soon.”
I tried to look on the bright side, mustering a smile. Lyla was right, I got to spend some time with her, and focusing on good over bad was the best thing to do.
Now, if this happens again at Christmas, that’ll be a whole other issue.
“How’d you get to be so smart?” I teased with a laugh. “You always seem to know just what to say.”
“Been there, done that, I guess,” she shrugged, her cheeks tinting pink. “I know what it’s like to need someone’s fresh perspective on things, and sometimes, that’s the best way to get clarity on the shit going on in your life,” she explained, her voice lacking its usual boisterous enthusiasm. Grabbing a second rag, I bumped shoulders with her as I came around the counter to help wipe down the tables. Lyla laughed, straightening as she finished wiping down the counter.
“You know I’m here for you too, Ly,” I added.
“Yeah, you’re pretty cool, you know… for a high schooler,” she teased, her signature smile returning to her freckled face.
“So, how was your Thanksgiving?” I asked now that our deeper conversation was finished.
“It was good! All twenty thousand of my family members were there, but thankfully, there weren’t any family fist fights,” she explained, moving to the table next to me. “Although Rick ended up making a fool of himself.”
“Tell me, tell me,” I egged her on, curiosity burning as she laughed.
“Well, since it’s such a big get together, we usually have our holidays at my aunt and uncle’s property because they have a large barn they use for events. You know, weddings and stuff, so it’s big enough to fit all of us. Well, the food was all lined up on one end of the room on a large buffet line, and Rick, if you haven’t noticed, is a bit clumsy, which is why being manager here instead of a barista is a good fit. So, he was walking along, actually paying attention to his surroundings, or so he says, and ends up tripping.”
“Oh God,” I laughed, having an idea of where this was going.
“Ended up falling and face planting right into one of the extra pies. It was the pumpkin pie... covered in whip cream... it got everywhere, including up his nose.” She was laughing so hard, she had to pause to catch her breath. I could totally picture it—redhead Rick and his pale, freckled face, covered in whip cream and orange pumpkin pie—and I lost it. Rick’s deadpan laugh radiated through the room, only making my own laughter worse as tears streamed down my face.
“Ha ha, yes, so very funny. At least I didn’t spill my glass of hot cider on myself, Lyla,” he called out, smirking in triumph. Their back and forth familial banter made me laugh harder until I was barely standing, the table I was leaning against the only thing keeping me upright.
Who needs siblings when I have these two?
5
November 30th
Today, I will drink some orange juice. According to WebMD, high levels of vitamin C are said to physiologically reduce your stress levels.
#AllTheStressReduction #GimmeOJ #StressfreeSaturday
Knowing the weather was going to be chilly, lower than it was most of the time in Cali, I bundled up in a thick sweater, sweatshirt, and coat. I also grabbed my knit hat and scarf, gloves, and a blanket to make sure I wouldn’t freeze. Running up the stairs, I poked my head into my mom’s office.
“I’m heading to watch Reid’s last lacrosse game,” I informed, pulling my hat over my hair. “Then, I have work this evening.”
“Going with your friends?” she questioned, her eyes darting between her file on her desk and her computer screen.
“Nope, just me.”
“Kingston isn’t going? Is he alright with you going to watch his best friend’s game without him?” She looked at me with a sharp brow raise.
“Uh, yeah, Reid’s my friend too, and that isn’t going to stop just because I’m dating Kingston,” I explained, my stomach dropping. She hummed skeptically.
“Alright then, have fun. Let me know where you are throughout the day,” she stated, turning back to her work. As I darted down the stairs and out to my car, I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of bitterness, she was just now asking me to check in when it wasn’t like she’d cared any other time in the last few years since I got a car and a phone.
Doesn’t matter, I thought, hopping into my car. It’s time to go surprise Reid.
“Holy crap, it is so freaking cold here!” I hissed under my breath, wrapping the blanket around me tighter. The stands weren’t full, but there were more people here than I had anticipated, most of them were bundled up like I was. A blanket was definitely a good idea. I made sure to sit in one of the first rows, hoping Reid would be able to see me. After a few more minutes of fiddling around on my phone, the teams came out onto the field.
As expected, Reid was focused on the game and his teammates as they warmed up and got started. I’d never watched a lacrosse game, so at that point, I was just watching them run around the field. Granted, I’d seen enough football, I was able to hazard a guess what was happening, so as soon as the crowd started to cheer for our team, I did too.
“Yeah! Go, Reid! Woo!” I screamed obnoxiously loud, catching the eyes of several people around me, but I waved my arm when he looked over. His confused frown split into a bright smile when he realized it was me. I could see the happiness that lit his face even from halfway across the field.
No, Emma! No happy dances. Keep those toes curled.
Over the next hour, I kept my eyes peeled to Reid’s ‘21’ jersey as he played or rested, finding myself really enjoying the game despite my teeth chattering. The final score was called, and I jumped up along with the others who had come to the game and celebrated our win. Even though Reid had played pretty much the entire game, he sprinted to the building I assumed held the locker rooms, taking the lead and running ahead of his still-celebrating teammates. It only took a few minutes until my phone was buzzing in my hand.
Reid: I’ll be out in a bit<3
Emma: I’m not going anywhere, babe.
Reid: You’re perfect!
Excited, giddy, and away from the other spectators, I did a little squeal, my lip tucked between my teeth. As promised, Reid came back out onto the field only a few minutes later, hair damp and changed into a pair of sweats and a hoodie. Darting down the sideline, he vaulted over the fence, separating the stands from the turf.
“Cali girl!” he exclaimed, panting from exertion. “I didn’t know you were coming today.”
&nb
sp; “I wanted it to be a surprise,” I explained, shrugging, “I figured I didn’t have a chance to go to any of your games, and since this was the last one, I would... I don’t know...”
“Surprise me?” he finished with a smile. My cheeks burned, the signature tingling as my skin blushed under his attention.
“Yeah. Want to grab some coffee before I have to head to work? I have another two hours, but I wasn’t sure when the guys were expecting you,” I rambled, continuing to pepper him with questions as I bundled the blanket up and stuffed it under my arm.
“I’d love to get coffee, but before I go to Kingston’s, I need to change. Want to come over for a bit while I do that? It’ll only take a second,” Reid explained, his arm going over my shoulder. “Don’t worry, it’s not sweat, I showered.”
“I assumed, seeing your soaking wet hair, but that sounds great. I can finally be nosy and see what Reid Hughes’ room looks like. Is it dark and broody? Oh! It’s pink, isn’t it? That’s why you love my room so much, huh?” I teased as we walked up the stone steps to the parking lot.
“You know it, Cali girl,” he exclaimed proudly before losing it in a fit of laughter. “Meet you there?”
“That’d be great.” Reid hurried around me, opening the driver’s side door of my car, signaling me to have a seat with an exaggerated arm wave. I couldn’t stop the grin that curled my lips as I climbed in and buckled up, trying not to shiver at the biting chill of the seat.
Hey, it’s better than being outside in the Nebraska winter wind.
Fifteen minutes later, we pulled up to Reid’s home, a modern single-story house that looked relatively new. The exterior was dark, almost black, while the trim was a light gray. The lines were sharp, standing out against the large tree in the front yard, I knew would have been lush and bright if it wasn’t winter. Reid pulled into the third space in the drive as I pulled up to the curb.