Train Wreck

twenty nine

Remington POV

"About a half hour?" Dad asked, smirking as I rushed to pack my laptop. 

I nodded, "Yeah, guess getting the car went faster than Lissy expected so she figured she and Benji would come by and pick us up to grab lunch in town before we get all the gear for Princess Peach."  We shared a chuckle while recalling how sweet Lissy and Benji's new dog was the previous night, especially as she flipped onto her back for belly rubs after Lissy moved and woke her from a nap.

"Which car did they go with?" He gave me a curious look and followed me inside, all the way back to my room while I scrambled to catch up with everything I needed to get done.

My brain froze a moment and I stared into space, unable to answer. Dad laughed, "It's okay, I can be surprised. I'll let you shower and change. That gives me time to get changed, too."

He was still chuckling as he wheeled away but my head began a checklist of things to do.

First: Shower.

The water was scalding but it kept me grounded while I thought back to the previous night.

Alice looked good enough to eat.

The red dress Daisy chose was incredible.

My mind wandered but I reeled myself in, shaking the thoughts from my head while I washed my hair and finished up quickly.

Our talk was quicker than I anticipated thanks to Dad's need to head home. We chatted about us, how we were committed to trying the relationship out, and how she was just as present in our connection as I was.

It validated every feeling I've had for her since the first time our eyes met on the train.

There were no declarations or confirmations or moments of fireworks.  Just a quiet chat in the yard, softly reminding each other that no matter what happens next we will stick together.

After grabbing jeans and a blue polo shirt I dried my hair further and threw some product in.  I realized it was getting longer but made the decision that I wanted to grow my hair out a bit. May as well continue trying new things while I'm home awhile. I looked in the mirror and decided to leave the scruff as well, setting aside my electric razor and cleaning up my beard around the neck so it was less messy.

Change is good, after all.

"They're here!" Dad hollered from the living room just as I was grabbing my phone from the charger. I grinned to myself before snagging my wallet and keys, locking the door as we left.

Lissy was standing by a black used four door Ford Focus. It was an older model but I remembered seeing this exact car when Benji was scrolling the previous night. Jesse pointed it out since the mileage was incredibly low, even though it was almost seven years old.

Benji popped out of the passenger seat while Jesse pulled into the road in front of my house. He nodded toward Jesse's car, "So, we weren't sure if we could fit my dumb crutches plus the wheelchair, plus groceries and puppy stuff, but Jesse was happy to drive as well so we can all go get everything we need for Peach!"

I met Lissy's eyes and saw her smile, offering a shy wave.  "So, Daisy is with us. Which car are you taking, Remi?"

Dad shook his head and wheeled toward Jesse's car, chuckling as he waved at Lissy while he passed.  "Meet you downtown so we can grab lunch somewhere!"

I followed close behind and Jesse met me by the car to help Dad into the passenger seat, moving to the trunk so we could take apart the wheelchair.