Royals

Chapter 10

The primary emotion that ran through me when I first woke up was fear.

It was way too bright outside to be morning time, so I hastily glanced at my phone to check the time. When 1:15 p.m. glowed on my screen, my trepidation heightened.

I noticed that Bailee had texted me.

                 Bailee: I let Lillia know that you didn't get much sleep last night and would be taking the day off. Call if you need anything.

                Emily: Can't even begin to express my appreciation. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

It then that I realized that my head was resting on Joey's chest. I closed my eyes and inhaled his inviting, minty scent. I felt a deep chuckle vibrate through his body, and when I realized I'd been caught, my cheeks turned crimson.

"Good morning to you, too," he said in his raspy morning voice. "Seeing as we practically slept through school, do you want to get breakfast?"

I nodded and struggled to get out of the hammock. I felt his hot breath on the back of my neck as he laughed at my fail, before he lifted me up bridal style. I was grateful that the hoodie and sweatpants hid the abrupt goose bumps that coated my body. He kissed my temple before placing me on the ground.

"Stay put," he instructed. I was too tired to disobey, so I stood there. He grabbed my blanket, wrapped it around me, and then swooped me up in his arms again.

"I can walk, you know," I told him.

"I don't want you to trip over your blanket," he responded plainly. Despite his crappy justification, I didn't argue with him. Instead, I snuggled into his chest until we arrived to his car.

During the drive to the Waffle House, I managed to get my hair into a messy bun and rub the sleepy expression from my face.

We ignored the strange looks that were shot our way in the restaurant, and focused our ravenous thoughts on our waffles. Mine were topped with strawberries, while Joey's were smothered with blueberries.

"Do you think we should go to Penelope's party this weekend?" I hesitantly asked.

"Yeah, I think it'll be fun. We haven't been to a party in forever."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm kind of excited for it," I gushed.

"Are we staying at a hotel or at Penelope's?"

"She's going to have so many people there. I say we're better off just going to a hotel," I replied honestly.

"I was thinking the same thing," he laughed.

We spent the rest of the time shoving waffles in our mouths and teasing each other about being messy eaters. Despite my previous hatred for blueberries, he insisted that I tried his waffles. Eventually, I complied, and to my surprise, they were actually pretty good.

"You're just too stubborn to try new things," he casually declared.

"I am not."

In an amused tone, he shot back, "Are too."

On the drive home, I was so lost in thought that I hadn't even noticed when we were parked.

"Is something on your mind?" Joey wondered aloud.

"No."

"Emily..."

"Joseph..." I mocked.

He frowned, and at the moment, I made my decision: I would show him.