Cresswell: The Lunar Chronicles

Chapter One Hundred and Nineteen

Thorne fixed the pillow beneath his head, adjusting his arm around Cress and staring out the opened balcony doors. It wasn't very late in the day but already the sky had started to change colors, the ocean crashing in the distance, the faint smell of salt and wind in the air. Aces he missed California.

Cress's hair tickled his chin and he smoothed a hand over the top of her head to move it away. She lightly arched her back in a stretch.

"I'm hungry again," she said with half a laugh.

"Shocking. Let's see what—" Thorne paused, partially sitting up. "Wait did we bring anything to eat?"

Cress blinked. "No. I mean, there's some snacks left over in my seat on the Rampion. Oh aces, I didn't even think to bring food. I don't know why."

Thorne almost laughed. "Me either." He nudged her waist.

"We should get some stuff, we can't not have food with everyone coming. Poor Wolf."

"We could psyche them all out and tell them we forgot."

Cress laughed. "We could. But I'm hungry now."

"Ah. Well, we can't have that." Thorne squeezed her in another tight hug, kissing her cheek. "I love you, Damsel."

Cress grinned. "I know I'll love you once you feed me."

Thorne laughed. "Okay, okay, okay. Lemme order something that can be delivered so you don't collapse on me. What do you want?" he asked, changing back into his jeans.

"Mm. Chicken. Ooh, like chicken nuggets or a chicken sandwich. Maybe some coleslaw and french fries? Oh! What was that cheese burger place we went to the last time we were here?"

"There's eight million cheese burger places here."

Cress shifted her lips to the side.

"I'll figure it out. Anything else?"

"Nope. Thank you," she added with a sheepish smile.

Thorne winked. He leaned over the bed and kissed her. He fished around his bag for his port and ordered a few fried chicken sandwiches, some coleslaw, french fries, and two black-and-white milkshakes.

"Let's put together a list while we're waiting," Cress said as she tore her gaze from the window.

"Sounds good." Thorne cocked his head to the side, taking her hand and walking back down the winding staircase. He almost wished the house wasn't so beautiful just so he could have something of his parents to pick on.

"You know something I've been wanting to check out," Thorne started, smiling despite himself after they'd finished putting together their grocery list, "is look at getting a hover."

"Ooh what kind?"

"I don't know. I was kinda thinking of checking out one of the new solar paneled cars."

"Oh so like one that actually had wheels?"

"Yeah. Because they're solar paneled and not magnetic, they're supposed to have a longer shelf life and more mechanical capabilities." 

Cress smirked. "Kinda funny how driving cars are coming back around again."

"I know," Thorne scoffed. He started to say something else when the front doorbell rang.

"Finally!" Cress groaned, fairly leaping up and darting to the front door.

"I hope you don't act like this in front of people; they might think I'm not feeding you."

"You're not, I'm practically starving," she retorted, walking back in with a massive bag of food in her hands. She set it down on the coffee table, kneeling down on the ground and unloading their orders.

"Smells good." Thorne leaned forward, helping her.

"What'd you get me?" Cress asked, awkwardly holding two different boxes and peering inside the bag.

"A couple chicken sandwiches, some coleslaw, fries, and a chocolate milkshake."

Cress grinned. "Thank you!"

Thorne winked at her. "You got it. Hey you wanna take a picnic to the beach tomorrow?"

"Ooh that'd be fun. Can we try the hot tub out tonight?"

"Yeah, totally." Thorne shoved a couple fries in his mouth. "Hey so any chance our kid will be able to glamour people? You know, cause you're a shell."

Cress lightly frowned, thinking. "I don't know. I don't think so, because he or she would be half-Lunar. I'm pretty sure a shell could have a normal Lunar with another Lunar. But I don't know," she added with a shrug.

"So if you'd married a Lunar, you could have had a glamourable baby?"

"I think so."

"That would be pretty cool cause then your kid wouldn't be able to make you do anything."

Cress laughed. "Yes, true."

As soon as Cress had some food in her, Thorne dragged her to the grocery story so they could stock up on enough food to last them at least a few weeks. They'd go back out again at the end of the month to get more.

As they were starting back to the house, Cress abruptly stopped, her eyes glued to an electronics store advertising the newest release of tablets and port screens.

"We've got perishables," Thorne reminded her, tugging her hand. "We'll come back."

"It won't take very long--ten minutes!"

"Ten minutes to you with the newest electronics is equivalent to Iko's ten minutes browsing a department store."

Cress pouted. "Yeah, okay." She sighed dramatically, letting Thorne pull her down the sidewalk.

"What do you need any more devices for?"

"I'm a hacker, I can never have to many devices. Count your blessings, I could be like a regular girl and buy an obscene amount of clothes--at least tablets don't take up any space."

"Ah, good point."

"Besides, I've never actually gone to the store and bought my own tablet and gotten to pick out the specific one I want, or the color, or size, or specs or anything like that. I mean, I guess I technically did when Mistress used to get me things, but I didn't get to do it myself."

Thorne scoffed. "But that's half the fun. Aces, why am I just now hearing about that?! You of all people never got to pick out a device?"

Cress shrugged, almost laughing. "I guess it just hasn't come up."

Thorne shook his head in disbelief. As soon as they got back to the house and unloaded all the groceries, Cress changed into her bathing suit.