Chapter 25: Chapter 25

Chapter twenty three.

Zack's POV.

It is afternoon when we get ready to set. James helped me carry the case, while I carry the bag. We have finished stocking the booth of the trunk. I asked him more about my car, and he assured once again that it's in safe hands. He said that once I've settled down in Los, I can come back anytime to pick it up....by then, it would have been fully repaired.

Currently, I'm standing in front of Mr. West, his hands on my shoulders, as he smiles down on me. Okay, let me clarify this. He is taller than I am.

"You are amazing, remember that. And hopefully, I'll be expecting you soon." He says to me, and pulls me closer, tightening me into his engulfing figure. I chuckle, and he does so too. He's making me feel like leaving now will be the end of our relationship.

"See you later then, sir." I say, and enrer the vehicle.

"James will take care of you."

Ah, yes, I know that, Mr. West. I would have told him that, but decided not to. James scoff, and kicks on the engine, pulling us off the garage.

As the trunk moves past, I watch the fascinating land, filled with nature. Why did I never think of taking pictures here before leaving? I could use it as book cover for some of my books.

Silence engulfs us, and I know not what to say. I have a tick that James is feeling the same thing I am. In about an hour more, I hear my phone rings from my pocket, before the vibration settles in.

Sliding it out of my back pocket, Susan's name is what appears on the screen. I quickly pick the call.

"Hey." I say on putting the phone close to my ears.

"Zack? Hello?"

"Yeah?" I say back, hoping she can hear me now.

"I saw your message. And I forgot to tell you that my flight couldn't work the way I expected. I'm just about to enter another. In about another one hour, I'll meet you guys at the airport." My heart had accelerated earlier, thinking of the opposite.

I breath out, "okay, no problem. Just give me a call once you've gotten there. We are on our way too." When I mention "we" I look over to James, and notice him to be far much focused on the wheel, and road in front of him.

"Nice. Later cuz." She chrips, and ends the call. I shake my head at the phone, and looking down into the dashboard, I see a cord there. In my time inside this trunk, I notice the radio could be connected with a phone through a cord, so I do so. Once connected, I play some music, using it to fill in the silence.

**

I don't know how many hours it's been since James has been driving, because when I wake up fully, I see that we are on stop. I got startled by that, but come into realization that we are parked in a filling station. In the past minutes, I dozed off, especially when the breeze was fanning too much and I couldn't resist the sleeping urge it gave.

James isn't in the car, which still makes me feel on the peak, and watchful of my environment. It is all taciturn, which is threatening by the way. You can't blame my nerves.

The door to a store by my left opens, and I jump-turn on the seat to it. Thank goodness the inside of the car isn't too crampy, which makes it possible. James is talking with someone, and is smiling. I continue to watch. He approaches the car, no one else with him, and he is carrying a white nylon bag with him.

When he get to the driver side, he finds it hard to open the door. He's seen me awake, but why won't be ask me for help? I don't mind it anyway, and help him out.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. But you could have asked." I still find it hard not to take it out on him.

He chuckles, and shake his head. Excuse me, what is funny?

He drops the nylon on the backseat. "What are those?"

"Foodstuffs." He replies, simply. "Thought I should get it for Susan." He's calling her by her name already, how open he is.

"Oh, that's nice. Thanks. She will have a plus one likeness in stock for you." When I say that, he hums and pouts.

"You never told me she already grew likeness towards me." Him, saying so makes my eyes open open, and my mouth gape momentarily.

"She definitely likes being the dominant, I guess you are too. You both sure will like each other. Just wait to see her." I say, and he laughs, turning on the engine again.

The drive continues for about few more hours. When we get to the sign of that welcomes us to the City, I smile, relived and breathed out.

"Thank God!" I literally yell that out loud, not caring about the shaken James beside me, until I stop and reprimand. "Sorry. I was just so happy."

"Understood." He replies with, simply.

I watch each buildings that passes by my vision in fascination, letting figures of them sink inside my head. Most times when I watch, or stare into something just too conspicuously, it isn't because I love the pattern, rather I was mastering the piece inside my head. And that is exactly what I'm doing right now, mastering the tall, earth-to-sky buildings built in glass structures.

"Wow. This is beautiful." James says in a wow tone. Even he is bemuse by the wonders of the alluring city.

Soon after exploring, he focuses back on the GPS, motioning us to the airport. I still continue to savour the loveliness of the picturesque, and statuesque sceneries.

Beautiful fountains comes into view as well. I am so thankful that I hadn't asked James to let me drive when the thought came to me.

In the next ten minutes more, we are pulling to a stop. I have no calls from Susan yet when I turn on the screen of my phone.

"You should call her."

"Exactly what I'm about to do." I say, and place the phone close my ear. On the second ring, she picks it up.

"Where are you guys?"

"At the airport, the parking space actually." I say into the speaker, and I hear her muffling before she speaks out.

"Okay, I'm, uh, coming there right now." We stay on the line. My ears could pick on her exasperated breathing, and at the background, the sound of the wheel of her case. "I'm there."

"Okay, you see a brown trunk?" I ask, and decide to add in more intricate description. "Behind two black sport cars." And then, I sight her frame. Oh, my...she's really here. Susan is here. Oh, God. I can't believe it, I mean, I can believe it...hell yeah, I do believe it, but it is just so exciting. I so much miss her.

"Come on, let's go and help her. I've seen her." I quickly get off the car after saying to James, having use my palm to block the speaker, so Susan won't hear. "Hey, I've seen you. I'm coming."

"Oh, please, hurry." Now, I see why she is sounding tired, it's because she is. Her face shows her weariness. Her wandering eyes soon land on my frame, and so help her God, all hell loose as she screams my name, leave her bags, and rush over to hug me ever so tightly.

I wiggle inside her arms, trying to find air to breath, thankfully, she didn't manage to choke me out of her happiness.

"You've changed, boy."

"I have the same hair." I roll my eyes at her, and pull back.

"Well, true, but you look even more handsome, and maybe a little bit more chubby. You are being fed really well where you got stuck." Where I got stuck? She's use that word? Of course, she will. How quickly have I forgotten ehom it is I'm exchanging words with...it's Susan, the one and only cousin of mine that I love dearly.

When my sight catches James beside us, looking around, not knowing how to approach, I quickly say to Susan. "This is James."

She raises her brows at me, and I eye her back. She shouldn't let out everything I've told her about James. She's the let-the-cat-out-of-the-bag-mistakenly type.

"Oh, the loving, caring, sweet man you told me about." She might as well just say out every word I've used to describe James to him, so he can know I cherish him in my fantasy.

He takes a grimace at me, shock in his eyes, and shake Susan when she extends her hand to him. "Oh, he is muscular truthfully." She accolades him with one of my words once again. She's already letting the cat out of the bag.

"Okay, thanks for the notice. Can we go now, please?" Apart from me, wanting her to leave soon, so they don't have chance to talk more, thereby Susan giving me away, the night is fast approaching, not a bad thing for us because of the journey ahead, and James has to go back...will he still go back? I am beginning to doubt it, because he will most certainly get back to the town by midnight, judging with the long ride we experienced before getting here.

"Okay, pack me my bags, guys. This girl needs rest." With that, she leaves.

My mouth is agape at her, leaving us to carry her luggages for her. There's two suitcase on the ground. I slide one, assuming James will take the other, but I couldn't as the wheel is broken. Oh, this is what was making a crunching sound in the background earlier.

"I'll carry it." James says, and I smile.

"Thanks."

"That's what I call division of labour, guys." Susan says on getting to the trunk. I roll my eyes, huff and stock the case inside the vehicle. Once James is done too, we enter, him, taking the driver area, while I take the passenger seat.

"He is hot! Damn hot!" Susan whispers to my ears. This is one of the reason why I love her. She gives me the thrill. Like right now, James mustn't hear what we are saying, which is like playing a hide and seek game.

"Whatever. Just shush." I fire at her, making her move back to her seat at the back, but then, shift forward once again.

"I'm sure you guys have fucked more than ten times in that little period." She giggles, leaving me to nothing but my own wild imagination. What can I say? I am, as well, surprised that I have had nothing with him. James is truly so hot.

"Just shush."

"You really mean it?" Now, she is coming hard to tame. What has her traveling done to her? She used to be easily shunned before...not that easy, but at least, she doesn't go all I-shall-stick-with-gossiping-to-the-end.

"Will someone please direct me the way, or at least put in the address on the GPS?" That's James, his husky tone breaking the argument that's started between Susan and I.

"Oh, right, sorry." I say, and hurry to input the new address.

"Thanks." James says, and when I look at the side mirror, I see Susan wiggling her brows at me.

Holy God, this will be such a long drive...but will be interesting as well.