The Perfect Couple

Chapter 4

When their parents returned from shopping, it was time to cook! The girls prepared the meat, and then the boys lit the grill and cooked it. Lillian helped Josiah's mom make her famous peach cobbler with homemade ice cream.

Once everything was ready, they sat down to a nice chicken dinner, with the smell of charcoal and BBQ sauce in the air. They sat outside on the deck as the sun set over the horizon, casting a warm glow on the beach house.

"Shall we say grace?" Jessie asked, glancing in her husband's direction. He nodded and led them all in prayer.

When he finished, they began to dig in! "Mm, Dad, this is really good," Lillian commented.

"Thanks, Lil," Parker said.

"What did you two do while we were gone?" Ellie, Josiah's mom, asked.

"Nothing really. Just tried to find something good on TV," he replied.

"There wasn't anything," Lillian chimed in.

"The channels here are so messed up for some reason. I wonder why..." Ellie sighed.

"I don't know. Do you want us to get it fixed?" her husband, Andrew, asked.

"Nah, it's okay. We've got the beach, the boardwalk, the carnival. There's no time for TV on vacation!" Ellie exclaimed.

"Well I'm glad you feel that way," he chuckled, turning to the kids. "What are you hoping to do this summer?"

"Go to the carnival, for sure! But other than that, nothing special," Lillian replied.

"How 'bout you, Josiah?"

"Um...I don't know. Whatever Lillian wants to do is fine with me."

Ellie stood up from the table all of a sudden. "How about some of my famous peach cobbler for dessert?"

"Ooo, with vanilla ice cream on top?" Andrew asked, looking giddy.

"Of course!" Ellie went inside to get the dessert, then set it on the table outside. Jessie helped cut the pie into slices and serve it on paper plates.

"Everybody enjoy!" Ellie exclaimed, taking a huge bite.

They all began to dig in to the amazing peach cobbler, and everyone agreed that it was the best she'd ever made. But they said that every year.

•👙•

That night, they played five rounds of Apples to Apples. At one in the morning, Jessie finally glanced at the wall clock. "Oh my gosh! We'd better get some sleep," she exclaimed.

"Yeah. What do you say we spend the day at the beach tomorrow?" Ellie asked the group.

"Sounds good," everyone said in unison.

"Then it's settled. Beach at noon?"

"Perfect," Jessie replied. She stood up and helped her friend to her feet.

"Come on, babe," Ellie said, reaching for Andrew's hand. She pulled him up and they slipped off to their bedroom.

Jessie and Parker said goodnight to Josiah and Lillian, then went to their room.

"What do you want to do?" Josiah whispered to Lillian, even though there was no one asleep yet.

"Go to sleep," she replied, her voice tired.

"It's only 1:15."

"And we got up at 7 this morning!" she insisted.

"Come on, let's stay up for the sunrise."

"Five more hours? No thanks. I'd rather get my beauty sleep."

"Pleeeeease?" Josiah whined with puppy dog eyes.

"Fine, but only because you're being a baby about it."

"I am not!"

She stared at him with eyebrows raised.

"Ok, I see your point," he muttered.

"There's a good view in my room. Come on." Lillian took his hand and led him upstairs to her bedroom, where they sat on the window seat waiting for the sunrise.

"The sky is so black this time of night," Josiah commented.

"It's morning now," Lillian corrected him teasingly.

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, Miss Literal."

They went quiet for awhile, but Lillian broke the silence. "Look at the stars. They're so pretty."

Josiah gazed up at them, then looked over at her. "Yeah, they are."

Lillian yawned and covered her mouth with her hand.

"You know, you can go to bed if you really want to. I won't force you to stay awake," Josiah offered.

"That's okay."

"You sure? I don't mind."

"Well..." Lillian glanced over at her bed. It looked very inviting, especially considering how tired she was. "Will you stay with me? Just til I fall asleep?" she asked Josiah, not wanting to leave him alone.

"Sure."

"Okay, but don't look. I have to change."

Josiah laughed, then turned around at her request.

She picked a white cotton shirt out of her dresser drawer and slipped it over her head. "Okay, you can look now," she said with a laugh.

"Finally. What took so long?" Josiah teased. It had been literally 17 seconds.

"Oh shut up," Lillian replied as she pulled back the covers and climbed underneath the covers. "Ugh, this bed is so stiff."

"Well it hasn't been slept in in an entire year," Josiah countered.

"It needs to be broken in again."

"Probably." He sat down beside her, then decided to lie down. "Scoot your fat butt over so I can lay down!"

"Ugh, not when you call me fat."

"I didn't call you fat, I said your butt was fat."

"Same thing." She laughed and moved aside to make room.

Josiah stretched his arms and wrapped one around Lillian, letting her snuggle up against his chest.

"Did you have a good time today?" he asked.

"I did," she replied. "You?"

"Yeah, me too."

"Good," Lillian said as she began to drift off to sleep.

It was nearly 2am, and Josiah felt an overwhelming urge to tell her about his anxiety. He found himself asking, "Can I tell you something?"

"Mhm," Lillian answered, her voice barely audible.

He tried to make the words come out, but fear welled up inside him and he got scared. How would she react? The possibility of an argument kept him from continuing. "I, um...nevermind. It can wait."

"Okay," Lillian replied softly.

Josiah looked down at her, resting against him peacefully. He wondered if she was thinking about what he said. How was he supposed to tell her about his anxiety? No one else knew, except his parents. He wanted to tell her but didn't know how to. Maybe now just wasn't the time.