Song of the chapter, Affection by Between Friends
Cleopatra's POV
Bags packed and loaded in the trunk of London's SUV, a quick check of the weather on my phone for the third time, a final glance around my room to ensure I didn't forget anything and I'm ready to go.
I'm not nervous or anything of the sort, I'm just trying to prepare for all possible scenarios. If you anticipate and prepare the worst, then it doesn't surprise you when it happens.
I go downstairs and see Blake fussing all over Hayden and I wonder, not for the first time, if I'm making a mistake by taking him with me. I mean, yeah, I want him to come with me cause it would be boring and overwhelming if I went by myself, but at the same time, he just got back from deployment and Blake hasn't had enough time with him yet. So I'm feeling really fucking selfish about dragging him along with me.
I get to the bottom of the staircase and I hear her telling him to call her every night before bed and though I get that she's worried about him, she still has to realise that he isn't a child anymore. He's a grown man and what if he finds a pretty girl that he wants to take back to the hotel with him. Plus there's the whole time difference thing to factor in.
"Mom, there's a thirteen hour time difference between Japan and the US, I can't call you every night. " He points out with an eye roll at her absurdity. "But I will text you once a week to keep you updated. "
Blake, being who she is though, counters his compromise. "You'll text me every two days. "
"Fine, twice a week, but I'm not texting you every two days. I'm not a child mom. " He states firmly, and I can see she wants to argue more but she'll make us late for our flight if this keeps going on and I want to be able to catch some sleep before we get there.
"Blake, we'll keep in touch with you guys, but we need to go. It's a quarter past nine and I'd like to be able to sleep this night so I won't be so tired when we get there. " I speak up, interrupting their back and forth.
They both turn their heads simultaneously in my direction but their expressions are anything but similar. Hayden looking at me like I'm the messiah or some shit while Blake looks like she's having an internal struggle between strangling me for interrupting her and taking Hayden's side, or holding me till I decide not to leave.
With the way she's reacting, you'd think that I was leaving forever and not just for a couple weeks.
Before she can say anything though, Jace and Jordan come running through the front door with London in tow. They immediately rush towards me, squeezing me enough to knock the breath out of me.
"You lot know I'm not going away forever right? " I ask with a slight chuckle at their dramatics.
"Then why won't you take us with you? " Jordan asks and I'm stomped for a moment as I try to think of the best response to her question.
"Because I have some things I need to figure out for myself first. But I promise you, the next trip I go on, I'll take you both with me. " I say and hope that that's enough to placate them.
"But why's Hayden going with you? Do you like him more than you like us? " it's Jace that stuns me this time.
Kids, I swear.
"Of course not! " I respond immediately. "Hayden's coming with me because we all know that your mom wouldn't let me go on this trip alone without someone to watch after me. "
They give nods of understanding at this and I risk a glance at Blake to find her staring at me with a mock reprimanding look, giving me an eye roll but doing nothing to refute my statement.
