by your side | j.g. x j.w.

4

Shortly after Jake leaves the room, Johnnie crawls his way out of bed. While he doesn't exactly want to go out, he can't say no to hanging out with Jake. So he makes his way to the bathroom, trying to pay as little attention to the mirror as possible.

He doesn't care to waste too much time bothering with hair and makeup. Jake's seen him look worse before, anyways.
He's somewhat happy with how he looks, so he returns to his room to throw on a decent, clean outfit.

He's hobbling around towards the living room, trying to pull on a pair of boots. Once he manages to put them on and stand up normal, he's greeted by Jake's grinning face.

"Someone's excited," he teases. Johnnie giggles, a  little flustered. Jake stands up to grab his car keys, Johnnie notices a blanket tucked under his arm.
"Where are we even going?" He calls out to Jake, who only shouts back "Secret!"

Johnnie's never been too fond of surprises or secrets, but any time with Jake is a good time, even something as mundane as going to the grocery store.

Jake grabs his key, and the two head out the door and off to do whatever plan Jake had up his sleeve.

Johnnie notices the scenery starting to change around them a little as the sun begins to set, casting its golden rays through the car's windshield.

He looks over at Jake, who glances down at the map on his phone, then back up to the road. The sun's rays reflect on his face, igniting golden sparks in his brown eyes.

Johnnie can't help but be mesmerized.

The way his hands hold a firm but relaxed grip on the wheel, the way the sun shines on his hair, and the way his mouth moves along to whatever song is playing. It's almost too much to handle.

"Johnnie, I can feel you staring," Jake says, quickly pulling him out of his trance of admiration.
"Shit, sorry," Johnnie says, turning his head to admire the passing sights on the road.
Jake says nothing, but Johnnie can hear him chuckle.

"Where are we going?" Johnnie asks, desperately trying to clear the air. "Dunno," Jake says cheekily, just as he begins to signal right to exit off the highway.
Johnnie sighs, but he knows his question will be answered soon.

He rests his head against the side of the door, occasionally glancing up to admire Jake.

Before long, the car comes to a stop at a drive-in burger place that looks like it hasn't been updated since the 50s.
It's reminiscent of a time neither of them were alive to see, yet somehow feels nostalgic.

Jake pulls up to a spot to order, and orders himself a cheeseburger and fries, Johnnie only asks for fries and a chocolate milkshake. Jake makes no effort to pressure him into eating.

He'd rather make sure Johnnie's comfortable, and have him talk about it whenever he feels ready.

There's a small area with wooden benches off to the side of the ordering booths. It's illuminated by a few strings of warm orange lights strung up across some poles.
The two choose to sit at one once their food arrives, it was a good decision.

The drive-in rests atop a hill in a town that's just a little outside the city, far away enough that the sky isn't filled with pollution, but close enough that the city lights still sparkle below it.

Jake watches the lights around them reflect in Johnnie's eyes as he absentmindedly chews on the straw of his shake, his finger tapping lightly on the lid.
He quickly darts his eyes away from him, before his mind wanders too far and he makes any brash decisions.
It's too soon after Tara for that.

He focuses his attention to the food in front of him, taking the time to savor it. "Is it good?" Johnnie asks, noticing the way Jake is actually taking the time to enjoy the food instead of inhaling it, as per usual.