Unraveling [BXB]

Chapter 9

Chase woke up Saturday morning and immediately realized he hadn't slept enough. Regardless of what time he went to sleep, he never woke up later than 6 AM, so going to sleep four hours earlier may not have been the best idea. He'd intended to leave the party at midnight, but somehow the time got away from all of them and they didn't decide to leave until after Taylor puked in the fire pit. Needless to say, Taylor probably wasn't going to be invited back to Bella's house anytime soon, but he'd apparently gotten Kai's number, so the goal of the night was accomplished. That also explained why Taylor was still passed out in bed next to Chase with his shoes thrown to the other side of the room and what looked like an attempt to take his shirt off before he fell asleep, the key word being 'attempt' because he'd only managed to get one arm out of its sleeve.

Chase got up, feeling a bit dizzy either from a hangover or from sleep deprivation, and headed downstairs to go make himself some breakfast and tea in hopes it would wake him up a bit. He put the kettle on and grabbed a granola bar from the cabinet to eat while he waited.

To his surprise, Wren came in a few minutes later, walking slowly and still looking half-asleep as he leaned against the kitchen entrance, covering his mouth with the back of his hand as he yawned.

"Why do you look so...functional?" Wren asked as he stretched a bit.

"Meth," Chase said without skipping a beat.

"It's always the quiet ones," Wren murmured before he started the coffee maker.

"Are you doing anything today?" Chase asked as he poured his tea. "Taylor and Trey won't be waking up til noon at the earliest and I don't have any tests this week." Wren cocked a brow at that.

"What are you suggesting?"

Chase shrugged noncommittally as he sipped his drink. "Nothing, I just figured if we were to go somewhere, we could say you went home and I had an early shift at the animal shelter."

"Damn, Mouse, I feel like I've turned you into such a liar," Wren said with a grin and Chase rolled his eyes.

"You know what, I think I'll rescind my invitation."

"Actually, I do have somewhere I want to take you," Wren said, walking into the other room to grab his coat before he popped his head back in, spinning his key around his finger. "Get your shoes on, I'm starting the car."

---

After a ten-minute drive, Wren pulled into a small, almost empty parking lot connected to a diner that looked like it was painted baby pink eighty years ago, but it hadn't had much of an update since.

"What is this place?" Chase asked.

"This is Franky's Jukebox and Jam Diner, you will not find a finer establishment in all of the seven continents. They make two good things, and it's waffles and chocolate milkshakes."

"Does their jukebox have anything current?" Chase asked as they walked in.

"Yeah, well...semi-current for thirty years ago. I've heard they've updated it a few times, but they stopped making records in the 90s and they didn't really make a comeback until a few decades later," Wren said with a shrug before he made his way up to the counter where a tired girl with short hair and black-rimmed glasses looked at Wren.

"How can I help you?"

"Table for two."

She gestured to the empty diner. "Pick one."

Wren just gave a short nod before walking over to the jukebox with Chase. He pulled out his wallet and fished around for a moment before handing Chase two quarters.