The First Rule (Book #1)

Chapter 45b: Rule #1

"Seriously, bro. Where are we going? Why do I feel like we're in the middle of nowhere?"

You've been sitting in the car for an hour—and a half, if you count the pit stops for your frequent bathroom breaks. You know. Sugarcane. Laughing behind the wheel, Tyler—in his leather jacket—glances at you, taking amusement in your confusion since you went down the stairs of your house.

"Guess."

He challenges with an eyebrow raised. Huffing in frustration at his secretive attitude, you finally give up and pull out your phone, trying to find clues. Opening Google Maps, you pinch out the screen to get a broader view. You look at the names of streets.. the places.. hoping something familiar—

Until you notice a place, so familiar you might've already seen it for a hundredth time before. Squinting, you scan the surroundings—and slowly.. your eyes widen, mouth drops open. When you look at Tyler, you see him holding a suspicious grin . You double-check, finally daring to search the name and hit directions—

"OH. MY. GOD. YOU. DO. NOT! EEEKK!!!"

You're so excited you throw your arms around him. Tyler ruffles the back of your head but pushes you away, laughing, "Hey, hey! You want me to crash?!"

The soft light of the sun casts a warm embrace around you. The mountains stand majestically, and the lake lies tranquil. As you both munch on your burgers, you share a moment of contentment, enjoying each other's company and the simple pleasure of good food amidst the beautiful scenery.

Tyler nods in amusement, taking in the serene surroundings before a mischievous grin spreads across his face. "I've been wanting to come here since forever," he remarks sarcastically, taking a sip of his sugarcane drink. "This place is so cool, right?!" he teases, nudging you playfully.

Pursing your lips, you nod enthusiastically like a Bollywood star, cheering, "And the fact that it's even better than I imagined~" Taking another sip of your sugarcane juice, you relish the sweet taste, mentally checking off a box on your imaginary bucket list.

"Which is better—this place or the one I created for you?" he asks, raising an eyebrow cockily, wrapping an arm around you while staring at you adoringly. "Well, with the help of the big bosses of course—"

"This one, of course!"

Offended, he immediately drops his arm. You laugh and quickly add, "Yours! Yours is better, of course~"

"Free burgers for a week?" he negotiates, grinning. You slap his head lightly, making him laugh as he takes another bite of his burger.

"It's been a long time since I drank sugarcane juice with burgers," he says, savoring the moment before he adds, "yeah, been like—30 years since I had this combo—"

"Every year you add 10 more, huh?" you nag, rolling your eyes as you sip another sugarcane.

He laughs. But then, after a moment of comfortable silence, he raises an eyebrow and slowly turns to you.. and with a familiar look, he exclaims, "You know what's missing?"

Smirking, you pull out your phone and play your song. "In that case—" you drop your burgers and stand up. With a wide grin, you extend a hand to him, asking for the dance.

Chuckling in amusement, he accepts and stands up with a pull from you.. and you both dance slowly under the open sky, Jeremy's voice playing softly in the background. "How's the date? Better than your Wattpad stories, huh?" he asks with suspicion in his eyes.