Can't Fall in Love With You ✧ Rhink

Hangin' Out

"Get ready, and tell Locke and Shepard to get ready too," Link demanded over the phone.

"Why?" I asked, putting the call on speaker, quickly changing.

"I'm taking you and the kids out!" he practically squealed. "I told Christy my plan, so she and Jessie might have a date day too!"

"That'd be good," I mumbled, slipping on my jeans.

"Hey, can I ask you about somethin'?"

"Of course."

"Are you happy?"

The words stabbed me in the heart.

No I'm not. My marriage is falling apart, my son is suspecting something is wrong, and I don't know what to do. I'm anything but happy.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" I asked.

Liar. Nothing changes, does it?

"Just wondering. Stevie said she was worried about you. I couldn't stop thinking about you all night, but I assumed you wouldn't be awake at 3 a.m." he explained.

"Aw, don't worry 'bout me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Locke and Shepard quickly hopped into the back of the car. Link had to use his and Christy's minivan to fit us all in here.

"Where we headed?" I asked, straightening the strings on my maroon hoodie.

"To a trampoline place, called Defy Gravity or something. We get an hour and thirty minutes of jumping, then we can all go out to eat. Sound good?" Link asked the kids and I.

"Yes!" the kids squealed in unison. I looked out the window, seeing Christy and Jessie waving goodbye to us, before they returned inside the house.

Your house.

"Any suggestions for lunch afterwards?" I asked the group.

"McDonalds!" Lando shouted from the backseat.

"Think a little bigger, buddy," I said. Link laughed at me, turning the steering wheel.

"Texas Roadhouse!" Locke chimed in.

"Little lower..." Link mumbled.

"Chipotle?" Lilly asked.

"Sure, sounds good to me. Yeah?" Link said, asking me for reassurance.

With our lunch plans set, we were off to the trampoline place, listening and singing along to the radio on the way there.

This could be fun. This could be our future.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Why are mom and Aunt Christy hangin' out so much?" Locke blurted out at the table. Meanwhile, I had a large bite of steak burrito in my mouth.

My face heated up. He already knew, but he was curious. I'm sure he wanted to confirm his suspicions after what he heard.

My throat tightened, not allowing me to swallow the food in my mouth.

"Well, we can explain all of that too you guys in the car. But for right now, a summary would be that... as families we all care about each other. We all want to make sure that we're happy, and okay." Link tried to explain. "Are you happy?"

"Yeah," Locke said, taking a large bite into his burrito.

I felt Link grab onto my hand under the table, releasing the tightness around my throat, allowing me to breathe.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Lincoln asked.

"I don't know. A lot of people can get upset over a lot of things, whether they're little things or not. What most people don't understand is that pain is relative," Link continued, acting as if this was just another everyday conversation. I wish I could be as good of a father as he was.

"What does that mean?" Lilly questioned.

"It's when one person could get upset about something that might be super small to someone else."

"So like that one time Shepard stole my Beyblade, and Lilly gave me one of hers cause I got so angry?" Locke asked, trying to understand the concept by relating it to one of his many toys.

"Yeah, kinda."

"Or when dad gets angry when we shoot him with Nerf Darts, even though they don't hurt," Locke continued.

"Okay, Locke, yes," I interrupted, trying to get him to settle down. You would think that after an hour and a half of jumping the kid would be tuckered out.

Link handed me his phone, revealing a text from Christy.

Christy: We can take the kids out tomorrow if you and Rhett want to do something?

"Yeah, that'd be nice," I whispered to him. I felt Link gently squeeze my hand, before typing back.

I looked at the kids smiling faces, as they talked about their Poke-mans.

They'd be happy with us.

Everyone would be.