Don't Make Me Love You

Chapter 23

The air being blow on my face was warm and mildly moist. However, instead of getting up, I scrunched my nose and burrowed deeper into the heat next to me. Ugh. My hips were throbbing a little bit. Just then, a hand rested on my head and ran through my hair, pushing my bangs out of my eyes. "Hey, baby... It might be a Saturday, but we still have to get up," Brandon murmured.

With a frown, I managed to pry an eye open to peer at him, rubbing my face. He smiled down at me, looking like a goddamn angel. Brandon chuckled as I sat up, grumbling to myself about how unfair that was. I probably looked like death itself. Once I was fully upright, I looked around, trying to piece together my odd surroundings. "Where are we again...?"

Brandon looped an arm around my waist and I willingly leaned into his side. "Just a little ways outside the city," he told me. I hummed in response and for a moment, we just say in content silence. Then he kissed my temple and pulled away. "Come on, if we hurry we can still find somewhere to get breakfast."

He crawled out of our nest of blankets and hopped out of the truck bed to pull his jeans on, going over to start picking up the grill and groceries. I watched him for a moment, wrapping one of the blankets around my shoulders to keep warm in the chilly morning air. Brandon looked serene as he went about the task of cleaning our sort-of camp ground. His hair was a bit of a mess, but it was cute and I smiled to myself. Then he turned to me and his own smiled seemed to just glow in the sunlight, making my breath catch in my throat. But it was his gaze that really got me. It was completely unwavering, entirely consumed with... me. It made my heart race. 

"You going to lay there all day?" he asked, bringing my attention back to the present. I blinked and he grinned at me. 

With a blush, I let the blanket slip from my shoulders and grabbed my pants, wincing slightly as I leaned back to pull them on. Then I crawled over to the edge of the truck, letting my legs dangle above the grass for a few seconds before I carefully set my feet on the ground. My legs felt wobbly when I hefted my weight onto them. Brandon seemed to notice my hesitance as I held onto the back of the car. "Are you okay?" he asked, dropping the bag of barbeque tools on the ground to come over to me.

I held a hand up, stopping him. "I'm fine. My hips just hurt a little," I said, straightening and taking a deep breath. Then I walked over to help with the clean up. It was a bit painful to walk and my cool expression cracked. "I guess maybe a little preparation would've been good..." I mumbled.

Brandon grabbed my arm when I tried to lean over. "Hey," he said, looking at me seriously. "Why don't you just sit down? I can take care of this."

I went to protest, but he gave me a firm look and I stopped. Then I sighed and nodded, going to sit on the bumper again, slipping my shirt on as I watched him quietly. He worked fast so I wouldn't have to wait too long and soon he was pushing the grill into the back of the truck and helping me to my feet. "Alright," he said with a smile, opening the passenger side door for me. "What do say we hit that diner? I hear they have some mean pancakes."

I pulled myself into the car and sat back. "Well... I should be getting home," I said, even though I really didn't want to yet.

Brandon looked a little disappointed, his eyes falling unhappily. It was quite adorable. I bit my lip. Then his expression force me to relent. "I guess that can wait..." I finally said. He perked up and I chuckled. "But only for a little while, and those pancakes better be worth it."

When he heard my words, he kissed my cheek. "They will be," he said. Then he closed my door and hurried around to the driver's side, hopping in and starting the car. 

The drive was pleasant. Brandon played some music and he laughed when I hummed the lyrics to one of my favorite songs. It was nice because Brandon and I had the same taste in music so we ended up talking about our first bands and what concerts we'd been to. Brandon said he hadn't been to many because his parents didn't approve, but I told him not to worry. We'd just have to go together sometime. That made him blush and he subtly reached out to take my hand, keeping his eyes on the road. He didn't say anything, but I could tell he was happy.