Risk it for the biscuit || Roadtrip

Chapter 8

DISCLAIMER - the beginning is a little sneak peak of the previous chapter, but from Rye's point of view.

As the night had rolled in, Rye got lost in his thoughts, not being able to fall asleep. He took off his shirt, hoping that getting a little colder will help him to sort his sleeping pattern, but nothing seemed to work. Instead of dreaming, his mind was stuck in memories from the last couple of days as he remembered all the funny stuff they did with their new trial manager. The picture of Annabelle was coming back to his head too often than it probably should, but he couldn't stop himself from thinking about her. The idea of having younger girl looking after older boys seemed so crazy, even for Roadtrip. However, he wasn't complaining, he was actually more than happy Blair chose her. If that would be some older, boring women with 'seriousness' written on her forehead, he would ask her to leave straight away. Annabelle was cool in a way she was mature and organised, however, crazy and fun at the same time. He knew, other boys liked her too, so deep down in his mind, he was hoping she'll be chosen as a permanent manager.

His thoughts had been interrupted by the sound of squirm coming back from sofa. "Are you alright?" he asked, surprised he wasn't the only one awake.

"Oh sorry, did I wake you up?" He heard Annabelle asking quietly, probably wanting other boys to rest.

"No, I haven't slept, I'm still not tired" he replied. He was curious why she's still awake, but then realised it's probably because of where she sleeps. "Are you uncomfortable? You know we can still swap beds, I don't mind sleeping on the sofa" he asked again, sure she'll say no anyway. It was only couple of days since they met, but he have seen already how stubborn she can be.

"Oh, no, I'm okay..." he heard her voice 'knew it' he thought, as a cool idea appeared in his head. "I think I may go get a tea, it usually helps with the sleeping problem. Fancy to go with me?" He asked a little more nervously, realising it's like 2 AM in the morning and Annabelle probably wants to rest.

"Yes, it sounds cool" she said, making Rye extremely happy. They talked a lot already, but it was usually in a bigger group and he just wanted to have some time alone with her. He didn't know why, it's not like he had crush on her, but something just told him to invite her for his little tea nights.

They quietly left the room, heading to the kitchen. Rye decided to be the host and make tea for them both, while Annabelle sat on the counter observing boy's actions. He moved around so smoothly, concentrating on his task, even if it was something easy like making a tea. Annabelle couldn't stop herself, but stare at his
muscular body exposed to her. Her eyes were following his moves, trying not to get caught. 'Sort yourself out, Belle' she told herself in her thoughts, 'you're not here for having awkward crushes on boys who wouldn't even look at you' she added, having another conversation with herself this night. "Oh my gosh, I'm turning crazy" she said, not realising she's saying it out loud.

"I mean, tea at 2 AM isn't the most normal thing to do, but I wouldn't call it crazy" Rye replied cheerfully. He realised his friend got lost in her thoughts, but he didn't want to interrupt before. Now, as she said it, he couldn't stop himself.

"Sorry, I was daydreaming" Annabelle replied, feeling embarrassed. As she said that, she saw Rye putting a bit of coffee into his tea. "Wait, what are you doing?" she asked surprised.

"Toffee" Rye replied confidently, almost as if that was normal thing to do. When he didn't get any reply, he decided to explain himself "I make tea, but at the end, I'm adding some coffee seeds. It tastes a bit different, good for indecisive people"