The Sequoias

Chapter 12

I giggled. "Majesty is a good word. It's hard to describe it and my feelings, but I feel good." I was just finishing up my thought when a young woman brought our food out to us in a bag. I stood up and started to move towards the car.

I took the bag and thanked the girl. I didn't recognize her, but she clearly recognized me. I smiled and thanked her again and nodded. "As long as you won't get in trouble." She smiled and nodded then quietly asked for a hug. I gave her one asked if she wanted a picture took it for her and put her phone carefully back in her shaking hands. "Check before I go. I don't always get it right." I checked it with her and took another one. Then headed to the car. It was a brief interaction that took all of maybe two minutes. The girl left with a big smile on her face. That made me happy. I handed Lizzie the bag of food once she was seated in the car. I didn't say anything as I drove back to the room. I took the food and handed her the room key when we got back to the car and followed her.

I loved the easy interactions with fans. They made me smile. I unlocked the door and let us in. The food smelled so good and I was so hungry. "Kitchen?" I stepped out of my sandals and stretched.

"I'll set it there but let's eat at the table. Water?"

I nodded and giggled. "I don't think there is any other choice.:

"True." I set the food down and grabbed plates. I didn't want to eat out of the takeout containers. "What's on your mind for after dinner?"

I wiggled my eyebrows at him. "You owe me some snuggling and some other things. Maybe we could play with the shower or the bath." I took my plate from him and yawned.

"I do now huh?" I looked at her and laughed. "Well, okay. You twisted my arm. I'll do it."

I smiled big at him and dug into my food. It was all very good. I managed to finish everything. It had been a fairly taxing day, physically.

I watched her eat for a few moments then went about eating my own dinner in the warm and comfortable silence that forms when we eat. "We spend a lot of time together. Almost all of our time."

"That we do. More than I have ever spent with anyone outside of my family. I rather enjoy it " I thought for a second. "Is that okay?"

"Yes," I answered the most important thing first. "Why do I get to be the first?"

"I just feel very comfortable with you. And I miss you when you aren't around." I shrugged. "I have never dated anyone that I felt that strongly about before."

I felt a little weepy. I smiled. "That's good. I am very comfortable with you too, Lizzie. I love you." I still had food on my plate and intended to eat it all. I eat a lot slower than she does. I looked at her plate. "Why do you eat so fast?"

"I love you too." Sometimes that still feels weird to me to say. We had been saying it since almost the beginning, but that was still only a few months ago. We really had moved fast. I giggled and shrugged. "I was hungry?"

"Then you must always be hungry." I laughed and took another bite of my food. "You eat so fast. You weren't in the army were you?" I looked up at her. "I mean. I purposefully eat slowly. If it's a dessert I'll pick at it first unless I'm just looking to satisfy a sweet tooth. Then good luck getting any if we're sharing." I was suddenly feeling very chatty. We hadn't spent a whole lot of time talking. I suddenly wanted to talk. This happens sometimes. I didn't think she'd ever met Chatty Avi.

He was talking a lot and I was enjoying it. I wondered if I could keep him doing it. "Tell me a story."

"About what? You never answered that question."

"No, I was not in the army." I just shook my head. "I wanna hear a story about little boy Avi."

"Hum. I really don't have much. I used to ride show horses. I played soccer when I was little and I fell, like all little kids do, and busted my head open on the brick around the fireplace. That is how I got this." I pointed to the slight scar in my eyebrow. "Josh was so upset because he was chasing me. He promised that he was going to tickle me. I would always run when he made that promise. That was the only time he didn't keep it. What is it like having two brothers?"

I smiled. "Really nice most of the time. They were both very protective of me. We really got along all of the time." I laughed. "Until I started dating J.J.'s friends. That got a little hairy."

"Oh? I can only imagine. You dated his friends?"

"Yeah. Three of them. He hated every second of it."

"Oh yeah. I can see that he would. I'd have killed any of my friends if they even so much as thought about dating my sister. I didn't get to date her friends either. That was definitely for the best."

I smiled at him. "You and your sister are very close, right?"

"Yes. We're just a couple of years apart. Why?"

"Just curious. There are two years between J.J. and I and three years between me and David." I knew that Avi and Esther were emotionally closed as well and I was slightly intimidated about meeting her. Even more, than I was of meeting his mom. That was happening the day after tomorrow. My nerves crept back in. "Do you think she'll like me?"

"Esther? Of course. She already likes you."