Even in a Million Years

Forty-Seven

"Kazer," I eye him and his stupid little grin knowing he gets me flustered.

"Yes Belle?"

"Shut up,"

"Yes Ma'am," he nods taking my backpack from me once again and tossing it back into the truck. "Go get the girls I think we're ready to go," he motions towards the door, picking up the last bag with ease.

I nod and do as told, walking in to see everyone with smiles on their faces, excited for a weekend away.

"Everyone ready? Caleb said everything is packed,"

"Yep," Em grins. In one of my brothers t-shirts with a bikini on underneath she'd been excited to lay out in the sun and was more than ready for it.

"Yes!" Lexi stands, more than ready to get moving she makes a beeline for the door and I follow with everyone else. Piling into the trucks, coincidentally I was the only one driving with Caleb.

"Bucees still?" He smiles

"Think we have time?"

"We have all day Belle, we can ge there a little later," he shrugs,

I just nod, plugging my phone in. He hands me his.

"Okay music,"

"What should I play?"

"Whatever you want, you know I like everything," he shrugs, "What about that Noah Kahan guy you were talking about the other day?"

"Really?" I feel myself instantly peek up. My brother and Danny weren't fans saying his music was too sad, granted they weren't completely wrong, but they were amazing. Spencer would listen to him with me, but he wasn't a huge fan.

"Yeah," he smiles

"Okay," I smile down at the phone playing my favorite song from his newest album. I'd been screaming it whenever I could.

"This one's my favorite from his newest album," turning Dial Drunk up, we were flying down the street with the windows down.

"Wait this is the best part," I turn the music up even more at the bridge, he'd been smiling the entire time,

"Thank you, sir, just let me call
I'll give you my blood alcohol
I'll rot with all the burnouts in the cell,
I'll change my faith, I'll praise the flag
Just wait, I swear she'll call me back
Oh, son, are you a danger to yourself?" I sing the first part of the bridge word for word. It was amazing.

"Well, fuck that sir, just let me call
I'll give you my blood alcohol
I'll rot with all the burnouts in the cell
I'll change my faith, I'll kiss the badge
Just wait, I swear she'll call me back
Son, why do you do this to yourself?" Finishing the verse I turn the music down for the rest of the song yet going straight into the next verse.

"That was good as fuck," He nods as the song ends, "Play another,"

"Really?"

"Honestly, I liked that one," He nods, "Sad as hell,"

"Oh god that was hardly one of his saddest songs," the amount of times I've laid in my bed and sobbed to Noah Kahan songs, I've been just about through his entire discography as this one ranked low on the cryability scale.

"Okay play the saddest one,"

"God no," I shake my head, "This is not a sad environment, the beach house is a happy place,"

"Technically this isn't the beach house,"

"Yes but the road-trip is apart of the beach trip, so it's included," I argue. "I'll play a sad one, but not the super sad ones, I don't feel like sobbing in front of you today,"

"Not like you haven't before," he snorts,

"Okay let's not bring it up," I grin, "Not one of my highest moments,"

"You can show emotion Belle,"

"Yes as long and they're positive,"

"That is fucked on a few levels,"

"No," it was but I just joked about it, it was easier to.

"Don't hide anything from me Belle,"

"Then you can't either," I shoot right back. We both had that same problem, both being the supports for everyone. We didn't rely on others often.

"Okay, no more hiding?" He holds his pinky up, glancing at me briefly before turning his eyes back to the road.

"Yes," I nod, linking mine with his own.

"Good, now play another one," He motions to the phone I grin as I press The View Between Villages. It had been another one of my favorites.

"This one starts off slow but picks up at the end, it was a good one" I chime as the lyrics start. It was one I'd recently started listening to a lot, especially after coming back here. It felt like the displacement of being home but it not feeling like home.

He liked this one a lot, so I just kept playing more and more. Until, he pulled off the highway at the nearest buffers just as Stick Season ended.

"Alright grab whatever you want," He nods, "What sodas do you want?"

"Can you grab me a cherry Coke and a sweet tea?" I question and he nods going one way while I go the other. Picking out what I remember to be his favorite Doritos and myself the plain lays potato chips, I grab a few candy bars and three more bags of chips.

Meeting back with him, my arms full and him carrying out drinks we make our way to the checkout counter.

"Put them up," he motions taking his card out and I shake my head.

"I got these you get those,"

"Belle, let my buy you chips," he rolls his eyes,

"Stop, I got them Co,"

"Let the man pay sweetheart," the sweet checkout lady grins, "They don't come like this too often, when a man offers to pay you always let him," I just smile. I wasn't used to it honestly. I also never wanted him to feel as if I was using him for money, he didn't have to do this.

"Okay," he just smiles at my resignation.

Taking the bags we make our way back to the truck.

"You didn't have to do that," I tell him

"I wanted to," he snorts, "I wouldn't have if I didn't,"

"Don't make it a habit Kazer, you can buy me chips but nothing huge,"

"Mhm,"

"I mean it!" I laugh knowing him and the stupid 'mhm' he gives people just appease them.

"I know," He grins, "Put your music back on,"

I couldn't get the smile off my face, like it was practically permanent as I put a mix of more Noah Kahan, Taylor swift, Zach bryan and classic rock. We drove the whole way belting the songs we knew and comfortably listening along to the ones we didn't.