Together

140. Ninety Minutes

Don't know what I'm looking for darling
Don't know why I'm here
Don't know what I'm chasing, I'm all in
Feel the pain, I'm near
-Vin Bogart

The entire plane ride Kie and JJ immerse themselves in watching TV shows on Kie's iPad and listening to music, sharing head phones in both cases. She can sense that JJ is a little nervous about the plane ride. He's never been on airplane, after all.

So, when he grabs her hand as they begin to land, she gives him a comforting smile, hoping to ease his anxiety. His nervous reflection is almost cute. "Not gonna crash," she murmurs.

He huffs a chuckle, nodding his trust. He grips her hand a little tighter as the wheels touch down, the plane giving its normal bounce as it levels out and glides to their gate.

Once they've collected their bags and picked up the rental car, they head off towards San Clemente. The hotel is a cute, Spanish style, motel with an outdoor pool and plant life surrounding almost every corner of the building. It was well kept and not at all the type of motel you'd see in the outer banks.

Overall the entire town was upscale. Even the older structures were well maintained. Saw almost everyone dressed in well to-do clothes and driving luxury cars. It was pretty clear that this was just kook living on another side of the country.

"I'm just saying," JJ complains as they walk towards the rooms. "I'm not sharing a room with you, it's like sleeping with a train."

Shoupe rolls his eyes, handing a white keycard to Kie. JJ had been trying to convince him to let him share a room with Kie. When they originally planned this trip she wasn't coming, and he only booked two rooms, knowing that JJ would throw a fit over not being able to sleep through the night due to his sleep apnea.

"Seriously," he continues. "How does Jean put up with it."

Kie bites back her laugh as Shoupe turns towards her, pointedly ignoring JJ's comment. "That's to your room," he tells her. "This is for yours," he says, revealing a third key card and handing it to JJ.

JJ bites his lip, contemplating the situation. Honestly was hoping that Shoupe would just let him have his way and share with his girlfriend. Not like they hadn't done it the last trip. This would be the next best thing though.

"And don't be tryin' to sneak into each other's rooms, alright," Shoupe warns. "I promised your folks, so, please. Just keep it clean."

"Really?" he tries, faking harm when Kie slaps his forearm and give shim a warning look.

"Yes, really," his guardian repeats with annoyance. "Don't make me regret this," he says, before heading off to his own room.

JJ and Kie share a look, before JJ grabs the key card from Kie's hand, taking the envelop it was in and reading the room number. "Let's go to yours, it's farther away."

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Kie is in the bathroom of her motel room. She's setting out her toiletries and makeup, wanting to unpack as much as she can so she doesn't have to search for it in the middle of the night the next morning.

"You almost ready?" JJ hollers from the bed.

They have a couple days before the San Clemente Surf Competition, and JJ wanted to check out the break ahead of time. She rolls her eyes at his impatience. They got in early enough to hit the beach well before dinner, but he didn't seem to be in the mood to wait around. At least that's what she assumed his motivation for hurrying her was.