Rhys yawned, waiting for his teammate at the bakery at 6:30 on the dot, his coffee already cold, as he hefted his backpack, debating on just heading to the airport himself.
Like a bat from hell, a silver Hyundai sped into the parking lot, Maisy grinning and waving at him excitedly, motioning to him to put his bag into the car.
She's gonna kill us with her driving.." He muttered as he got into the backseat, putting his seatbelt on. Spencer met with them, coming out to see the two of them off.
"You ready?" He said, signing out what he was speaking.
"Yeah, thanks again for the coffee." He told him,
"No problem man, you seemed like you needed it." While Spencer signed, he fussed over Maisy, making sure she had her passport, her tickets, and an extra charger for her hearing aids.
"I'm fine. If anything, I have cash in case I forgot anything, and it's only for a week." She told her worried friend. He treated them as if they were his little sisters. They were all close enough to be.
"I'll see you on Saturday." He told her, as she waved to him, wishing them both good luck as she rolled up her window, and backed out, heading towards Sea/Tac Airport.
Rhys gripped the handle on the car, gritting his teeth every time she turned, when she stopped at a light, he glanced over at her, fear apparent in his face at her driving.
"What?" she texted.
"You drive as if someone's chasing us!!!" he told her. "I'm driving in Los Angeles." He texted, before she shook her head, she could tell he was going to be such as whiny as a baby this whole trip.
Once they parked in the garage, Jamie helped her grab her suitcase, which she expertly packed, knowing it was under sixty pounds and gave her a tight squeeze.
"Good luck."She signed to her best friend, and his surprise, hugged Rhys as well, typing in to take care of her friend and to just focus on the decorating part.
Rhys crossed his heart and nodded to Maisy, who led them through the airport, once they got past security, they had a couple of minutes before boarding, sitting across from each other in silence, before Maisy just up and took off without a word.
Rhys stared after her, and then shrugged, if she needed anything, she'd text him.
A moment later, his cell phone pinged with a text message.
"Hungry?" She asked him, as he looked up, seeing her hold a McDonald's bag out to him.
He hadn't cared for the fast-food place, but, it was limited with it being 7 a.m. and she was being nice.
He signed a thank you, and she smiled, "You remembered." thinking he would've forgotten when she had told him a week before.
"Of course. Politeness matters in any language." He told her, as he dug into his pancakes, while she watched him carefully, and rolled her eyes. Of course. she thought to herself.
After throwing their garbage away, it was time for them to board, and he took her suitcase, shouldering his backpack as she signed a thank you to him, before moving up front in line.
While Maisy found her way to their seats, Rhys put the suitcase into the overhead bin and noticed Maisy gawking at him, before shutting her mouth and gesturing to their seats.
"I'll take whatever one you don't sit in," he wrote to her, with an eye roll, she plopped down where she stood and claimed the closest one to the aisle, making him go around her to get to his seat by the window, he settled in, closing his eyes.
With his arms folded, and his eyes closed, he may have looked his age, but that scowl that seemed permanently etched into his brows, and mouth aged him, even on a trip to Los Angeles away from his work.
Maisy was uneasy, and frankly annoyed. She had tried to be nice, and positive even, but he was dragging her mood down. She knew he had done this for Joe, and even then it didn't mean he had to like her, just work with her to win this competition. It was sweet, even if it wasn't for her.
Maisy texted a message, watching it arrive on his phone, he looked at his cell, and shut his eyes again, trying to sleep. She poked his arm, then harder once he ignored her. He scowled again, and looked at her, while she gestured to his phone. He bit down the urge to scowl at her once more as he swiped his phone, reading the message.
"So... Is this your first time going to L.A.?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Joe said you've lived in Seattle for months, have you ever been to a beach?"
"Yes."
"Really? Where?"
"You know, you ask a lot of questions for it being 8 a.m."
"And you're a grouch for someone being awake for only a couple of hours." she texted with a huff.
Rhys put his phone down, ignoring the smirk Maisy had on her face while he closed his eyes again. He hadn't slept well last night.
After they were free to move, Rhys slept for a good fifteen minutes, ignoring Maisy's animal crossing game going on her Switch. Maisy loved the game, the cute characters, and the way her island looked. It always settled her in a sense of comfort, when she wasn't baking in a kitchen that is.
She needed a good distraction, and since Rhys was being a grouch, she decided to play, for an hour. She felt the buzz of her phone and checked it. It was Rhys.
"Hampton. Once. When I was 8." He said with finality, knowing it was going to open a slew of questions from her in 3..2...1...
"You lived in New York? Did you live in the city? How'd you get to Seattle?" She typed, furiously tapping, as he sighed loudly, the thought of sleeping for a few hours vanishing, picking up his phone to reply.
When they arrived in LA Rhys and Maisy went to collect their luggage and rent a car, Rhys gave up on convincing Maisy to let him drive, too tired to argue, but too worried about her driving to sleep on the way to the hotel.
"I'll check us in." Maisy offered, seeing how many times Rhys yawned since arriving. He probably was jet-lagged.
When Maisy got to the front desk, she had to wait for a manager for over an hour, whose sign language was subpar, and she had to resign, then gave up, writing down what she had to say. Waking Rhys up in the passenger side, a bellhop helped them with their luggage and led them to their rooms. To their surprise, the rooms were connected, split by a door to a single bathroom.
"Well, it's not so bad, there's a kitchen, which is a plus." she texted him no matter that she didn't cook, it was nice.
He shrugged. At least he got to sleep in before they had to be at the filming lot tomorrow.
Throughout the day, Maisy tried to convince Rhys to get out and explore their home away from home for a handful of weeks.
"Wanna see a movie?" She texted him almost giving up on inviting him anywhere, after he shot every invitation down, tapping her foot, as he sat on the recliner, holding a book in one hand, his phone to text her, in another. Clearly not interested in moving from that spot. He glanced at her phone and shook his head at her. Then looked puzzled.
"Although I'm curious, how do movies work in the deaf community?" He texted her.
"They have closed caption devices, What about the beach?" She questioned.
He just pointed to the book, seemingly more interested in reading, than texting her yes to join her.
"At least come meet with the other competitors with me tonight..." She pleaded.
"I'm sure you'll have a great time." He said, with a smirk to Maisy to show how uninterested he was in meeting the competitors he'd wipe the floor with tomorrow.
"Please? It'll just be me and the interpreter, and once they see me as different, they'll just write me off as unimportant, or a weak link." She wrote.
She hated interactions with strangers, especially when an interpreter was involved, she ended up talking to them more than the other people, because they ignored her out of politeness, or just didn't think because she was hard of hearing, that she was worth their time.
"Please? Then you can read your encyclopedia of boring all you want." She added with a grin.
Rhys put down the book, It was the last book in the series, and he wanted to relax, but again, seeing Maisy, knowing how foreign they'd treat her, how uncomfortable she'd be, not amongst friends, he knew he'd have to go.
"I'll meet you in the lobby downstairs at 6." He texted her and watched as she smiled at him brilliantly, as she stopped tapping her foot in anxiety, sure he'd say no. She hugged him, and let out an excited squeal, before leaving out the door. Rhys shook his head, muttering to himself over what he'd just agreed to.