"how excited are you?" trea asked, laughing at the girl beside him. her smile illuminated the car they were in.
"i am very very very excited." vanessa giggled.
today, vanessa was getting her new car. she hated not having a car. finally, bryce would get full custody of his own car.
trea pulled into the dealership and parked away from all the nice cars. vanessa had already done all of the paperwork, all she had to do was pick it up. she skipped to the door and waited for trea, who trailed behind her. he opened the door for her and signaled for her to enter, as if she was royalty. to him, she was.
"vanessa!" the worker beamed as she walked in the glass doors. "we have your car all ready in the back, follow me."
"thank you!" her smile illuminated the room. vanessa and trea followed him back through the store and out of the back.
he brought them to a light blue convertible bentley and placed the keys in vanessa's hands. "all yours" he smiled.
the two sat down in the car, vanessa took a deep breath and placed her hands on the wheel. "i cant believe you bought this car." trea said with a laugh.
"i cant either."
"you realize it gets actually cold here right?" trea chuckled, looking at vanessa with a playful expression. she shrugged, still grinning from ear to ear.
"who needs warmth when you can have a convertible?" she replied, starting the engine. the purr of the car echoed in the air as they pulled out of the dealership. trea couldn't help but shake his head in amusement.
"so why do we need to go to the airport anyway?" she asked the boy beside her.
"we're picking up a bag." he said quickly. his eyes focused on typing a message.
"yours?"
"yeah." he added. "freddie sent it over."
"oh okay." her long blonde hair rested against her chest as if had been placed there, despite the wind they had just been through.
when the two arrived at the airport, they headed to the baggage area to pick up treas bag. but what vanessa didn't know was that they weren't there for a bag. trea carefully dragged her through the cluster of people and off to the side of the baggage claim.
"don't we have to get your bag?" vanessa asked him, pointing over to the conveyer. he was still engaged in his phone, reading a message.
"uh yeah. we'll grab it in a minute." his eyes lifted and grazed around the room.
"why are you being weird?" she asked trea.
"yeah trea, why are you being weird?" a voice called out from behind them. it was easily recognizable for the two. vanessa's head swung back to meet the face to the voice.
it was cody. it was cody and mookie. and gavin and camlia and freddie. they were all there.
vanessas face lit at the site of the group. she had no words, only smiles. a mixture of joy and confusion played across her face.
"i thought your new car would need a proper welcome party." trea beamed.
"how, why, when?" she managed to get out.
"you really thought you could just leave?" cody shrugged. ness ran into his arms, lifting her up into a hug.
the view of the two hugging was made trea's skin crawl. the slight urge to rip her out of his arms and never let her see him again came over him. he thought about what she had told him that one time. he refrained from his intrusive thoughts.
as they walked through the night, the group decided to grab a late dinner to extend the celebration. the lively chatter filled the air, and trea found himself engaged in conversation with vanessa and cody.
"so, trea, how did you manage to keep this all a secret?" cody asked, a teasing grin on his face.
trea chuckled, "well, it wasn't easy. vanessa is quite the detective, you know."
vanessa playfully nudged him, "yeah, i can be pretty nosy."
cody raised an eyebrow, "nosy or observant?"
trea shrugged, "maybe a bit of both."
the group laughed, and the conversation flowed effortlessly as they discussed everything from the surprise plan to future adventures. the atmosphere was light, and trea's initial discomfort began to fade away.
gavin, who had been quiet for a moment, chimed in, "so, vanessa, tell us more about philly? how are things?"
vanessa's eyes lit up, and she launched into an animated explanation of just about anything and everything. the group listened attentively, and even trea couldn't help but be captivated by her enthusiasm.
meanwhile, freddie leaned over to trea, whispering, "nice move with the surprise, man. she's genuinely happy."
trea nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "thank fuck."
as the night progressed, the group continued to revel in the celebration. the clinking of glasses, the laughter, and the warmth of friendship surrounded them. vanessa, in the midst of it all, glanced at trea with a grateful smile, silently acknowledging the effort he had put into making her day unforgettable.
the night became a patchwork of stories, jokes, and shared moments, weaving a tapestry of memories that would linger long after the last dish was cleared from the table. and as they left the restaurant, the group strolled towards vanessa's convertible, ready for whatever the night had in store for them.