Chapter 51: Quality Time Spent
Open Road, Baltiney, New York...
Dean breathed a sigh of relief to have been out of the crowded mall and back on the road with Ken. He had settled into the passenger seat as he had before and stared out at the passing city that surrounded them. The atmosphere had been a bit different as Dean took note of Ken's music taking a more easygoing appeal. Dean had liked the new song, the easy flow of the melody had been nice for the drive as they continued to pass the buildings on the horizon. Dean had picked up that the song was one called, Oh Honey, but that was as much as he had known about it.
Ken smirked when he noted Dean tapping his fingers to the beat of the song as he leaned with his arm on the car door.
"You like this one huh?" he asked breaking the silence as the song continued in the background.
Dean nodded as he continued to enjoy the music.
"I listen to it often when I get to feeling like you did back at the mall," admitted Ken. "It was apparently one of my favorites before the accident and they often played it at the hospital to calm me down, I figured it could do the same for you given your PTSD and whatnot."
"You were in an accident?" asked Dean with an arched brow.
Ken sighed.
"Caught that did you?" he asked with an arched brow of his own. "Well apparently before I had been hipped to this Delegation classic, I am told I used to play it all the time before the car accident that nearly ended me...I've been alright for the past five years but everyone else seems to always walk on eggshells around me after I got out of the hospital."
"I'm sorry you were hurt," said Dean not knowing what else to say.
"Don't worry about it," replied Ken evenly. "I don't think about it much, just wanted you to know that the song sort of helped me out now and again."
Dean turned his attention back to the song and settled back down. He had liked it a lot and even more so now that he knew Ken had favored it.
"It's a good song," he admitted still drumming his fingers to the beat.
"Yeah, it is," agreed Ken as he continued to drive and sing a few lines of the song. "When I feel lost, feel I've been crossed she'll be my salvation...when I feel low I know where to go...she'll be my inspiration..."
Dean continued to enjoy the song as they moved down the highway passing other cars and taking in the sights. It had occurred to Dean that he hadn't seen very much of Baltiney, New York since his arrival and the last time Ken had taken him out on the town so to speak.
After a while Dean's stomach began to rumble and Ken looked over at him. They had skipped breakfast before going to the mall and he figured it was about time they got something to eat.
"You in the mood for take out or do you want to dine in?" asked Ken with an arched brow.
Dean considered this for a few moments and recalled the crowding of the mall. He had not been in much of a mood to sit inside an establishment and eat, besides he wanted Ken all to himself given what happened the last time.
"Takeout," replied Dean casually.
Ken smirked figuring as much as he turned into the drive-thru of a local burger joint and turned his attention toward the menu when they pulled up. Dean took a look at the rather complicated menu and felt he couldn't decide so he let Ken do all the talking.
The older man ordered two burgers and fries with a large soft drink for himself and a sports drink for Dean. The lad had not been too fond of verbal communication with strangers that had little to nothing to do with his goals pertaining to making money, it had been bad enough that he'd been forced to bend over for other men to make ends meet but to have a full-on conversation was a chore in it of itself.
Conversation with Ken had been rather smooth and easy by comparison despite Dean's lack of social skills. He had known him for quite a while and they'd been intimate on more than one occasion so the jitters when it came to speaking had been long gone when it came to being around Ken.
Ken drove up to collect their food and pay the people then handed Dean all the food as he drove off from the restaurant his mind was on the route back toward the motel but he had other ideas and pulled them into a secluded area with something of a good view of the overall city.
Dean had been confused about where they were but Ken explained he'd been much too hungry to drive back to the motel when his food would be getting cold. He divvied up the food and they sat in the car looking out over the cityline and listening to the car radio. Ken replayed the song from before and they sat quietly for a few moments while eating. It had been a blissful easy way to spend the remaining aspects of an afternoon.
Watching the sunset had been a bonus as Dean bit into his burger. He wondered if Ken had been aware that his intermission stop had been more intimate in terms of a setting than he intended.
"You did good today kid," said Ken before biting into his burger and going for a few fries.
Dean smiled as he continued to enjoy his food, wondering briefly if it had been worth it to ask Ken why he knew all the good places for food whenever he had been out and about. He decided against it as they both continued to eat with the rather pleasant song playing in the background. It had not been an altogether bad day as far as Dean Hudson had been concerned it had been a very good day spent with Ken. He wondered in secret if it had been Ken's plan all along to spend a bit of time with him when the day began given the man's unpredictable and fickle nature, he had of course been the type to have plotted this out to the very minute detail but then again he'd possibly just been winging it.
Either way, Dean had been grateful for the good time and Ken's rather pleasant company.