Chapter 7
The Three Musketeers? More Like The Three Stooges
I thought I was going to go crazy. Literally. I'd been sitting here for the past four hours, listening to them. No matter what, I couldn't block them out. At least my guy didn't, or I wouldn't be sleeping in the same bed every night with him.
And just what is it that's making me go crazy?
Ben and Drew's snoring.
I mean, I didn't see how they could be sleeping when we left Boston at nine o'clock in the morning. Even Max was asleep beside me with his head resting on my shoulder.
Maybe I shouldn't have let them stay up and do some more research in the basement before we left. They probably weren't even doing research either. I could only imagine...
I pulled my iPod out of my backpack and put on my noise canceling headphones, hoping that they would work.
And since I couldn't hear a thing once I had them in, I would say it did.
I had my eyes closed and my head leaned back against the headrest a little while later. I wasn't trying to go to sleep, but I was close to it. But when I felt kisses trailing down my jaw line, I definitely wasn't anymore. I didn't open my eyes, though, but a smile crept onto my face as one of my headphones was pulled from my ear.
"It's time to wake up, Callie...and I'll keep this up until you don’t," I heard Max say.
Ha! Like I would open my eyes when he told me that.
He chucked then, probably thinking the exact same that I was.
"That's what I thought," he said, and I felt him pull back.
"I'm still sleeping," I murmured. "Aren't you supposed to try and wake me up still?"
Max laughed again and I could feel his face close to mine again, right in front of me. I just barely opened my eyes, just enough to see him.
"Yeah, I knew you were awake," he said, a smile on his face.
"Fine," I said, opening my eyes completely. He was standing right in front of me, leaning down so he was right in my face. "I'm guessing we're here?"
He nodded, taking my hands in his to help me up. "We're here," he said. "We just landed actually."
I turned off my iPod and put it in my backpack. Turning to look toward the back, I slung it over my shoulder.
"Where are Ben and Drew?" I asked, looking back at him.
"They're already in the car," he said, and then smirked. "They're a little excited. Can you tell?"
I snorted, rolling my eyes as he took my hand and we headed for the stairs leading out of the jet and down to the runway of the airport we'd landed at in Klagenfurt, Austria. "Apparently."
Ben and Drew were, like Max said, already in the waiting SUV. Well, they weren't waiting patiently.
"Can you two hurry up already?" Ben called as we walked down the stairs. "You’re slower that my ninety-two year old grandmother!"
"And you do know that it's a three hour trip! We don't have all day if I recall correctly!" Drew shouted. "We're going to miss the boat that's supposed to take us out if you don't hurry!"
"Oh, shut it, you two!" Max yelled back.
I just shook my head. I was going to have to deal with these three together for weeks. Personally, I didn't know just how I was going to manage that without drowning myself in Lake Toplitz.
Max took my hand when we reached the runway and we walked toward the two of them. When we got to it, he led me toward the passenger side and opened my door, helping me in before he got in himself. But before he actually got in the driver’s seat, Ben and Drew both sighed in the backseat.
“What?” I asked them, looking back.
Ben shook his head, narrowing his eyes playfully at me. “You’ve got that man whipped,” he said.
I snorted, rolling my eyes. “I do not. He’s just a gentleman,” I said. “I think you could use a lesson or two from him to be honest.”
The two of them looked at each other…and then burst out into laughter.
“Oh, that was a good one,” Drew said, slapping his knee just as Max got in the driver’s side.
“What’s a good one?” he asked, looking between the three of us.
The two guys in the back just started laughing again and I rolled my eyes.
“You’re friends are weird. Have I ever told you that?” I asked him.
Max cracked a smile. “Of course, you have. Many times…and most of those in the last few days.”
After making sure we had everything, I put in the GPS coordinates and we were finally on our way. Ben and Drew were just randomly talking about things in the back while I got my phone out of my backpack. Dialing home, I waited for either Dad or Brielle to pick up.
“Hello?” Brielle answered two rings later.
“Hey, it’s me,” I said, smiling even though I couldn’t see her.
“Oh, hi,” she said. I could practically hear the smile in her voice. “How was the flight? You’ve landed, right? Is everything good? The car was there when you landed?”
I laughed, leaning my head back against the headrest as I watched the buildings go by.
“You sound like such a mom, like you always do,” I said.
She laughed on the other end. “Well, I’m about to be one in a few weeks, you know. I’ve got to practice my worrying on someone.”
“True,” I said, laughing again. “But to answer your questions in order…Yes, the flight was good, obviously we’ve landed, everything’s perfect, and the car was here. We’ve driving out of Klagenfurt right now and we’re on our way with the help of the coordinates you sent me for the GPS. Thank you, by the way.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, and then sighed. “It’s just weird, not being there and all. This is the first time you’ve gone off on an expedition by yourself. Well, you kind of are. You’ve got Max and the boys with you.”
“Yeah, and that’s really going well,” I said, rolling my eyes even though she couldn’t see. “These guys are crazy when you put the three of them together.”
I saw someone’s head beside me out of the corner of my eyes and looked to see Ben staring at me.
“We heard that,” he said before slowly leaning back, his eyes still locked on mine.
My eyes went to Max, who was just shaking his head as he mouthed the words ‘bloody idiot’. I smiled at him and took his hand in mine.
“Somehow they’ll help you. You know they will,” Brielle said, laughing. “Plus, you’ll be laughing the entire way.”
I shook my head, closing my eyes. “True.”
We talked about things that were going on at home. Apparently the baby had been moving around a lot more than she had before. Brielle said it probably had something to do with me not being there. She’d also basically finished her room, including putting the bedding on and cleaning it so that it was completely spotless.
“What else am I supposed to do with you and Max not in the house?” she said.
By the time we’d said our goodbyes and I promised to call minutes after we finished our dive, an hour had already gone by. I slipped my phone back into my backpack and looked over at Max.
“Those two haven’t shut up since we’ve been on the road,” he said, nodding toward the back.
Smiling, I looked back at Ben and Drew, who seemed to be having an animated conversation about a trip the three of them had taken.
“…remember that pub we stopped at?” Drew said, laughing. “We were so out of it that entire night.”
“But that one old man…” Ben started.
“The one that taught us that old English drinking song?” Drew asked, and Ben nodded.
And then the two of them started singing. I had to bit the inside of my lip just to keep from busting out laughing.
“I am the jolly prince of drinkers,
Ranting, roaring, fuddling boys! Who
take a delight in tossing full tankards,
Filling the ale-house with my noise.
Ten gallons at a draught
Did I pour down my throat.
But hang such silly sips as these:
I laid me all along
With my mouth unto the bung, And I
drank off a hogshead at my ease.”
I looked over at Max when they finished their song, laughing and going on to another.
“Drinking songs?” I asked him.
He closed his eyes for a second before shaking his head. “Don’t even ask.”
***Yeah, yeah, I know. Sue me for it being so short! But hey, I uploaded! And Ben and Drew are hilarious, aren't they? I love them to death! :D
Now for some news. I'm going to sorta kinda put this on hold for about a week and a half, until June 6th actually. So only until next Wednesday! I'm in one of my moods where I just don't want to write at all and, even though I hate it, I'm going to take a break just to get myself back on track with my writing.
But when I do start uploading again, I've got a plan. I'm going to be uploading on Wednesdays and Sundays. That gives me a few days in between to really write and get going with my long chapters again. Sounds like a plan to me! :) I probably will be writing a little between now and June 6th just because I can't completely stop, but I won't be uploading anything until then.
Anywho...
Comment, Vote, and Like!!!1***