Tom and Jesse were at my apartment about an hour earlier than I expected the, to be.

I was still asleep when my phone rang and I was definitely not ready.

"Hey, Nate!" Tom's voice was too cheerful as it echoed from my phone into my ear.

"Wha-?...Oh, crap."

I winced.

"You're not ready, are you?"

"Nope."

"I told you!" Jesse called from the other end.

I sighed.

"It's okay, we'll grab something from the café. You'll be ready by then?"

"Yeah, sorry. Thank you."

"Sure."

I was going to text Ian a head's up after I hung up, but I thought it would be funnier if I didn't. So I left my phone where it was originally on my bedside table and got up from my bed, as reluctant as ever.

I rushed as I packed my last minute necessities, while also trying to get ready. Definitely not something easy to achieve.

"Took you long enough," Jesse said when I finally slid into the van.

It was the mini van that Jesse and his band mates used whenever they had gigs a few hours away or whenever they "toured".

I rolled my eyes. "Good morning to you, too."

"Good morning Nate!" Tom turned in his seat to grin at me.

I scowled. "It's too early, Tom."

He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I'm a morning person."

"No shit," I grumbled.

"I take it you haven't had tea yet," Jesse commented.

"Aha." I sighed. "I didn't have time because your boyfriend here is an asshole."

Tom pouted and produced a styrofoam cup from god knows where. "Guess I'll have to drink this myself after all. Too bad."

"Asshole? Who said asshole? I meant he is an amazing human being."

Tom grinned and handed me the cup. "Only because you tried."

"Good to know my efforts are appreciated," I said, lifting the top of the cup to take a whiff of the deliciousness in my hands.

"Greatly appreciated."

I rolled my eyes and smiled before taking a sip.

"Isn't it too hot?" Tom asked, referring to the tea.

"I'm used to the burns by now."

"Creep," Jesse coughed behind the wheel.

I tossed him a quick glare before shooting Tom an innocent smile. "How long does it take to the camping space?"

"A few hours."

I raised an eyebrow. "You don't have a clue, do you?"

He blushed from his neck to his ears and I almost lost it.

"We'll be taking a lot of stops," he mumbled. "So I don't know. We'll get there by nightfall maximum."

I shrugged. "Alright. As long as we don't stay at some creepy run down motel in the middle of nowhere."

Tom cringed. "No promises."

"Why did I agree to this?" I groaned.

"Yeah," Jesse echoed. "Why did you, Nate?"

Tom's eyes widened and he begged with his eyes not to say anything.

I sighed. "Because I love you guys so so much and I could not pass an opportunity to hang out with you like this one."

"Third wheeler."

I scoffed. "Ian will be there too!"

"Ian has a boyfriend."

"Oh yeah, I completely forgot," I said, sarcastically, ignoring the twinge of guilt that tugged at my conscience.

"Shut up!" Tom yelled. "Or I swear neither of you will sleep tonight."

I winced at the sharp tone of his voice. "Okay, mom."

Tom rolled his eyes. "Lame."

"Bottom."

He gasped. "Please! As if you would ever top!"

"I would so top!"

"Fat chance!"

The van suddenly squealed and I had to hold on to the chair in front of me for dear life as it came to a sudden halt.

"What the hell, Jesse!"

"If you don't stop bickering like girls, no one will be going anywhere, got it?"

Tom and I both grumbled but didn't say anything.

"For the record," Jesse added. "Both of you could never top."

"Whatever," Tom spat. "There's nothing wrong with being a bottom anyway."

I just stared outside the window and tried not to throw myself out through the door.

"Hey, Ian, we're outside."

Tom had his phone on speaker, and the phone went silent for a few seconds.

"What?" Ian mumbled, sounding like he wasn't even awake.

"It's almost nine AM...Did I just wake you up?"

"...No?"

I stifled a laugh.

Tom sighed. "How long will you take?"

"A few minutes."

"Can you be a little more specific?"

"Twenty minutes?"

"Alright. We'll get you something to eat meanwhile."

"Thanks."

Tom hung up and sighed. "Maybe we should just call the whole thing off. It's already gotten out of hand."

I rolled my eyes. "We'll be fine. Let's get him something to eat."

"Like what?"

"I don't know."

"You always hang out with him! How can you not know?"

"Pizza?"

"It's not even nine AM."

Beer.

I shuddered.

"Fruit salad," I said.

"That's all?"

"Why don't you ask him?"

"He's not picking up!"

"Just get him anything."

Tom grumbled but we eventually found a coffee shop near by.

"Who's volunteering?" he asked.

"You," I said.

I heard him un-buckle his seat belt. "Why do I always agree to this?"

"Because you're the best boyfriend in the world," Jesse said, placing a hand on Tom's shoulder.

Tom blushed as Jesse smiled knowingly, leaning in for a quick kiss.

"He's going to pay me back for this," Tom said.

"Here," I said. "Take my credit card."

He hesitated. "Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't. Now go."

Tom took the card from my hand with a muffled, "Thank you", before he climbed out of the car.

Jesse tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. "So you sing."

"No."

He gave me a look through the view finder and I looked away. "C'mon."

"I can't sing."

"Liar," he sang.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm serious."

"I'll be the judge of that," he said.

"I don't want to."

He reached over to the seat behind him and grabbed the acoustic guitar that lay there. Then he began strumming a familiar tune and humming the first few verses.

"Not gonna work," I mumbled, looking out the window as I crossed my arms.

The sound of the guitar strings came to a soft and slow end that I barely noticed it.

"What's up?"

"Nothing."

"C'mon, everyone knows that's just a cover up for saying that everything is wrong."

I sighed, and turned to him. "Why do you care?"

He shrugged. "I don't. I just want to have fun and you're sort of showering on my parade. Is it that time of the month again?"

I deadpanned. "I don't know, give me a minute so I can have a look...Nope, still a boy."

Jesse turned back around and played with his guitar for a while longer. "I'm not giving up, just so you know."

I ignored him and said, "I thought you only play electric."

"I prefer electric, but I like to change things up occasionally."

I nodded and turned to the window again.

Tom arrived shortly after that, and Jesse drove us quietly back to Ian's apartment with the only sound being the muffled music on the stereo system.

"Did someone die?" was the first thing Ian said when he pulled the van's door open.

"Ian!" Tom scolded.

"What?" Ian glanced at me a curious smile on his face, before it fell away and he tore his gaze from me.

I tried not to look hurt.

Jesse's guitar was back in its place and so I had to scoot over a bit and Ian squeezed into the seat beside me.

"Here," Tom said, and turned around so he could deliver Ian's food. "I didn't know what to get exactly..."

Ian peered into the bag. "It's fine. Thank you."

Tom smiled then swiveled back around.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, feeling Ian's hard shoulders graze against mine whenever one of us made a move.

Then Tom stretched and turned the volume up. He began singing along like it was completely normal to listen to loud music when it wasn't even close to being noon, Jesse following along as well.

"So, have you talked to Dev lately?" Ian asked.

I tilted my head to the side. "No, I haven't. Have you?"

He nodded. "Yeah, he's coming back in a few days."

I raised my eyebrows. "Really?"

"Aha."

"Cool, I can't wait!" I tried to smile but failed.

Either way, Ian did not seem to notice. He finished his breakfast and leaned against the van's side, pressing against it like he was trying his greatest not to touch me.

I watched him by the corner of my eye. He had his arm stretched over the window sill, his head resting against it as he gazed outside the window, as if all the secretes of the universe were outside.

I bit my lip and looked away.

Then looked at him again.

I stared at the way his dark hair peeked out from underneath his beanie. I stared at his skin. I stared at the way his stubble was starting to grow out a bit. I stared at the curl of his eyelashes and the way his green eyes shined under the sun that filtered through the glass window.

He looked the same, so why was I suddenly so entranced?

I couldn't look away.

Was it because we kissed?

I shook my head, turning completely away from Ian.

That kiss meant nothing.

We felt nothing.

Ian is dating Devin. My best friend.

I suddenly felt the need to distract myself, I could no longer sit with nothing to do.

"Did you guys get any snacks?" I asked.

Tom nodded and bent to lift a plastic bag from the floor of the van, and in the moment I felt Ian's eyes on me.

I turned, but he moved his gaze back to the window just in time.

I sighed, reaching for the plastic bag Tom was offering me. I peeked inside and frowned, sifting through the food inside.

"Is that...an energy bar?" I asked, lifting the packet out for him to see.

"Yup!" Tom responded.

"...And nuts?" I shook my head. "Where's all the good stuff?"

Tom sighed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I was expecting bags of chips, not veggies!"

"They're not veggies." Tom rolled his eyes.

Jesse snickered. "I knew one of them would freak."

Tom huffed. "I guess we can stop by a grocery store."

I grinned. "Great, when are we stopping?"

"I guess we can stop at the next one we see."

"Okay."

Ian turned to me. "Didn't you just eat?"

"I'm a growing teenage boy."

"Point taken."

I smiled, funny how just the idea of food seemed to lighten the mood.

We stopped at a grocery store a few minutes later and I unbuckled my seatbelt and pulled out my wallet. "Do you guys want anything?"

Tom held up the plastic bag. "I think we're good."

I chuckled and glanced at Ian briefly.

"I'll come too," he said smoothly.

I tried not to show my surprise and nodded instead.

We climbed out of the van and walked to the sliding doors together.

Ian shivered beside me, hands in the pockets of his leather jacket as he pulled his beanie down even further, hiding the piercing I was just starting to grow fond of.

We walked down the aisles of food in silence, each picking out what we wanted and placing them on the cart that I was pushing.

"I think I'm done," I finally spoke.

"Almost," Ian said.

We were starting to walk farther away from where all the food was and I started to wonder where exactly I was being led to.

"Uh, Ian...?"

"One second."

I stared at the back of his head as he walked in front of me, wondering what was going inside there.

He took a turn and I followed.

He's buying blankets?

"You forgot your sleeping bag at home?" I asked.

Ian smiled sheepishly. "Yeah..."

I laughed at the boyish look on his face. "It's definitely going to be cold tonight."

"Good thing I'm sharing a tent with you," he said.

I wasn't sure he grasped what he'd said, because he seemed indifferent either way.

Little did he know, I was terrified.

"We are?" I asked, trying to mask the shakiness I felt inside of me.

"Would you rather sleep with the two love birds?"

I felt my cheeks burn. "I thought we had our own separate tents."

He gave me a lopsided smile, almost teasing. "Are you afraid of me, Nate?"

"No." My voice wavered.

He smiled. "Then what are you worried about?"

Ian was right, I had nothing to worry about because he was not going to kiss me any time soon and I would make sure of it just incase he can't control himself.

"I don't think the two vegetarians got any beer," Ian thought out loud.

"Is it really necessary?"

"What's the harm?"

I stared him in the eye and asked, "Are you drunk at the moment?"

"No." He laughed.

I regarded him skeptically but let it slide.

Maybe he learned how to control his alcohol.

In less than a week?

Maybe not.

It did not matter anyway. I knew how to control my own body.

Most of the time.

"I think I'm done," Ian finally announced.

I eyed the cart and sighed. "I'll have to pay for all of that right?"

Ian shook his head. "Of course not."

I ended up paying for it all eventually, but somehow I wasn't as bothered by it as I would have thought.

Hey hey heeeey!

I'm here with a new updaaate! (Duh) Woohoo!

Question: do you have any weird talents? I wouldn't exactly call mine a talent, but I can make that weird chipmunk voice without a computer or anything. My friends think it's annoying, I don't know why. It's kind of fun. I wish I could put that on my college application but I don't think they'd appreciate that :(

Thank you for reading! <3