Chapter 34-1

AS A RESULT of Chase leaving in two days time, I had devised a plan to make tomorrow the best second first date ever. I wanted to make sure that he wouldn't forget about me and that he would come back to me. I know he said he would, but doing this made me a feel a little better. Luckily, my thirteen year-old self was a sucker for romantic comedies and created a 'first date bucket' list. I had spent most of the day searching for it and found it in a storage box in the garage. My hand-writing was messy as fuck but nothing had really changed. There was a whole list of things in the tiny notebook I had decorated with purple and blue nail polish. It was a painting of a forest during twilight as was giving me major Bob Ross vibes. With the notebook in hand, I slip my sunglasses onto my head and join Penn and Levi outside. Levi was lying spread eagle on a bright pink towel and I frown as I stare down at him. "What are you doing Levi?" I question as I stand above him. "What does it look like?" He replies with another question, "I'm photosynthizing." I scoff, "Of course you are." Penn was seated on one of the day beds. She had a straw sunhat on, a pair of sunglasses and she was reading her book. She had develop a gorgeous golden tan over the past few weeks and it made her red hair seem so bright. "Hey." She smiles up at me when I near her, "What's up, buttercup?" I take a seat on the end of her day bed and bring my legs up, folding them underneath me. We had all gone swimming just before so Penn and I were still in our bikinis. I came back to the house with her and Levi while Chase, Noah and Spencer stayed in the water. I could just make out the three of them with Noah running away from Chase in the shallows. So cute. "I wrote this notebook when I was thirteen. It's got a whole list of first date ideas in here." I say as I gesture to the small journal. Penn closes her books and places it on the side table. "Here, come lie down." She says as she pats her belly. I lie back between her legs and rest my head on her stomach as I open the notebook in front of us. Penn groans,  "How the hell was you're writing like that back then?" "It wasn't. My snooty ass was a damn show off because I had just started taking calligraphy classes." I explain with small laugh as I start reading down the list. I then point at one of the options, "Ha, watch a foreign movie while making out in the back row?" "Hey, Noah and I have done that." Penn giggles, her chest vibrating underneath my head, "But it wasn't on purpose. Noah accidentally bought tickets to a Danish film when we were meant to go see Frozen 2." I can't help but laugh at that because it perfectly summed Noah up in one sentence. Penn and I continue to read over the four page list, pointing out good ideas for dates and then some that were definitely impossible; especially in boring-as-shit-central Holden Bay. "Okay, I definetly gotta take Noah on that date." Penn points to one of the bullet-points, "Go to a animal shelter and adopt every dog there." "Isn't Noah allergic to dogs?" I question as I glance up at her. She grins cheekily, "But I'm not." I laugh as I return to reading the list. I was getting some ideas for tomorrow such as visiting ice cream parlour, swimming at the ass-crack of dawn and I think I'm going to jot down the foreign movie idea. "Oh fuck, I even made relaxing date ideas." I scoff at my past self. I notice 'matching face-masks' was on the list and I can't help but smile as I'm brought back to that night in our dorm room. That was the first time we had participated in a normal conversations that weren't just death threats of constant swearing. "Is setting things on fire apart of that list?" Levi questions from where he lay on the wooden floorboards, "If not, it should be." "What even are you, Levi?" I question while shaking my head  as Penn giggles slightly behind me. "Well, what's more relaxing than setting things on fires, huh?" Levi questions as if there was no other possibility. Well, to him there most probably wasn't. "Ah, a lot of things." I scoff as I we continue to read the list. His fascination was both truly astounding and adorable at the same time. Hayley was a little pyro too and I just know that if they ever move in with each other, they'll have the fire department on speed dial. "Hey..." Penn trails off as I tilt my head up so I could see her, "What made you find this?" "Oh, I'm planning an entire day's worth of dates tomorrow. Since Chase is leaving the day after next, I want to spend as much time with him as possible." I explain with a small shrug. "You know he's coming back, right?" Penn asks as I can only smile up at her and nod. I was going to make him come back if it was the last thing I did. I finally got him back and it's about time I started being selfish of my own happiness. Chase was my happiness and I wasn't going to let anyone or anything take that away. By the time we had finished reading the list, I had a couple ideas for tomorrow stored away. It was great timing too because the boys were walking up from the sand laughing about something together. "Penny!" Noah announces as he runs over to us. It was so cute how Noah instantly lights up when Penn's around him. They were meant for each other in every single way possible. And like the golden-retriever he is, he shakes his hair in front of us and the cold ocean water sprays us. Penn and I squeal as we flinch away. ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ "Nope," I shake my head while staring at Chase's laptop screen, "It still looks like a phallic." Chase cranes his neck as he glances down at me with a frown, "What the fuck is a phallic?" The sun was slowly setting by now and Chase and I were sitting in living room, cuddled up on the sofa. I was resting against his side with my head on his chest as Chase works on the plan on his laptop.I was overseeing everything. "It's what a penis is called in the art-world, darling." I scoff as I pat his chest with my hand. One of his arms were wrapped around me, keeping me tight against him. "Okay we get it Jones, you're an artist." He smirks while tickling me against me side. I explode beside him in a fit of giggles. Through my struggle of getting free from him, I notice my mother saunter in to the kitchen with her floral kimono flowing behind her. "Aww, it makes me so happy seeing you two together." She says as she stares at us with a soft, fond expression, "Now, we can we start talking grand-babies?" "Oh my god, mom!" I gasp as I my cheeks instantly flush. I push up from the sofa and walk over the kitchen, "At least let me get my degree first." "Hayden, you want to get every degree that art as to offer. I'll be one-hundred by the time you're finished studying." Mom explains with a small chuckle as she opens the refrigerator door. She sighs, "I can't believe how fast you three go through the food." I frown, "Huh?" "You, Noah and Spencer of course." She chuckles as she turns around, "I'll have to go to the grocery store." "How about Chase and I go instead?" I offer as Mom's blue eyes brighten up. She loves getting out of doing the chores and obviously the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. "Go where?" Vera questions as she floats into the room. Vera had come over with Sam and Stella just before. They seem to be spending every afternoon and evening with us before heading back to their own place. No one has a problem with it though because I swear everyone in this house is in love with Stella.