Chapter 10

Well, I should have figured that going anywhere with my television boyfriend would lead to some rumors and gossip and some not-so-sneaky cell phone picture shots. As soon as Cory and I arrived at the supermarket to stock up on beer and snacks for the house, we were stopped by several people for pictures and to answer questions about why we were together and if we were dating, and we could hear countless amounts of people whispering behind our backs or as we passed them. It was kind of cute at first, that people noticed us and all, but then after a while, it just got irritating. I could tell that Cory was getting uncomfortable, and I felt bad because he just wanted to see the town and explore a little bit. I wondered if he would be getting this kind of attention if I wasn't there with him. I'm not saying that I was the reason why all eyes were on us, but when people put the two of us together and saw us food shopping, they began to think and suspect.

"We should head out of here soon," I remarked as I looked up at him as he was pulling a case of soda cans off of the top shelf in the beverages aisle. I tend to forget how tall he really is.

"I know," he shrugged as he tossed the case into the cart alongside the beer and a few bags of chips and pretzels. "We're almost done."

We weren't in the store much longer. After putting a few more miscellaneous items in the cart, we paid for our stuff and quickly left. We piled the stuff into the back of Cory's truck and quickly left the parking lot. I kept looking over at him, noticing that he didn't really look happy. "Knock knock," I asked, hoping to get a smile out of him.

And I got it rather quickly. He smirked and replied, "Who's there?"

"Cows go."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Cows go who?"

I laughed at him and playfully hit him on the arm. "No, silly, cows go moo!"

"Oh my God," he muttered before letting out a loud, bellowing laugh. "That was so freaking stupid."

"You loved it," I smirked and I looked back at the road. "Where are we going?" I asked, noticing the beautiful scenic route he was taking. The sun was as bright as I've ever seen it, making the sky as blue as it can possibly get.

"Next on the list is liquor store. I was reading about this great little place that overlooks the water, and if you want, you can buy a bottle of wine or something and then drink it on their deck that overlooks the ocean."

I had to admit, I was impressed. For someone who wanted to just run errands, this was a pretty nice stop on our list of things to do. "It's still before noon," I replied, looking at the clock.

"Did you just think we're popping open a bottle of wine before lunch?" he asked with a smile, looking over at me. "Someone's a budding alcoholic."

"What? No!" I stammered, hoping he didn't catch my wishful thinking. "I was just asking a question, Mr. Monteith!"

He just nodded his head with a small smile. We weren't driving for much longer before he turned into the parking lot of the store. We both hopped out and headed inside the store.

Through all of this shopping and spending casual time together, I realized how much this confirmed what I had wanted all along. I had always wanted to have something like this with Cory; doing everyday things such as shopping is plain and ordinary, but when you do it with someone you are into, it just makes it so much more special and fun, even if you're not necessarily speaking to each other. It just felt so nice to be with him away from the group. I don't know, it's just so hard to explain. I don't even understand if anyone will ever understand what I mean or how I feel. I guess, if I had to sum it up, it just felt right. This was something that I hadn't ever felt with a boyfriend or anyone else that I was interested in, and I knew that there was something special between Cory and I. I just hoped that he had some sort of feeling back towards me. Honestly, Id be crushed if he didn't.

The two of us spent longer in the liquor store longer than we had anticipated. We perused the aisles and examined different labels and bottles, and we shared some stories that were related to the bottles that we were looking at. Like, for example, the last time I had drank Patron, I had a large glass of it at a pool party and I was hung over for nearly two days straight. I also learned that the last time Cory drank a shot of whipped cream vodka, he thought it was a good idea to mix it with Cool-Whip, and when he drank it, the Cool-Whip had curdled, and he ended up throwing up that night's dinner. We didn't end up buying much – just a few bottles of different flavored vodkas, a bottle of whiskey, a bottle of Malibu for me and the girls, and a few different bottles of wine to drink with dinner. The bill was pretty steep, but Cory paid it without a bat of an eye. Glee pays well.

"Where do you want to go now?" Cory asked me after he started the ignition in the truck after we left the store.

I shrugged my shoulders. I really had no idea where we could go; it wasn't like I knew the area. I hadn't ever been before either. I just knew it was a city by the water, and that it was one of the most beautiful places in the country, but it didn't mean that I knew any tourist locations. And besides, I didn't think tourist locations were the best choice for us. "I don't know," I finally replied, giving up.

"I'd say the beach, but I think all of us should hit up the beach tonight after dinner," he suggested.

"That's a good idea," I smiled. "Maybe build a bonfire?"

He looked over at me with wide eyes. Ding! Point for me! "Great idea," he whispered with a smile. "How do you start one? Do we have a shovel? Or what about firewood? We have matches back at the house, right?"

"Okay, this is not my forte. The girls and I will get the marshmallows together, you guys figure out how to light the thing."

"Deal," he nodded. "Well, then do you want to get back to the house so we can plan this whole thing out?"

"Alright," I responded with a nod of the head. "While you and the guys figure this whole thing out, I'll be in the pool with the girls."

"That's convenient," he chuckled as we pulled out of the parking lot and headed back towards the house. "Will you be sipping on your fresh pack on Coronas while you're at it?"

"You know it, toots," I smiled as I looked out the window as we began to speed down the road.

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You know, I don't think there is anything better than laying poolside in the warm sunshine, tanning and just relaxing. This entire year has been one big crazy whirlwind, and this was the perfect break to have before filming for Season 3 began. All of the boys were researching information and planning how they were going to execute their nighttime bonfire at the beach, and I couldn't be happier knowing that all I had to do was provide a few bags of jumbo marshmallows. Although, I did assume that the girls and I would be cooking the dinner and bringing it to the beach while all of the guys were building our large fire pit.

I was the first one by the pool as soon as Cory and I got back from our shopping adventures. I slipped right into my bathing suit and claimed my seat while Cory took a seat on the couch and caught up on his sports highlights shows. And he was right – when we got back, everyone else was just waking up, and they were surprised that Cory and I had made it out and got some shopping done so early in the day. Dianna and Jenna promised me that they would join me by the pool after they ate their breakfast (mind you, it's after noon).

It was really quite relaxing to lie by the pool. My cell phone was turned off and tucked away inside my suitcase, and I didn't bother to bring my laptop. This week, I wanted to be completely disconnected from the world with my friends. And any business calls would be forwarded to my manager, so there would be nothing on my mind except the sun and my friends. I had my giant, oversized floppy hat to shield my face from the sun, and it provided perfect shade for reading. I cracked open my book, 'Water for Elephants', and read all of the pages with great care, immersing myself within the text.

I had read maybe fifty pages or so before the screen door slid open, and Jenna had emerged in her bikini. She took the lounge chair next to me and kicked up her feet before looking my direction. "How are you keeping your eyes open right now?" she asked as she let her head hit the back of the chair. She sunk into the plastic bands of the seat and allowed her body to relax completely.

"I don't know," I responded as I dog-eared the page I was on and closed my book. "I just keep lifting my eyelids after I blink."

"You know what I mean," Jenna groaned. She was clearly hung over.

"How'd you sleep?" I asked, trying to get in a conversation with her before she fell asleep.

Jenna shrugged her shoulders. "Good, I guess. We were all dead asleep until Darren was unloading the dishes from the dishwasher and dropped, like, three of them onto the floor and they all shattered. And really, I couldn't tell if the loud shatter from the sound of the plates falling or the shatter of my mind breaking into a million pieces like little shards of glass was louder. So dehydrated."

I smiled before offering a water bottle that I had brought outside with me. Usually, Jenna refuses acts of kindness and does things herself so she doesn't put other people out of their way. It was one of the things that I had always loved most about her. She was always so humble. But this time, Jenna couldn't have yanked the water bottle out of my hand fast enough. "Thanks," she muttered as she cracked the plastic seal and took a long sip of it. "Coffee wasn't doing me any favors."

"No problem," I responded. "I don't know how I'm not more hung over today. Maybe because I couldn't allow myself to be."

"Maybe because you didn't take a shot of gin to rinse out your mouth after brushing your teeth," Jenna hissed.

"Oh my God! You did that?" I asked her, my jaw nearly hitting the floor. Just the idea of it made me want to vomit.

She didn't reply. I could tell that she just needed some peace and quiet. Lounging by the pool was the best spot in the house for that. The house wasn't ocean-side, but we were still close enough to the water that we could hear the crashing waves of the Pacific on the sand and smell the light sea air. All of the action was in the house right now. Everyone was just beginning to stir. They were all eating their brunches, popping their Advil's to help ease their headaches, and drinking several cups of coffee. All of the guys, except Chris, were probably huddled around the television with Cory, and all of the girls, along with Chris, were probably comparing their bathing suits and doing some laundry. I knew that we had to eventually start planning out a dinner menu, but I had maybe another hour before I had to bring it up to the girls. And again, I would probably have to go to the supermarket to get the jumbo marshmallows for the bonfire. Cory and I had only thought of that idea after we had gone shopping, so I knew that I had to go back and pick up our appropriate supplies. That would also give us a lot more leeway to plan for dinner as well – we weren't restricted to whatever we could find in the refrigerator for the past two days.

As for right now, though, I couldn't think about shopping or dinner or a bonfire. All I had to do was lay by this water and get some much-deserved relaxation.