Not much to say, just hopefully I get some r&r, please :) d3vious

Chapter Two- Initiations

Daybreak came fast for Nate. After his half-night worth of sleep, he found himself sleeping among sheets wrapped up around his legs like a boa constrictor does to its dieing prey. He quickly scrimmaged out of bed and headed out into the kitchen. There he found his mom, like usual, cooking up breakfast. He took a seat next to his father, who was reading the morning paper, and Gina, who was resting her head on her propped up arm.

"Morning Nathan," his mom said as she left the stove and served him his breakfast. "When will you all be back from your little trip, Gina?"

"Probably about two weeks," Gina replied getting up from the table. She headed into her room to retrieve her luggage and load it into the trunk of the Eclipse.

"Oh, so I won't be able to see you guys until the first Friday in August?"

"Sorry mom," Nate said as he dumped his plate into the sink. He hugged his mom and said good-bye to his dad as he left the kitchen to load his luggage into the car.

The Eclipse drove up the driveway of Dr. Taylor's house. The doctor himself was outside rigging up the watering for the entire yard. As Nate got out of his car, the doctor was shocked that the car hadn't squealed into the yard. Nate waved to the doctor as he helped himself into the house. As he reached the top of the stairs, he ran into a woman wrapped in a silk robe.

"I'm sorry, Charlotte. Just making my way to Chloe's room," Nate blushed as he looked at Chloe's mom with a smile.

"Oh, Nate, she might still be sleeping. You can go ahead and check," Charlotte pointed to Chloe's room and went to her room, leaving Nate in the hall by himself.

Nate went to Chloe's door and slowly opened it. She had her shades drawn so he walked in and closed the door behind him. Just as his eyes adjusted to the light, he looked at Chloe's bed where she was still sleeping peacefully under her dark colored sheets. Nate sat down beside her and shook her gingerly.

"Chloe, wake up," he said as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Morning already?" She pouted and turned on her back. "And you're already here, so that means it's time to go. Right?"

Nate nodded his head. "We already picked up Tynnia. We just need you and we're ready to go."

Chloe sat up and placed herself at the edge of the bed. She adjusted her shorts and spaghetti strapped shirt while looking at Nate. He just looked back into her eyes while she opened her mouth to say something. "My suitcase is by my door if you want to bring it to the car while I get dressed."

"Okay," Nate got up and headed for the door.

"It'll just be a couple minutes," she added before he left with her suitcase.

The music blared in the Eclipse. As Nate drove, Chloe sat in the passenger's seat while Gina and Tynnia sprawled across the back seat. All of them were singing to the music, singing in the air-conditioned car under the raging heat of the summer sun.

"G, how long until we're at the hotel?" Tynnia whined. "This is boring!"

Gina laughed and took out a map from the console between the driver and passenger seat. "Well, we should be there in a half hour or so."

Tynnia exhaled loudly. Chloe turned in her seat to see the girls in the back. "Oh would you stop your complaining!" She laughed as Tynnia gave her a dirty look.

"Guys, stop. We're almost there," Nate broke in before Tynnia could give Chloe a come back.

The car pulled up into the parking lot of a middle class hotel. Each door opened and all of the voyagers stepped out into the humid heat of nightfall. Nate whipped the sweat from his forehead with the bottom of his shirt as the girls gathered at the trunk waiting for him to make his way to it. Chloe pulled at her black shirt and looked at Gina and Tynnia.

"Wasn't a great idea to wear black today," she said as Nate popped the trunk and stood beside her.

"Why don't I go check in and you guys can wait here?" Gina said.

"I'll come too. That place has an air conditioner on the inside," Tynnia quickly followed behind Gina, leaving Chloe and Nate at the trunk of the car.

"Come on," Nate said as he headed for a patch of trees about ten feet from the car. He and Chloe sat down close to each other in the shade. "I haven't talked with you it seems like all day."

"I've been sitting right next to you all day, Silly!" Chloe gently elbowed him in a joking way.

He laughed and lay back in the grass. Chloe rolled on her side, holding herself up with her elbow. Leaning somewhat on him, she could feel his sweat seep through his shirt.

"Sometimes I can't believe how long we've been friends, Nate."

"Why is that?" He lifted his head up with his hands and looked at her.

"Let's see, fifteen out of twenty-two years is a long time, don't you think? I mean, most marriages don't even last that long," Chloe brushed his hair back with her fingers. Today he hadn't worn any gel in his hair partly because of the heat and due to the early time in which he had gotten up.

He smiled and sat up. "It is pretty long, huh?"

Chloe sat up as well. She nodded her head and then her attention drifted to Gina and Tynnia who were coming out from the lobby of the hotel. "I got us an awesome deal," Tynnia yelled while waving the room's key in the air.

Nate and Chloe smiled and got up to help unload the luggage from the trunk into the room.

The hotel room's door opened, steadily creaking along the hinges. The room had peach wallpaper and held the vapors of cleaning chemicals. At the end of the room, close to the large window and walkout balcony, were two queen-sized beds. On both sides of the room, just as they walked in, were two bathrooms. Just before getting to the beds was a walk-in kitchen. Gina sprinted into the room and jumped on the first bed she got to. As the others set down the luggage, they all looked at her breathing heavily on the bed.

"I'm sleeping on this one! Who's going to sleep with me?"

"I will! Just watch out because I kick in my sleep," Tynnia warned Gina as she joined her on the bed. "Oh, so comfy!"

Chloe investigated the balcony for a while before she returned to the room. "Hope you guys brought a swimsuit because we got ourselves a hot tub out there!"

"See! I told you that I got an awesome deal on this room," Tynnia said in an I-told-you-so tone of voice.

"Let's not waste any time," Nate started to strip off his clothes.

Chloe screamed in excitement. "What are you doing?"

Once Nate got down to his boxers he threw his suitcase onto the empty bed and grabbed his swimming trunks. "I'm going to finish changing outside, but if you guys aren't out there in a matter of a couple minutes, I don't care if you're naked, I'm throwing you over my shoulder and carrying you out there." With that he went onto the balcony. Each of the girls started laughing as they started to change into their swimsuits. In the middle of changing, Nate peeked his head in and yelled, "Time's up!"

All of the girls started screaming as they tried to finish changing as Nate chased them all around the room. Eventually Gina and Tynnia made it outside and left Chloe struggling to get her bikini top on as she was running in and out of Nate's clutches.

Chloe giggled as she ran in the middle of the beds, making one of the beds directly between she and Nate. "Let me just get my top on, Nate." Nate agreed and bent over to catch his breath. As Chloe tossed her shirt on the bed behind her and started to unclip her bra, Nate looked down at the floor. "What? Are you embarrassed to see me without a top on?" Chloe asked as she tossed her bra on the bed in front of Nate. He slowly looked at the item and kept his eyes on the bed.

"It's not that. I don't think Devin would appreciate me seeing you without clothes on and besides…" he whipped his arm across his forehead taking all the sweat off from it.

"Besides what?"

"We're just friends."

Chloe put her top on and walked over to Nate. He slowly looked up and then fully stood up. "Okay. At least you have more respect for Devin now," she said as she hugged him closely. "I don't think that I would want anything more than a good friendship from you."

Nate lifted her head, having her look into his eyes. "I don't have more respect for him. I didn't look because I have more respect for you."

Chloe kissed his cheek and smiled, "At least you're honest with me."

"Hun, what do you think friends are for?" Nate put his arm around her shoulder and walked them out to the balcony.