Jonah starts looking up from a music sheetbook as soon as Quilene and I walk into the room.
"Oh, hey, guys," Jonah just says. "I kind of forgot about what we'd be doing today."
"That's okay," Quilene replies. "I was only willing to get intimate with you if you wanted to do it, too. Consent is very important in these type of situations, you know."
"Very true. Hey, listen, I feel so bad that you had to put up with someone as shitty as Aerolynn. What she did to you was just awful. That Beacon guy you had a crush on also sounds terrible. No one should be treating you like those people did."
Quilene smiles and lays a hand on his shoulder. "I know. Thanks for not abandoning me when I needed you the most. I know that's the basic bare minimum, but considering the hell I had to go through, I was more than willing to take whatever I could get."
"No problem. Hope and I were raised by several women, so it stands to reason that I would be more attuned to this kind of stuff than the average boyfriend."
Ugh, I can't help but cringe when he talks like that. I know he's trying to be assuring and all that, but he still sometimes sounds like a teenager who never got over his pretentious narration phase.
"Hey, what exactly do you guys want to do tomorrow?" I ask curiously. "I was kinda hoping we could do something fun for a double date."
Jonah pauses for thought. "I don't know. What could we do tomorrow, Hope?"
I'm wondering about that myself until a figurative light-bulb flashes over my head. "How about we have a bonfire date? We could roast marshmallows and stuff."
"Oh, okay. After that, could we all go to the Funland Arcade and maybe stop by Fish Stew Pizza on the way home."
"That all sounds good." I start to leave. "Okay, I'm going to let you guys do your thing, but tomorrow, we're going on that double date."
Jonah gives me a thumbs up and a wink. "Sounds good to me."
The next day, Jonah and Quilene and I all stop by April's house to get ready for our double date. While at the house, we get to talking with Sadie and Shep about how amazing April is. I can't even stop blushing while gushing about her.
"I'm sure you miss her quite a lot while at Rutgers," Shep says.
"Yeah, I sure do," I reply. "Being in a long-distance relationship certainly isn't easy. You'll need a lot of patience and optimism to get through something like that."
Shep laughs and places their hand on my shoulder. "Believe me, I've been there before. I'm sure April feels the same way as well. Reba... not so much, but she's always believed herself to be more of an old-fashioned soul."
I nod in agreement. "Reba definitely seems like she'd rather things were as they were in the old days."
"So what do you guys plan to do on your double date?" Sadie asks curiously.
"Well..." I start to blush a little bit. "We're gonna start by doing a bonfire date, and then we're going to go to the Funland Arcade and play some games here. Then on the way home, we'll stop by Fish Stew Pizza and get something to eat."
"Ooh, that sounds like fun. I bet April would love that. In fact, I think I might call her down here right now." She turns to look at the staircase leading to the second floor and calls out April's name.
Almost immediately, April rapidly comes stomping down the stairs, dressed in a plain white T-shirt, some shorts, and some red flip-flops.
"Oh, hey, Mom," April says. "Hey, Shep. So is it true? Does Hope really wanna take me out on a double date with Quilene and Jonah?"
"Why are you acting surprised?" Sadie asks April. "Didn't you guys talk about this yesterday?"
April's face lights up. "Oh yeah, we did. I totally forgot about it, mea culpa."
"So..." I begin to speak once more. "Are you ready for that double date?"
April gives me two thumbs up. "You betcha. Man, I've been looking forward to this all year so far. We only really see each other during the holidays anymore."
I nod. "I know, I know. Well, we better get going. This will be the best double date ever!"
Quilene, Jonah, April, and I all make it down to the beach by twelve-thirty in the afternoon. Before we actually decide to light the bonfire, we pass the time by playing music and videos from our phones and telling stories about how our classes have been going. Jonah, in particular, talks about how his relationship with Theo has changed since we found out Theo was our great-uncle. Nowadays, they act more like family, with Jonah even meeting Theo's girlfriend Sevyn last month. I have no idea what Sevyn is actually like, but she seems nice enough. She's been working as a civil rights lawyer for years now, and she apparently earns six figures doing that kind of work. That... actually sounds really impressive. Theo must be a very lucky man to have her.
"Hey, I've got that Be Wherever You Are song on my phone," Quilene announces. "You guys wanna sing along with me?"
"Oh, yeah, sure," I reply enthusiastically.
April and Jonah chime in with the same response.
"Okey-dokey," Quilene says.
With that, she goes to Spotify and plays the song. We all start singing.
Isn't this such a beautiful night?
Whoa, we're underneath a thousand shining stars
Isn't it nice to find yourself somewhere different?
Whoa, why don't you let yourself just be wherever you are?
Look at this place, look at your faces
I've never seen you look like this before
Isn't it nice to find yourself somewhere different?
Whoa, why don't you let yourself just be wherever you are?
Look at this place, look at your faces
They're shining like a thousand shining stars
Isn't it nice to find yourself somewhere different?
Whoa, why don't you let yourself just be wherever you are?
Why don't you let yourself just be somewhere different?
Whoa, why don't you let yourself just be whoever you are?
The song ends after that, and we all clap and praise each other for how great we sang along. Afterwards, we bring out snacks and remark on how great this whole year has been so far, especially after Quilene and I took the metaphorical trash out. God, what a great year 2047 has been so far, huh? I don't want to jinx anything here, but I have a feeling that this year will definitely be the best year of my life. I don't want those expectations I've set for it to fall flat.
"Man, what a beautiful day this is," April remarks while looking out into the ocean. "You ever just look out there and think about how beautiful this planet is?"
"Sure," Jonah confidently replies. "It helps me think about everything this world has to offer: the animals, the planets, the oceans, the landmarks... Quilene."
Quilene blushes intensely. "Aw, shucks."
"Really, though, is there anything that's worth more than peace and love on the planet Earth? I'm sure my love for you and vice versa qualifies."
"That's very sweet."
"Can we light this bonfire real quick?" I ask while getting antsy. "I'd really like to eat some toasted marshmallows right now."
"In a minute, sis," Jonah replies. "I'd like to do some poem reading first."
I smile while rolling my eyes. Leave it to my brother to make this romantic outing seem like something out of a rom-com.