Back again! Holla holla. Like I said, I think you guys will like this chapter! Not giving too much away, so I won't say anything.
Btw, the hermit's house, Britt's Donut's and the church Ben and Allison went to in previous chapters are all real places! If you google them and just add Wilmington, North Carolina to the end of the google search, you'll see what they look like! :) And the church is called Port City Community Church for whoever's interested. It's the church I go to :D
Anyway, thanks to MzMickey0014 for your awesome reviews! I love reading them! Thanks for sticking with me! :) Enjoy!
Chapter 15
They walked across the sand, arm in arm, to Ben's truck. He opened her door for her, and then walked around to the driver's side. He started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot. While they drove, they laughed and sang to the radio; that was becoming a common occurrence whenever they drove anywhere. While she was singing, he looked at her and couldn't help but stare. Another song came on and she said,
"Oh, I love this song."
He had never heard the song before but, as he listened to the words, he couldn't help but think that the words matched exactly what he thought about Allison.
"What is this song called?"
"Smile by Uncle Cracker. I love it." He nodded,
"I like it, too." The chorus went,
"You make me smile like the sun, fall out of bed, sing like a bird, crazy in my head, spin like a record crazy on a Sunday night. You make me dance like a fool; forget how to breath, shine like gold, buzz like a bee, just the thought of you can drive me wild. Oh, you make me smile."
He listened to the words and couldn't help but think that this song matched his thoughts about Allison perfectly.
They continued to talk and sing until they reached his house. He pulled into the driveway beside his dad's car. He saw a light on in the living room and, before they got out, she asked,
"Are you sure your dad will be okay with this?"
"Yeah, I'm sure." She took a deep breath,
"Okay."
He smiled as they got out and walked inside; he walked in first with Allison behind him. His father was sitting in the recliner facing away from them. He must have heard them come in because he asked,
"Ben is that you?"
"Yeah, dad, it's me-"
"Hey, there's some chicken and salad on the stove if you want some."
"Dad, I actually have someone I want you to meet." His dad got up and turned around, seeing that Ben was accompanied by Allison. He wore a surprised expression, but then remembered his manners.
"Oh, who is this?"
"Dad, this is Allison Johnson." Allison smiled and extended her hand,
"Hi, Mr. Carter, it's nice to meet you." His dad smiled and nodded,
"Hey, it's nice to meet you, too."
"Ben's told me a lot about you." He looked at Ben,
"Oh, really?" She nodded,
"Yes sir."
They stood together, a little awkwardly Ben thought, but Allison showed no sign. His father stood there and then figured he was supposed to say something. He cleared his throat,
"Well, like I was telling Ben, there's chicken on the stove if you two are hungry." Ben looked at her,
"Are you hungry?"
"Yeah, a little bit. Are you?"
"Yeah, I'm starving." She laughed as his father butted in,
"Well you two help yourselves; I've already eaten."
"Okay, thank you Mr. Carter."
He nodded and went back and sat down in his chair and Ben and Allison made their plates and sat down at the table. They laughed and ate together and talked long after they had both finished. Ben finally took both of their plates to the sink while Allison got up and went into the living room where his father was. He heard Allison say,
"Thank you for the dinner, Mr. Carter, it was really good."
"Well, thank you; I'm glad you liked it."
"So, Ben told me you were in the Air Force?" Ben shook his head and smiled, knowing it was coming sooner or later. He walked into the living room and saw his father sitting in the recliner and Allison on the couch across from him. He went and sat down beside her and listened in on their conversation.
They talked for forty-five minutes about his dad's time in the Air Force. Ben could recite these stories backwards but Allison listened attentively, just like she did the first time he met her. He talked about his missions and his deployments to Japan, Vietnam and Korea, amongst many others, and the number of planes he had shot down during his career. When he was done telling his stories, Ben knew that there would be an awkward silence, but Allison said,
"Wow, thank you for sharing those stories with me, Mr. Carter."
"You're welcome." She smiled and looked at Ben and he couldn't help but smile. They sat together and Ben knew that his dad was trying to think of something to say. He smiled, deciding to rescue him,
"Allison, you wanted to hear me play the guitar, right" She nodded,
"Oh, yeah I completely forgot. Do you want to do it now?"
"Sure." She looked at his father,
"Do you mind, Mr. Carter?"
"No, you two go ahead; I'm just going to watch some T.V."
"Okay."
She stood up and followed him down the hallway into his room. They walked in and Ben immediately regretted not picking up some of his mess. He picked up some of the clothes off of the floor and threw them in his closet,
"Sorry, it's kind of messy." She laughed as she sat down in his chair,
"It's okay. So, what song are you going to play for me?" He picked up his guitar and put the strap around his shoulder,
"Do you know who Led Zeppelin is?"
"Who doesn't?" He smiled,
"I can play a lot of their songs. What's your favorite?"
"Do you know how to play Whole Lotta Love?"
He smiled again and picked up his pick, cut on his amp, and started to play. He could play the song almost perfectly. He practiced it a lot and, as he played the main beat, she smiled. He played the song and when he finished, she smiled and clapped,
"Wow, that was awesome, Ben."
"Thank you. Do you know Bring It on Home?" She nodded and he began to play that song, too. She smiled and listened to him and, when he was done, clapped for him again,
"That was good, too, Ben. Do you know how to play Kashmir?" He smiled,
"Oh yeah."
He started to play it and she got up and started to dance beside him. He smiled and danced, as best he could, while playing. The original song was about ten minutes, but Ben played it for half of that time. He finally finished and she smiled, clapped, and cheered this time. He smiled and put his guitar down and took a bow. She laughed and continued to clap. She smiled,
"That was awesome, Ben. You are a really good guitar player."
"Thank you."
"You know, I think you should audition at the church with me on Thursday." He looked at her and shook his head,
"What? No." She smiled,
"Well, why not?"
"Because that audition is for you. And besides, even if I did try out and make it, I would only be able to play on Sunday; I go back next Thursday." She nodded, then said in a barely audible voice,
"Yeah that's true."
He saw her expression and it looked sad. He wondered if it was because he wouldn't audition, or because he had to go back to Afghanistan next Thursday. He hoped for the latter. She still had a sad expression and he tried to cheer her up,
"Do you want some hot chocolate?" She looked at him,
"Hot chocolate?"
"Yeah there's some in the kitchen we can make. And afterwards we can sit out back on the porch and drink it." She nodded and smiled,
"Okay, that sounds nice."
She stood up and followed him into the kichen Ben could hear the T.V. in the living room and could hear his father laugh occasionally. He wondered what his father thought about Allison and wondered whether or not he regretted saying those things about her.
He wondered if he noticed her expressions and the way she raised an eyebrow when he said something she didn't agree with, or that surprised her. Or, did he notice the small gap between her teeth that flashed whenever she smiled; minor imperfections that made her perfect in his eyes. He loved everything about her; her nice, sweet, loving personality and the inability so say something mean about anyone. He loved her laugh and her smile that he knew was infectious to anyone and everyone who heard it and saw it.
They walked in the kitchen and he looked in the cabinet and grabbed the box with the mix inside. He made two glasses of hot chocolate as she grabbed some marshmallows to put on top. She added four little marshmallows to each glass as he handed one of them to her.
"Be careful, it's hot at the bottom."
"Okay, thank you."
"Well, are you ready to go?"
"Yeah, let's go."
He opened the sliding glass door and stepped onto the deck. Off to the right was a grill and a set of chairs and a table. On the left was a wicker loveseat and two wicker chairs. She sat down on the loveseat and he took a seat beside her. He took a sip and it burned his tongue.. He immediately spit it out and Allison laughed, but put a hand on his shoulder,
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, it's a little hot." She laughed again, this time harder. He looked at her and nudged her shoulder,
"It's not funny; it could've burned your tongue, too."
"No, I don't think so."
"Why not?" She held the mug up to her face,
"Because I would have blown on it to cool it down." He laughed and he took her advice and blew on it. She blew on hers and took a sip of it,
"How is it?"
"It's good."
"Good. I made it myself." She laughed and nudged his shoulder,
"Well thank you, Emeril." He laughed, too,
"You're welcome."
They talked and laughed while they finished drinking. She talked and laughed while they finished drinking. She talked about her dreams of college; she had applied to three different colleges: UNCW, Appalachian State, and North Carolina State. Though she would've been happy with any of them, she was really hoping for UNCW. That way, she wouldn't have to move far and she could still be close to her parents. Plus UNCW had a really good medical program. She had told him before that she wanted to major in pediatrics and UNCW seemed like a perfect place. They talked for a while before Ben looked up at the sky. She followed his gaze and said in a soft voice,
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is." He replied, thinking he could use the same word to describe her. He looked at her and watched her look up at the sky while she spoke.
"I've been interested in astronomy ever since I was a little kid. I got a telescope for my sixth birthday. It's been the best birthday present I've ever gotten. I used to take it out in the field behind my house and stay out there for hours. I had my little radio and I was set." He smiled and couldn't help but stare at her. She wrinkled her nose and looked at him,
"Sounds dorky, right?"
"Not at all; that's what you're interested in. If you enjoy it, then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks." She smiled
"Do you remember that Uncle Kracker song we listened to on the way over here?"
"Yeah, I remember."
"It reminded me of you." He looked at her,
"Really?" She smiled and nodded,
"Yeah. I mean I had heard it a million times before but, when I was sitting in the truck with you and singing it, it just reminded me of you. I've smiled more in the past couple of days than I have in a long time. When I'm with you I'm just happy, you know?"
He looked at her and thought again how beautiful she was. She looked at him with her soft blue eyes and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her right then. But something stopped him and he missed his chance. She looked away and he heard his dad call his name. He forced himself to look away and look back at the house,
"What?"
"Where are you at?"
"We're sitting on the deck!" He yelled.
"Well, it's getting cold out there; I'm sure Allison wants to come in." He looked at her and she smiled.
"Are you ready to go in?"
"Yeah, you're dad's right; it is getting a little chilly"
They stood up and went in the house, Ben cursing himself. He took her mug and put both of them in the dishwasher. She wandered into the living room and he heard her and his dad start talking. Then he heard her ask if his dad knew what time it was. His dad said 9:15 and then Allison say,
"Oh my goodness, it's getting late."
He knew their time was coming to an end. As he walked into the living room, he saw Allison standing up. She smiled when he walked in and he knew she was ready to go. He looked at her and he knew she was trying to think of a way to ask him if he would take her home. He smiled and decided to save her.
"You know I'm not going to let you take a taxi, right?" She smiled and laughed,
"I was hoping you would say that."
"Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah, it's getting kind of late."
"Okay."
She turned to his father and he took that as a cue to stand up. She smiled at him and gave him a hug. Ben saw the surprise in his expression but he hugged her back.
"It was so nice to meet you, Mr. Carter." His father smiled,
"It was nice meeting you, too. You come back anytime."
"Thank you. And thank you for the dinner and sharing your stories with me."
"No problem. If you come back, I'll be sure to tell you some stories of this one." He was motioning to Ben. She laughed,
"Okay, I'll be sure to come back, then." She turned back to Ben,
"Are you ready to go?"
"Whenever you are."
They walked towards the front door as Ben yelled back at his father,
"I'll be back, dad."
They walked out to his truck and got in. As they headed back to Allison's house, there was sort of an awkward silence between them. Ben knew it was because of what happened back at his house on the deck. He didn't know why he had hesitated He wanted to kiss her but didn't know if that's what she wanted. He wouldn't have hesitated with any other girl, but with Allison, it was totally different. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable in any way.
They talked and laughed on the way back to her house. The awkward silence lasted for only a second and they fell into an easy conversation. They talked about the most random things but it was just perfect. That was one of the things he loved about her. They didn't have to have a big conversation; they could talk about anything and it would bring the both satisfaction. There was no doubt in his mind that there was no place he'd rather be than sitting there in his truck, talking to the girl he already knew he was in love with.
When they reached her house, they got out and he walked her up to her door. When they reached it, she turned towards him and smiled,
"It feels like déjà vu, doesn't it?" He laughed,
"Yeah, it does."
"Thank you for today, Ben"
"You're welcome. Now you can tell your parents you got to watch a sea turtle be released."
"And watch a future rock star play his guitar." He laughed and he didn't want to say good-bye to her just yet. They stood together for a minute and he decided it was now or never.
"Are you busy tomorrow?" Her expression turned sad and he knew the answer before she said it.
"Yeah, Tuesday, too. We're having a huge family reunion on Tuesday and I have to help my family set it up tomorrow." He nodded and tried not to show his disappointment. She was doing something with her family; he didn't expect her to spend all of her time with him. He must've failed at hiding his disappointment because her expression turned sad again,
"I'm sorry, but this has been planned for months." He shook his head,
"Don't be sorry, it's your family. I wouldn't want you to bail out on them to spend time with me. You should spend all the time you can with me, trust me I know." She knew he was referring to his mom's death. She smiled,
"Thank you."
He nodded and debated whether to tell her goodnight or go for it and as her out Wednesday. He wanted to, but he didn't want to seem pushy and annoying. He didn't get a chance to decide because she smiled again and asked,
"Are you busy Wednesday?"
"No."
"Well neither am I. Would you like to do something?" He couldn't hide his smile,
"Yeah. I know this really nice restaurant down at the beach. Would you want to go?"
"Are you asking me out on a date?" He laughed,
"Yeah, I guess I am." She smiled,
"You know I've never been on a date with an Air Forceman before."
"I promise to be a perfect gentleman." She smiled again,
"Well, in that case, I accept. What time?"
Ahh so close! But I guess Ben wasn't ready yet. He'll get some courage soon though! The chapter you guys are waiting for is just around the corner! :D please review!
