Chapter 6: Where it's so White as Snow
Lori sighed happily as she sat in her office at Lynn's Table. Her eyes were glued to her phone where a photo from Bobby was displayed. It was a picture of Bobby giving a happy thumbs-up next to a very Christmas-y looking sleigh ride, and the horse was chewing on his hair. He was planning their annual, romantic winter date in the city, and this year he appeared to be going all-out: a long, romantic winter walk through the park to their sleigh ride which would take them on a tour of all the streets decorated from Christmas, and then ice skating in the giant rink in the middle of the square… She giggled happily and held the phone to her heart.
"Literally nothing can spoil this for me," Lori sighed happily.
Her door swung open and an arm reached out with its hand holding a plate of rotting, smelling fish. Lori took one whiff, dropped her phone, and slapped her hands over her mouth with a gag.
Kotaro stuck his head in, using his free hand to hold his nose shut. "By the way, Lori…we need to order more fresh fish."
Lori stood up and rushed past him while trying not to vomit. Once in the clear, she held her knees and panted. "S-sure…just…throw those away…please…"
Kotaro exited out the backdoor. "I wasn't planning on holding onto these bad boys anyway…phew!"
Lori regained her composure and stepped back towards her office. The sound of familiar laughter made her stop in her tracks. She turned and peered out into the dining area to see Luan and Benny seated in a booth. They were reading from what Lori presumed were joke books from the way they cracked up after they would read from them. She sighed happily and watched the couple: they were so cute. Lori's eyes trailed to the restaurant windows which were foggy and framed with snow that covered the town last night.
Her face fell as she looked back at the laughing couple: they were totally missing-out on the beautiful and romantic scenery! They should be on a winter walk, holding each other close for warmth, and then ice skating, or building a snowman, or anything but sitting inside!
"They're a new couple…they don't know how literally romantic the winter snow is!" Lori whispered to herself. Her eyebrows lowered in determination. "I have to teach them!"
She jumped a little when the front doors opened. Lori looked to see Sam standing at the entrance, wearing a heavy jean jacket with flannel insides. She removed the flannel winter hat on her head and shook the snow off of it.
"Sam!" Luan called out to her with a wave.
Lori blinked, stunned at her own luck, and then a slow smile spread across her face: this was literally perfect.
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"Hey, it's Romeo and Juliet!" Sam teased as she walked over to the couple, pointing finger guns at them and moving her hands up and down to imitate shooting. "What are you two up to?"
Benny laughed with a small blush, "We're just reading the joke books Luan got for Christmas and having lunch."
Luan put on a snooty voice, lifted her chin in the manner of a stuck-up woman, and sniffed, "Which, by the way, was catered by your girlfriend who threatened me by saying, and I quote…" She imitated Luna's raspy voice, "…'If you don't stop asking me for more breadsticks, I'm going to stick two of 'em into your eyes, Brah!'" Luan resumed her snobby voice. "End quote."
Benny covered his mouth to hide his enormous grin as he added in his own imitation of a stuck-up customer, "Very poor service, if you ask me, Dearest! Why, we never-ed!"
"Yes, Darling, we never never-ed so hard before!" Luan giggled, almost breaking her character. She turned back to Sam and continued, "Please teach that brute some manners or else we shall be forced to leave a bad review!"
Sam laughed as she stuck her hands into her jacket pockets, "Hey, I'm a girlfriend, not a miracle worker." She checked around the tables. "Is Luna free to go yet? Don't tell your dad, but, we're going to try out the new veggie burgers at 'Burger Queen' for lunch." Sam paused, remembering Luna's disgusted face at the commercials. "…Well, I'm going to try the new veggie burger."
Luan tilted her head towards the ladies room. "She's changing out of her waitress uniform right now." She grinned widely and eyed Sam's winter gear. "Nice flannel, by the way..."
Sam winked at Luan. "Thanks. It's the official lesbian material."
"Ugh! Aw man!" Luna's voice rang out.
The three turned their heads to see Luna dressed in her normal purple winter gear with her guitar slung over her shoulders. Luna paused and smelled her hands, and then grimaced. She looked up happily when she noticed Sam watching her and hurried over to give her girlfriend a big hug with their traditional cheek squish.
"Sam! Ugh! It's so good to see you after that nightmare shift…" Luna groaned. "I can't wait for the holiday season to be over so I can go back to not helping out here so much…"
Luan smirked up at Luna. "Threatening your customers is not very helpful, y'know…"
Luna glared down at Luan. "I can't wait to be here during your shift on Tuesday."
Luan looked at Benny and cackled. Benny covered his mouth and unsuccessfully tried to hold back his laughter.
Sam giggled, "Good to see you in one piece, Lunes." They separated and Sam continued, "You didn't sound very happy just then."
Luna held out her hands. "Gah! Scoots ordered a huge amount of fries and then decided she wanted mashed potatoes instead! Instead of letting me take the fries away, she made me squash them all into some vile form of mashed potatoes!" She sniffed her hands unhappily. "My hands are going to smell like fries for a week!"
"Ooo, hot…," Sam teased with a playful smirk, reaching up to straighten Luna's purple hat.
Luna blushed with a grin. "Dude, don't be weird." She began to walk past Sam. "C'mon, let's blow this scene."
Luna walked directly into Lori who stood tall with her arms crossed, two pieces of paper in her hand.
Luna rubbed her nose and raised an eyebrow at Lori. "Uh…excuse you."
Lori uncrossed her arms and pointed down with her free hand. "Sit down. I have something serious to discuss with all of you."
Sam and Luna exchanged surprised glances before they obediently sat down at Luan and Benny's booth. Luna sat next to Luan, and Sam next to Benny. Lori pulled over a chair and then sat down at the end of the booth. Lori was quiet for a moment, eyes closed, elbows on the table, and hands clasped together infront of her nose. The four exchanged uneasy looks with each other.
Finally, Lori opened her eyes and asked, "What are you four doing?"
"Uh…Sam and I were about to leave," Luna said slowly.
Luan shrugged. "Benny and I are reading joke books."
Lori slammed her fists on the table and then motioned at the window. "On a day like this?! It's literally the perfect time to go out on a winter date!"
"What's a 'winter date'?" Benny asked.
Lori held out her phone to show them a picture of Bobby ice-skating into an ice rink wall. "Boo-Boo Bear and I have a special date every December after it snows." She pulled the phone back and looked up dreamily. "We go on a long winter walk in the park, buy a sleigh ride with the prettiest horse, and do other romantic things…"
Luan looked at Benny and stuck out her tongue with disgust, causing Benny to bite back a laugh. Luna and Sam raised their eyebrows at each other and then looked back at the space-out Lori.
"That, uh…sounds nice," Sam offered with a polite smile.
Lori whipped out a finger and pressed it against Sam's nose. "Sam! When was the last time Luna took you to do something romantic?!"
Sam replied slightly nasally, "We went to a Mick Swagger backstage concert last month. That was pretty romantic."
Luna stuck out her tongue and played air guitar. "Heck yeah it was!"
Luan bragged, "Benny and I go on picnics in the park."
Benny grinned. "Yeah, and then we hit each other with pies!"
"You can say that we specialize in romantic-comedy!" Luan laughed.
The two laughed as Lori stared at them with a hard expression.
Lori withdrew her finger from Sam's nose and shook her head sadly. "Poor Benny and Sam… Because you two are dating…" She looked at Luan and Luna with disgust. "…Them… You have no idea what it's like to be truly romanced!"
Luan and Luna shot up from their seats and angrily objected, "What?!"
Benny put up a finger and meekly spoke up as he sunk into his seat. "I-I wouldn't say that…I mean-"
"Ah-ah! It's okay, you two, you don't have to say anything." Lori shook her head and tossed down the two pieces of paper she was holding onto the middle of the table. "Here, I printed out a list of the top ten romantic activities couples can do on a winter date. I want you all to go out right now and experience how romantic a winter date is!"
Lori swiped Luan and Benny's joke books and then Luna's guitar. "I'll take these for collateral."
"My joke books!" "My axe!" Luan and Luna shouted at once.
Lori then shoved one of the papers into Benny's hands and then the other into Sam's.
"Right now?" Sam asked, leaning over in her seat as her stomach roared.
Lori pulled Luna and Sam out of the booth and let them stumble onto the floor. "Yes, now! You and Benny will thank me later."
Luan and Benny put on their jackets and winter gear before Lori also pulled them out of the booth. Once both couples stood on the ground, Lori pushed them all out the front door. When the four teenagers looked back at her, Lori shut the doors.
"I want pictures of you guys doing exactly what that list says to do! None of you are coming back in here to get your stuff until you do everything you can on that list!" Lori spoke through the door.
She crossed her arms and stubbornly stared at them. The four turned and walked away towards the side of the restaurant and then stopped, huddling together in the cold.
"Totally bogus! What has gotten into her?!" Luna groaned.
Luan's face was dark red with anger and humiliation. "Yeah! And she basically called us bad girlfriends!"
Sam interjected before the two could get even angrier. "Lori was just probably overly-excited about her upcoming 'winter date' and thought we should do something similar."
Benny agreed, "Yeah, besides, you know how she gets with us…"
Luan's cheeks continued to burn as she stomped her foot on the ground. "Ugh! Lori and Bobby are the most cliché, overly dramatic, ANNOYING couple in the world! Just because she thinks something is romantic, doesn't mean other people think so too!"
"Exactly," Sam calmly agreed. "So let's just-"
"Show them that we can follow this stupid list and rock it!" Luna interrupted.
Sam opened her mouth and then closed it, deflating a little as Luan agreed loudly. Benny patted her back.
"We'll show Lori! What are we going to try first?" Luna continued as she took the paper away from Sam's limp hand.
Luan tugged Benny away from Sam and held him tightly to her side. "Oh no! We're going our separate ways from here! Benny and I actually act like a real couple and know about romance, unlike you two."
"Dude!" Luna objected, hurt.
Luan continued while looking a little regretful about what she had just said, "Well, it's true! You two act more like friends – I barely see you hold hands! If we try the list with you, we'll never get our stuff back!" She pulled Benny away. "Come on, Benny! I'm going to romance your pants off on our 'winter date' and get my joke books back!"
Benny's voice echoed as he was dragged away from Sam and Luna. "I-I'd prefer my pants on, it's freezing out here…!"
Sam and Luna watched them disappear. Luna trembled with rage while Sam calmly blinked after the other couple.
"Ouch," Sam simply commented. "…Oh well. Let's go."
Sam turned on her heel and put one foot in the direction of Burger Queen, but Luna caught the back of her jacket.
"Hold up, Sam! You're really not bothered by what Lori and Luan said about us? That we're not romantic?!" Luna demanded.
Sam shrugged her shoulders. "Mmm…nope." She put her foot out again. "Now, let's take a quick pic of us kissing under a tree or something, send it to Lori, and go to Burger Queen."
Luna's jaw dropped and she flung her hands into the air. "Dude! Is it opposite day?!"
Sam held her stomach. "No, I'm just really hungry."
Luna shook her head with disbelief. "You're supposed to be the romantic one here!"
Sam turned to her girlfriend, eyebrow raised and her head cocked. "Dude, you're the one that sent me love letters. That's, like, every romantic teenager 101."
Luna blushed and crossed her arms. "T-that's only 'cause my sisters told me to do that! What did you do when you liked someone?"
Sam's face suddenly twisted with embarrassment, cheeks turning a shade of pink. "Well, uh…I-I tried to see if you were the one behind the love letters one time by saying to you after History class: 'I like learning about important dates in history. Wanna be one of them?' …Do you remember that?"
Luna's eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. She slapped her hand onto the side of her head. "Oh man… That was you flirting with me?! I thought you were making some pun about my name and the Lunar Eclipse dates!"
Sam hung her head with a sigh. "Yeah…that was me flirting. I went home and banged my head against the wall for three minutes straight and then ate a tub of ice cream." She shook her head. "…And don't even ask what happened when I tried to flirt with Mia Cooper in middle school… So yeah…I stink at romance."
Luna looked at Sam sympathetically and then hung her head with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Sam. I-I guess I'm just upset because, well…w-we spent our entire first date worried that we didn't belong together. Hearing my sisters say all that stuff just brought back that fear. Like…not acting couple-ish…what does that mean? That we're really just friends?"
Sam chuckled and gave Luna a devious grin. "Friends don't make-out backstage at a Mick Swagger concert, Lunes."
Luna offered Sam a weak smile and a small, amused laugh, but she kept her head hung. Sam's eyes searched what little she could see of Luna's face and then looked down at the piece of paper in Luna's hand.
"Well…how about we go on a 'winter date' as a redo of our first date?" Sam suggested.
Luna looked up, a questioning look in her eyes. "A redo?"
Sam dug into her jacket pocket and retrieved her phone. "Here – let's recreate that night you asked me out." She dialed and then put her phone up to her ear. "I'll call your phone and reveal that I knew your secret crush on me all along…"
Luna patted her jacket to find her phone and laughed, "Okay..."
Sam had her eyes closed and a grin on her face. When she heard Luna answer her phone, she exclaimed, "Surprise!"
A croaky, old man's voice gasped on the phone, "AH! Surprise?! W-who is surprising me?! Are we under attack again?!"
Sam's eyes popped open with surprised and she quickly hung up the phone. Luna looked up at her and covered her mouth to muffle her giggling.
"Oh, right, I forgot you changed your number," Sam laughed weakly. "Let's just, uh, skip that part."
Luna grinned and then said, "Well now that you know my secret, do you want to go on an especially romantic date with me today?"
Sam put her phone away and went along with Luna. "Sure... Got any ideas what you want to do?"
Luna grinned and wiggled her eyebrows, holding up the list Lori gave her. "Oh, I got some ideas…"
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Luna and Sam walked across the street to the local park. It was filled with children sledding on the giant hill leading down to the baseball field, people ice skating on the small pond and walking on the trails.
Luna looked down at the list. "Okay! First thing we got is…a romantic sleigh ride through the city…" She looked around at the small town. "…Oh…"
Sam dug her hands into her jacket. "Honestly, that's not really my thing anyway."
Luna nodded. "Okay, it's honestly not my thing too." She beamed at Sam who grinned back. "Dude! We have something in common! This is going way better than our first date!" She looked back down at the list. "Okay! Next up…ice-skating…hm…" She looked down at their feet. "…No ice skates…"
Sam looked down at her feet too. "Oh…well…we can do that on another date!"
Luna nodded. "Yeah! We still have eight things left on the list!"
Sam leaned over to read the list. "Oh! Build a snowman! That sounds like fun!"
Luna playfully wagged her finger at Sam. "You mean…sounds romantic."
Sam smirked and grabbed Luna's hand. "Sure, that too! Let's find a good spot!"
They hurried over to a small clearing untouched by feet or sleds and skid to a halt in the middle.
"Do you wanna build a snowman? C'mon let's go and play…!" Luna jokingly sang in a small voice.
"I will end you," Sam flatly replied with an amused grin.
Luna laughed and leaned over, packing a small bunch of snow together in her hands. "Let's make this snowman the tallest one in the park! Woo-hoo!"
Sam grinned excitedly. "Yeah!"
Luna paused and looked up at Sam guiltily. "…Oh…m-maybe we should just do a small one. It's not very romantic to make a giant snowman, is it? …But making a small one isn't as much fun…"
Sam's eyebrows furrowed as she thought. "…W-well…the…uh…the bigger we make it…the…the…the more it…represents…how…much we mean to each other! Yeah!"
Luna's eyes brightened. "Right! Right! Good point!" She began to roll the small snowball she created through the snow. "That makes sense! C'mon, help me build this thing!"
Sam jogged over to Luna's side and leaned down next to her. They began to roll the snowball through the snow, once in awhile their hands tangling together or pushing over each other. Each time, they would apologize and then giggle at their combined clumsiness.
Luna looked over at Sam as the snowball grew and grew. Sam's cheeks and nose were a pretty shade of pink from the cold, and her breath hung in the air when she giggled. She smiled and sighed happily: maybe the list was right after all.
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Luna and Sam's heads were tilted all the way back as they panted happily up at their finished snowman. A small crowd of onlookers had gathered and were also staring at the enormous snowman they had created. Luna managed to find branches buried in the snow and had shaped them to look like hands that were giving the rock and roll devil horn hand sign. Its mouth was shaped with rocks that made it look like it was screaming like a rockstar.
"We did it!" Sam cheered through her panting.
Luna beamed at Sam, chest rising and falling hard with each pant. "Dude, i-it must be six feet tall!"
Sam laughed breathlessly, "We have a lot of feelings for each other!"
Luna grinned and pulled out her phone. "I gotta take a pic for Lori! Stand over by the snowman!"
Sam nodded and hurried over to the snowman.
Luna held her phone in her hands and squatted down. "Oh man, Lori and Luan are going to eat their words!" She looked up over her phone at Sam. "Sam! Strike a pose!" Sam put up a peace sign with on hand and placed the other on the snowman's enormous bottom. "I like it, but, Lori is going to complain we didn't take this seriously."
Sam put down her hand and arched her back against the snowman, putting on foot against it. She shook off her hat and then pulled back her hair from her face with one arm as if she was a model posing for a seductive photo.
Sam giggled, "How's this? More romantic-looking, right?"
Luna blushed hard as she looked down at her phone screen with wide eyes. She gulped to herself, "…Okay, I really like that one…" She called out to Sam, "Hold that pose!"
Luna stuck out her tongue with concentration as she adjusted the camera. Unknown to her and Sam, the snowman began to tremble under its own weight.
"Okay…ready…say cheese!" Luna called out.
"Che-" Sam managed to say before she was buried by the snowman crumpling over her.
Luna snapped the photo of Sam completely buried by snow except for her hand sticking out of it. She shook her head with shock and then ran over to where Sam was buried.
"Sam!" Luna called out as she climbed over the mountain of snow. "I-I'll get you out of there!"
Luna drove her arms into the snow and then pulled out Sam who gasped for breath. She dragged Sam out of the snow and then placed her on the ground. Luna stuck her hand back into the snow and retrieved Sam's hat.
"T-thanks, Lunes," Sam said as she shook the snow out of her jacket and hair.
They looked up at the mountain of snow with disappointed expressions. The crowd of onlookers made sad noises and wandered off to find something else to do. Luna slapped Sam's hat against her knee to get the snow out and off of it.
"Aw man…all that work and we got nothing to show to get my axe back," Luna groaned.
Sam looked up at Luna with a small smile. "Well, that was a lot of fun anyway…minus almost getting crushed-to-death, of course…"
Luna laughed and placed Sam's hat back on her head, pulling down on its ear flaps so the hat would go over Sam's eyes. "Yeah, it was! 'Sides, we got seven other things to try to convince my sisters we can actually act like a couple."
She grinned and pulled the hat off her eyes. "So, what's another one we can try?"
Luna pulled the list out from underneath her hat and looked down at it. "Hmmm…well, we can't start a fire and roast marshmallows, I'm pretty sure that's not allowed in the park…"
Sam held her stomach as it groaned again, reminding her that she hadn't eaten all day in anticipation of the veggie burger. "Aw…"
Luna's expression brightened. "Oh! We can knock two of these off the list at once: look at the light displays in your town, and, attend an outdoor concert or play!" She pointed to the other side of the park where tents were setup. "All the businesses and homes over there still have their Christmas lights up and they're still having the outdoor market until the New Year!"
Sam stood up and brushed off her jeans. "Great! Let's go!"
Luna reached out her hand and Sam accepted it. They began to walk along the street towards the other side of the park where the bazaar was setup. Along the way, they passed the small businesses and homes all decorated for the holidays.
"Oh! Oh! Lunes!" Sam suddenly gasped like an excited little girl.
Luna blinked when Sam rushed ahead to a café decorated with various cat-themed Christmas decorations, including an inflatable cat wearing a Santa hat. She grinned and shook her head: of course. Luna joined her side and crossed her arms with an amused smirk.
"This is how my future home will be decorated at all times," Sam whispered as she reached out to gently poke the inflatable cat's nose. "Let's take a selfie here! …T-to show Lori…that we're…following the list…a-and not because I really want a picture of these cats, heh..."
Luna grinned and went over to Sam's side, slinging one arm around her and using her free hand to raise her phone over them. "Alright! One selfie of two very romantic girlfriends coming up!"
Just as Luna went to press her finger down on the camera button, a rusty, white golf cart dragging a trailer of folding chairs literally glued to it, zoomed up behind them.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Flip called out to them as he climbed out of the cart.
Luna's face fell. "…Oh no…"
Flip pulled up his pants like a western movie sheriff would and hobbled over to the couple. "I'm the official Christmas Lights Official slash Tour Guide in this area, and if you two want a picture, it'll cost you ten bucks!"
"Christmas Lights Official?" Sam questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Flip leaned over into her face. "Slash Tour Guide!" He straightened back up and motioned to a lanyard hanging around his neck. "See? Take a look!"
Luna squinted down at the ID dangling at the end of the lanyard. It was a fake-looking license with a picture of a handsome model with Flip's mustache drawn over his face in crayon. On the top of the license read: Chrismass Lhites Ofical/Toer Guyed.
"…Dude, that's totally fake," Luna said flatly.
Flip grabbed the ID into his hand and pulled it up over his shoulder. "Ah what d'ya know?! I'm here to give tours, for 30 bucks per person, and enforce the rules and regulations of sight-seers like you!" He pointed at Luna's phone. "And Rule Number One is: no unauthorized photography!"
"Ugh!" Luna growled, throwing back her head. "You can't be serious!"
Flip motioned to his cart. "You can take all the pictures you want if you go on my Christmas Lights Tour!"
Luna warily eyed the glued seats and the overall poor condition of the cart. "No thanks, Flip."
Sam tugged on Luna's arm and pointed towards the tents. "Lunes, look! An outdoor concert is going on!" Luna and Sam raced off in the direction of the tents. "Later, Flip!"
Flip scowled after them. "What's the matter with Ol' Flip's tour bus?!"
He patted the side of the cart. One of the wheels of the cart promptly fell off and rolled backwards down the street. Flip yelped and rushed after it, passing the trailer with the folding chairs that collapsed after he was gone.
Luna and Sam joined the crowd gathered infront of a small gazebo setup in the snow. Seated in the gazebo was a band of elderly men and women holding classical instruments, all of them shivering from the cold. Mayor Davis climbed up the steps and waved to the crowd with one hand while her other hand held a violin.
"Hello Royal Woods!" she cheered into the microphone. The audience applauded politely and then she continued, "Look at what my kids got for me for Christmas!"
She attempted to play on the violin, but only produced a high-pitched shrieking sound from the strings. It echoed into the microphone and ripped through the speakers, causing the crowd to cover their ears with a collective groan of pain.
"Whoops!" Mayor Davis gasped, hiding the violin behind her back. "Heh…looks like I need some more practice! But you know who doesn't? The Royal Woods Senior Band!"
She stepped aside for the conductor of the band, a shivering, tan-skinned elderly man, to make his way to the podium.
"It's too cold!" one trumpeter complained.
"This is elder abuse!" the old woman on the drum shouted.
The conductor lifted his hand to silence them as Mayor Davis smiled nervously at the crowd. When the conductor motioned the band to begin to play, the instruments droned out of sync with each other and their notes quaking. Some of the band members began to sneeze into their instruments as well, causing loud blasts of sound.
Sam knew how the elderly band members felt. Every article of clothing – even her underwear – was soaked and freezing cold. She tried to hide the fact that her teeth were chattering and her body was shivering from Luna, but it was getting more and more difficult. However, Sam didn't want to ruin their date, and, more importantly, Luna's chance at getting her guitar back. She looked up at Luna who was visibly grimacing, her teeth clenched together and one of her lower eyelids twitching from the horrible sounds coming from the gazebo. Sam smirked and hugged Luna's arm, bringing her body close to Luna's for extra warmth.
Luna looked down at Sam with concern: she could feel Sam's body shaking underneath the soaked layers of clothing. She whispered, "Sam, you're shivering…"
Sam jumped a little and then released Luna's arm. "I'm okay, really!"
Luna unzipped her over-sized violet jacket and pulled Sam into her side, covering her girlfriend with one end of the jacket as best as she could. "C'mon, let's go inside somewhere and get you warmed-up."
Sam protested, "But, Lunes…the list."
Luna looked down at the list's next suggestion: Warm drinks outside a café. She looked back to the café where the cat decorations were.
"It's okay, this one is on the list. We'll just cheat a little by being inside," Luna replied with a wink as she led Sam off to the café.
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Inside the café's bathroom, Sam had all three hand dryers running. She leaned underneath them, one drying her hair, the other her mid-section, and the final one blasting on her bottom parts. Sam ran her fingers through her hair, separating the strands so her hair could thoroughly dry. The bathroom door opened and Sam turned her head to see Luna standing at the door, holding a small blanket, biting her lip to stifle her giggling.
"What? You want to take another picture of my big-brained idea?" Sam asked with a grin.
Luna shook her head and held out the blanket. "Nah, one's enough." She leaned over to Sam's face and used both hands to massage the blanket around Sam's head. "This was in that half-off Christmas stuff bin. 'Figured you needed it too."
"Thanks, Lunes. I'll pay you back as soon as my money dries off too," Sam said with a laugh.
Luna rubbed Sam's hair with the blanket and then framed her face with it. "Don't worry, Brah! It was, like, three bucks. I'd rather have a non-frostbitten girlfriend than three bills."
Sam giggled when Luna squished her cheeks with her hands underneath the blanket. "Lunes!"
Luna grinned. "Sorry! You're just so cute…!"
Sam rolled her eyes and playfully pushed Luna away from her. "Cute? What are you, my grandma?"
Luna winked. "How about: foxy?" She quoted the Jimi Hendrix song, "Ooh, foxy lady…"
Sam's entire face lit on fire and she quickly pulled the blanket over her face. "…C-cute is fine, actually…"
Luna laughed as steam practically bellowed from underneath the blanket covering Sam's entire head and face. She walked back towards the bathroom door, pushed it open, and then turned back to Sam.
"Hurry up and finish your life hacks drying technique, Luv. Your tea and big cookie will get cold," Luna said, pointing a fingergun in Sam's direction.
Sam pulled the blanket down over her neck. "I'll be right out."
Luna turned and exited the bathroom, letting the door swing close behind her. She went back to their small table by the large glass window overlooking the park and sat down. Luna pulled out her phone and went to look through the photos she had taken during their 'winter date.' The first one was Sam buried in snow with her arm sticking out, the second one was Sam and Luna with Flip blocking out the background decorations, the third was one with the crowd at the concert blocking the entire picture, and the fourth was of Sam leaned over underneath the hand dryers.
Sam returned to the table with the blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She sat down opposite of Luna and took the large foam cup filled with tea in her hands.
"Ah, much better," Sam sighed.
She took a sip of her tea and then grabbed the big cookie and took a bite. Sam chewed and watched Luna glumly look through her phone.
"You okay?" Sam asked after swallowing her bite.
Luna groaned, "I should've taken more pictures…but I like to live in the moment! Always whipping out your phone and looking through a screen when there's…life…going on! I-I never understood it."
Sam shrugged. "Same here. I think the one or two pictures we take when we hang out are fine."
Luna nodded firmly and pointed at Sam. "Exactly! We don't need to take tons of pictures and post them all over the place to prove something like every other couple does!"
Sam placed her cookie back down on the paper plate and took the tea back into her hands. "…But we do need to take couple-y pictures doing that 'winter date' stuff for Lori…"
Luna sunk into her seat with a nod. "We've been trying but it's like the universe doesn't want us to!"
"Maybe it's like all the New Age people my parents listen to say: if you stress about stuff you need to do, you just attract problems for yourself. You get the opposite of what you need…or something like that…" Sam replied.
"Deep," Luna said. She rubbed her chin. "So…we gotta stop stressing about this and have fun?" She frowned and held her head. "But Lori and Luan think we have too much fun – like friends do! …Oh no, now I'm stressing out even more!"
Sam quickly placed down her tea and stood up in her seat so she could reach across the table and take Luna's shoulders. "Dude, don't freak out! I guess what I'm saying is that whenever we think too much about taking the perfect picture to send Lori, everything goes wrong. Maybe we should try taking spontaneous ones? Like…pictures that we would like to take and not worry about what Lori or Luan think."
Sam took her seat again as Luna's eyes flickered down and around the table. "…Yeah! That makes sense! Let's try that when we do the next thing on the list!" She set her phone aside. "Let's both have our phones at the ready, just in case."
Sam pulled out her phone and checked it over. "Luckily, I got the waterproof kind."
As Sam placed her phone onto the table, Luna's hand reached out and covered hers. Luna's fingers gently pressed against Sam's palms as Luna turned her attention to gaze out the window. Sam looked down at their intertwined hands and then looked up at their reflection in the glass. With her free hand, she slid her phone out from underneath their hands and picked it up to face the window.
Spontaneously, and without thinking much about it, she took a picture of their reflections on the window. It was perfect.
+0+0+0+0+
"Okay, my underthings are dry and I'm sugared up from the cookie, what's next on the list?" Sam asked Luna as they exited the café.
Luna laughed and looked down at the list. "The next item on the list is: a long walk in the park."
"Easy," Sam said with a snap of her fingers. They began to walk back towards the park area. "And then what are the final two things on the list?"
Luna giggled, "I think I'll keep them a secret for now…"
They crossed over the snow and onto a cleared trail. The trail was busy with families, couples, and even joggers all enjoying the snowy day. Sam looked over at Luna and reached her hand out. Luna smiled and took it before leading Sam off on the trail. They walked in comfortable silence together before the silence was suddenly interrupted.
"You can't shut me down! You're not the boss of me, Lady!" Flip's voice yelled behind them.
Luna turned and gasped: Flip's 'tour bus' was hurtling down the path, sending people scattering or leaping into the snow for safety. In a flash, she picked up a surprised Sam into her arms and jumped off the trail just as Flip flew past them.
"I am your boss! I'm the town's boss! I'm the mayor!" Mayor Davis yelled after Flip, driving her own cart.
Luna looked after them and then sighed with relief. "Phew! Danger, danger!"
She looked down at Sam to make sure she was okay. Sam's entire face was bright red, eyes wide and pupils small.
Sam stuttered, "I-I keep forgetting how…strong…you are…"
Luna grinned and tilted her frozen girlfriend up and down. "You like being carried? It's easy for me, I'll carry you anytime. You're lighter than I thought!"
Sam's blush disappeared as she raised an eyebrow at Luna with a smirk. "Lighter than you thought?"
Luna grinned nervously and replied, "I-I didn't mean anything by it! I just figured you'd be heavier than my younger siblings! Heh…"
Sam patted Luna's cheek with a laugh. "Relax, Lunes! I knew that. Thank you, by the way." She grinned and over-dramatically swooned against Luna's chest. "My hero…"
Luna laughed and then gasped, "Oh! Wait!"
Sam wrapped her arms around Luna's shoulders so Luna could pull out her phone. Luna raised her phone into the air and moved it around.
"Aw, dang it! I can't get a good angle…" Luna mumbled to herself with frustration.
Suddenly, Flip and Mayor Davis drove by them again, kicking up ice cold snow against Luna's back. Luna involuntarily jumped at the sudden, ice-cold impact with a shriek and accidentally dropped Sam onto the snow. When Luna realized what she did, she quickly squatted by Sam.
"Oh no! Sam! I-I-I'm so sorry!" Luna gasped.
Sam shook her head and got up. "It's okay! You didn't mean to."
Luna stood to join her side and Sam brushed the snow off of Luna's jacket, collar, and the back of her head that wasn't covered by her hat. Once Sam was done, they turned and watched the cart chase continue. Everyone on the trail was now in the snow or running across the street to avoid it.
"Welp…onto the next thing," Sam sighed.
Luna grinned widely and grabbed Sam's hand. "Sledding, Brah!"
Sam blinked as Luna began to haul her away. "But Lunes, we don't have a sled!"
Luna spotted a trash can covered by a lid and grabbed the lid as they ran by it. "We improvise, Dude!"
They stopped at the top of a hill that wasn't occupied by other children sledding. It was a long way down that led to a clearing where the volleyball nets would be setup during summer. Sam folded her blanket and placed it ontop of the garbage lid. Luna sat down at the very front edge of the lid and turned back to Sam, patting the empty space behind her. Sam carefully sat down behind Luna, wrapped her arms around her waist, and pressed against her so they could both fit. A shiver went up Luna's spine at Sam being so close to her, and she suddenly wished she didn't have layers of clothing on.
Luna shook her head and then dragged her feet on the ground to pull their 'sled' forward. "Here we go!"
The 'sled' slowly pushed off the hilltop and then raced down the hill. Luna cheered loudly while Sam laughed as they bounced over the high mounds of snow and flew the rest of the way down to the clearing. The 'sled' came to a slow stop, rotating them around. Luna giggled happily and flopped down onto her side, pulling Sam with her.
"I forgot how much fun that is!" Sam giggled as Luna hugged her on the ground.
Luna looked at Sam with surprise. "You don't sled with Simon? I go sledding all the time with my siblings."
Sam shrugged. "We use to a lot when we were younger. Once Simon got into video games, he would rather stay inside. Although we go virtual sledding sometimes."
Luna grinned. "We should go sledding together!" She flicked her eyes down at Sam's jacket as she smoothed her hands over it. "I like being this close to you..."
Sam smirked at Luna, trailing her hands up Luna's back. "Yeah, it's not too bad…"
Luna's eyes suddenly popped wide open. "Hey! Let's try taking a picture when we go again! It'll be fun!"
Sam nodded. "Sure, let's…" She turned her head and looked up the giant hill. "…Start climbing…"
Luna also looked up at the hill with waning excitement. "Oooh…I forgot about this part…" She stood up and grabbed the 'sled.' "But it's worth it! C'mon!"
Luna began to climb up the hill with Sam close behind. At the mid-point, they began to climb on all fours until they finally reached the top of the hill, panting.
"S-see?" Luna wheezed. "N-not so bad!"
Sam held her knees as she panted hard. "Y-yeah! Worth it..."
Luna dropped the 'sled' onto the ground and looked at Sam. "This time, you sit in front. It's fun!"
Sam nodded and sat down infront of Luna. Luna's face was red and she bit her lip excitedly. She wrapped her arms around Sam's slender torso and pushed herself as close as humanly possible into Sam's back. Luna couldn't help but let out a little, happy sigh as she smelled remnants of lavender-scented shampoo in Sam's hair. She blushed and grinned sheepishly when Sam looked back at her with an eyebrow raised and a smirk.
"Okay, get your phone out," Sam instructed as she pulled out her own. She waited for Luna to take hers out before dragging her feet on the ground. "Hold on!"
The 'sled' once again zoomed down the hill, but this time the girls held their phones in the air and snapped a picture. When they reached the bottom, Sam put out her feet to act like brakes so the 'sled' could come to a complete stop.
"Let's see what we got!" Sam cheered as they looked down at their phones.
Luna looked down to see her picture was just a giant blur of colors. "…Dangit!"
She looked up when she heard Sam snort and begin to giggle to herself. Sam caught Luna's curious gaze before turning away to giggle some more while she looked down at her phone.
Luna got up on her knees and tried to look down at the phone. "What are you-?"
She froze when she saw what Sam was laughing at: the picture was of Sam, looking somehow perfect despite the ride down the hill, and Luna behind her – nostrils flared, mouth blown-back, and eyes squinted against the wind in a way that made her look even more ridiculous.
"Aw man!" Luna groaned as Sam exploded into laughter. She smirked and watched Sam fold over while laughing. "Very funny! Looks like you got your own blackmail photo now…unless I delete it off your phone later."
Sam managed to reply through laughter, "Hey, you got a picture of me drying off my butt, let me have this."
Luna laughed and stood up. "Fair enough."She turned and looked back up the hill. It looked even more daunting than before to her weakened and cold legs. "Lemme try one more time."
Sam stopped laughing and stood up while shoving her phone back into her jacket. "Sure, let's get climbing."
This time, the climb took them much longer. By the time they reached the top, Sam decided she actually preferred the virtual sledding to the real thing. After panting and giving their legs a break, Luna dropped the 'sled' onto the ground.
"O-okay, this time, I'm back up front," Luna panted hard.
Sam panted and nodded, unable to form words. Luna shakily sat down on the 'sled' and Sam plopped down behind her, loosely wrapping her arms around Luna's middle. Luna panted something incoherent and forced her trembling legs to pull the 'sled' forward. Once midway down the hill, Luna held up her phone and snapped a picture…
…and then the phone flew out of her hand.
Luna looked backwards to see the phone land ontop of the snow. "Aw, what?! My phone!"
Once the 'sled' came to a halt, Luna fell forward on her knees and then looked up at the hill where her phone lied. She groaned and began to crawl towards the hill.
"It landed pretty far up. 'Might as well bring the sled with us," Sam said as she gathered the 'sled' into her arms.
They looked up at the hill, both feeling ill that they had to climb it once again. Luna groaned and began to pull herself through the snow.
"I-it's okay…we got this…" Luna said mostly to herself. She turned back to Sam who looked just as miserable as she was. "L-let's try…singing…yeah…singing for…motivation…!"
As they continued up the hill at their slow pace, Sam put on her best Gwen Stefani impression and began to sing, "So I climb! I ca-a-an't turn back now! Must be climbing, o-o-oh, to the cl-l-l-o-o-ouds!"
Luna panted, "Nice choice…the most criminally underrated 'No Doubt' song, in my opinion…"
Sam nodded and panted back, "The greatest tragedy of 'Tragic Kingdom' was that song being skipped by everyone."
They finally reached Luna's phone. Luna's entire body trembled as she reached down and took it into her hands. "Got it…finally…" She turned her head and frowned up at the rest of the hill they still had to climb. "Uh…this is a good place to push off on…"
Sam dropped the 'sled' onto the ground and then flopped down ontop of it with a relieved groan. Luna collapsed ontop of Sam and they slowly slid down the hill with the legs dragging on the ground. When they inched to a halt in the clearing, they both continued to lie on their stomachs, still trying to catch their breath. Finally, Sam picked up her head and turned it to Luna's.
"Did you get the picture?" she asked breathlessly.
Luna lowered her phone towards Sam so they could both look at what she managed to get: the very tops of their heads. Both girls frowned down at it and then looked back up the hill.
Luna slipped off of Sam and held her phone up to her face, "I-it's good enough! I'll just…" She used her paint tool to draw smiley faces on the hair. "There – a totally legit picture of us being a happy couple."
Sam giggled and leaned over to look. "Perfect."
Luna laughed too and put her phone away. She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged her legs, looking down at her feet happily. Sam slid off the lid, peeled the snow-spotted blanket off, and then spread it out again. She sat back on the lid with the blanket over her shoulders and motioned Luna to join her. Luna slid over to Sam who wrapped the other side of the blanket over Luna's shoulders. They smiled lovingly at each other and then looked into the cloudy sky.
"Y'know…if this had really been our first date…I don't think I would have questioned us at all," Sam finally spoke.
Luna looked at Sam with large, questioning eyes. "But today was a total disaster, wasn't it?"
Sam smiled and shook her head. "No way! Today was so much fun!" She blushed and looked down. "…At least that's what I thought."
"Even with wet, cold underwear?" Luna asked with a grin.
Sam giggled, "Even with that."
They laughed and leaned against each other.
"Dude, we were so dumb though, right?" Luna giggled. "I mean…we almost broke-up over a green smoothie."
Sam grinned. "I hate to tell you this, Lunes, but we're still pretty dumb."
Luna giggled again, "True! And when we show everyone these pictures, they're gonna agree." Her hands moved underneath the blanket and she suddenly flashed Sam a wicked grin. "…Oh, and by the way…the last thing on the list was…"
Sam threw off the blanket from her shoulders to reveal two handfuls of snowballs. "…A snowball fight?"
Luna's face fell with shock as she dropped the tiny snowball she had made in her own hands. She scrambled up with a laughing shriek and ran off. Sam grinned and stood up while easily dodging the snowball Luna threw back at her in desperation.
"There's no contest here, Lunes! I was the star pitcher of the Royal Woods Junior Girls Softball Team!" Sam joked as she tossed one snowball in Luna's direction.
Luna gathered more snow into her hands while laughing, "Flannel, cats, and softball?! You're such a stereotype!"
She continued to laugh as several snowballs hit her jacket and legs in retaliation. Luna threw a snowball at Sam and managed to hit her jacket. After Sam threw two more at Luna, Luna rushed forward with a handful of snow in one hand and her other hand outreached towards Sam.
"Did softball teach you guys how to defend yourself from snow down your jacket?" Luna asked as Sam turned and ran from her.
"Luna! Don't you dare!" Sam tried to sound serious, but she was laughing.
Instead, Luna dropped the snow and pounced on her girlfriend, sending them both to the ground on their backs. They laughed for several moments, much like they did at the end of their actual first date, and then looked at each other with warm smiles. Suddenly, they fell silent and looked into each other's eyes with understanding. Sam slid close to Luna and smiled as Luna pulled out her phone and took a picture of them. Luna brought the phone down so they could both look at it. It was perfect.
"Well…we're not doing what Lori wanted us to do, but it's still a nice picture," Luna said, smiling at Sam.
"Yeah…," Sam agreed before tugging Luna's jacket collar so she could pull Luna in for a deep kiss.
Luna hummed happily and kissed back, letting her phone drop beside her. They kissed for several moments before Luna pulled away with a blush and a wide grin.
"Dude, we should have totally kissed on our first date," Luna said.
Sam hummed and looked at Luna with hooded eyes. "But this is our first date, remember?"
Luna chuckled and leaned in for another kiss, but something…or someones…caught her eye. She sat up on her knees and gawked. Off in the distance, in the middle of the park where the baseball field was, Luna spotted Benny and Luan with a large group of children playing tag. Sam sat up on her palms and looked where Luna was watching.
"Aww! Looks like Romeo and Juliet found something fun to do too," Sam said happily.
Luna frowned. "Dude – playing with kids is not on the list! They didn't even try!"
Sam shrugged one shoulder and lifted her hand in the air. "We don't know that. Besides, everything we've done off the list or in our own way has been really fun. I say, let them have their fun too."
Luna sighed and then smiled. "Yeah… Today's been pretty amazing."
Sam smiled too with a light blush. "Definitely."
Luna sat down in the snow to watch the other couple. Sam turned her body around in the snow so she could join her. Luna leaned over on Sam's side and put her temple against Sam's. They sat in silence, watching the scene as Luan tripped and fell into the snow, taking down Benny with her. They both looked up and began to laugh. Luna smiled and shook her head. Then, she smelt something. Luna sniffed the air and then looked down at Sam's jacket. She picked off a snowball that was still stuck to the material and sniffed it.
"Aw dangit! Even the snowballs I made smell like fries," Luna groaned as she shook the snowball from her hand.
Sam grinned at Luna. "It's like a superpower: the ability to make everything you touch smell amazing."
Luna laughed, "Ugh, I hope not…" She got up off the ground and offered Sam a hand up. "Well, since they're doing things off-the-list, I'd say it's time to get our burgers!"
Sam excitedly got up from off the ground. "Dude, that's the most romantic thing you've said all day!"
+0+0+0+0+
Sam slowly chewed the fast food veggie burger in her mouth: it was burned, chewy, and disgusting. Luna watched her face from across the table as she ate a cheeseburger.
"…Is it bad?" Luna asked, trying not to laugh at Sam's face.
Sam only nodded as she threw down the burger, picked up several fries, and shoved them into her mouth to mask the taste of the burger so she could swallow it.
Luna giggled and passed Sam her chocolate milkshake. "Here, wash it down with this." Sam did so and then sighed with relief. "One final disaster… I guess all our dates are going to be disastrous one way or another, huh?"
Sam handed Luna's milkshake back. "I like to think of our dates as 'memorable' not disastrous." She smiled at Luna who gratefully smiled back. "I really like being with you, Lunes. We have fun! That's what we like to do, and your sisters will just have to learn to accept that."
Luna nodded. "Yeah!" She faltered a little. "I just wish we could've taken one picture that we could've rubbed in Lori's face, though."
Sam smirked proudly and slid her phone over to Luna. Luna blinked at the smug-looking Sam and then looked down at the phone. She gasped loudly at the picture on the screen: it was her and Sam's reflections in the café window, holding hands.
"Sam! You're a lifesaver! This picture is per-!" Luna stopped and squinted down at the phone.
"What's up?" Sam asked, lifting herself off her booth seat to try to look at what Luna was looking at.
Luna hung her head and slid Sam's phone back to her. "…Look at who else is in the picture…"
Sam lifted the phone close to her face and searched the picture until she saw it. Outside the window's reflection was Flip and Mayor Davis, both their mouths open comically wide, most likely in the middle of the fight that had begun the cart chase.
"Seriously?!" Sam yelled.
She caught herself and looked at Luna with an embarrassed blush. Luna was looking at her with surprise, but then her face broke into a big grin as she began to laugh. Sam couldn't help but laugh with her.
"Ah-ha!"
Sam and Luna jumped and turned their heads to see Luan and Benny walking towards them.
"We knew you two would be in here," Luan proclaimed, putting her hands on her hips.
Luna blew a raspberry. "So what? We tried everything on that list – we're done. And, by the way, before you say anything…Sam and I saw you two playing tag with those kids! Not on the list of romantic winter date ideas, by the way…"
Benny stepped past Luan. "Oh, we know."
Luan shrugged. "We took one picture of us next to a random snowman we found in the middle of the park and then we got pulled into playing with some kids we know from being mimes at their birthday parties."
Benny grinned. "Yeah, we completely forgot about the list because we were having so much fun!"
Luan nodded. "Lori doesn't know what she's talking about." A look of guilt flashed across her face. "…And neither did I. I'm sorry I said that stuff about your relationship."
Sam waved her off. "It's all good."
Luna didn't find it 'all good' and shouted, "Augh! Dudes! We just had-!" Luna stopped herself and then thought about it. She relaxed and continued, "…Y'know what? We just had the best day too."
Luna and Sam moved over to let Luan and Benny sit next to them.
"You wanna see our pictures?" Luna asked with a grin.
Sam put her hands over her face. "Lunes…"
"Based on Sam's reaction…YES!" Luan laughed and leaned over to look at Luna's screen.
Benny smiled sheepishly at Sam. "Sorry, Sam. I want to see them too."
Sam sighed into her palms. Luna began to share the photos and tell the stories behind them, causing Luan and Benny to laugh nonstop. Sam peeked through her fingers and then put her hands down, smiling at the three.
"I got a picture too," Sam giggled as she found the sledding picture on her phone.
After the photo sharing session was done, Luan slammed her hands onto the table. "Oh! This gives me an idea!"
+0+0+0+0+
Lori leaned against the far kitchen wall in Lynn's Table. She watched Lynn Sr. sing to himself as he stirred a pot of soup. Suddenly, her phone vibrated. Lori pulled out her phone and reeled her head back at what she saw.
It was the photo of Sam buried in snow with the caption: Press F for Sam :(
"What the…?" Lori muttered to herself. "What does that even mean?!"
More photos popped up in her messages, each with increasingly eye-rolling captions that were obviously written or influenced by Luan, but they were all of Luna and Sam. Finally, the last picture she received was the two couples seated in a Burger Queen both, all of them making ridiculous faces and poses.
Lori's face turned bright red with anger. They were mocking her! They were mocking the sacred winter date!
"Hey! Looks like they are having fun!" Lynn Sr. cheered, now leaning over Lori's shoulder.
Lori jumped with surprised, but then clicked her tongue at the picture. "I don't get it! I told them to go on a romantic winter date like Bobby and I do every year, gave them a list of ideas to make it totally perfect, and they're all hanging out at Burger Queen!"
Lynn Sr. chuckled, "Sweetie, maybe this is their idea of a nice winter date. Your sisters are not like you." He paused and then yelped. "Wait…they chose Burger Queen over me?!"
Lori looked back down at her screen at the caption on the Burger Queen photo: BQ veggie burgers stink! We should've gone to Lynn's Table!
Lori sighed and rolled her eyes with a smile. "Don't worry, Dad, they said their veggie burgers are terrible anyway."
Lynn Sr. slapped his hands on his cheeks. "Of course! What was I thinking?! I've been ignoring the veggie burger trend!" He zoomed away back to his station. "Tell them to come back here and I'll make them a veggie burger dinner!"
Lori stared at her phone and sat down on one of the stools that sat on the sides of the walls. She looked through the pictures again and then opened the new ones of Luan and Benny playing with children. Lori smiled softly and shook her head.
She texted Luna: You all look like idiots. Come back here and get your stuff. Dad is cooking veggie burgers.
She sighed and smiled: at least she didn't have to worry about their relationships too. Her phone buzzed again and Lori looked down at the text Luna wrote back: We're on our way, Dude! P.S.: Sam says she wants Popstar to adopt her.
Lori snickered and was about to text Luna back, but was interrupted by her phone announcing an incoming video call from Bobby. She answered it but before she could speak, a frantic-looking Bobby appeared.
"Babe! We got a winter date emergency! I can't get tickets to the show we wanted to see!" He said frantically. He shrunk and tears began to well in his eyes. "I'm sorry! I know how much you love that show and how romantic it is and-!"
"Bobby, it's okay," Lori gently interrupted. "It's okay."
Bobby looked confused and sniffed, "B-but now we have three hours of nothing planned…"
Lori smiled. "Well…let's just wing it. We can just find something fun to do, together."
Bobby sniffed one more time and then shook his head happily. Lori looked towards the dining room as the doors flew open with a loud crash.
"That was fast…" Lori said to herself.
"What was that, Babe?" Bobby asked.
Lori shook her head and looked back down at her phone. "Nothing. I gotta go, talk to you later?"
Bobby nodded happily. "You know it!"
Lynn Sr. ran past Lori with his pot of soup, sobbing loudly. "I can't believe you chose Burger Queen over me! I'm making your burgers now, but I got soup which might be a little salty…because of my tea-a-a-ars!"
Lori rolled her eyes with a smile and then joined the happy couples and her hysterical father.