Throughout the night, Lydia woke up exactly 7 times. She was restless; both nervous and excited, her tossing and turning was almost endless. She wasn't sure how much sleep she actually got, but at 6 in the morning when she finally decided to get up and shower, she was terrified of the bags under her eyes. First, she checked her phone to make sure Dipper was on his way. He was leaving at 4 in the morning to make sure he got to Astoria early in the morning. With a text at 4:03 saying he was on his way and he'd see her soon, Lydia set her phone down and padded into the bathroom. She stripped her clothes and climbed into the shower. The warm water tried coaxing her back to sleep, but she was ruthless in her quest to stay awake.

Her shower was longer than expected. She toweled off in the bathroom and brushed her teeth before going back to her room. The previous day, she had gone crazy trying to decide what to wear and how to style her hair. Makeup or no makeup? The last time she saw Dipper she was barefaced and in hiking gear. She wasn't one to dress up, but she wanted to impress Dipper. After a quick mental debate, she decided to blow dry her hair to maximize her waves and curls. It was half past 6, and she prayed the nose from her hair dryer wouldn't wake her family.

A half hour passed as she dried her long locks and put on a tank top and cotton shorts. She was waiting a while to completely get dressed, and in the meantime she needed coffee. As she made her way down the stairs, she noticed the kitchen light was on. She cursed under her breath. She had woken someone up. If it was Annie, her door would've been beaten down and she would have had to face an angry teenager. Her parents were another story.

It wasn't that she didn't love them- of course she did, they were her parents. The past year had distanced Lydia from everyone. She focused more on herself and her faults; she took the negatives that threw her into a depression for half the year into energy and drive. While the night at the party haunted her, she did not want to let it take over her life. Lydia knew she wasn't perfect, but she wasn't going to be one to let herself sit and sulk. Her life turned upside down and she lost her friends- she lost her support at school, and her senior year was lonely and cold. It took her longer than she'd like to admit, but she channeled that energy into her interests.

Her father was sitting at the island with a cup of coffee. He was unfolding the newspaper, which must have arrived just brief moments before she walked down the stairs. Lydia awkwardly walked into the room and over to the coffee pot. She pulled a cup out from the shelf and opened the fridge in search of creamer.

"Is all the hazelnut creamer gone?" She asked, finally breaking the silence.

Her father looked up and his lips pursed for a moment before concluding, "Your mom must have finished it yesterday. I know she's been using it. Isn't there French vanilla in there?"

"It's not as good," Lydia responded, grabbing it and pouring a little into the bottom of her cup. "Oh well. It's still creamer. I don't know how you drink yours black."

Her dad chuckled as Lydia winced at the thought of bitter black coffee. He took a long sip before answering,

"After a while I decided I needed the caffeine more than I needed the taste."

Lydia sat down at the island next to her dad and pulled the warm and steaming cup up to her lips. She took a tiny sip, but still burnt her tongue anyway. An uncomfortable silence settled over them. When she was younger, Lydia was a daddy's girl. She loved fishing and hiking with him; just being outside with her father was enough. While she didn't go hunting with him like Nick did, she still got to develop a bond with her father and the wilderness. She recently rekindled her relationship with the outdoors… but she wasn't sure if she could ever get to a position with her father where she didn't feel awkward and bumbling.

"So," He said, sipping his coffee. "This boy coming over today… do you like him?"

"Dad," Lydia blushed.

"I mean, is it serious? He obviously cares about you. Gravity Falls is quite the drive. I just know things have been… weird for you this year. I don't know what I'm trying to say."

Lydia's heart warmed, though she was still slightly flustered, "Yeah, I know."

"I just," He paused. "Your mom and I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I'm okay," Lydia promised. She stood up and topped off her coffee. "I'm um… going go to go watch some TV…"

Her dad didn't say anything as she left the kitchen and went back upstairs. She set her coffee down on her desk and turned her television on, scanning the channels before she settled on a cartoon. She sat down and opened her laptop to bide her time for another hour and a half. As she began to do her morning routine of checking her blog and social media sites, her phone lit up. She tilted her head, puzzled, as she received a call from Dipper. She answered it with a hit of fear in her voice.

"Hello?"

"Hey!" He exclaimed with pep, cooling her nerves. "I'm making amazing time. I think I'm going to be in town in like, 45 or 50 minutes."

"What?!" Lydia exclaimed.

"Is… that okay?"

"No-yes, I mean," Lydia was flustered. "Yes it's okay. You didn't speed too much, did you?"

"No, totally not," He said with a high pitched voice, then laughed. "I didn't speed any more than normal. 15 over, max."

"Just be careful," She warned.

"Always."

"Okay, well... thanks for the heads up. I probably wouldn't have even been dressed," She laughed for a second. "I still want to take you to breakfast. You have my addressed programed in, right? Just pull up and I'll come out. I'll be waiting for you."

"Sounds great," She could feel his smile through the phone. "I'll see you soon, Lydia."

"Be safe," She stressed. "See you soon!"

They said goodbye and Lydia bounced out of her chair. She had picked up her room the night before, but looking around, it still seemed messy. She quickly made her bed and decided that was all the time she had for anything. She scooted over to her closet and opened it, trying to make a final decision on what to wear. She had been trying to decide between a light sundress and a pair of shorts and a blouse. She finally grabbed a navy V-neck with a red anchor design in the middle and walked over to her dresser, pulling out a pair of black and white striped shorts. She turned and looked at herself in her full-length mirror. She contemplated changing, but knew if she started to try on different outfits she'd never stop. Her hair had dried nicely; her waves looked more like curls. Her bangs remained relatively straight, and were brushed to the side. She gave herself a slight nod of approval before taking it back.

She left her room and walked down to Annie's room, knocking a few times before bursting in. Annie was still sleeping, her arm dangling off the side of her bed. She was buried under her green and blue blanket. Her sister was a perfectionist- meaning her room was always meticulous and organized. Her lime green walls were lined with shelves holding awards and ribbons from theater and band. Her desk was full (yet organized) of schoolwork and textbooks. Next to her desk was a light blue pasapan chair. Like Lydia, Annie had her television on top of her dresser. There was a small bookshelf next to the closet door that housed her sheet music, scripts, and books. On top of that stood a small box for her nail polish and a stand for some of her jewelry- just what Lydia was looking for. She tip toed over and scanned her bracelets before grabbing a large gold bangle and slipping it on.

Not wanting to irritate her younger sister by taking her bracelet without asking, she walked over and gently tried shaking her awake, repeating her name a few times.

"What," Annie grumbled.

"I need to borrow this bracelet," Lydia said.

Annie rolled over and looked at her sister with one eye open. Lydia had her arm extended out to show Annie the bracelet. Annie mumbled, "I approve."

"Do I look okay? Is this too fancy looking? Is it not nice enough?"

"You look fine, now get out before I sacrifice a pillow and throw it at your head."

"Fine!" Lydia raised her arms and slowly backed out of the room, shutting the door behind her. She walked back to her room and looked at the time. She still had at least twenty minutes before Dipper was set to arrive. She grabbed a pair of socks, and set down put her Chucks on. All morning she had debated on wearing makeup, and she finally decided to go with a little eyeliner and a bold shade of red for her lips that matched the design on her shirt. She gave her room a final look, then gave herself a final look before closing her door and walking to the living room.

Her mom was awake, sitting on the couch watching a talk show. She looked over at Lydia and smiled.

"Well don't you look nice!"

"Yeah," Lydia said faintly, embarrassed.

"I thought Dipper was coming at 9? It's barely after 8."

"No traffic," Lydia responded. "We'll probably be out most of the day. I'm going to take him to Pig 'N Pancake for breakfast then I figured we'd just walk the dock and do tourist-y things… so we will be gone most of the day."

"You know the rules for Sunday," Her mom warned. "Nick will be here around 4, dinner at 5:30. Don't push it either. You know we are all eager to meet your friend."

"I know, mom."

Lydia walked over and perched herself by the windows, pulling the blinds up so she could watch for Dipper. Her mom unpaused her talk show and turned back to the television. She couldn't see her dad in the kitchen and wondered where he went. She turned back to her street watch. A few minutes passed before she spotted Dipper's red car slowly crept down the road. Lydia perked up, closing the blinds and hustling over to the closet where her purse hang.

"Okay mom, I'm leaving!" She exclaimed, opening the door.

"Hey! Hold on," Her mom said, pausing the show and turning to Lydia. "Be careful, okay? And text me if you decide to leave town for some reason. And make sure you're back in time for dinner. And if you need me to pick me up, don't hesitate to call. Okay?"

"Oh… kay?" Lydia questioned. "I'll see you at 5:30! Bye, love you!"

She rushed out of the house, securing the door behind her. Dipper was waiting in the driveway. He watched as she left the house, shuffling quickly over to his car. She looked beautiful. The last time they were together she was gorgeous. Her natural beauty shone through, and she had an Earthy vibe with her hiking gear. But today… he was taken aback by the way she shone. Her clothes were more form-fitting, and he could see her curves. Her hair, her makeup- her… she was just…

The door opened, startling Dipper for a second. Lydia slid in and looked over at him with a nervous smile.

"Find it okay?"

"With ease," He smiled. "You look great- just perfect, I mean-"

He stopped and blushed, apologizing. Lydia laughed a little. She slowly reached her hand over and grabbed his, squeezing it slightly.

"You up for breakfast?" She questioned.

"And coffee," Dipper nodded. "The drive is hitting me."

"I can drive if you want," Lydia offered.

"I've got it. Just lead the way!"

Dipper regained control of the wheel and pulled out of the driveway, following Lydia's leave. He gave her house one last look before heading back down the street. It was a nice house on a quiet street. The house was a large two story square with dark green siding and tan shutters. The attached garage stuck out a little farther than the house and looked like the white door had a fresh coat of paint on it. The house had two columns and a stone half-wall framing the front porch. Wood stairs led to a stone path that led to the cement driveway. The lawn was well maintained and featured two flowerbeds on either side of the stairs. The backyard was fenced off with high wooden planks.

Lydia's house was a far cry from the Shack. Dipper had done his best to fix it over the past year that he'd owned it since Stan's death, but to be honest, he wasn't the handiest person and the Shack was an old house. While the actual business had been kept up and maintained over the years because a good front gives good business, the house hadn't faired too well. Dipper had removed all the carpet and restained the hardwood floors throughout the house. Fresh paint took away some of the old look and smell. The kitchen was still straight out of the 70s- it was a project he was meaning to get to. The same went for the bathroom, though he had installed a new toilet. He had finally cleared out Stan's room a few months ago, but he still kept his room up in the attic. The spare room on the first floor remained empty too… for a while… before it began accumulating items for the Shack. It became a storage unit of sorts.

"Are you okay?"

Lydia broke his thought. He shook his head and looked over at her. He had been blindly following her directions, yet zoned out of conversation. He was wrapped up in thoughts of the Shack.

"Yeah… just, uh, thinking about my uncle."

Lydia offered a half smile for reassurance, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Dipper immediately snapped. He apologized right after, "I'm sorry. It's just… still… not something I can really talk about."

"It's okay," Lydia said, though her feelings were hurt. She had pried before about his uncle, and he told her the same thing. She thought they were in a place where they could talk about everything, but apparently he didn't think the same thing. It's not like we're dating, Lydia thought to herself, he doesn't have to tell me anything.

"So, um, Pigs 'N Pancakes, huh?" Dipper said breaking the silence as he pulled into the busy restaurant's parking lot. "Sounds scrumptious."

"It's good," Lydia confirmed distantly.

Dipper sighed and put the car in park. He could tell Lydia was mad, and it was obviously about his lack of wanting to talk about Stan. But he'd told her before he didn't want to discuss it yet- he wasn't in a place where he felt like he could. Over the years Stan became more of a dad to him than his own father did. Stan taught him almost everything he knew about not only business, but life.

The two left the car and Dipper winced when Lydia slammed the door. He was growing more irritated as the minutes went by. He apparently had drove 6 hours for her to throw a fit. Tension grew between the two as they entered the busy restaurant. The noise only helped irritate Dipper more. He was used to screaming kids and overall loud noises, but he was already mad and the commotion wasn't helping. Lydia gave their name and crossed her arms as the waitress told them it'd be a few minutes before a table opened up.

If things kept going the way they were, the day would be a disaster.