Chapter 5: Car Ride

Notes: Hi! This is gonna be the shortest chapter I've ever written so far. I haven't been able to write as I am pretty busy recently. I hope you guys enjoy it. Let me know what you think.

"Can I drive?" I ask Peter with excitement, jingling his car key in front of his face.

"What? Hell, no! You hate driving anyway," Peter says matter-of-factly, taking the keys from my hand.

True. I used to hate driving. However, over the summer before college began, Peter had been helping me with my driving skill and I am proud to say that I have improved a lot, even Kitty approves of it. To be honest, I find it quite relaxing.

It's 5.55. Peter is putting our bags into the backseat. Then, he opens the door to the passenger side seat with a wide smile on his face.

"Well, well, well, look who's being a true gentleman!" I tiptoe and give him a peck on his cheek before entering the car. He replies me with a wink.

"Everything in?" He asks me before he closes the door.

"What's with this sudden chivalry?" I question him suspiciously with one eyebrow arching as he put on his seatbelt.

"What do you mean?" He pretends to look hurt. "I always treat you well."

"Yeah, but not like this. You open and hold doors for me sometimes, but since when did you open car door for me?"

"There's always room for improvement," he gives me a flirty wink, then he leans forward to plant a kiss on my lips.

I am a little bit taken aback by his gesture and his sudden kiss. After we break off the kiss, I ask him, "Can I get a hug too?"

Peter roars with laughter, but he still hugs me tightly. "Okay, that's enough. We need to go now."

I can't believe myself that we are finally going to have a little getaway over the weekend. I have been waiting for this for a week. To be frank, the fact that it's gonna be just the two of us makes me feel groggy, but I try to remain as calm as I can. I keep repeating to myself, I'm with Peter, I have nothing to worry about. I am unconsciously staring at him as I am thinking to myself. Peter feels it and breaks me from my reverie.

"Do I look that good in the morning?" He teases me.

"Argh, you're so vain," I retort as I smack his arm.

He rubs his hand, acting as if I just hurt him, but I ignore him.

"Do you want some coffee?" Peter offers.

"Sure," I say.

We make a stop to order our coffee. While we are waiting for our order, I ask him, "How long is it gonna take to our destination?"

"Um, probably around two and a half hours without traffic."

"I'm gonna buy something for us to eat in the car then." I leave him in the car, to go inside a bakery and buy one chocolate scone for me and one cheese sandwich for Peter.

Peter looks straight to the road, one hand holding the steering wheel, the other holding my hand. He kisses the back of my hand once in a while. My phone buzzes and I pick up.

"Hi Daddy," I greet my dad. He looks tired, he probably just finished a night shift at the hospital. "Did you just get home?"

He nods. "So where are you guys going?"

"I don't know. Peter refuses to tell me, he says it's a surprise," I turn my phone so that Daddy can see both of us.

"Good morning, Mr. Covey," Peter greets him politely.

"Hi there, Peter. A surprise, huh? Impressive," my dad responds, he gives a slight nod of approval.

Peter smirks, "Thank you for allowing me to take Lara Jean on a trip. Are you finally going somewhere with Trina and Kitty?"

"Kitty is begging me to follow you two, actually," he bursts in laughter. "Relax, I'm never gonna do that. We are planning to go to DC later this afternoon and probably stay there til Monday."

Peter sighs in relief.

My dad finally says, "Take care of my daughter, Peter Kavinsky."

"I will," he nods and takes off his eyes from the road for a split second to look at my dad. Daddy smiles at him.

"Well, you two have fun. And don't forget, be safe," he emphasizes the word safe. Both of our cheeks turn red instantly, knowing well what my dad means.

"Dad!" I shriek in embarrassment.

"Alright, I gotta go, I can hear Kitty coming down the stairs."

"Talk to you later, Dad." We hang up the call.

Peter and I sit silently, still thinking about what my dad said. My dad really knows how to embarrass his daughter. And to be honest, that has been bugging my mind too. Will I do it with Peter on this trip?

Peter can feel the nervousness radiating from my direction, so he reaches for my hand. He gives me a reassuring look and say, "Hey, you have nothing to worry about." And that's all it needs to make my worry disappear. "Do you want me to turn on the music?"

"Isn't it too early for you?"

"Nah, I'm fine. I almost finish my coffee anyway." He types in 'road trip' on Spotify and Capital Cities' Safe and Sound starts blasting inside the car. Then, Peter starts to sing along loudly. I know he's trying to comfort me, it's hard to stay nervous when he's acting like this.

"Come on, Covey. Sing with me," he demands. And so, I follow. We have a spontaneous karaoke session in the car, which is fun and very entertaining. It makes me forget about all of my worries. After we finish singing Taylor Swift's Shake It Off, I feel hungry and start munching on my chocolate scone. I offer Peter some of it, but he only wants his cheese sandwich.

"Let's play a cheesy couple game." Peter says.

I roll my eyes, but waiting for him to start.

"Let's start with something easy. Would you rather be able to read minds or control things with your mind?"

"Read minds. I don't think I want to control anyone's mind. That doesn't sound right."

"Come on, Covey! This is not a matter of right and wrong, it's just a game," he exclaims, but I just shrug off my shoulder. He continues, "I'd rather have the latter. It's gonna be so cool if I can easily tell someone to do something for me."

"That sounds very Peter," I playfully tease him. "But you know, with a face like yours, I don't think that ability is necessary. So the first one will totally benefit you, Peter Kavinsky." I put on a serious face, trying to fight my giggle.

"Are you hitting on me, Covey?" He teases me back, making a flirty face and staring deeply into my eyes.

"No way." I look away from him, trying to hide my face as my cheeks start to blush from his stare. "Okay, okay, next question," I clear my throat before I ask, "Would you rather be extremely attractive or be with someone who is extremely attractive?"

"Well, everyone knows I am extremely attractive," he playfully answers the question, a confident smug crosses his face. I make an expression as if I am about to vomit, which makes Peter laughs. "And apparently my girlfriend is too. So, I guess we are lucky enough to get the best of both worlds." We both explode into laughter.

"My turn. Would you rather kiss on the cheek or kiss on the forehead?" Peter questions.

"Easy. Forehead, of course."

"Girls do like forehead kisses. I don't understand why, though. I like kisses on the cheek better, I think it's more intimate."

"Hmm… I think kisses on the forehead is more sincere. It's not as aggressive or sexual as kisses on the lips. Also, it is more affectionate than on the cheek," I try to explain.

Peter gives my answer a thought, his eyebrows furrow together. Then, he nods and agrees with my opinion.

"Breakfast or dinner?"

"Are we talking in a relationship?" I give him a nod, then he continues, "Hmm… When we started dating, dinner is way more romantic. Even in movies, dinner is portrayed as a romantic thing. Breakfast, on the other hand, is more casual."

"So?" I wait.

"Well," Peter pauses and thinks, before he firmly answers, "Breakfast."

"Why?"

"I don't know how to explain this, but I'll try. I think when two people in a relationship are having breakfast, it shows how much they mature in a relationship. If that makes sense at all. So I think a relationship progresses like this, it all starts with dinner where people usually carefully plan their every move to impress their date. Then, after a while when they really become comfortable with each other, knowing all their flaws and all that, that's when a relax setting is preferred." Peter looks at me, hoping that I would understand what he just said.

I bite my lower lip, thinking. Then, I say, "I think I get what you mean. Breakfast happens in broad daylight, so they have nothing to hide anymore from each other. Also, they don't need to try so hard to impress one another."

"Yeah, something like that. I know it's a bit confusing."

"No, I kinda like the philosophy behind your answer. It sounds romantic. I agree with you. I'm all for breakfast."

"Are you trying to say that you feel comfortable with me, Covey?" He teases me, raising an eyebrow.

"Obviously not anymore," I tease back which makes him groans.

I enjoy every second I am having with Peter right now. I can't stop grinning. It feels refreshing getting to talk, tease and flirt with each other. And to think that we're gonna get to spend time like this for the next few days make my stomach jittery.

"Thank you for this trip, Peter."

"Hey, it's not even started yet. You don't even know where we're heading to."

"It's not the destination that matters, it's whom I spend it with," I quote Margot.

"Well, in that case, you are very much welcome, Covey. Thank you for going on this trip with me."

"The pleasure's all mine, Kavinsky." I lean forward to plant a kiss on his cheek, but at the same time he turns his head, so I kiss his lips instead.

"Peter, what are you looking forward to the most on our vacation?"

"Hmm… Getting to spend my time with you, being able to hold you, listening to your story, lying on the bed with you at night without the need to say goodbye, waiting for you to fall asleep, waking up next to you."

"We just did all those things yesterday."

"Then, those are the things I can never get enough off."

"Aw, Peter," I reach for his hand and place it on my cheek. "I love you so much."

Peter's face breaks into a huge, warm smile. "I love you too, Covey."

"You know what, you were right. We are lucky to have each other."

"I guess we have Kitty to thank for," he says. We both laugh.

"I think we're almost there," Peter says after a while. I look through my window, the blue sea stretches out as far as the eye can see. I feel a sudden jolt of excitement.

"Wow," I hear myself amazed by the view. "Where are we exactly?"

"We're in Wilmington, North Carolina. Remember the last time we watch a movie together?"

I nod at him. "It was a long time ago. I think it was The Choice, wasn't it? It was a movie based on Nicholas Sparks' novel."

"Yep."

"Yeah, I remember it. In fact, you gave me that same novel a few days ago."

"Because you said the book is always better than the movie. Anyway, I remember you saying how beautiful the view is in the movie, so… Here we are."

My eyes are wide open. I gasp in surprise. "Peter…" I am speechless.

And then Peter beams in delight, "I'm glad you like it."