Chapter thirty:

Taylor was lying awake in his bunk. He’d been exhausted after the concert, but couldn’t sleep at all. He laid still staring at the roof of his bunk for some time until finally he shoved back the blankets and dropped down to the floor.

He wandered into the front lounge.

He jumped suddenly and so did Jen.

She was curled up in the corner of the sofa reading a book by flashlight.

“Jesus.” She mumbled. “You startled me.”

“You startled me.” He said. “What on earth are you doing up?”

“What are you doing up?” She returned.

“I can’t sleep.” He admitted.

“Me either.”

Taylor got himself a bottle of water and offered her one. She declined.

“Why can’t you sleep?” He asked, sitting next to her at a comfortable distance.

“Why can’t you?”

He sighed heavily. “I am way to tired to play this game right now, okay?”

“Okay.” She put aside her book. “We need to talk anyway.”

“We do?”

She nodded.

“Okay, about what?”

“About what happened between us.”

“What happened?”

She sighed. “Now who’s playing games?”

“Sorry.” He said.

“I… I know some… stuff has been going on between us….”

“Like what?”

She blushed slightly. “Feelings… I guess.”

“Okay.” He said slowly.

“Do you have feelings for me?” She asked, finally looking into his eyes.

He looked away. “No. I don’t think so. Do you have feelings for me?”

“No.” She paused. “I’m… actually seeing someone else.”

“Luke.” Taylor stated.

“You know?”

Taylor nodded. “Becky and Christy filled me in.”

“Oh… well… I like him.”

“You’d be good together.” He agreed, half-heartedly.

Jenna smiled slightly at that. “I think so.”

He sat back against the sofa. He didn’t know why, but honestly he felt the opposite. He liked her as a friend, but why was there a tinge of jealously? She was two years younger than him, and not his type at all. But a small part of him had hoped they could be more than just friends.

“Tay?”

“Yeah?” He said, finally cluing in.

“I’m going to try and get some sleep. You should too, okay?”

“Yeah.” He said and watched her disappear from sight.

**********************************************************

Christy climbed out of her bunk and wandered sleepily to the washroom. She borrowed Jenna’s hairbrush and quickly pulled it through her hair before wandering out into the front of the bus where a small kitchen was set up.

Becky and Jenna were sitting together chatting eagerly about Jenna’s date from the night before.

Isaac was pulling a carton of milk from the mini-fridge.

“Hey… is there coffee?”

“Of course.” Isaac lifted the coffee pot and poured her a mug.

Christy smiled and reached up to kiss him. “Thank you.”

“So what’s the plan for today?”

“Well, we’re going to stop for a bit sometime today and wander a mall.” Isaac replied. “Does that sound okay with you guys?”

“Totally.” Becky and Jenna agreed.

“When will that be?” Christy slid into a seat at the booth where the girls were sitting and tucked one knee bent upright.

Isaac sat next to her. “Umm… sometime late afternoon, most likely. I talked to the bus driver this morning, and he said we’d most likely be stopping around dinner time, and depending on the schedule, we may be stopping at a hotel for the night.”

“Thank god. This bus is like a moving tomb.” Christy said. “I got no sleep last night.”

“Me either.” Jenna agreed.

“I slept okay.” Becky shrugged. “I’d like to get in a hot bath though.”

“Me too.” Christy agreed reaching across the table for the bowl of dry cheerios that Jenna and Becky were sharing.

Isaac laughed out loud. “We’ve been on the bus less than a week and you girls are already complaining?”

“We’re not complaining, we’re comparing war stories.” Jenna clarified.

“Right.” Isaac laughed. “Same thing”

“I’d stay on the bus forever just to be with you.” Christy flirted, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Oh, get a room!” Becky and Jenna cried at the same time tossing handfuls of cheerios.

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