Lance slowly awoke, his arm numb from Whip laying nestled in it. He stretched as much as he could and opened his eyes, one at a time. He knew something had woke him up, but he couldn't put a finger on what it was. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with his left hand and opened them again to look around the room. It was brightly lit, with the morning sun and he squinted at the sight.
CLICK! CLICK!
There it was again. Wide awake now, he looked over to the right and his eyes came upon Joey and Chris standing by the open door. Joey was holding a camera and Chris was covering his mouth with his hands to silence his laughter. They were taking pictures of him and Whit! Lance wanted to jump out of the bed or yell at them, but he knew he'd wake up Whip and he didn't want her to see them. Giving Joey an icy glare, Lance gently started to work his arm out from under Whip. Joey giggled and clicked off a few more shots before taking off out the door. He could hear them roaring with laughter in the hallway and that made him even madder. Dammit, they had agreed not to do this shit! Finally, he got his arm free and rubbed it to get the feeling back. As quietly as he could, he slid off the bed and padded around to the other side. Whip was still sound asleep and he smiled down at her. Taking one last long look, he leaned down, softly kissed her cheek, and left the room, pulling the door shut behind him. He was going to kill Joey and Chris.
Lance got back to his room and changed quickly. They had to be around here somewhere. No matter though. If they weren't, he'd just catch them on the bus. He hadn't wanted to tell Whip the night before, but he had an idea for what she'd written in that notebook. She'd been so embarassed by it that he knew she'd say no if he asked. He would wait awhile and then he'd talk her into it. It was perfect for what he wanted to do. He'd been shocked when he read her words. They tore right into him, making him feel things he never thought possible. Whip surprised him more and more. He wouldn't have thought her the type of person to be sentimental and romantic. Guess you couldn't always tell a person by their outward appearance and actions.
~*~
Whip enjoyed the day, getting everything together, and riding along the freeway. She knew that a goofy smile was plastered on her face and everyone kept giving her knowing looks, but she didn't care. All she could think about was the rough timber in Lance's voice as he read from her notebook. Falling asleep in his arms was not something she'd expected, but it had felt so good that she couldn't help it. She had awoke that morning by herself and had been disappointed, although she knew she really shouldn't be. All they'd done so far was kiss. She shouldn't expect him to spend the night yet. Whip looked out the window at the passing traffic and let her mind wander. She was just so happy that she didn't think anything could bring her down.
~*~
Lance climbed aboard the bus and tossed his bag on the seat closest to him. Joey and Chris had given him the slip all day long, but there wasn't anywhere they could run to now. Ready to jump their asses, Lance made his way to the back where the mini-entertainment area was. Passing the bunks, he heard snoring and figured Justin and JC were getting some sleep in so they could party again tonight. When he walked through the doorway, he spotted Chris and Joey huddled together looking at the pictures. They must have been out getting them developed so they could stay hidden from Lance. They weren't going anywhere now.
"Having fun guys," Lance ground out. They both looked up at him at the same time and at least they had the decency to blush. Chris started to speak and Lance held up a hand, silencing him.
"I don't care what your excuse is," he stated calmly, "I just want the pictures."
"Oh c'mon Lance," Joey argued, "We didn't mean any harm."
"Yeah," Chris said, "Besides, you two looked so cute, we just had to get that on film." Lance just held out his hand, not saying a word. Chris and Joey aruged some more, but seeing that Lance was not giving in, they gathered up the prints and handed them to him.
"The negatives too," Lance ordered.
"But..." Chris started.
"NOW!"
Joey reached into the envelope and gave him the smaller envelope that held the negatives. Lance looked at them, making sure they were all there and went out to his bunk, shoving them under the small mattress. Sure that no one could see them, he walked to the front of the bus again and sat down at the table. He stared out the window, watching the miles go by and thinking about Whip. His thoughts were interrupted though, when Joey appeared in front of him.
"Uh....Lance," Joey began. Lance just looked at him and Joey fidgeted awhile before speaking again. He took a seat across from Lance and keeping his eyes downcast, he sighed and began again.
"I'm really sorry," Joey said, "Chris and I walked in to see if you were still there and you two were sleeping and we just thought it would be funny to get a couple pictures of it."
"That's just it Joey," Lance said, "You didn't think. Do you realize what would happen if Whip saw those pictures? She'd be hurt. She'd think that we were just playing a horrible joke on her and she's too nice for that. Do you realize that she doesn't even know I stayed with her last night?" Joey looked up in confusion and Lance continued.
"She fell asleep while I was there," he explained, "I put her in the bed and crawled in behind her. I didn't want to leave. She didn't wake up before I came looking for you two so she has no clue that I was there all night. If those pictures got around and she found them with someone else, she'd be really hurt." Joey nodded, finally understanding. They both sat there for awhile, lost in their own thoughts.
"So, do you think this is serious," Joey ventured. Lance took a long time in answering. What could he answer? He knew that he liked her, a lot and he wanted to spend more time with her, but was it serious?
"I really don't know Joe," Lance replied, "I do know that it's too soon to tell, but if it were up to me, I'd like it to be." Joey nodded again and wished him luck. Unable to stay with one subject too long though, Joey challenged Lance to a video game and they both made their way toward the back of the bus again, arguing over who was gonna kick who's ass.