Alone Together [boyxboy]

Alone Together {5}

                “Time to clock out!” Riley said, checking his watch.

                I nodded, stepping away from the register. I followed Riley, clocking out of work and waiting for Jonas and Matt.

                The two appeared, looking eager to go. We left the store and Jonas paused, turning to face me.

                “Hey, Alexis, did you ride your bike here?” he asked.

                I nodded. “Yea.”

                “Put it in my trunk again. I’ll just drive both of us to wherever we’re going. Uh…where are we going?”

                “Applebee’s?” Matt offered.

                “Works for me,” Jonas said with a shrug.

                “I’m good with that,” Riley said.

                I just nodded. Jonas followed me to my bike and helped me get it in the trunk of his car. We climbed back into his car, and he pulled out of the parking lot.

                “Do you mind if I make a call quick?” I asked. Maybe I could catch Ace before he left to make sure Micah was fed.

                “Sure, go ahead,” Jonas said.

                I dialed the house number and waited as the phone rang. But then it went to the house voicemail, and I muttered under my breath. I knew that someone had to be home.

                Unless…

                I let out an annoyed sigh. Ace had probably left for work, Ike was probably out stealing, Jer was probably working outside, and Christian never answered the phone.

                “Everything alright?” Jonas asked, glancing at me quick before returning his eyes to the road.

                “Everything is fine,” I said, putting my phone away.

                “No one answered?” he guessed.

                “Right,” I said, forcing my voice to stay neutral despite how anxious and annoyed I was. Had Ace fed Micah before he left?

                “Cheer up! This will be fun. Whatever you have to do at home, I’m sure it can wait,” he said with a smile.

                I knew he was just trying to be nice, but I couldn’t help but feel my irritation grow. I forced it away, though. Jonas and I came from very different worlds. He and I had very, very different responsibilities.

                If there was one thing I was good at, it was being patient. Living with Ace, Jer, Ike, and Christian required plenty of patience, as did my job. And dealing with a five year old boy also required a lot of patience. Micah might be timid and well behaved, but he was still a little boy, and little boys got cranky a lot.

                Jonas pulled into a parking spot and turned the car off. We got out together and went over to where Matt and Riley were waiting.

                The four of us went inside and were seated by a waiter. He handed us menus and pulled out a notepad.

                “May I take your drinks?” he asked cheerfully.