cheap thrills :: [malik #fdc]

thirteen. second vacation

"Welcome," Lennon spins around outside of LAX, "to Los Angele--"

"I've got to show you something," Mari says at once as Lennon slides into Mari's car, sitting behind Bonnie.

"Whoa. Hello to you too, Mari."

"Hi, babe," Mari grins, flashing teeth with her bright smile. "This is Bonnie. Bonnie, Lennon."

"Hi," Lennon grins, leaning forward in the car. "I remember you from FaceTime."

And Bonnie's eyes light up. "Oh, yeah! How was your flight, babe?"

Mari can actually see Lennon's golden cheeks redden.

"Not too terrible, thank god. And this is unrelated, but you're like, an actual, living goddess--"

"O-kay," Mari interjects. "I hate to interrupt the flirting," she eyes Lennon through the overhead mirror, "but stop. This is about me."

And she tosses an envelope into the backseat.

"Read that, Lenn."

"But, what am I reading--?"

"Just read it!"

Bonnie laughs, letting down her window and welcoming the warm breeze. "She's been freaking out since she read it," she places her sunglasses on. "And I say she's overreacting. This is that shit I was talking about."

"Oh my god, Bonnie."

"What? You can't eat and pray without the love."

Lennon grins. "I'm definitely gonna fucking use that."

"Get out of Bonnie's ass, Lenn. Thanks."

"Besides," Bonnie continues, as Lennon rolls her eyes, "you neglected to find my Brazilian man for me while you were away, so I'm salty."

"Well," Lennon begins, "maybe not a man, per se, but Mari did find a--"

"Lennon!" She snaps. "Read."

"Fine, fine," she grumbles as Bonnie laughs up front. "Cool your jets, Ma. I'm reading..."

Marjani,

This is hard.

I didn't think it would be this hard, actually. I didn't expect to be on this vacation, either. It was my friend. He won this trip and gave it to me. Said I was too stressed. It doesn't matter.

What matters is that first day. Remember? Remember when you sat next to me on the plane? Remember when you fell asleep on my shoulder?  Remember when you were sick in bed? I do.

And I could go on, but I think it was that night in the stadium. It was that night when a simple game turned into a thunderstorm and you looked so beautiful and so carefree and you looked like nothing could make that smile fall and I thought I was the luckiest guy in the world because for some reason, you liked me.

I'm not typically the guy that girls want. I'm either too quiet or too reserved or I'm working too much, and when I'm working I'm too anxious and too distant and I've never known how to not be that guy. But with you, I'm not like that. You got to know me as the guy I wish I could be all the time. With you, I'm who I want to be all the time. It's the best of me, I guess.