Waiting For You (Tree Bros)

Chapter Ten: Tree Expert

Connor and Evan were sitting in Connor's car in front of the Murphy's house after collecting some of his things.

Connor pulled out of the driveway and began to drive in the opposite direction to Evan's house.

"Um, Connor?" Evan asked. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Evan grew anxious. What was happening? Why weren't they going home?

Connor saw this and put a hand on his knee.

"It's okay, Tree Boy," he said sweetly. "I was going to leave it a surprise, but it's okay. I'm taking you to the orchard. One, because we haven't really spent much time together since we got back, and two, because I want you to actually have good memories of the place."

Evan thought about the last two times he'd been to the orchard.

The last time was when he saw Connor and Isabel and sort of... broke up with Connor, and the time before that...

Evan pushed the thought out of his head. They were going to have a good time at the orchard.

It was going to be perfect.

They drove to the orchard and got out the car.

They walked up to the entrance and Connor interlaced his hand with Evan's.

The two boys walked through the orchard and stopped at a tall tree. They sat down, leaning against the trunk, still holding hands.

Evan put his head on Connor's shoulder and moved closer to him.

They just looked at the tall trees going on for miles.

The setting sun lay behind the leaves, projecting a kaleidoscope of orange, yellow and a tinge of purple onto them, making them look absolutely beautiful.

"I love it, Connor," Evan whispered.

"And I love you."

Evan blushed, smiling.

"I really missed you, Evan," Connor said to him. "So, so much."

"I missed you, too," Evan said. "We'll find the guy, don't worry."

"What if we never find him?" Connor asked. "Do the police even know about all this? And what about Harry?"

"Zoe called the police when she got there, so she tells me," Evan replied. "They're looking for both of them now."

Connor nodded and sighed.

He turned to face Evan and kissed him softly.

Evan kissed back, deepening the kiss.

Evan pulled away and rested his forehead on Connor's, smiling. "What was that for?"

"What, am I not allowed to kiss my boyfriend anymore?"

Evan giggled and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"So now that I'm back," Connor said. "Are you going to enroll in college?"

"I don't know," Evan shrugged. "I might wait for a bit."

Connor nodded. "I feel really bad. I'm so sorry, Tree Boy."

"Why?" He asked, confused.

"You didn't go to college because of me."

"I didn't go to college because I love you," Evan said, cupping Connor's face with his hand. "I wasn't just going to give up on you. On us."

Connor smiled. "What did I do to deserve you?"

Evan blushed.

The two sat there together in a comfortable silence, watching the sun set behind the trees.

***

Evan and Connor sat on Evan's bed, watching the last ten minutes of the Groundhog Day movie.

They heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," Evan called, pausing the movie.

The door opened and Jeremy walked in.

"Sorry to interupt," Jeremy said. "I've just been planning the wedding all day and was wondering if I could chill with you guys?"

Evan nodded. "Of course you can! We're watching Groundhog Day."

Jeremy smiled and sat on a beanbag on the floor. "Thank-you."

The three watched the last ten minutes of the movie and smiled at the happy ending.

"Evan, could I talk to you outside for a sec?" Jeremy asked when the movie finished.

"Sure," Evan nodded, climbing out of bed and walking out of the room with Jeremy.

Evan closed the door behind him and turned to face his stepbrother.

"So, Evan," Jeremy started. "I was wondering if you wanted to be my best man for my wedding?"

Evan grinned widely. "Really?"

Jeremy nodded, also smiling.

"I... Yes! Of course! Thank-you so much!" He tackled Jeremy in a huge hug and Jeremy laughed.

***

Evan woke up to the sound of crying down the hallway.

He looked at Connor, who was fast asleep.

Evan slowly climbed out of bed and walked out of his room, closing the door quietly behind him.

He looked down the hall and saw his mom holding a crying Lily.

"Mom," he whispered. "You go back to bed. I'll help with Lily."

"It's okay, honey, I'm fine," Heidi said, yawning.

Evan walked up to his mom and sister and stretched his arms out to hold Lily.

"Go back to bed, mom."

Heidi sighed and handed Lily to Evan. "Thank-you so much, sweetie." She walked back to her room.

Evan walked down the stairs, holding Lily, and sat on the couch.

"Shh... it's okay, Lily," Evan whispered. "Your big brother's here. It's okay."

She continued to cry.

"Liliana Acacia," he said calmly. "I love acacia trees. They're also called wattles, and are the floral emblem of Australia. They belong to the pea family, did you know that?"

Evan looked at his sister, who was still crying, but not as much.

"The average height of an acacia is about forty feet tall, although some can even grow to be seventy feet tall. They have small flowers that are yellow or white, or sometimes even purple or red, but very rarely. They use the flowers in perfumes and cosmetics."

Lily had completely stopped crying now and was looking at Evan with her wide, blue-gray eyes and a tear streaked face.

Evan wiped her tears away with his thumb then gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Love you, Lily. Maybe you'll grow up to be a tree expert, too."

A/N: Hey everyone! The musical has now finished so I'll be updating more often.