Baby Just Say Yes

"So...Ray, where exactly are we headed?" Matt asked from the backseat. She sighed, and pulled into a beachside rest stop. It was near dark, and she'd been driving for five hours. Exhaustion was starting to set in.

"I'm not sure, guys. Maybe this wasn't such a brilliant plan." She replied, getting out of the SUV. Everybody else got out as well, and Brian wrapped his arms around her in a hug from behind. She settled into his chest.

"We'll figure it out, babe." He whispered so only she could hear. She smiled when she saw Johnny jump onto Jimmy's back.

"Are you stealing my boyfriend?" Lacey asked from the car. The girls had just pulled into the rest area behind them.

"No. He just won't leave me alone." Jimmy told her, smirking.

"Johnny." Lacey said.

"Yes?" He asked, jumping down from Jimmy's shoulders.

"If you want any tonight, you better come hug me. Brian's making me feel unloved." She fake pouted. Johnny grinned and walked over to his girlfriend and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Feeling loved now?" He asked her.

"I don't know. Brian's got Ray from behind." Lacey told him. He rolled his eyes and picked her up off the ground.

"How about now?"

"Sure, honey." She said in a too-sweet voice, pinching his cheeks.

"God, now you're acting like my mom." He said.

"But you love me anyway." She told him confidently.

"Yes. Yes I do." He agreed, kissing her lips softly.

"Brian?" Rayleigh whispered so that only he could hear her.

"Yeah?" He asked her.

"What about your parents? I feel like I made you all just drop your lives." She said, her voice telling him that she really did feel guilty.

"No, Ray, you did not. And my parents know roughly what we're doing." He said. "Papa Gates knows that you hated it at home."

"But they're going to miss you. And you'll miss them. And what about the band?" She questioned.

"We'll get through this, Rayleigh Anne Coslov." He told her, turning her around so that he could put his hands on her face, making her look at him.

"You never call me by my full name." She stated. "You must really believe that, then."

"I do." He told her.

"You do?" Jimmy asked from across the beach a little ways.

"There's a wedding? When?" Val asked from Matt's arms.

"Who's getting married?" Lacey asked.

"Nobody's getting married, guys." Rayleigh told them all.

"Oh, cuz for a second there I thought I heard him say 'I do.'

"I did." Brian said. "But I wasn't talking about marriage."

"So are we there yet?" Johnny asked, changing the topic.

"What?" Rayleigh asked.

"Is this where we're staying?"

"Johnny, this is a rest stop." Lacey told him.

"Really?" He asked.

"Yeah. That's why there's a building with two doors with psychedelic little blue people on them that say 'Men's Room' and 'Women's Room', dear." Lacey said.

"Ah. That would explain it." He said.

"You're weird, short shit." Rayleigh laughed.

"What did you just call me?" Johnny asked jokingly, picking up some sand.

"Don't, Johnny!" She screeched, running. He took off after her, leaving everybody laughing.