And She Made the Shape of My Heart With Her Hands

“I’m so tired,” Pat informed us all for the fifth time as he hung his arms over my brother’s shoulders, his body loose.

“Yeah, I know. I am, too,” Garrett told him. “Now get off me, Pat. That’s what you have my sister for; to hang all over and stuff.” He pushed Pat off himself carelessly.

Pat made sure not to fall flat on the black cement. “Yeah, but Garrett…”

“What,” he asked, not looking at him.

“Cara will never, ever replace you. It’s okay, Garrett. You’re special,” Pat cooed with false affection as he touched my brother’s chin with his hand.

I giggled as I watched the two.

Garrett sighed and then hissed quietly, “Shut up, Pat! Not now, she’s right there!”

I let out a laugh. I definitely didn’t think that my brother would have joined in on this joke.

Pat looked over at me and then back up at Garrett. “Oh, crap. You’re right. Maybe we should go escape to the van so we can cuddle and stuff,” Pat suggested.

I blurted out a laugh and slightly bent over at the waist. “Okay, okay. Stop! That’s enough,” I said as more laughs emitted from my mouth continuously.

“Uh huh. Yeah,” Pat mumbled while shaking his head yes. Garrett was muttering something in his ear, something like instructions. “Okay!” Pat suddenly sauntered over to me with that goofy grin plastered upon his face.

“Pat, what are you going to-”

“Oh, Cara!” Pat flopped himself upon me, much like he did to my brother earlier. My knees gave in some as my body went down from his force. I soon was somewhat able to hold his upper body up. “I’m tired,” he cried childishly to me.

“Pat, I,” I pushed up against him. “Pat, sweetie, we’re going to hit the ground.”

“Okay!” With that, Pat abruptly lifted himself up off me.

I gasped in a couple gusts of oxygen and leaned myself against Pat. “G-Garrett! You did that on purpose!”

He smiled a little innocently. “Love you, sis.”

When I woke up the next morning, I was somehow laid across Pat’s lap. It’s funny, because that’s not how we were at all when we fell asleep last night.

I ran my hand through my hair and sighed as I rubbed my tired eyes. “Where… Where are we?” I asked anyone that was listening.

“We’re somewhere in New York, I think,” Pat answered from behind me. His voice startled me as I jumped a little. He chuckled, amused.

“God, you scared me. When did I get over here?”

“Over where?”

I smiled a little and pointed down to his lap. “Here,” I answered.

“Oh. I don’t know, but I like it!” He smiled widely in an excited manner.

I giggled. “Okay. Well I’m still a little tired, so…” I put my head back down on his chest and closed my eyes. I kissed the very same spot on his chest that I could feel speeding up through his shirt. I giggled. “Relax,” I quietly instructed.

“I’m trying to,” he stated as he wound his arms around my waist securely, resting his head comfortably on top of mine. He kissed it once and sighed contently.

I, too, was very, very serene at the moment.

“Cara,” I heard a whisper in my ear as I felt the surface I was leaning against move a little. “Cara, wake up. We’re almost there.”

I opened my eyes and sat up a little more. I looked around and saw that everyone was well awake. Well, as awake as you could be during constant nights spent in a van during a summer tour. I then turned my head and looked at Pat.

He had an entertained smile that was slowly curving itself up his mouth. Pat’s shiny brown eyes blinked here and there before he greeted warmly yet simply, “Hey.”

I smiled a little and wrapped my arms around Pat’s small frame. “Are we in Maryland?”

He chuckled. “We’ve been in Maryland,” he answered.

“Oh… Well are we in Baltimore yet?”

Pat sighed, his chest rising highly and then falling, my head going along with its motions. “I think we should probably be there in like…” He paused. “John, how much longer?”

“Pat, for the third time within fifteen minutes-”

“Twenty-three minutes,” John interrupted Kennedy, still driving as he kept his eyes on the road at all times. I was sure that it wasn’t just his extra driving precaution that made him not want to turn around and look back here.

“Twenty-three minutes,” Pat informed me with a bright smile as I giggled. “And Kennedy, it was twenty-six minutes last time I asked!”

“The point is,” my brother butted in, “is that you’ve been asking this question too much.”

Pat pouted, which made me giggle. “Be nice, children,” I called.

Kennedy suddenly turned around, facing me directly. “Hey. You know that you sort of mumble in your sleep?”

Before I could even respond, Jared spoke up. “Wow. And it only took you an entire summer to come up with that.” He chuckled.

“Hey, you can’t blame Kenny for that. He’s too busy making gross noises in his own sleep,” Pat explained.

“I mumbled last night?” I asked dumbly.

Kennedy nodded. “Yep.”

“Well… What kind of things did I say?”

Garrett snorted and answered that question in his own stupid, obnoxious, incorrect way. “Pat! Pat!” He squealed lightly in a high girl voice. “Oh, Pat! Yes!”

I instantly slapped him on the upper arm. “Garrett! Shut up!”

He laughed a little more and poked his tongue out at me.

I scowled and crossed my arms. “You’re so disgusting,” I muttered darkly as I felt that familiar warm sensation floating up to my cheeks. In the corner of my eye, I could see that Pat had that same blush crawling up to his face, as well.

Kennedy chuckled. “No, that’s not what you said. Even though that would have been freaking funny,” he admitted. “Anyway, you said a bunch of stuff but I couldn’t really understand you. I do know, however, that you were repeating something like, ‘No. Stop.’ And then you were saying something along the lines of, ‘Please. I don’t get it,’ or something, and then, ‘Come on. Please. Just wait.’”

My brows knitted together as I stared at Kennedy for a few confusing moments.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. Weird,” he stated.

“Yeah,” Pat chuckled. “Just a little.”

“More than a little,” I mumbled, still trying to remember what I had been dreaming about last night; still, nothing came to mind.