(Has to be one of my favorite chapters so far<3 Thanks so much for reading:) P.s. Sort this chapter is crazy long. I didn't know it'll be like this😅

Matthew 5:16 "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

Chapter 4

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Aspen and I made to the intercity of Philly...and it was honestly super cool to be in another state...especially at night.

The buildings stood tall all lit up and classy, taxis were everywhere, the stars in the sky were in a different formation and I noticed new constellations, and even the grass looked a tad bit greener than Texas!

"Whoa..." I looked around amazed. "This...is so cool," I said under my breath with a smile. Aspen came up beside me.

"I know....it looks like an exact replica of New York City," he said surprised.

"I know right, except...we're in it! It's not a picture!" I said overly excited. He laughed.

Being a hypocrite, I quickly took my Canon camera and snapped a photo of the buildings as if I was laying down on the ground looking up and it looked cool as they had Christmas lights up which made it look picture worthy. I observed the photo as Aspen ran ahead of me as he found a statue of a man standing over a dead man with his foot on his chest, and a sword in his hand like he won a war and I busted out laughing as Aspen stood exactly like the statue with a serious face, my backpack resembling the dead man.

"Hahahahaa! Who are you suppose to be?" I came over to him.

"I....am a warrior. I fight for my King. For the righteous!" he chanted seriously pretending to have a sword in his hand buffing out his chest. I was literally crying of laughter.

"Hahaha!! I have to get a pic of this," I said between laughs getting my camera ready. I snapped a photo and he smiled at me as he came over and I showed him the picture, covering my mouth still laughing.

"Ooooo that's a good photo," he said nodding. "Think I'd be a great warrior if I wanted to be?" He suddenly buffed his chest out again standing tall, looking into the sky with a determined face, one hand on his hip and the other over his heart in a fist. I just kept laughing literally dying.

"Hahahahaa! Suuuure," I told him rolling my eyes to my camera. He playfully gasped at me.

"Ah, what!? You don't think I'm good enough?" He asked me playfully. I chuckled editing the photo.

"I never said that," I told him between chuckles. Aspen was looking down at me with a smile as I saw from the corner of my eye and he said coolly,

"Well....I know what YOU are," he crossed his arms. I shaped my eyebrows at him with a smile and I asked,

"And what is that?" Suddenly as I didn't even see it coming, Aspen quickly poked me in my right arm running away saying,

"IT!?" I gasped at him as I turned to see him running toward the city park and I yelled back,

"What!? No fair! I wasn't ready!" I laughed as he ran into the park and I kept running after him and I totally forgot I had a penny board at hands and I started riding on it toward him. When he heard the wheels scrape against the pavement, he turned around as I hit his arm kind of aggressively like I punched him and I pointed at him laughing,

"Ha! Ha!" I chanted, riding in circles around to him. "Iiiiii got you!" He busted out laughing as he looked at me bent over as if he was tired breathing in and out as I rode around him like a pro.

"No fair! You have an advantage," he told me. I shrugged poking out my lips as I was still riding.

"That's what you get for starting it," I told him with a smile. He laughed.

"You're sneaky," he told me with playful squinted eyes. I crooked smiled at him.

"You're still it." He smiled. He squinted his eyes at me still and suddenly he started chasing after me and I widen my eyes as I started building momentum on my board. "No, no, no, no," I laughed riding on my board as fast as I could.

I didn't know where I was going, but I looked back to see Aspen not far behind me but unexpectedly, I found myself flying in mid air onto a patch of grass laughing my head off as I must've hit a rock or something.

I heard Aspen coming up to me laughing breathlessly as he stood beside me holding out his hand and he told me, "Nice landing, co-pilot." I kept laughing as I took his hand.

"Shut up!" As he helped me up he was way stronger than he thought (or he thought I was bigger than I actually was) and when he helped me, I jumped forward into him and fell back from the impact off his chest, but he caught me from falling backwards and I blushed super hard as he held me in his arms still holding my hand. I quickly separated from him pulling some of the loose strands from my hair back looking away.

Aspen kept looking at me as he swallowed and he asked me, "You okay though?" I nodded quickly.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine...." I told him. "I must've hit something."

"It was a dip in the pavement...I saw it when I came by," he informed me. I nodded.

"Of course," I smiled. He smiled at me too and handed me my penny board. I took it and a few seconds later of us kind of getting lost in each other's eyes, (well I did) I heard squeaks being made, and I saw a bus stop outside the park entrance.

"There," I turned the attention off of us. "We can take a bus to the shopping centers further into town. I bet we could find you a skateboard, and even our hotel. I can track everything on my phone," I told him taking it out checking the time. It was 8:26pm.

"Alright, let go," he smiled. We quickly speed walked our way to the exit and we saw the city bus was coming and I stepped aboard first with Aspen close behind.

"Excuse me sir?" I asked the bus driver. He looked like a middle age man with a dark complexion. "How much is it?" He smiled at me.

"It's free after 8:00pm. Just hop aboard," he offered. I smiled greatly at him.

"Oh wow, thank you!" I told him. I began looking for a seat as there wasn't many people on (nobody really) and Aspen stayed behind and I heard him ask,

"Excuse me, but do know if there's a mall nearby or maybe an outlet? We need to find something." I sat down putting our stuff in the seat in front of us as I saw the bus driver nod.

"Of course. There's one not far from here and I can take you there right now. My runs are getting kind of slow these days," he admitted looking back to the bus. Aspen nodded.

"Thank you sir," and he handed him a $10 bill and the man took it. "From me and the lady." The man looked back at me and he smiled at Aspen and said,

"God bless." Aspen nodded with a mini salute,

"Same to you." Aspen happily came by and sat by me as the man darted off back to the main street while I kept looking at Aspen and I said to him,

"You gave him $10 when he said it was free?" I asked him. He nodded with a shrug.

"Well sure. He's just a good man driving us places. No one asked him to make his bus free," Aspen made a point. I thought about it.

"True....." It was quiet between us and I finally said, "That's very nice of you...." Aspen looked at me as I avoided looking at him.

"Well.... God did say be a blessing to others and you'll be blessed. By him blessing us with a free ride, I blessed him back with a ten dollar bill. It's kind of like a chain reaction," he explained. I looked at him as he looked at the seat in front of us.

"So....since you blessed him....will you be blessed back?" I asked trying to understand. He shrugged.

"Maybe. God can do whatever He wants to do, but either way, we should give out of the joy of our hearts and not because we want something in return." I nodded as that made sense.

"I get it," I understood. He looked down at me.

"Yup."

We looked out the window and the more we got into the real city of Philadelphia, the more lively and fun it looked.

We passed many many people walking about having fun mingling, people in business suits with briefcases, even families who looked like tourist and I guess Aspen and I were some awkward travelers and one with a Texas slang.

We'd fit right in.

I took many pictures on the bus of the buildings and people and Aspen playfully pushed me to get my attention. I looked at him scratching my lip. "Yeah?"

"I haven't took a picture of you yet. Can I?" He asked. My face grew hot.

"Ohhh, no. Please don't take a picture of me. I know I looked deceiving," I rolled my eyes looking back out the window.

"What!? No you don't. You look fine! Please?" He begged. I shook my head.

"Nooooo. I don't like the way I look," I told him quickly.

"But the way you look is fiiinnnnne," he told me. I wasn't listening to him.

"Noooo, I don't want you to take a photo of meeeee," I replied back the same way.

"But it's not faaaaiirrrr," he groan.

"Yes it issssss," I looked at him pretending to be annoyed. Aspen just stared at me for a little and suddenly he began tickling me and I busted out laughing.

"Give me the camera and I'll stop," he threaten. I shook my head as I was leaning on the window.

"No! No! Hahaha! I'm not....giving you.....anything....Hahahahaa!" I continued to laugh pushing his hands away. Somehow as he was tickling me he got my camera from over my neck and he said,

"Aha! I got it!" He smiled. I kept laughing from the side effects of the tickles.

"Ugh! I don't like you!" I lied smiling at him looking away, folding my arms.

"Aw come on, you look beautiful," he told me. I looked at him, my eyes kind of huge as I slowly unfolded them. 'No boy ever told me I was beautiful before....' I thought starstruck. 'And for a guy as cute Aspen to say it....?'

"Here. We can take a photo together," he offered. "And you call it, 'The-guy-I-met-on-a-plane-and-now-I'm-traveling-with-all-the-way-to-Virginia'," he said quickly. I chuckled.

"Hehehee. Alright fine," I finally agreed with a happy sigh.

"Awesome," he replied. We got closer sitting thigh to thigh, shoulder to shoulder, and he held the camera up smiling and I smiled too not showing my teeth (braces) and he took the photo and brought it back as we observed the picture together.

"Nooooo noooo this isn't going to work," he told me disappointingly.

"Well why not?" I asked him looking at it. "It looks like a decent photo to me."

"Nooooo you're not smiling big enough," he said sadly. I shaped my eyebrows.

"But that's how I smile," I told him. He shook his head.

"Nope. You're real smile is the smile you just did when I tickled you, AND when you fell in that grass back there," he told me with a cocked eyebrow. I curled my lip at him as he had to use that example. "So give me that one and I'll stop bugging you about it." There was a little pause I pretended to look out the window not wanting to do it with crossed arms. He tugged at my blazer like a little kid asking for candy. "Please...." He said like a baby. I laughed a little and I turned him.

"Fine!" I told him. "But this is the last one." He laughed.

"Alright!"

I got even closer to him this time and I smiled my face more to the right toward his face, as I placed my hand on his left arm supporting the camera and he turned a little toward me too with a smile, and he took the photo as I quickly looked away from it as I noticed I was offly too close to him and he gasped.

"Whoa...." He said. I looked back at him.

"What...?" I asked.

"This....this is a really good photo..." I turned away to the window.

"Well....I don't want to look at it," I told him truthfully. He sighed.

"But really, this is perfect! I mean....look!" I looked at him as he pressured the camera toward me and I took it from him and I noticed I was more focused on his perfect blue eyes that seem to stand out over his neatly cut black hair, the cross on his right arm just literally on point with the selfie angle.

"Really?" I asked him with a smile. "You're more happy with yourself than the whole photo in general?" He quickly looked at me with a serious wide eyes.

"I was....I was actually talking about you..." He said quietly. I looked at myself in the photo again but this time I noticed I looked happier...like I was anticipating for something good to happen...or it already did.

My silver braces on my teeth shined and kind of looked as if I didn't need them anymore, my huge milk chocolate brown eyes standing out as my hipster prescription glasses showed an okay glare from the flash, my beach blonde bun on my head ready to be posted on Tumblr.

I looked back at Aspen as he looked at me and I didn't know what to say.... Because I was actually amazed by HIM.

After an awkward silence, Aspen smiled looking back at the camera. "Well I guess it's official...." He said with a sufficient nod. I looked at him.

"What?"

"Every time we ride a bus or a cab, we have to take a photo together," he said. I chuckled.

"Every time?" I asked him for confirmation. He single nodded.

"Every time." I smiled looking at the camera and I tapped my chin.

"Well instead of a taking a photo of our faces in the cab, we have to take a photo of our outfit." He looked at me weirdly with a smile.

"Our clothes?" He asked. I nodded.

"Well sure. So we can remember what outfit we traveled in that particular day," I told him. "It'll look cool on a slide show." He smiled at me.

"Alright then. It's official. Selfies on the bus-" I finished for him.

"OOTD's in the cab." I chuckled with my eyes closed as he looked down at me with a smile and the bus finally stopped.

"Your stop guys," the bus driver said. Aspen and I got up and he let me go first even though I had the window seat as he grabbed our stuff and I took my skateboard and before I got off the bus I asked the man,

"Excuse me sir, but is it okay if I take your photo? My friend and I-" I looked at Aspen, he smiled as he noticed I called 'friend', "-are travelers and we want to remember all the good moments we had and we'd be much appreciated if we remembered you as, 'The-friendly-bus driver-who-gave-us-a-free-ride'," I said as fast Aspen from earlier. Aspen chuckled as the bus driver smiled.

"Well of course! I don't see why not," he replied.

"Thank you!" I told him. I sat my board down and I handed Aspen the camera and I asked him, "Can you do the honors?" He took the camera shaping his eyebrow up with a grin.

"I sure can." I got beside the bus driver as I bent over and wrapped my arm around his shoulder and he held up a thumbs up with a smile as I smiled super big, my mouth open like I was surprised and my eyebrows raised and Aspen took it with joy upon his face.

"I like it," he handed it to me. I saw it and I chuckled by how silly I looked.... But I didn't care.

"Haha! Thank you sir! Have a happy night," I took my board and waved at him.

"Not a problem ma'am, take care." Aspen tilted his head at him and the man tipped his snapback back at him and he exited as the man drove away.

"Best. Bus experience. Ever," I said putting the camera back around my neck. Aspen smiled.

"Yup." We looked around as there were many people and shops on every corner it seemed like and it seemed extra lively and kind of fun to be apart of it.

"See a place to buy a skater?" I asked him. He looked around too.

"Not yet," he told me. Suddenly I saw giant skateboards in the window of a shop and I tapped on Aspen's shoulder.

"There!" I told him. "In that store." He laughed.

"Let's go then," he told me. We ran across the street over the cross-walk and ran inside the store and went straight to the skateboards and penny's.

"Whoa....there's so many.." He said amazed. My eyes sparkled.

"I know.... Well... Which one do you want?" I asked him interested. He shrugged.

"Don't know...." After looking at the skaters for awhile he got an idea. "I know which one I want," he said getting an employer.

"Which one?" I asked him, but he left though, as he asked a man to come by and get it for him, and the employer got on a latter and got one the long boards from the window and I widen my eyes.

"OMG Aspen!" I exclaimed. "You're getting a longboard!?" He shrugged as the employer handed it to him.

"Thank you. And yeah, I mean, I already have a skateboard at home. Minus well get something different," he smiled.

"Do you even know how to ride that thing?" I asked him concerned. "I mean, I assume that's harder than a normal skateboard right?" He shrugged.

"Guess we'll have to find out," he told me optimistically. He went over to the check out and I faked groaned upset.

"I...can not...believe this guy," I said under my breath toward the ceiling. I walked over to them and he paid for it like it wasn't a big deal and it just hit me.... "Wait...how much money do you actually have Aspen?" He didn't look at me.

"Enough to make it Virginia," he smiled. I happily sighed annoyed.

"Omg you're so confusing!" I gasped at him. He shrugged taking his board.

"Not confusing enough," he glanced at me. I laughed.

"Come on let's get out of here." I took his hand walking out the door. He laughed as we stood in the middle of the sidewalk. "Alright," I said happily getting out my phone. "We're both in Philadelphia, we both now have skaters, we're in town, now we just have to find our hotel," I told him. Suddenly some random person walked by with a box of pizza in his hands and Aspen and I turned to see a mini smoke trail as it smelt SO GOOD and Aspen kept staring at the person with the box still walking and he said,

"That....smells really good-"

"No! Stay focus!" I told him chuckling. "No food until we find the hotel!" I told him.

"But I bet it taste delicious," he begged. I took a step closer to him and took his hand and turned his face to mine and I said looking at his ocean blues,

"Find hotel first. Then food," I told him. He looked down at me and the box and I turned his face into me again. "No food..." He sighed looking down at me.

"Fiinnne," he grown with smile. I chuckled.

"I thought so." I typed in our hotel and I got the coordinates. "Says here the hotel is 10 minutes away by walking distance around the second block. That's not far at all," I said thoughtfully.

"That's not, so now we should go there," Aspen pointed it out. I followed the invisible line to where he's finger was.

"A burger joint?" I asked him puzzled. He nodded.

"Well sure. I could go for a one right now," he nodded. I sighed.

"But....a burger? Isn't that messy?" I asked him nervously. It's not that I didn't like burgers....they were just messy. I had braces and tiny fingers. Aspen seeing me eating something like that will just un-interest him in likening me....as a friend. It's like....a dog attempting to eat peanutbutter. Constantly licking the mouth food all over its teeth and peanut all over the nasal. Yeah that may be cute on a dog....but not for a girl.

"Ah, come its a it's a burger. The messier the better!" He exclaimed. I laughed.

"Seriously? I don't think I want to spend my money on a burger anyway. I don't know if you know this, but I have a budget I have to stick with if I want to make it Virginia WITH money left over," I told him. He smiled.

"Well then, I'll pay. Ticket's on me," he offered. I blushed.

For a cute boy offering to buy ME dinner was something I never saw happening until I was in college or something (if I found the foster parents or MY parents to even goit) and I was kind of excited by it all but I couldn't let Aspen pay for my meal! That'd be....weird! Considering I was stuck with him until we reach Virginia, which would take more than a day for me to recover from it all anyway!

I shook my head looking away, hiding a smile. "Oh no you don't have to do it that," I told him. "I'll just-" he took my hand. 'Oh God...'

"Come on, it'll be fun alright? Here, we can share a meal. How about that?" I squinted my eyes at him as he still held my hand and I sighed to replace passing out.

"Alright....fine," I smiled. 'How could I say no to that face?' He laughed.

"Haha! Come on!" I laughed too as we waited to cross the street and when it was green, Aspen and I ran across and we made it to the restaurant. "Ladies first," he opened the door for me. I blushed.

"Thank you good sir." 'This is too much for me.' We walked in and it looked like an 90s joint with the black and white tile floor, red booths, and pastel colored tables, with an old juice box and it seemed as if only people here we people with dates or one other person.

That just made me even more nervous.

"Hello!" The hostess welcomed to us. "Thanks for choosing Burger Stop! Would you like a booth or bar?" Aspen looked at me from to reply with a grin so I answered quickly,

"Booth." She nodded getting menus but Aspen stopped her,

"Oh we only need one," he informed her. She smiled.

"Oh alright. Come this way," she motioned us. We followed her as I passed many people laughing or busy eating and she sat us down by the window and Aspen sat across from me and we sat our skaters on the floor. "The waiter will be right with you," she told us with a big smile.

"Alright thank you," I told her.

Aspen nodded.

She walked away as Aspen looked at the menu and I observed the atmosphere. "This place makes me feel like I'm back in time," I told him. He looked at me from over the menu.

"I know right. It's pretty cool." I looked at him my hands together, my elbows on the table.

"What are you getting?" I asked him. He didn't look at me raising one eyebrow.

"A surprise. I'm ordering our meal to share remember?" I smiled rolling my eyes.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," I sighed. He looked up at me and smiled and I couldn't help but chuckle shyly as our waitress came to us and asked for our drinks and I just got lemon water while Aspen asked for a Dr.Pepper, even though he said I could get whatever I wanted but I didn't want to feel like I was abusing his money, so I told him I got it because I wanted to stay hydrated for our trip which was somewhat true.

Aspen then ordered our food and he got the classic burger and fries and then he pointed to something else on the menu and the lady chuckled as she said, "Okay! That'll be right out!" And went into the kitchen after serving us our drinks. I glared at Aspen shaping my lips to the side.

"What else did you order?" I asked him with playfulness in my voice. He shrugged.

"Don't know. Guess you'll have to wait when they bring it out," he shrugged closing his mouth to where I couldn't see it. I sighed.

"Oooooh Aspen. You're so spontaneous," I told him. "How do you always stay up on your toes, having room for games?" He shrugged his hands out in a ball in front him on the table with a grin.

"I can't help it, it's just me. There's always room for fun. Rather that Amanda, I'd say you're just the same," he replied. I looked confused at him.

"Me? I'm a fun person?" I asked him with fingers on my chest. He shrugged forward.

"That too, but I meant adventurous," he nodded. I fake chuckled.

"I'm surely anything but," I told him with no expression in my voice shaking my head. "I'm not adventurous." He chuckled as if I was joking.

"Really? Setting out to find your real parents with a penny board and a camera at hands? I'm pretty sure that gives anybody the idea you're an adventurer," he had a point. I shook my head at him hiding a smile.

"But I'm only doing this because it's what I have to do. I didn't ask to end up in Texas and go back to Virginia....." I suddenly became serious and I whispered, "That IS NOT what I expected," I sighed. Aspen tilted his head a me perplexed.

"What happen?" He asked me uneasy. I sighed.

"I use to live in Virginia....I was born there.." I told him not looking at him.

He watched me intrude.

"My parents dropped me off at what I thought was a daycare overnight, but they never came back...."

He didn't fidget.

"And then in third grade I realized I was in foster care.... By 4th grade I plagued I would find my parents and get back with them and fix whatever problem they had with me when I was a kid... So I saved all the money I ever got to this day to find them..."

He nodded really listening to me as I felt I changed our setting from happiness to a pity party. I stopped talking as I didn't like the attention on me, but he seemed enticed.

"Well...How did you end up in Texas?" He questioned. I sighed swallowing the lump in my throat.

"I had a foster mom named Kelly....she took me in and loved me as if I were her own and she found me through the system on the Internet and she traveled by plane to come and get me.... She was so eager to meet me as when she saw me the first thing she said to me in her southern slang was, "You're more beautiful in person!!" I chuckled going home with her and she got me EVERYTHING I wanted." I began to smile.

"I went to school, got my own clothes...she even got me a built in pool in her backyard when I was bored one summer day! A pool Aspen!" I smiled as I remember the day like it was yesterday. Aspen smiled as if he was happy by my short tale...but it quickly turned into bitter sadness once again. "But....when it was the summer from 8th grade to freshmen year of high school....she found out she had breast cancer...." Aspen quickly turned his smile to sincere sadness.

A tear left my eye.

"She was hospitalized and no one was there to take care of me as she wasn't married... So she called her sister for help, but she was younger....maybe in here early 20s or something. A college student." I wiped my face...sniffing.

"She couldn't manage money as good as Kelly and Kelly was actually getting worst and ended up giving up everything away to pay her bills..... Including me...." Aspen quickly handed me a napkin as I wiped my eyes and clasped my hands together just to keep me upright.

I continued,

"Kelly promised when she got better she'd get me out the orphanage and we'd start over together but.....she never did..." I quickly sniffed, staring at the table. Aspen looked as if he wanted to hold me.

But he didn't.

"And to keep things confidential, they didn't tell me anything about her, but I knew the caretakers at the home avoided telling me Kelly passed away to uphold my sake....but that failed." I took a long pause to recover. I took a final sniff.

"So....here I am," I shrugged forcing a smile looking up at him taking a deep breath. "Three years later at a burger joint with an spontaneous adventurer named Aspen," I smiled with watery eyes holding my palm out to him. "Whose always up for fun..." I whispered. He smiled with sincere eyes as it looked as if he knew what I was going through.

"Hmm, seems quit the quest to me," he lighten the mood. I chuckled.

"Well....I'm glad you're with me," I admitted with a nod. He sat up straight.

"And I'm glad I got to join you," he smirked with a lifted chin as if he was proud of it. I breathe out calmly, regrouping myself.

"Burger and fries for two," our waitress set a basket down in between us.

"Thank you Miss, but can we also have a knife?" Aspen asked.

"Of course," she smiled.

"Thank you," he took it. I sipped my water to get rid of the lump in my throat as Aspen glanced at me lowering his head. "May I?" He asked. I nodded with wide eyes.

"Of course," I said quickly. He smiled as I lowered my head too in respect.

"Father, I thank You for this food we're about to receive and I pray You bless it and let it nourish our bodies. We love you Father, and we bless Your Heavenly Name...Amen."

"Amen," I said after him.

He smiled as I took another sip of my water and he took a deep breath starting to cut the burger perfectly through the middle and I almost spit my water back out.

"Are you seriously cutting that?" I asked him trying not to laugh. I swallowed the rest of the water. "That thing is huge."

"I know," he glanced at me. "But.... anything is possible....with God..." He continued cutting. I chuckled as he was actually doing it having a strain.

"OMG....you are so crazy," I said as he finished cutting the whole burger. He smiled.

"But I did it though!" I laughed as he handed me a plate with my half and I observe it as every vegetable and condiment you could thing of was it. It looked like it as going to be a struggling to eat, so I asked Aspen, not even 3 minutes later for the knife to cut it into even smaller pieces and he handed it to me leaning over his plate and I died.

"Hahaha! Omg Aspen you're making a mess!" I exclaimed at him behind laughs.

He smiled chewing, part of a bitten tomato falling from the bottom along with a few pickles, a purple onion only hanging by a piece, the melted cheese somehow sticky to his fingers along with the butter and grease from the toasted bun and meat patty itself. He said between chews,

"I'm telling you....the extra pickles was worth it." I kept laughing getting out the camera.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait wait, just hold that pose," I asked him getting it ready. He silly smiled holding his thumbs up by the burger and I laughed by the look of it.

"Oh wait, get another one like this!" He said putting the burger in his mouth. I convulsed holding my stomach taking the photo and he then took a real bite.

"Omg, if only you could see yourself right now," I shook my head smiling finally taking a bite of my half. He shrugged.

"Well I can't help that this burger is bursting with flavor," he told me. I rolled my eyes taking a bite and honestly...it was the best burger I ever eaten and I whispered...

"Whoa...." Aspen nodded with a raised eyebrow. "I was messing out..." I took another bite as he smiled with puffy cheeks.

"See, if you didn't learn anything today it's this, 'The messier the burger....the better'!" He told me. I laughed.

"Haha! I'll kept it as a note to self," I informed. He nodded once chuckling.

We kept eating and the night was going by swiftly. We ate our half of the burger and Aspen told me we'd have to wait for his other 'meal' to come before leaving, but was I just sitting there smiling with askance eyes as we shared the fries.

"So, what did you want to do in college for you to look in Texas?" I asked him biting a fry. He shrugged.

"I want to be a mechanic, an engineer," he told me picking up a salty looking fry. I sipped my water.

"Ooooh, but work on what? Computers? Cars?" I fidgeted with the basket. He shook his head.

"The oil field or something like that. I want to work for something that deals with today's world for tomorrow. Without oil-without gas-we'd have nothing," he said with a shrug. I nodded.

"Oh that's cool, but how did your parents feel about that?" I asked. Before Aspen could even say anything, a waiter came by with a slice of cake saying,

"For the lady." I blushed super hard looking right up at Aspen with a fake mean face and a half titled head.

"Did you do this?" I asked him kind of embarrassed, my voice pitching. He shrugged.

"I had to thank you for letting me travel with you somehow," he gestured. I smiled.

"Thanks....wanna share?" I asked him. "Now that we're traveling together, sharing is something we're going have to get use to," I said passing him my extra fork. He grinned.

"I guess I could get use to that.... Can you say prayer this time." I widen my eyes at him.

"Ooh, I don't think I'm worthy-" I said quickly, but he cut me off.

"No, no, no you are. God likes for you to pray to him. Anybody.... If he can accept prayers from prison men behind bars what makes you think he won't accept a thank you from an adventurer like you?" He asked me. I blushed as he had a point. "Go on, this is a judge-free-zone," he lowered his head with closed his eyes. "As long as we're together, no judging allowed." I eased out a chuckle as I was kind of glad we had that rule now as he couldn't say anything against me that would hurt my feelings even if it was true.

After a short pause, I sighed beginning after he took a quick glance at me,

"Lord....I pray over this piece of cake," I tried not to laugh as it sounded silly. "I pray that You bless it and let it nourish our bodies while You nourish our soul. I thank You for protecting us on the plane and even on the bus ride here. I also pray You keep us sheltered on our journey and be with us.....in every step we take... In Jesus's name, Amen...."

When I looked up Aspen was already looking at me with wide eyes like he was impressed as I grabbed a fork and I chuckled timidly.

"Sorry....was that too much?" I asked. He shook his head almost as if he was astonished.

"No, no....that....that was good," he cleared his throat. "That was good." I giggled.

"Hehehe, okay." I took a small piece of the cake and I raised an eyebrow at him and he quickly got his fork. "You gonna try it?" I asked him. He smiled at me. I laughed as he finally took a bite and his face brighten.

"Not bad....maybe even just as good as the burger," he told me. With that assurance, I took a bite and it was the best chocolate cake I ever had.

"So good," I breathe out rolling my eyes. He smiled.

"I thought you'd like it," he smiled coolly at me. I blushed getting another bite as he did after me. 'This... is going to be one crazy trip,' I thought to myself, a smile creeping across my brace face.

'But also a good one..."

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(Aww cute<3 I hope you guys like it and please vote and tell me what you think:) Byyyyye<3