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Tripp read the menu out loud, from appetizers to dessert, while Dez shuffled from one foot to the other, occasionally fiddling with his hair.
“If I were you, I’d go with the banana cream pie for dessert, the crab stuffed lobster entrée, and the seafood trifecta appetizer. You can’t go wrong with lobster crostini, clams cassino and spicy scallops.”
“I’ll have to take your word on it.”
“Not a seafood guy?”
“Does squish fish sandwiches and popcorn shimp count?”
“Not in the slightest.”
“Then I’m not an adventurous enough seafood guy, let’s put it that way.”
“Which makes the perfect opportunity to step outside of the box. Plus it’s light, unlike some of the meat and potatoes options.”
“Good point.”
Chapter 26
Against a bright blue sky
Whoa.
Up close the balloon looked enormous. Tripp gulped as their driver pulled the vehicle to a halt, hoping he wouldn’t embarrass himself by freaking out up there.
“Holy shit!” Zakk declared, bouncing in his seat. He was out the door and racing towards the balloon the moment the car was in park, door sitting open in his wake.
Tripp slid out that way so he could close it, tempted to pull it shut and tell the driver to speed away as fast as he could.
What the fuck had he been thinking in planning this?
The moment he thought it he was reminded that it was all Dez’s idea, and had a moment to wonder if the man had set him up to completely humiliate himself, only, there was no way he could have known Tripp would take one look at the balloon and experience a sudden onset of terror at the idea of floating above the ground in something so….exposed.
Swallowing hard, he forced himself to put one foot in front of the other, Zakk’s excited voice growing louder the closer he got.
“You mean we get to have a meal while we float around up there?” Zakk was asking.
“Indeed, that is the plan,” the amused balloon attendant replied.
“Holy fuck balls that’s awesome!”
Zakk must have heard his boots crunching the sand, because he whirled and flung himself in Tripp’s arms so hard it staggered him. In the flash of fear at seeing the balloon he’d forgotten about the whole eating part. Now he sent up a silent plea to the gods that he wouldn’t ralph all over the table, Zakk, and everyone in the vicinity of the balloon. The moment the thought popped in his head, he giggled, picturing the chunky green slime of old-school Nickelodeon shows, and hoping no one had their mouths open.
“Are you laughing at me?” Zakk asked as Tripp released him.
“Nope. I’m laughing at me. When Dez told me you’d always wanted to go up in a hot air balloon, I was like, hell yeah, then we pulled up and I started picturing myself puking on someone’s head.”
Tripp did not need Zakk to snicker, or double over and nearly sprawl across his shoes he started laughing so hard. The ends of his hair were dragging in the dirt, and the way he was clutching his sides looked like he was about to hurt himself. Tapping his foot, Tripp waited for Zakk to get a hold of himself, only each time he looked up, his laughter ramped up again.
“I fail to see what’s so funny,” Tripp pointed out. “You’re going to be closest to the strike zone if I start hurling all over the place.”
“I…I…I know,” Zakk replied, giggling and wiping at his eyes, “but in my head, all I can picture is a bald guy walking down the street, swiping at his head ‘cause he thinks it’s raining.”
Considering how close it came to the image in his own head, Tripp could absolutely see what was so amusing about that image. Surprisingly, all that laughter made him feel better, and he captured Zakk’s hand and started tugging him to the balloon.
“Are you sure?” Zakk asked, not exactly digging his heels in, but he wasn’t allowing himself to be pulled with ease, forcing Tripp to pause and look at him.
“After the way your eyes lit up when you saw it, hell yeah, let’s do this. Just, promise me one thing.”
