(The Next Day ... Road Trip Time!!!)

Susanna's POV

        Well Joey and I are out officially out on the open road. I tried to argue with him into letting me drive myself or take a bus to get back home. He wouldn't hear anything of it. That man sure can be stubborn.To help pass the time, we are swapping stories, funny and serious. But it seems they are mainly full of silliness.

        "It's your turn, Joey." I turn in my seat, and fix my eyes on him. "I've heard lot's of people wonder about if there's any instrument that you CAN'T play."

        He laughs, keeping his eyes fixed on the road. "That's for me to know, and you to not know. Makes me more mysterious that way." He leans back in his seat looking cool, I have to resist the urge to roll my eyes. "I do have a cool instrument related story. Wanna hear it?"

        "Well of course!" I laugh, this should be good.

        "Once... I had to play the accordion at an event. I will spare you the details of what sort of costume I had to wear.*"

        "No. You can't to that. That's like telling the first part of a fairy tale and leaving out the ending." I said tapping his shoulder.

        In the midst of (what I suspect to be fake) coughs, I make out the word. "Pirate."

        "Seriously? That's ... well actually pretty cool." I have to shake my head to clear it from the thoughts of Joey dressed as a pirate (I enjoyed those thoughts too much).

        "Road trips with you are good, but you know what I do when I'm headed back to Nashville on my own?" Joey says, steering the conversation another direction entirely.

        "Five hours of Jesus time!*" I answer.

      Conveniently we had just pulled up to a stop light. He glances at me, a surprised look. "How'd you know that?"

        I answer with a single word. "Lightbulb."

        "Gotcha." He nods. The lights changes and we are off again.

        "You also used to have long drives back to Nashville, just you, Jesus, and the night beast*... what you called your car." I add, with a smirk.

        "Seriously, Sus. You've done your research haven't you?" Joey laughs.

        I suddenly get serious, remembering something else he had posted around the same time. "I also remember something else you said. It's stuck in my head ever since, and what helped me get up the courage to come to Nashville. It was, 'This doesn't even feel read... so honored to have this opportunity. Listen closely: Never stop chasing your dreams!*" I feel my eyes tearing up as the words spill from my mouth. I had read that when I was so down and out, and just about to give up on music and life in general. "You really helped me during that time." The words come out quietly, but I know Joey hears me because he reaches and grabs my hand, lightly squeezing it.

        "I'm glad that I was 'there' for you, Sus." His voice comes out gently. We traveled for the next hour or so in a sweet silence.

Joey's POV

        We are getting closer by the mile, right now we are just fixing to start heading through Cave City, Kentucky. And I have a little surprise up my sleeve. It's been so hard hiding this from Susanna, but today I finally get to answer her question. I slow the car down as we are getting ready to come up on the driveway of a place I've wanted to go every time I go home to Ohio. I flip on my turn signal and pull into the half full parking lot.

        Susanna tilts her head and her eyes are filled with questions. "What are we doing here, Joey? Is the car having trouble? Are you feeling okay? Do I need to call 911? Wh.."

        I cut her frantic worries short, by putting my hand over her mouth. "Chill, girl. It's all good. Now. If you will just keep quiet a second, I'll tell you we are going in here." I pull my hand away. "Now talk like a normal calm person, 'kay?

        Her eyes light up, but then she looked suspicious. "Do you really wanna go in or are you just teasing me?"

        "I've wanted to go here every time I head back to Ohio. I had to try so hard to NOT stop." I say, as I step out of the car, I grab a cooler out of the back floor boards and sling the strap over my shoulder.

        "So we are seriously going in? Even if people laugh at us?" She looks skeptical, but from the bounce in her step as she gets out of the car, I can tell she's actually excited.

        I had to laugh. "Seriously, Sus? You've known me and the rest of the Anthem Lights guys for how long now? Do you REALLY think we mind laughter?"

        A loud giggle pours out of Susanna. "Point taken. Let's do this thing."

        We make our way to the gate and to the window to buy tickets. "Two adult excavation tickets, please." The lady hands me the tickets, in exchange for my money. She also hands me two "Lucky Strike Gem bags", to excavate for treasure, matey.

        "Wait! I can get mine." Susanna protests... rather loudly making a nearby family stop and stare at us.

        I can't wipe the smirk off of my face, "Not a chance. I would feel really bad if I didn't buy the tickets for our first date."

        "Wait? What now?" Susanna is staring at me, her jaw slack. Surprise is a cute look on her.

        I pull her off to the side, so we can talk better. "Our first date. I guess I should have asked you before I just pulled it on you. But I did get permission, not from you, but your parents. Mainly your Dad. We've been texting." I shake my phone at her.

        "You? Dad? Texting each other?" Susanna laughs. "This is just too much. I'm dreaming aren't I?" She reaches and pinches herself, "OUCH! Okay... so I'm not dreaming." She lowers her eyes. "I thought you didn't like me. Cause... well you know... when I said I liked you..."

        "Well I do like you Susanna Stephens. And maybe if today goes well, you will be calling me your boyfriend." I say winking at her. She blushes, but doesn't respond. "Let's show Dinosaur World how awesome two people can be." I grab her hand and we make our way through the park. We have a blast for the next hour or so. There's all sorts of these HUGE dinosaur statues. There's a lot of little kids running around, laughing and having a blast. Sus and I are having a pretty good time too. We are taking pictures with crazy poses and laughing.

        We make our way into the "Mammoth Garden" and Susanna turns, jumping like a little kid. "Let's have our picnic here." I agree and we set down on the grass and take out the food. I offer grace and we start eating. Susanna looks at me between bites. "Joey? Did you really come up with this? Or did Dad suggest it? Did you know I've always loved dinosaurs? I mean seriously. Growing up, I mean I loved horses like all the other little girls... but well I loved dinosaurs too. I dunno something just always intrigued me about them. My family almost came here once, but then we ran out of time."

        "You like asking questions don't you?" I laughed. "I came up with it. When I ran it by your Dad he started laughing over the phone and had your Mom get the other line. Boy, did I ever think I had said the stupidest thing ever. He told me to repeat that way she could hear it too. She laughed too. Then he explained your love of dinosaurs. How that was one of your favorite things about getting to work at the Creation Museum."

        We continued talking for another thirty minutes there in the garden under the wooly elephants and then race each other to get to the mining area where we can see if we got any good gems. We both found some pretty cool stuff. Susanna was explaining what each and every stone we got, turns out she also had a love for gems and stones growing up too. "Look, Joey! I got a big piece of Jadeite." Susanna says holding up a good sized rock.

        "Wait? Jadeite? As in jade? As in GREEN?!?" I give her a playful grin.

        "Nuh-uh, mister. This is my green rock." She hides it behind her back.

        I chase after her. ... We might have gotten wet from splashing the water on each other from where we were "mining" our rocks. You know the part where you swoosh them in the box... yeah. We also might have been asked by a worker of the park to leave. We do, at least, make it out through the doors before we collapse against the way in insane laughter.

        Susanna looks at me as a family passes by us. On the complete opposite side of the wall. And I mean they can't get any closer to the other wall. "Joey, maybe we should leave now." She gets out between bursts of giggles. "Before they take us to the loony bin."

        "Good point. Let's jet!!" We deposit our still slightly soppy rocks into a bag Susanna had in her purse. I grab her hand and we make our way out of the park, swinging our arms back and forth.

        As we reach the car and are on the road once again, Susanna looks over at me. "Joey?"

        "Yeah?" I reply.

        "You would fit in perfect with my family." She giggles again. "Though yours might think I'm a bit odd."

        "Seriously? We sit around and at totally random times talk in British accents*." I cast her a quick glance.

        She is holding her stomach she is laughing so hard. "Seriously? So do mine!"

        We both break out in crazy laughter again. This. Has. Been. One. Crazy. Day. Or Months, really.

        But I'm really lovin' livin' this way!

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Author's Note:

The person I'm dedicating this chapter will probably never read the story and doesn't have a Wattpad account. I just want to say thanks to Joey Stamper. Everything Joey says that has a * by it is something he'd either entirely said on a social media site or what he said inspired that part of the story. So Joey himself helped me write this chapter... well sorta.

Tell me lovelies, can you picture Mr. Insanity over in the picture for this chapter doing this sorta thing?

Well guess what? The place for the date was actually really and truly inspired by this post from Mr. Blue Eyes, himself:

"Every trip from Nashville to Ohio I drive by the Dinosaur World... it takes everything I have not to stop."

When I found that I knew I had to include it. I know the exact place he is talking about there. And I have always wanted to stop there too.

:D

So thanks for reading, lovelies! God bless!!!