I can't remember the last time I felt this happy.

        It's not only because of Brendon. I'm not the kind of person to place this much weight on my relationship status. But it also doesn't mean he isn't a huge reason why I wake up with this huge, shit-eating grin on my face.

        Sinking into his touch comes too easily when his arm tightens around my waist, followed shortly by his face in the crook of my neck where he presses a warm kiss. I'm like a pebble being dropped into an ocean of all things Brendon, completely at the mercy of his currents.

        "Good morning."

        He groans into my skin, sending shivers down my spine. "Morning."

        "I'm so tired."

        "Sorry."

        "It's a good kind of tired."

        Brendon leverages himself to force me to roll over onto my back so he can look down at me, amused. "Not sorry."

        After stealing his shirt he's never getting back and going to the bathroom before bed, I fall asleep completely worn out. The only reason I'm even awake this early is because we leave the shades up, so when the sun rises, we do as well.

        It's a feeling I can get used to, waking up in his arms. Not that this hasn't happened before, but it's different. I don't believe in all that crap about sex forming some strong emotional bond between two people, but it's about the totality of the night. The refusal to let night turn into day without admitting what we've been skirting around for months.

      "You're so pretty," I tell him, entranced by the way his soft, sleepy features are enhanced by the soft glow of the morning sun. I drag my fingers across his skin, running them along the curve of his lips. He kisses my fingertips. "It's unfair. I don't think you have a bad angle."

        He scoffs, pulling me closer to him. "Says the most beautiful person I've ever seen."

        "I'm sorry I took so long."

        "Stop apologizing."

        I bury my face in his chest. I'd stop time to live in this moment forever. Vulnerable, tired, so god damn in love. Why does falling in love feel so incredibly silly? Hey, me. Want to turn into a fool every time this person looks in your direction? Sure! Be sure to make everyone else know they're yours. And that you're theirs.

        "Imagine how much more time we could have had if I wasn't a toad."

        Brendon laughs and I feel it through my entire body. I like being able to touch his bare chest and feel his heart racing beneath my fingers. "I like our time together." Leaning over, he stretches his body all along the side of mine, capturing me between the mattress. Suffocation by Brendon kisses doesn't sound bad. "And you're my favorite toad."

        "I like kissing you."

        "I like kissing you more."

        "I love you."

        Brendon forces my face up gently by pressing his knuckles under my chin. "And I love you."

        "You think everyone will be mad if we don't show up tonight?"

        "Think so."

        I wrap my leg around his waist and pull him closer. "Damn. I want to stay here all day."

        "Think everyone will know what's up if you do that."

        "Bold of you to think I'm not going to scream I love you every second of every day."

        He pokes at the dimple in my cheek. "Who knew admitting you're in love would turn you into this person?"

        I kiss him. "Think it's just you."

        Even though he clearly wouldn't be mad about spending the entire day in bed with me, and he's tempted when I try to wrestle him into going along with my plan, he has more restraint than I do and forces me to sit up while he grabs us a drink from the fridge. I watch him disappear around the corner and drop back onto the bed, arms fanning out beside me like I'm free-falling through the sky. The sheet falls by my hips, leaving the tiniest sliver of bare skin from where his shirt rises, and a morning breeze kisses my skin.

        Deciding to use this time wisely, I send my best friend a text because I know he probably has a bet going with someone out there. Or he will be too damn happy for me like the bozo he is. I won't be surprised if he sends Brendon a bouquet to thank him for waiting around.

[ STEVIE ]

i'm in love.

[ MAVERICK ]

Obviously.

Wait, Is this about Everleigh or Brendon?

[ STEVIE ]

my aussie.

[ MAVERICK ]

Does this mean what I think it means?

[ STEVIE ]

do you want to wait for him to come back into the room to congratulate him or

[ MAVERICK ]

Tempting but I'll let you two enjoy yourselves.

Happy for you, Stev.

[ STEVIE ]

thanks, bub.

i'll call you later and tell you all about it.

[ STEVIE ]

minus all the dirty details.

[ MAVERICK ]

Have fun with your Brendon

Love you x

[ STEVIE ]

love you too

tell everleigh i love her more than you

[ MAVERICK ]

Deleting your number now

        After a few minutes, Brendon walks back with a couple of glass bottles of water and a slice of buttered toast on a paper towel that he hands to me even though I'm still lying down.

        "This is why I made you sit up," he scolds as I try to pull myself up without spilling an avalanche of crumbs onto the bedspread.

        "It's too early for me to function like a normal person."

        "Wasn't too early for you to try and get in my pants."

        I smile into my toast. "You weren't exactly complaining."

        We eat in comfortable silence and watch the sun continue to rise, bathing the town in the warmest yellow hue. Because time doesn't move a million miles per hour like it does back in LA, it's fairly early once we decide to make use of the day. Brendon is here for one more day after today, and then he's back on the road for the rest of his season. I'm not sure when I'll be able to see him next since we'll be busy until the beginning of December, right before the final F1 race in Brasil. We haven't talked about it yet, but I suppose it's a likely time we might be able to see each other. We haven't played in South America yet, and I've been dying to visit anyway. And with Brendon leading the points in the Championship, there's no way I want to miss the race.

        Once we spend too long getting lost in each other while taking a shower—or attempting to. There is shampoo involved at some point but most of our attention is spent elsewhere—we get dressed and head out the door. After a five-minute drive to Koko Marina so we can pick up breakfast at Zippy's, we end up at Sandy Beach. It's a Sunday morning, so there is a good crowd already on the beach that will continue to grow as noon creeps in, but we hide behind our sunglasses and choose a spot as far away from the crowds as possible. Even if we're not swimming, the salt air makes my hair crunchy, curls bouncing back to life.

        "You don't go to the beach often," Brendon comments after a group of kids run past us. The one in the back has a tiny crab in their hand, and the others are screaming and waving their arms in the air trying to escape.

        "Feel kind of spoiled growing up here. I like ours much more." I take a sip of my drink. "Plus, I'm too busy most of the time."

        "You said you want to move back when you retire, right? Do you ever think about coming back earlier? I know a lot of artists live away wherever they want and just go back to LA, New York, or wherever when they're promoting their work. You could probably manage it if you wanted to live here full-time again."

        "I probably could. But I'd rather stay where the rest of the band is and I don't think any of them are ready to come back yet. Plus, it just adds a lot of travel time on top of a career that already requires a ton of it. Not that it's a ridiculous amount or anything, but I feel like I'd just resent it after a while. You know?'

        "Yeah, that makes sense."

        "What about you?"

        He smiles; crooked and childlike. Hawaii looks good on him. "I haven't thought that far ahead."

"You love Monaco."

        "I do. But I don't know if that's where I want to settle down. A lot of retired drivers love to stay wired into that world but I think I'll probably want to take a step back whenever I stop driving. Find myself outside of the sport."

        "So, Melbourne?"

        He gives me a funny look. "You don't think I'd pick LA?"

        "Nobody wants to settle down in LA," I scoff.

         "Wouldn't be the worst place. I met some pretty cool people there."

        "You could carve out a place for yourself at home without involving your parents. If that's what you want. I think Stacey would appreciate being able to see her brother more."

        He glances down at his food and discards the rubbish into the bag. "Is that why you're afraid of coming back here?"

        I shrug. "Maybe. Sometimes."

        "You could do it too."

        "Or we could, you know, help each other."

        "Are you suggesting you'll be here for that long?"

        "I mean... Anything can happen," I answer truthfully. "But I think you're stuck with me for the foreseeable future."

        "Remember when you wouldn't admit we were friends?" He ducks out of the way before I shove him. "We can make it work. I promise."

        Before I open my mouth and tell him that the number one reason partners break things off with me is that they can't handle my mood swings or the way I get caught up in pursuing my ambitions, he presses a finger against my mouth, shushing the words before they're allowed to escape. He lifts my hand to his lips for a kiss and then presses another one against my lips. It's all in the gentleness; the promise that he understands the concerns but refuses to let them be right, even if he knows he cannot promise a certain future as much as a Brit can guarantee no bad weather on the one day they make plans.

        "We don't need to know all of the answers right now," he whispers against my lips. "We have time. All the time in the world."

...

"It happened didn't it?" Jun asks as I drop next to him on the sofa. After Lauren and Jenny decide it's their responsibility to educate Brendon on all of the best poke options from Foodland, the two of us are left alone while we wait for them so we can all head to the luau.

        "Am I that obvious?"

        "No offense but you're never that happy." Jun pokes my cheek. "You're glowing. Like you're pregnant."

        "Disgusting of you to say that. We used protection and I'm on the pill. I am not fit for the crotch goblin-mothering life."

          "Think you've been talking to Everleigh too much." Jun laughs when I continue to glare at him. "Fine. As penance, I'll drive you to the clinic to get rid of it if all of that fails."

        "A real bestie."

        "I'm happy for you. He's a good guy and he treats you right. You deserve someone like that, I hope you know." He slings his arm around my shoulders and I cuddle into him as he turns on the TV. "And it's about time. I won our bet, by the way."

        "What bet?"

        "As soon as I found out he was coming, I knew Hawaii would do a number on you. Seira owes me a hundred bucks."

        I can't even be mad; it's a logical bet and Jun was smart enough to cash in on his knowledge of me. Hawaii did its magic on him too. Maybe we're all a bit too predictable. "If Maverick didn't win his bet too, I'm smacking him."

        "Did he make a bet?"

        "I'm sure there is one. Remember when I bet he'd be the one to say 'I love you' first and won?"

        "You're right. He's a fake fan if he didn't get it right."

        I play with the charms of his friendship bracelet. "How are things with Lauren going?"

        "Good." Jun smiles. Bitten by the same love bug. "I'm happy."

        "Good," I echo. Everything feels like it's falling into place, right where it's all supposed to be. "It's a good look on you."

"On both of us, I think."