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Dedication: KohJane for your really nice comment on my Wattpad wall. Thank you <3

Recap:

I look up to Miles, to see him smiling down at me.

"I love you," he mouths and I feel my stomach squirm.

"I love you," I silently say back.

Miles places his arm around my shoulder and as we all head to our cars, I smile at my friends.

Despite the night having taken a bad turn, we're all together and honestly, that's the best I can hope for.

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I don't know what is funnier, the fact that I had to physically wheel Finn out of the hospital in a wheelchair, or the fact that he fell over when he stood up. I am also questioning whether I am a terrible person for laughing before helping him.

"Stupid dumb leg, who needs it anyway?" Finn growls under his breath as I help him up the porch steps.

"They're pretty important," I reply with an eye roll, bearing more of his weight than I am probably capable of.

My knees buckle and I quickly catch him before he falls. He shoots a scowl in my direction and I grimace, dragging him through the doorway.

When we get inside, I guide him straight to the lounge room. Considering both our rooms are upstairs, he is now going to be sleeping in the lounge room. Mum spent the morning of turning the room into a good set up for Finn, so that he has everything he may need or want. She has also set up a table beside the bed.

"Look at you, getting the royal treatment," I tease as I gently lower him into the bed.

"I guess one good thing about this is I get to finish all the Netflix shows I've been watching," he grunts.

"If you get ahead in anything I'm watching and spoil it for me, I'll stab you in the neck with a fork. And you won't be able to run away," I warn him with narrowed eyes.

"Wow," he replies with a quirked eyebrow. "That was very dramatic."

I shrug.

He is breathless as he lays down. I adjust his pillows so that he is more comfortable.

"I am going to break Eli's neck," he says through gritted teeth as he glares down at his cast-clad leg. "Fuck Anger Management."

I exhale deeply though my nose and decide not to comment. Finn is in a sour mood for the rest of the afternoon so we all let him be. I know that he will cheer up once he's left alone and wallows in self-pity for long enough. I try to remain as calm and patient as possible, knowing that he is frustrated.

As I begin to chop up the vegetables, mum joins me in the kitchen, her brow creased, as it has been ever since the accident.

"I've phoned Arthur, I'm taking a week off work," she explains to me as she retrieves the fry pan from the cupboard.

"Oh?"

"Someone needs to be here for Finn and you have school," she points out.

"Can we afford for you to take time off work?" I question.

"I have holiday pay built up. Besides, don't stress about those things, okay?"

"I'm practically an adult, Ma." I say to her gently as I continue to neatly slice the zucchini on the chopping board in front of me. "You don't need to be burdened with everything. Finn and I more than happy to help with anything, okay? I work a lot, too, so I can help with bills and such."

"And I love you for that," she smiles.

"How have you been?" I cautiously ask, drawing my eyes to hers.

She stiffens noticeably. "I haven't had a sip for almost two weeks."

"Good," I nod but give her a soft smile. "That's really good."

Her cheeks redden as she looks down to the ground, obviously horrified that we're having this conversation. I don't judge her, I know life has been tough. For her to raise us on her own, while dealing with the loss of the love of her life and her unborn child. I don't blame her for leaning on some sort of vice. We're here for her, no matter what.

"What's Miles doing tonight?" she blurts suddenly and I arch an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure. Why's that?"

"Do you... do you want to ask him over for dinner?" she asks awkwardly.

I blink at her for a solid minute as her words sink into my brain.

"Invite Miles? Over here? For dinner? With you and Finn?" The questions tumble from my mouth as I gape at her.

"Yeah," she shrugs casually. "He made the effort to apologise for what he did to you. I didn't realise how much we all... seemed to blame him for Richard's death. That would have been hard on him. He lost all of us and it wasn't right."

I blink back tears as I nod. "We were cruel to cut him out like that. I can't believe we..."

"Isobel," she sighs, effectively cutting me off as she wipes the corner of her eye. "I'm ashamed that I let that happen. We can't change how we poorly acted in the past, but we can change how we act now. You love him, don't you?"

I nod without any hesitation. She nods back after a moment.

"Then, that's settled. Invite him over for dinner." she instructs and waves her hands at me in a shooing motion. "Go call him. I'll take over here."

"Thanks, Ma," I smile and wrap my arms around her delicate frame. She clings back to me for a few moments, before I pad into the lounge room, where Finn is sprawled out on his bed. He has his arms propped behind his head, his leg elevated on a pile of pillows that are usually neatly spread across the lounge.

"Sup," he greets me as I collapse onto the lounge, throwing my feet over the arm chair, glad to see some junk food therapy and Netflix binge-watching has effectively improved his mood.

"Inviting Miles over for dinner," I reply as I search for his contact number, even though I practically know it off by heart.

"What?" he splutters.

"Mum's idea," I shrug. "Behave."

His face hardens as I dial. I smile sweetly at him. He folds his arms across his chest childishly.

"Hello?" Miles' smooth voice greets me.

"Hi," I reply quietly and Finn rolls his eyes in exaggeration.

"What's up?"

"I have a proposition for you."

"Yes." Miles says instantly.

"You haven't even heard what I've asked yet."

"Don't need to."

I grin widely and Finn makes a gag sound. I flip him off and turn away from him.

"Mum wants you to come over for dinner."

"She does?" the surprise in his voice is evident.

"Yep, Finn does too."

"Oh fuck off," I hear Finn mutter.

"I find it hard to believe that second comment, but sure, I'll come over. Now?" he asks me.

"Yep, we've started cooking."

"Okay, I'll see you soon. Love you."

"Love you, too," I say significantly quieter and Finn screws his face up.

"Ew," Finn says immediately once I hang up. "You two are like... fully in love and shit. That's gross."

I snort with laughter as I look at him. "Why, do you not love Becca?"

His eyebrows shoot up as he looks at me. "Er... No? I don't think so? Wait, how do I know? When do you say it? Shit... I've never even thought about this before."

I let out a loud laugh. "She's your first girlfriend, relax. You'll know if you love her. You haven't been dating very long. Give it time."

He seems to ponder my words for a moment. "When did you know you loved Miles?"

I'm taken back momentarily by his question. I lean back onto the lounge as I think.

"It was before he left..." I trail off and Finn nods, not looking as tense as I thought he would. "He was all I thought about. It was so obvious I loved him. At school, my eyes always found him. I loved the sound of his laugh, the way he smiled... everything, really. I couldn't wait to see him all the time and when I did, it was like only we existed and nothing else mattered. Honestly, those feelings never went away, even though I tried so, so hard to ignore them." I draw a breath as I finish and my cheeks burn red as his gaze is unwavering. "The most scary part is that I think he is the one for me. I know I haven't been with many other people and I know I'm only young, but in my heart, I know that I will never feel this way about anyone else. He's it for me."

"Wow," he quietly says after a moment, appearing somewhat serious for once in his life. "I... never realised how much you loved him."

"I don't think he even did," I say softly.

"If he means that much to you, then okay," he says to me as he brushes a bit of his dark hair back.

"Okay?"

"I'm going to try and repair our friendship. He was my best friend, after all."

I smile at my brother adoringly. "That would mean a lot to me. And him."

"I'm doing it for you," he says as he points to me.

"You're doing it for you," I counter with a smile. "Because you miss him. And you love him, too."

He rolls his eyes but the way he smiles, I know that he knows I'm right. We both need Miles in our life.

The roar of a motorbike engine tears through the night and I tense slightly.

There's a knock at the door within a minute or so and I leap to my feet. I nervously make my way to the door. When I swing it open, my breath is caught in my throat.

Miles stands before me, wearing a button up, denim shirt. His hair is slightly messy, from his bike helmet. He smiles adorably at me.

"Hey," he greets. "Do I look okay?"

I practically throw myself at him as I wrap my arms around his neck. I smash my lips to his and he stumbles back in surprise, before pulling me closer. His warm tongue invades my mouth as I greedily accept it. Waves of tingles shoot through my veins as my entire bodies sighs in content.

I know I'm far too addicted to him. The way he smells, comforts me. The way he tastes, excites me. The way he looks at me, makes me feel like I'm the only girl in the world.

"I don't think your family would appreciate us doing a porno on the porch," he smirks down at me as we breathlessly part. "Not that I don't appreciate the warm welcome."

"Sorry," I blurt sheepishly as I smile up at him, dragging my finger across my pulsing bottom lip. "I couldn't help myself."

"Neither could I," he winks as he brushes a bit of my hair back from my forehead. "Are you going to keep me to yourself out here, or are we going inside?" he teases me with a charming smile.

I roll my eyes and step back, allowing him space to enter. He squeezes my butt as he walks past and I gasp in surprise. His face gives nothing away as mum walks out from the kitchen.

"Thanks for coming, Miles," she says with a tense smile.

"Thanks for having me," he replies back easily. "Can I help with anything?"

"No, no, you kids go relax," she insists.

"I'll set the table," I offer.

Miles helps places the cutlery down as I set up the plates and glasses. Once finished, we head into the lounge room, where Finn is.

"Miles," he greets him in a rather deep voice. I resist the urge to roll my eyes at him.

"Finn," Miles replies in the same tone. "How's the leg?"

"Don't even go there," he groans.

"Eli is a piece of shit," Miles says through gritted teeth.

"Tell me something I don't know. Once this leg is healed, I'm going for him."

"Yeah," Miles agrees, an intense look in his eyes. "We all are."

They lock eyes for a moment, before nodding. I shake my head at the pair of them.

When we all sit for dinner, I purposely sit beside Miles, while Finn and mum sit opposite. Finn props his leg up onto the vacant chair with a painful hiss as he does. He reclines back and wipes the perspiration that has built on his forehead from the exertion of hobbling from the lounge, to here.

"May I say something before we begin?" Mum asks and I smile at her encouragingly. "I'm thankful that I have my family here with me today. I am also thankful for Miles being back in our lives. Let's hope we continue to have a good, positive changes in life, throughout the rest of the year."

"I agree to that," I smile.

She raises her glass and we all clink our together.

"So, Miles," mum begins after we have all piled up our plates. "How's your father doing? I haven't seen him in months."

"Good, I think," he replies awkwardly. "I don't see very much of him."

"Oh?" she probes.

"I live in a share house. Dad lives with his fiancé and her kids," he explains.

"Oh..." mum says softly.

"Fuck that. You're more part of that family than she is," Finn spits and we all turn to him in surprise.

"Finn, watch your language," mum warns.

"Seriously. What the fuck is wrong with your dad? He literally chose that new family over you."

"Finn!" Mum hisses at him.

"Yeah, he did," Miles says quietly and I lightly touch his arm to be of some sort of comfort. "Better off without him."

"Well, if things get too... tough...you're welcome here, okay?" Mum offers quietly.

Miles gives her a heart-warming, genuine smile. "Thank you."

The rest of dinner seems to sail by without anything disastrous happening. The serious talk ebbed away and soon, Finn's charming and hilarious personality came out, which had us all laughing and my eyes watering. I can always rely on Finn to make things easy and relaxed.

I can't stop staring between my family and Miles. This feels exactly how it used to be with all of us. Miles practically lived here. It's crazy how quickly it all seems to be falling into place.

Miles and I stack the dishwasher and clean the kitchen after dinner, while mum and Miles chat away with each other.

"Can Miles stay the night?" I ask mum hopefully, once we're finished.

She narrows her eyes at the two of us. "Bedroom door open."

"And solo showers this time," I hear Finn mutter, but luckily mum didn't hear that.

Finn insists on making Miles watch Netflix with him while I shower. I know it's only so we don't shower together, like last time. I smile at my brother's protectiveness. He honestly cannot help himself.

By the time it's nine p.m., I am settled under my covers in my oversized Eminem t-shirt and loose grey shorts. Miles lays beside me in a pair of Finn's soccer shorts.

"I'm really glad I came over tonight," Miles murmurs to me as he drags my body closer to his. "Your family means everything to me." He pauses. "You mean everything to me."

I nestle into his chest as he wraps a secure arm around me. I sigh at the warm, welcomed feeling of comfort washes over me, like it does every time I'm in Miles' arms.

"I love you."

"I love you," he breathes as he kisses the tip of my nose.

He shifts so that is body is over mine. His lips claim my own and I eagerly arch my back to meet him. His hand trails down the side of my body, bunching up my shirt. I run my hands down his defined back, his skin still having the warm feel of the hot shower he recently had.

As I lightly kiss across his sharp collarbones, I hear a heavy thump, a loud groan and the sound of a crash outside my bedroom.

I snap out my trance and quickly reel into sitting position. My door swings open and I see a pained looking Finn, clutching his lg, his cheeks red.

"Door open!" he gasps out.

Miles and I exchange a look, before bursting out into laughter.

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This chapter is a bit rushed because I'm going away tomorrow to attend my cousin's wedding and I wanted to update before I leave! This is probably the quickest I've ever wrote a chapter in my life haha. What are your thoughts on dinner? Miles? Their mum? Finn? Tell me all your thoughts!

Theories on who the Black Hood is on Riverdale?!?!?

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