Rylie

THE TIMEFRAME BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS is a complete and utter time warp. Is it Tuesday? Is it Saturday? Have I showered? Have I eaten? Do I need to set an alarm? Does this sweatshirt pass the armpit sniff test? Did I already leave the house wearing these leggings this week? It's a confusing cycle of days that blend together. That's why I'm surprised when my apartment buzzer goes off, waking me from my impromptu nap on my couch.

I walk over to the screen by my front door to see Finn smiling up at me from the front stoop of the apartment building. "Did we have plans?" I ask through the monitor.

"Wy." The dimples greet me on the screen. "Just let me up. I'm freezing my balls off out here." His breath puffs out in a cloud as he speaks.

I buzz him in and immediately panic when I realize today was not a shower day. I quickly sniff the pits of the sweatshirt I may have been wearing all week and shrug. Combing a hand through my messy hair, I stand by the door, waiting for his arrival. At his knock, I open the door and step aside to let him in.

His eyes roam all over me, as always, and it's the first time I shy under his perusal. "I was napping," I explain, pointing behind him at the tv. "I must have fallen asleep on the couch."

He smirks, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "You don't have to dress up for me, Wyatt. I like you like this. All rumpled and natural."

He's also in comfy clothes, his usual worn jeans traded for a pair of gray sweatpants. A small black bag is stuffed under his arm. "What's that?" I ask, taking the bag from him. After zipping it open, I discover contact solution, a contact lens case and a hard-covered glasses case. I open the case and pull out a pair of wirerimmed glasses, plopping them on my face and blinking rapidly as my eyes try to adjust to the prescription.

"You have glasses? Shit, you're blind." I remove the glasses, replacing them in the case, and shoving them back into the overnight bathroom bag, holding it up in the air between us like it's Exhibit A. "Apparently, you're inviting yourself over for another sleepover?"

"I figured you could use my body heat to warm your freezing ass body since it's been so cold out."

"I have heat. And blankets."

"Yeah," he says, taking the bag from my hand and tugging me into his body, where he wraps his arms around me. Today was definitely a shower day for him. He smells nice. Really nice. "But why use poor substitutes when you can use the real thing."

I snake my hands up beneath the hem of his hoodie, running my cold hands all over his exposed skin. He squeals but doesn't loosen his hold on me. "That's right, Wy. Use me."

The more I wiggle, the tighter his hold on me gets. I keep finding new skin under his shirt to attack with my cold hands, but the warmth of his body quickly heated them and now I'm just touching him for the sake of touching him, it would seem. When he rubs his unshaven face over my neck, I try to duck out of his reach, but he doubles down, brushing the rough facial hair against my cheeks.

"Finn!" I screech, finally breaking free. I hold a hand up between us. "You need to shave. I'm going to get beard rash from that...stuff on your face."

He runs a hand over what is surely a handful of days of not shaving, the scruff trying its very best to hide the dimples. "Hair, Wy. It's called hair."

"Well, you should take care of it."

"Do you not like facial hair, Wyatt?" He continues to stroke the pathetic beard, and I can't help but smile at his ridiculousness. "It's a bit of a double standard, isn't it? I show up to you looking like a rumpled goddess and I compliment you. But you face pube shame me like I'm some gross bum off the street."

I finger the indents on his cheeks. "You're hiding your best weapon."

The dimples deepen under my fingers as a smirk takes over his face. "Careful, Wy. You're getting dangerously close to actually complimenting me."

"Careful, Finnegan. You're getting dangerously close to being kicked out of the sleepover."

He throws his head back and laughs, his Adam's apple bobbing. "But I brought my special bathroom bag."

"Don't call it that. You make it sound creepy. It's a toiletry bag. And it's not special. It's just a regular toiletry bag."

"Oh, it's definitely special. I've never brought a bathroom bag to a girl's house before. See, special bathroom bag." I roll my eyes as the dimples are deployed again. Even partially covered by the dark facial hair, they still pack the same punch. How is this obnoxious man-child always knocking me off balance?

"How about you just put that regular old toiletry bag in the bathroom and then join me on the couch for some mindless tv?"

"Fine, I'll just quick drop off my special bathroom bag where it now lives because we are officially sleepover buddies. Then I'll join you on the couch for a Love Island marathon. But if you watched any episodes without me, you'll have to get over the fact that you're watching them again. And without your commentary spoiling anything for me."

"Like how a bunch of new guys have entered the villa? And there's major drama at the recoupling?" I barely get the sentence out of my mouth before it turns into a screech as Finn chases me into the living room. I fall onto the couch, holding a pillow out in front of me like a shield.

"You're mean, Rylie. You promised to wait for me." The pout on his face makes me laugh, and he retaliates by ripping the pillow out of my hands and whacking me with it.

"Say you're sorry!" he demands between smacks of the pillow.

"Fine! I'm sorry! But I was bored! What was I supposed to do?"

Finn drops the pillow at his feet and kicks it out of the way. "You call me to come over, Wyatt. Then we watch it together."

Hang out together outside of what benefits the ruse? Like real friends? The confusion must be evident on my face, because he crosses his arms over his chest and directs narrowed eyes at me. "It's ok to actually like hanging out with me, Wy. I'm a good time."

I sigh, digging the remote out of the crevice in the couch cushions. "You have your moments, Finn. I'll give you that."

"I'm going to win you over, Wy. Just you wait and see."

I'm afraid the process has already begun. But would it really be so bad to let someone other than Teddy in? Especially with her life changing so drastically. It might be nice having another friend to rely on.

And that's how Finn and I devote several hours of our night—and several other nights—to Love Island drama.

-

SUTTON TEARS THROUGH THE TAPE ON A box marked NYE in black Sharpie, and she pulls out champagne flute after champagne flute, setting them on the island in her new kitchen one after the other. Kelly shuffles across the big open room in their new home, bypassing boxes and furniture that was hurriedly arranged without much thought to function or style, and he swings open the sage green front door, reaching out the doorway to snatch up a few bottles of champagne off the porch. If there's one good thing about winter in Minnesota, it's that you can use your outdoor areas as a fridge. Nature's refrigerator.

He holds the bottles up to show Sutton while slamming the door with his foot, closing out the cold draft. Sutton whoops. "It's champagne o'clock!"

She plucks a glittery NYE crown on her head before clinking a spoon against the glass of the champagne flute to grab everyone's attention. All the Anderson siblings halt in their spots and turn to look at their sister. All the Andersons plus one extra person that was introduced as Archie, a redheaded guy who works for Kelly at his house-flipping business. It was obvious that Sutton invited him without her boyfriend knowing based on Kelly's surprise when Archie showed up, and the subsequent way Kelly glared at his girl and called her a brat. Another interesting tidbit about this newcomer is the way Vivi glares at him and avoids being within ten feet of him at all times.

I don't know what that's about, but maybe I should grab some popcorn and enjoy the show. Archie is bringing the drama.

"I just want to say a quick thank you for helping us move today," Sutton raises her voice to be heard with all of us spread out over the open concept living room and kitchen. Kelly pulls her into his chest from behind, fanning his palm out across her stomach. "It means a lot to us. You're our family, and although we bicker and fight and legit sometimes want to throat punch each other, we love you."

A chorus of "awes" fill the room, followed by declarations of love shouted one after another.

"With that said," Sutton yells, throwing up her hands. "Let's party into the new year!" Kelly spins her around, then crowds her against the island, where he kisses her with zero fucks to give that we're all witnessing their usual brand of PDA.

"This is my favorite family," I tell Finn, resting my head against his shoulder. "You're all a bunch of freaking weirdos."

"And that's why you fit in so well," he says, brushing his prickly stubble over my neck.

"Finn!" I screech, shoving him off with a laugh. "What did I tell you about that icky beard?"

"That you love it? That you want to marry it? That you want me to rub it all over you? That I look ruggedly handsome and you just can't stand it."

I slap a hand over his overused mouth and scream, "Make it stop! Somebody make it stop!"

Finn chuckles, wrapping his arms around me and hoisting me up so my legs dangle. I remove my hand off his mouth to grasp his shoulders. "Finn," I whine. "Put me down, you big dumb lumberjack!"

By the time he sets me on my feet, we realize the room has gone quiet and everyone is looking at us. "What's up?" Finn asks, drawing me to him with a hand on my hip.

"So this is really real?" Vivi asks, pointing her finger between me and Finn.

"Jesus! For fuck's sake!" Finn cusses, spinning to give the room his back. His eyes are a dark gray as they stare down at me, his jaw clenching. I think I might be seeing Finn upset for the first time. But why does their hesitation to believe the ruse piss him off so much?

"Hey," I say, addressing the room at large. "I get we sprung this on you and it seems bizarre or unbelievable. But let's maybe cut back on the constant questioning of it, ok? Any woman would be lucky to call Finn their fiancé, and I just happen to be that lucky lady. So, Sutton, let's get back to pouring that champagne, yeah?"

Sutton whoops again, and I flash her a grateful smile. Finn's hand on my hip moves to the small of my back, dragging me forward to invade his personal bubble. "Thanks," he whispers, combing his fingers through my hair.

"Who cares what they think, Finnegan? Let's just have some fun, yeah?"

Just then, we're interrupted by Sutton shoving an identical NYE crown on my head and a plastic top hat on Finn's. Kelly follows in her wake with two champagne flutes for us. Sutton reaches up to straighten the crown on my head, then leans in to whisper, "Offer's still open to talk."

"Just go with it," I whisper into her ear. "You're really pissing Finn off. Be nice."

Sutton draws back and laughs in my face. "Shit, now I really want to know the story. Are things about to get interesting?"

I boop Sutton on her cute little button nose. "Oh, Little Rylie, things are always interesting with me."

She laughs again. "Drink up, Old Sutton. Or are you too old to have fun now?"

And since those words feel like a dare, I down my glass in a single go, handing it back to her. "Refill, please."