1 8 | m a r l e y

MY HEAD WAS POUNDING.

Light was streaming through the windows – so bright that it crushed my head, even with my eyes shut – and my mouth tasted like pure shit. I groaned squeezing my eyes further shut, as if it could block out the light and my headache anymore. I moved to drag a hand up and shield the light, only to feel it pinned beneath something heavy.

I strained my eyes open, blinking through the blur of sleep to see a face an inch from mine.

A face with high cheekbones and a straight nose, a mess of brown hair flattened against his forehead.

Everett.

My eyes widened and I fought to keep still. He was asleep, his lips parted, and eyes closed.

I felt my face grow hot as the realisation fully hit me then – that me and Everett were lying in a bed together. I furrowed my brow, straining hard to remember what had happened last night.

There was a party... a bonfire... Mia... and then what? I couldn't remember, and my pounding headache definitely didn't help.

Thankfully, I was still wearing my clothes. I could feel the uncomfortable scratch of it against my skin, as well as Everett's t-shirt pressed on top of my numb arm.

We were barely an inch apart and fear rippled through me, knowing that if I moved, I'd probably stir him awake. Instead, I settled gently back into the mattress and scanned his face.

He looked so peaceful while asleep, his usual scowl missing and replaced with a hint of an innocent smile. His hair was a mess and I felt the urge to push it back over his forehead. He'd become a lot more tanned since he first came here, with freckles beginning to spot over the bridge of his nose, and I felt a surge of pride – I'd been the cause of that.

It was like a symbol – like something to show that I had an effect on him, on his life, even if it was something so miniscule as a tan.

Suddenly, his eyes shot open and I jolted in surprise, my arm jerking beneath him.

He blinked, meeting my stare, and we watched each other in silence for a minute. Then, his arm was lifting, and his fingers were wrapping around a loose curl in front of my face. His skin brushed my forehead as he tugged on it lightly.

I warmed, opening my mouth to say something, but then his hand was letting go of the hair and trailing down my cheek. The curl sprung back up, and his lips twitched in quiet amusement, his face turning pink. His touch was so soft, so gentle, sliding across my face to finally cover my mouth with a finger.

"Shh," he whispered, and it felt so intimate that a shiver ran down my spine. "They're sleeping."

He nodded slightly to the end of the bed and I craned my neck to see Connor and River sleeping on the floor in front of us. They were blacked out, probably from drinking enough to destroy a liver last night. I suspected that even if I made a sound, they wouldn't stir an inch.

They piled on top of each other – a mess of limbs and snores. Connor's t-shirt had disappeared somewhere, and I had to stifle a laugh. River would freak out when he woke up.

I turned back to Everett to find him already watching me, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"What happened last night?" I whispered.

He quirked a brow. "You don't remember, Monroe?"

"No." I flushed, rolling my eyes. "Obviously not, if I'm asking you."

"Relax," he chuckled, his chest reverberating with the sound. "You all got black out drunk. I took you back to Clemente House. Figured it was closer than taking you back to yours."

"Oh," I managed. "You mean you didn't get drunk?"

"No," he drawled. "Apparently I'm the only one of us with common sense and an alcohol tolerance."

"Oh, shut it. What did your grandma have to say about that?"

He narrowed his eyes mischievously, a smirk tugging at his lips. "She doesn't have to know about the girls who sleep in my bed."

I warmed, our situation dawning on me. Scoffing, I finally pulled my arm out from under him, creating an extra inch of space between us.

"You weigh a ton," I whispered, keeping my voice as quiet as possible. "I might need to amputate my arm after that."

"At least I don't have morning breath," he whispered back, wrinkling his nose.

My eyes widened and I opened my mouth to scold him when his hand clamped over my lips again.

"Quiet," he murmured. He leaned closer so that he could lower his voice further. The mattress dipped and my body slid against his. Suddenly, his face was glowing red to match my own.

"Sorry," he stuttered. His hand moved and, seemingly not knowing where to put it, he eventually rested it awkwardly on my waist.

I blinked, trying to meet his eyes, but he was avoiding looking at me, his jaw clenched and ears turning pink.

I suppressed a giggle, raising a brow at him. "It's fine, Everett. Seriously. I've been sleeping in the same bed as Austin since forever."

At that, his eyes snapped back to mine and darkened a fraction. "I didn't realise you were so experienced."

I blushed at the connotation behind his words. "No – not like that – I just meant –"

His fingers tightened decidedly around my waist then, tugging me closer. "Shut up, Isla. I know what you mean. I'm going back to sleep."

He turned his face sideways, burying it into the pillow and effectively ending all conversation.

"Oh," I managed stupidly. The feeling of Everett's body pressed against mine had stolen all words from my mouth.

I wondered why he hadn't just turned around – faced away from me – but my voice had died in my throat and I didn't find it in me to tease him about it.

Actually, why was I in his bed in the first place while the others slept on the floor?

"Everett?" I whispered.

His face shifted slightly on the pillow, tilting his ear towards me. "Mmm?"

"Why am I in your bed?"

"You wouldn't get the fuck off it," he murmured back, his voice drowned out by his pillow and Connor's snores. "Besides, you wouldn't let me go."

"What?" I sputtered, my face warming.

"You're a cuddler, Monroe. Did you know?"

I paused, waiting for him to laugh or send me a smirk, or wink, or one of his usual shit-eating grins. But he just buried his face deeper into the pillows, leaving me to bask in my own embarrassment.

It was true that I'd slept beside Austin a million times, as well as Connor and River – but this felt different. I was too aware. Aware of his chest against mine, his arms around me, his chin on my head, his legs tangled with mine – his hips against mine.

And I had been the cause of all this. Why did I have to go and get so drunk?

Suddenly I felt entirely too uncomfortable. I tried to shift my body to create some distance between us – maybe even turn around myself – but it was definitely the wrong move, because our hips collided, and Everett released a quiet groan muffled by the pillow.

My eyes widened and we both seemed to realise simultaneously as we whipped our heads up to lock eyes. He was blushing, his jaw slack.

"Stop moving," he muttered harshly.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm just trying to move over."

"Oh, please do," he spat out, narrowing his eyes into a glare. He moved his arm off my waist, giving me plenty of room to move.

I quirked a brow at him, annoyed now and slightly embarrassed at the rejection – even if it was purely accidental. I hoped the disappointment didn't sound in my voice when I spoke.

"I didn't realise you hated it so much," I said. I sharpened my voice into a teasing tone. "It certainly didn't sound like it."

He paused, scanning my eyes for a moment. Then, his arm was around my waist again, his fingers brushing over my back. Slowly, as if asking permission, he fingered at the hem of my t-shirt. He hesitated, meeting my eyes.

Before I could stop myself, I leaned closer, our body brushing against each other. He smirked at this, his palm finally pressing against my bare waist beneath my shirt. He closed the last inch of a gap between us, pressing himself firmly against me.

"Everett," I scolded in a hushed whisper. I glanced over at River and Connor, breathing in relief that they were still completely knocked out.

Turning back, I found his hazel eyes already on mine, fire burning behind them.

"I didn't hate it," he said quietly.

Blood rushed to my face and I felt like my body was on fire – warmth spreading across my chest to my fingertips.

I swallowed thickly, sputtering for words. "Good to know."

He lifted an amused brow, his lips tilting in a smirk.

"Good to know?" he repeated.

"I mean." I hated how flustered I felt. "You know."

"I don't think I do."

I didn't either. What was my point again? I didn't know. All I could think about was Everett, and his honey eyes, and his messy hair, and his body against me. I felt weak, grasping for words.

He was so close to me that his breath fanned over my face, with the heat of his body radiating over me. Every tiny movement sent shivers through my body. His face had tinted red, his fingers tightening around my waist, and I knew I had the same effect on him.

His eyes flickered to my lips and I felt my entire body shudder to a halt. Was he going to kiss me?

Did I want him to kiss me?

Before I could figure out the answer, a fist was pounding at the door.

I leapt away from Everett with a squeal, rolling off the edge of the bed and onto the floor. In front of me, River and Connor had also woken up. River sent me a curious look while Connor flipped face-down onto the floor, groaning and waving at the door.

"Go away, Mum," he groaned, clinging at his skull. "I'm dying."

I blushed, tearing my eyes away from River who was now glancing between me and Everett.

"Who is it?" Everett called out; his voice raspy.

"It's me, dipshit. Is Isla there?"

My eyes widened – Austin.

I'd completely forgotten about him. Everett groaned, turning back over and burying his face into his pillow.

Rolling my eyes, I stood up and trailed to the door, ripping it open to reveal Austin absolutely glowering.

"Isla," he said, the second his eyes fell on me. He gave me a once-over before glancing over my shoulder to see Everett lying in bed. His jaw clenched. "I went to your house. You weren't home."

"I slept here," I managed stupidly. I tugged at my t-shirt trying to smooth it out, before combing my fingers through my hair.

"I can see that," Austin said tightly. "You didn't text me last night."

It was a tradition in our friend group to text each other once we got home – to know we'd made it safely and didn't pass out drunk in a ditch somewhere. Except, I suppose, last night I did pass out drunk somewhere.

My pounding head and dry mouth was a testament to that. Even my stomach was stirring uncomfortably, and I thought I might vomit all over Austin's shoes.

I swallowed thickly, pressing my eyes shut. "Sorry. Got too drunk."

"I can see that," he repeated. He sighed, shaking his head before pushing past me and entering the room. "What did you do to her?"

It took me a second to realise he was asking Everett.

Everett turned over, raising a cocky brow at him and smirking. "What didn't I do to her?"

"Everett," I groaned.

"You – You dickhead – I'm going to –"

I grabbed Austin's arm, turning him before he could finish his threat. "He's joking, Austin. He just let us crash for the night. All of us."

It was like he'd just realised River and Connor were also in the room – although Connor looked like he had passed out again.

"Why did you get so drunk, Isla?" Austin asked finally. "You never do that."

I sighed, tempted to tell him I didn't need his permission to get drunk. But he was already tense, his fists clenched and ready for a fight. I didn't want to provoke him.

Instead, I shrugged. I opened my mouth, ready to tell him all about what Mia had said to me last night – one of the last things I remembered before blacking out.

But he cut me off.

"I can't believe you," he said, his voice full of contempt and sadness. "I can't believe you'd just – just – go get shitfaced drunk, and then – then – spend the night with him!"

"Austin, we literally just slept –"

"And I spent all morning looking for you! Your mum said you never came home, so I thought you might be at River's or Connor's, but no! You were here! With him!"

Everett spoke, his voice unsettlingly calm. "Yeah, maybe because I fucking stayed when her supposed best friend left her."

Austin's glare was venomous. "What did you just say?"

"And for the record, we didn't do anything. We just slept," he said, narrowing his eyes. "And even if we did, you sure as hell wouldn't find out about it."

"Isla tells me everything –"

"Does she now?" he asked, his lips lifting in a deadly smirk. "Well. If you insist."

It was bullshit. I knew it. He was just trying to get on Austin's nerves – plant a seed of doubt within his mind. And by the waver in Austin's expression, it was working.

"Whatever," Austin muttered after a long bout of silence. "Good fucking luck getting home."

He turned, storming out the room and slamming the door shut for good measure.

The room was shocked into silence. I was so overwhelmed. I felt my eyes water and my head pound worse than before. River hadn't said a word. Connor was still lying face down on the floor, though his snores had stopped, and I suspected he'd heard it all.

Everett was the one who spoke first. He flopped over, tugging the duvet over his face.

"Unless anyone else has something to throw a tantrum about," he drawled, his voice muffled. "Good fucking night."

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A U T H O R ' S N O T E

Ooo bit of drama!!! Most of you guys guessed it though hehe well done! What did you think of Isla and Everett? And what are your thoughts on Austin? Let me know!

As always, thanks for reading, commenting and voting! Happy Father's Day to my fellow Australians! See you soon!