For some insane reason, I woke up at 8:30, higher than a kite, and feeling completely rested. I wondered if this was what being on meth felt like. I got out of bed and put on a lime green seersucker sundress, the coolest thing I owned, very Betty Grable, extremely retro. I happened to feel seersucker was an underrepresented fabric in the new millennium, and there was a lot of it in the thrift stores on Melrose.

I slid open the door to Teddy's room, but of course he was still asleep. Only the top of his head was visible above his cotton sheet, crazy brown hair poking out all over the place. On a whim, I grabbed my phone, took a photo, and sent it to him.

In my room, I grabbed a post-it and scribbled a quick note:

"Shooting star filled sky
Koi jump with a firefly
Gray eyes fill my dreams"

p.s. you're cute when you sleep (check your phone) (:

Then I scribbled the first four measures of the first movement of Mozart's Sonata in A major, the most beautiful segment of music ever written, as far as I was concerned. I slid open his door and stuck it on the wall where he'd see it when he woke up, and went to find some coffee.

I assumed I'd be the first one up, so I was surprised when I slid open the shoji to our private Japanese style dining room and found Ronan and Gethin having tea.

"Morning, Tink," Ronan called. I joined them, asking our waiter for coffee on the way.

As I sat down, Gethin turned to me and said, "You know, seeing you with your hair down yesterday gave me an idea. Come here, love. Turn and face the other way."

I sat next to him on the tatami, giving Ronan a questioning look. He shrugged at me.

"My little sister Janelle has the most beautiful hair, and my father liked her to wear it long. She was always moaning about what a bother it was to tend it, so I learned at a very early age to plait it up for her. Let's see if I've still got the touch. Now it might not be quite as tidy as it should be, since I haven't got a comb, but I'd like to have a go, if that's all right with you?"

"Oh, please, I love to have people mess with my hair," I declared. "I haven't had anyone to really do it since, well, my mom."

"Lovely, let's have a lash, then," he said as he began. He pulled the hair tie out and began, pulling at the top of my head. Within minutes he had my unruly hair braided into a nice, tight French braid that hung past my shoulder blades. I handed him the hair tie.

He was just tying it up when Matty entered the room. "What's going on here, then?" he asked, sitting down and asking for tea.

"Look what Geth did," I said, swinging my braid with pleasure. "Thanks!" I leaned back to him and kissed his cheek. "This is wonderful. I love French braids! So tidy, and off my neck. It's the perfect hairdo, as far as I'm concerned. If I'd known you could do this, I'd have been asking you every day a long time ago!" Of course, within moments, the short hairs around my head began to curl in a little halo, but I could deal with that.

He examined the braid critically. "I've still got the touch, I guess," he said with a grin. "I used to do Janelle's hair every morning before school, but it was years ago. I'll have to send her a pic. You mind?" I shook my head, and he pulled out his phone and snapped off a picture.

Matty smiled. "Suits you, truly."

"When does your spa day begin, guys?" I asked.

"The call's for ten, I think?" Ronan said. They want us for yoga first, then meditation, then, oh, I forget, but it's to be a day of peace, love, and good thoughts. Me, I'm looking forward to the full body massage and mud bath."

"I wonder if I have to be around for all this?" I mused aloud. "I mean, it would completely break the mood to have someone translating all of the meditation stuff, right? But if no one translates it, how will you know what to do?"

"You look funny," Matty spoke up suddenly. I looked to see who he was talking to, and of course, he was talking to me. Great.

"What're you on about, man?" Ronan asked. He looked at me. "She looks fine. She looks extra cute this morning, if you ask me, between the plait in her hair and the little outfit... Wha'd'ya call that, Tink? A romper?"

I had to laugh. "It's just a sundress, Ronan." I turned to Matty. "I slept really well, maybe I just look well rested for a change." I prayed he'd just let it go.

Teddy chose that moment to walk into the room, looking disheveled, and ridiculously, unutterably, happy. Fuck.

"I didn't miss breakfast, did I? I love these traditional Japanese breakfasts, and I'm fucking starving."

He sat down next to me, and the server followed him into the room, bringing the delicious smells of miso soup, salmon, rice, and codfish roe. It brought back memories of my grandparents. The boys fell to with gusto, all but Matty, who of course was sitting right across from us.

Teddy picked up my braid. "This looks nice," he commented with a smile. I looked at him and felt a little zing. I couldn't stop looking at his mouth. I yanked my eyes and thoughts elsewhere with effort.

"Thanks. Gethin did it; can you believe it? He said he used to braid up his little sister's hair every day before school.

"Geth?" I called. "Do you have any pictures of her?" Of course I'd seen photos of his sister, I was just trying to deflect attention from Teddy and me.

"Janelle? Course, tons. Want to see?" He pulled out his phone, found some, and passed it over. There were some early ones of all three of them when Gethin was about ten, his older brother thirteen, and the little girl six or seven. They were adorable little redheads, standing amidst sheep in rain boots with gap-toothed grins, and there were some later ones of a truly stunning teenager with gorgeous auburn hair on a horse in the middle of a field.

"Gethin, she's beautiful!" I declared. "Wow! You must have to beat off the boys with a stick. What's she doing now?"

"She's at university in London," he admitted with casual pride. "We didn't think there'd be money for that, but now that's not an issue. She's studying fashion, wants to be a designer."

"Hold on there, Geth, let me see, I haven't seen Janelle in awhile," Ronan said, reaching for the phone. "Quite the looker, even prettier than before," he said with a smile.

"Don't be getting any ideas, you," said Gethin, taking his phone back. "You just stay away from my little sister, mate."

Ronan put his hand on his heart. "You hurt my feelings, man. My intentions are strictly honorable, I assure you. It's not like I'm this bloke here—" with a gesture toward Teddy.

"Hey!" Teddy interrupted, throwing a piece of rice at Ronan. Ronan ducked, giving Teddy a dramatic glare.

"I've never made a move on Janelle, I never would. Sisters are off limits." Teddy huffed theatrically. "We all know that."

"So says the only child," laughed Gethin. "Ronan, how are your sisters?"

"Ah, they're grand," he answered through a mouthful of food. "Still going on about when I'm going to get married. They're driving me bonkers, to tell you the truth. They saw some of the photographs of me and Tinker Bell online, and they've started asking about us, like we're a couple or something.

"They think you're lovely, Tink," he said to me with a smile as he took a sip of tea. "Very beautiful and exotic looking. They think you'd make a perfect sister-in-law, and want me to ask you to marry me, like, as soon as possible. Think we'd make beautiful babies." He laughed. "Well, what do you think? Would you consider having me?"

I pretended to consider it. "Well, Ronan, you are definitely husband material, thoughtful, fun, loving, and just gorgeous. And you've got to be absolutely the nicest person I've ever met. But could you handle me? I can be quite the stroppy bitch, I've been told."

He looked indignant. "Who's been calling you a stroppy bitch, I'd like to know? You're like a--a--little fairy princess. You play the piano like an angel, you swim like a graceful mermaid. You've got the most delicate, gentle hands—you've got to be the kindest, smartest person alive—"

We all stopped eating to stare at him. Even for Ronan, who tended to speak hyperbolically in general, this was excessive.

"Well, Ronan, my lad, you do tend to wax poetic in the morning," was all Gethin had to say. "You're making our Tinker Bell blush, I do believe." He pulled me into his lap and hugged me, crossing his arms across my front and kissing my cheek, which did make me blush. And instead of letting me go after, Geth just kept me in his lap, rubbing his cheek on my hair, remarking how lovely I looked this morning.

I noticed Teddy staring at me and Gethin, and he pulled me back to his general vicinity as soon as he thought no one would notice. I wondered if the boy who had no feelings for me was a bit jealous. Hmm...

We all continued to eat and talk, enjoying the morning, which was, for a change, not sickeningly hot. Betsey stuck her head in to make sure we were all awake and on schedule, and I asked what my part in the day was to be. She said I was to hang around with them, stay out of as many shots as possible, but basically be on call to make sure I was available if any translating was necessary.

"Sounds like a nice boring day for you, Birdie," Teddy said with a smile, resting his hand on my neck and twirling my little neck curls. It was an intimate gesture that he was completely unaware of making. Gethin and Ronan could see it and overlook it, but Matty couldn't, no way. He saw it and looked away, carefully composing his features before looking back.

Ronan, usually not the most astute observer, noticed and put a comforting hand on Matty's back. It was a good thing the film crew wasn't here. This was the kind of thing the UK Crush fandom lived for. The Crushies analyzed each frame of film and video for every crumb of nuance, every possible permutation of meaning in every gesture and facial expression. The fact that there was nothing between me and Teddy meant nothing; the fact that he had his hand on my hair would be all over the world in minutes. The fact that Ronan had his hand on Matty's back would be all over Twitter in an instant. We would have to be extra careful for these last two weeks of the tour.