"Where's Tyler? It's been a couple of weeks since he came to talk." I took a sip of water, looking around. It's been a while since I saw him.

"I think he's not here. Heard about him going to Texas."

Oh, maybe he went to visit his grandparents or something. I was happy with that because I only had to avoid him for a week or so, before he just disappeared.

"Zack's driving with his friend, so I got you." She smirked, dangling the car keys and I smiled.

On the way, she talked a lot. A lot about Mark.

"Long-distance isn't a problem. But sometimes I wanna hug him tight and obviously that isn't possible until he's back from Paris." She pouted. "Why did he choose a college in Paris?"

I watched her with narrowed eyes. She never saw that as a problem before.

"What happened to you?"

"Nothing." She shrugged and then with a sigh, added. "Grace just kept on saying how her boyfriend cheated on her. He's in London. And she said it's not his fault because he's alone there and-"

Who the hell is Grace? How's that she knows everyone and I don't know a single person?

"Sasha, it's you who know Mark, not Grace. And not everyone is the same." I tried. "Maybe you should talk to him and find out."

"Yeah, sounds good." She nodded and then sighed. "God, I sound pathetic. I swear it's just because I didn't sleep last night."

"Why?"

"Netflix." She grinned sheepishly, making me sigh.
.
.
.

Now that I know Tyler's been in Texas for weeks, I understood why Mr Jones didn't come to observe our work.

"It's great that assholes are far away from us. I feel free." Jake sighed, grabbing my bag.

Since we didn't have to fear his arrival, we were pretty much having fun rather than work.

"You need a ride, Marissa?"

"No thanks, my husband is coming to get me." She flipped her hair with a smirk and Jake scoffed.

"You know he can't come every day, right? At last, it's me who you two got." He got in his car and beckoned me in.

"Bye!" I called out to a chuckling Marissa as I got in.

After a long drive, tolerating Jake's modesty and tease, I finally reached home and knocked on the door.

"It's Ivy!" I heard Theo's shout.

"It is Ivy." Zack confirmed before opening the door. "Welcome, Ivy."

I smiled at him, stepping in and saw them having their dinner.

"You want some?" Noel asked me, already grabbing a plate.

"No, I had mine. Went with Jake."

"Say my hi to Jakey." Theo said with a full mouth, sounding 'Hakey' more than Jakey.

"Sure. I'm gonna go-"

"Shower." They both said, smirking and I heard Zack's laugh.

"Do you repeat the same things every day? Or do you guys have some weird mind connection?" He asked and I ruffled Noel's hair before heading to my room.

"Latter one." I shouted before stepping into a cold shower.

And then, I thought about stuff I shouldn't be thinking.

Like, where is mom? Is she okay?
Even though I hated the way she stood silent when a creep asked her to exchange me for money, I still believe she was only half awake then. Or at least that they misunderstood her hum.

I've sent her texts, asking about her health, where she is staying and stuff. But never got a reply. It's been a couple of weeks I think, since she came home. I wasn't there at the time, Maria told me.

And when I shook off those thoughts and stepped out, the gloominess flew away as I saw my brothers clinging onto Zack from both sides, staring at the laptop screen, sprawled across my bed.

"Hey, we're watching a movie. Join us?" Zack whispered and Noel slapped his arm for making noise.

"Ow, sorry." He mumbled as his gaze shifted back to the screen. I crawled onto my bed, keeping the phone aside and lay down near Theo.

I shouldn't have, because that was an action movie. I don't hate them, but this one was plainly fights, fights and fights. Watching it for twenty minutes or so, I didn't get a clue on why they were fighting.

"What're you doing?" I asked Theo, who was crawling out and got shushed by Noel.

God, he's really into this.

"I gotta pee." He whispered in my ear and ran to the bathroom. But when he came back, instead of filling his spot, he crawled onto Zack and the laptop stumbled.

"I got it." I said, steadying it and kept it on my lap since Theo was in his.

I sighed, shaking my head at Theo. He was lying on Zack, head resting on his chest as he watched the movie.

I was planning to move a bit to close the gap but before I could, Zack pulled me closer and my eyes instantly went to boys.

Nope. Nothing. They were busy watching it and Zack? He was completely into the movie, too.

I smiled to myself. One of my brothers was clinging onto his shoulder, one was literally lying on him and on the other side, I had my head resting on his other shoulder.

Ridges aren't leaving him alone, for sure.

By the time the movie was about to end, my brothers were snoring. Can't blame them though, it was their usual routine.

"I feel like I'm a father of two." Zack said when he found the boys sleeping.

I chuckled. I know he's saying it in a good way, not in an exhausting way. Because the fact that Sasha and her family loves my boys, was undeniable.

"That's good. Take it as a practice for your future." I tried grasping what the film was trying to say, but failed wonderfully.

"Oh, saying you only want two?"

I elbowed him and he giggled like a child.

"I'm joking." He said, leaning his head onto mine and I smiled, until he added, "I know you want at least four."

"Sometimes, I feel like I'm dating a perv,"

After a few minutes of elbowing back and forth, we continued watching the movie.

"Is this film boring?" I sighed, still clueless about the story.

"This movie is great. Nothing about fights are boring."

I chuckled at his obsession with fights. A minute later, I felt him nuzzling my neck. I tilted my head to look at him and smiled before he leaned in and our lips brushed for a brief moment.

This feels so wrong. Not kissing him, of course. But in my bed, when my tiny little brothers were right there with us.

But that didn't stop me from doing it though. I placed my cold hands on his warm cheek and took in the warmth. He couldn't turn completely as Theo was on him, but he tilted his head as his fingers started playing with my loose hair strands.

He liked playing with my hair as much as I liked to play with his.

I rested my forehead against his as he played with Theo's arms. "You've got great brothers. It's hard not to admit."

A bright smile took over my face as he continued. "It's a high bar to cross, you know. We poor guys can't beat it."

"High bar? Please, their cuteness is overtaking their mischievous, annoying behaviour. I bet nobody else knows their true face, they're little demons."

"Oh okay. I'm going to pretend you didn't imply the fact that I'm not cute." He shrugged, looking straight like a naive, cute guy although he wasn't so naive.

It made me chuckle and I scooped Theo into my arms, leading to their room.

"You could've at least said I'm a bit cute, you know?" He pushed me aside and placed Noel onto his bed.

"Someone's ready to fight." I smirked walking back and he followed me.

"Oh, I'd like to see you beat me down."

Damn that overconfidence.

Or maybe he was just confident because he knows how to fight and I know nothing.

"And that reminds..." I turned to look at him and continued, "I want to learn some tricks, you know, self defence?"

His reaction wasn't the one I was expecting. He gaped at me, with a slightly opened mouth and shook his head.

"You sure? That can be intimate, in case you don't know. "

Oh, so that's what he was thinking about.

Well, can't blame him, though. That's the first thing I thought about too and maybe still thinking about.

"I don't think I'll mind that." I said as he joined me on the couch.

"I can teach some if you want."

"I was asking you." I said, frowning and he sighed with a sheepish look

"Oh. Of course, I will teach you." He bit his lips, probably hiding a smirk.
"I thought you were going for an instructor or something."

I shook my head with a smile.

"Well, that's-" he stopped, the smirk somehow turning into a frown. "That guy isn't back, is he? Or someone like him?"

"No." I smiled.

I don't know why I smiled. I'm having some problem lately, I'm smiling without reasons.

"That's good." He nodded, sighing. "I'll let you sleep now, good night." He gave me a charming smile before stepping out of the door.

Just like that? I frowned a bit to myself. I wasn't expecting anything.
Or was I? I know not to expect anything.

I've read somewhere that expectations leads to disappoint and I've learned that lesson long before.

And just when I was thinking about it, his head popped in with a frown.
"Why aren't you calling me inside? At least, you could give me a goodnight kiss, you know, it's not every day you can give me a good night kiss."

I could only laugh. I'm really slow at this. At first, I hesitated to admit my crush, so he said it. Poor guy, I think I like him way more than I thought I did.

"I know that." I said smiling, ready to go to him.

But he stepped in before I could move and raised his eyebrows. "Ms Evelyn Grace Ridge, Can I come there and kiss you?"

"You need permission for that?" I tried to play along and he smirked, coming to me.

"I love that line." He mumbled before his mouth captured mine.