I'm so cozy and warm wrapped up in my blankets, knowing that I don't have any more classes until next semester and I have the whole summer ahead of me. Freshman year of college was...interesting to say the least but I made it. Barely, but I did.

I survived.

I sigh contentedly and feel fingers trailing up and down my back.

"I know your awake," Carter says. Can I just say his morning voice combined with his accent is incredibly sexy.

"Mhmm yeah but I'm choosing to ignore you," I reply.

"Why are you so tired hmm?" He asks teasingly.

"Because you wear me out that's why."

It's getting increasingly harder to ignore him, especially when he starts kissing up my shoulder. My mouth twitches.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, my phone pings with a message and I pull away from Carter to reach over and get it.

Rissa😛: you still at the dorms? I'm coming back to get some stuff before I leave

Shit.

"Carter you have to go," I announce panicked.

He doesn't budge. Instead he seems to relax even more, placing his forearm across his head and looking up at me lazily. "You know, I feel really insulted that you want to kick me out like some one night stand."

I huff. Of course I would love to stay in bed with Carter and I thought I'd be able to since Clarissa left for the summer. Except apparently she hadn't and we made a pack at the beginning of the year to never have guys stay the night because it would be disrespectful and a distraction. We'd both broken the rule but neither of us had actually caught each other and I'd like to keep it that way and not be the first one to get caught since we're still gonna be roomies again next year.

I shove him but he doesn't budge. "Carter," I whine.

"Aubrey," he mimics me. I'm torn between laughing and smacking him.

I glare at him. "I hate you."

He smirks. "That's not what you were saying last night when-"

I shove a pillow over his face effectively cutting off his sentence. While he tosses it off I scramble to find my shirt. It's crumpled on the floor and I grab it, yanking it on.

"That's the shirt I've been looking for since last month!" Carter exclaims sitting up. I smile sheepishly and shrug.

"Guess I forgot to return it."

That was a lie. I totally kept it on purpose.

He gives me a look and reaches for his boxers. "Doubtful."

Just as he puts them on I hear the doorknob turn and this time I curse out loud. There's no time to hide Carter so I shove him under the covers and pull them up to my chest.

"Be quiet," I hiss as the door opens and Clarissa steps in.

"You're still not out of bed?" she asks raising a brow. "It's nearly one. Don't you still have to pack for that trip you're going on?"

My heart is pounding and I run a hand through my hair, laughing nervously. "Yeah um- I was just about to get out of bed."

For the first month of summer I was going to England with Nikole, Ivy, Chanel, Ryan, Trevor, and of course Carter. We'd been planning it for months. Our flight was scheduled to leave tonight and I hadn't even started packing. Of course Ivy was already ready to go and excited to see Felix, who she still kept in contact with.

"So did you forget something?" I ask trying to switch topics.

"Yeah just some clothes."

"Don't you have clothes at home?"

She grins. "Yeah but I couldn't leave some of my favorite tops behind. I'll be gone the whole summer after all."

"Obviously," I laugh while she rummages through her drawer. So far Carter has kept quiet and I breathe out a sigh of relief thinking that Clarissa will get her stuff, leave, and there'll be no problem.

But of course that's too much to ask for.

I feel him blow against my thigh and a surprised squeak escapes my mouth. Clarissa turns to me.

"Uh what was that?"

"Nothing!" I quickly say. "It was nothing just uh- something flew in my eye. Like dust or air...particles..."

"Air particles?" She laughs. "You're a funny one."

When Carter's hand begins to creep up my shirt I reach under and seize his wrist. I hear him chuckle and Clarissa turns back to me. I smile pleasantly.

"You finished?" I ask when she closes her drawer.

"Yep, just about," she shoves the clothes into a backpack. "Hug goodbye?"

"Oh no," I shake my head. "I smell. And I haven't brushed my teeth. Trust me, I'm doing you a flavor."

"Ok then," she laughs. "See you when I see you I guess."

"Of course. Have a great summer."

"You too. Have fun on your trip."

Once she's gone I fling the covers aside and glare daggers at Carter. He just rolls off the bed laughing.

"Don't you have an hour or something drive back to Santa Barbara?" I ask pointedly.

He stands and runs a hand through his messy hair, still shirtless so I see his biceps flex. He should come with a warning sign. Warning: proceed with caution. May be too hot to handle.

"With Lucy it'll be a quick drive," he pulls his shorts on followed by his shirt. "And unlike you I'm already packed."

I roll my eyes. "Well you should leave then. I don't need any distractions."

"Fine, but only because you asked oh so nicely."

"Don't take that tone with me."

"Or what?" He circles around the bed toward me and I step back.

"Carter-NO!" I start laughing uncontrollably when he pins me on the bed and starts tickling me mercilessly.

"Stop!" I gasp trying to block him but then he just moves his hands to tickle another part of my body.

"What's the magic word?"

"P-please!" I can barely get the words out because I'm laughing so hard oxygen isn't working it's way through my lungs.

He stops and I catch my breath. Then when I recover I shove him off.

"Out. Now."

He slips on his Nike slides before giving me his signature wink and exiting. I let out a loud sigh and flop back onto my bed.

Now to muster up the energy to pack for a months long trip.

💖💖💖

"I feel like we've been waiting forever!" Chanel complains. "When are we going to start boarding?"

"When our flight is announced," Ivy replies calmly while flipping through a magazine. "Now sit down and chill."

We're been waiting now for approximately an hour and a half to board our flight. Ryan and Nikole went off to get us all food while the rest of us hung back.

"I feel like I didn't pack enough," I announce.

"Trust me, you packed plenty," Trevor replies. "You had four suitcases."

"But still..." I bite my lip. "What if-"

"Shhhh," Carter says from the bench across form me. "You talk too much."

"Oh fuck off."

"Language," Trevor says grinning and I give him the finger.

"You too Trev."

He laughs. "You know I should really start practicing my British accent. I think I've got it down now," he clears his throat. "G'day mate."

"That's Australian you dumbass," Ivy rolls her eyes. "Please stop talking, I think I'm losing brain cells."

Just then Ryan and Nikole come back with bags of food. I sit up.

"Finally. What took so long?"

"The lines were long as hell," Ryan replies.

"Waiting for your flight works up an appetite," Nikole hands me a bag and drink. I peer inside the bag. Two burgers and large fries.

I don't waste any time tearing into my meal. I love me a well made burger. In the span of fifteen minutes I eat both and half my fries, washing it all down with Sprite.

Mhm mhm good.

"I can't believe your dad is letting us stay with him," Nikole sets her drink down. "That is so incredibly nice."

"Yeah well it's a big house," Carter replies. "So it would be kind of stupid to not stay there and waste money on a hotel."

"How big are we talking about?" Ryan asks. "Cause theres seven of us and I doubt we'd each get our own rooms."

"Obviously not," I roll my eyes.

"We'll discuss room arrangements when we get there," Carter says.

Just as he finishes his sentence out flight is announced. Chanel is the first up.

"Yay it's time! When we get there I wanna see Big Ben first and then-"

She skips ahead of us with Ivy on her heels telling her to relax.

"Tourists," Carter shakes his head and I smack his arm.

"Oh shut up."

"Tell me to fuck off or shut up again and I'll put you over my knee and spank you."

I scoff. "Yeah right."

He raises his brows. "Oh is that a challenge?"

"Like you could do it in this crowded airport."

Trevor is up ahead with Ivy and Chanel while Nikole and Ryan are behind us. Suddenly Carter swoops me right over his shoulder. I squeal.

"Ok ok ok you proved your point put me down!" I can literally feel everyone staring and I plot in my head to kill Carter for this.

"No I don't think so," he smacks my ass and I let out a surprised squeak.

Is it wrong of me to think that was actually kinda hot?

"Carter please," I plead.

"Carter please," he mimics. "You know I really like it when you beg."

I hit his back repeatedly and he laughs setting me down.

"I am so not speaking to you for the entire flight!" I give him a death stare before stomping off to catch up with Ivy.

"You know you love it!" He calls out after me.

Nikole appears next to me in my haste to get away. "Aww you guys are so cute!"

I shoot her a look.

On the plane I stick to my words and sit next to Ivy. We plan on catching up over these last couple months. FaceTime is nice and all but it doesn't compare to talking in person.

Ivy tells me about school, how she's doing great in all her classes, taking part in school activities, and of course, being the leader of said activities. She also tells me how's she's been going on a lot of casual dates to break into the dating world.

"You go girl," I nudge her.

She smiles shyly. "It's nothing serious like I said."

"Cause you really like Felix right?" I grin. She blushes.

"It's not like that with us-" she tries to explain but I cut her off.

"Suuuuuure it isn't. I've known you almost my entire life Ivy, you can't lie to me."

"Believe what you want," she replies, basically an omission of the truth. She'll spill eventually, she's never been good at keeping secrets.

Nikole and Chanel are sitting in front of us and turn around so all four of us can talk and catch up.

Believe it or not Chanel has been actively involved in her schools theater community. She said she didn't realize she had a passion for acting until she accidentally joined the schools first theater production. Chanel also had a hidden penchant for singing so I could definitely see her on broadway or something.

Nikole had gone to the International Academy of Dance because if we're being honest here, she was the best dancer on the cheer team back in high school. Dancing was just in her blood I guess. Her mom had been a dancer when she was younger so it seemed only fitting Nikole follow in her footsteps. Besides that, Nikole had never really had an interest in school academically anyway.

As for me, when I applied to UCLA I really had no clue what I wanted to major in. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. My brother Jason suggested I give film a try. At first I was reluctant, because that was more his thing and not mine, but it's actually not so bad. Who knows? Maybe I'll make a career out of it. I do have a flair for the dramatic.

Trevor was majoring in computer science, or more specifically computer game design. That boy was a hardcore gamer and probably would be until the day he died. Ryan was into the whole sports scene there. Carter was majoring in engineering, which was no surprise since he liked to get his hands dirty.

Overall everyone has been doing pretty good, with only a few bumps here and there.

I don't realize I've fallen asleep until Ivy is shaking me awake. "Aubrey wake up. We're here."

"Huh?" I yawn. The captain comes on over the speakers.

"We are approaching our landing time soon. Please keep your seat belts on and stay in your seats until indicated otherwise. We will be landing shortly."

I look outside the window. We've arrived in the wee hours of the morning but I already can see a vast difference between here and California. For one, everything has a historic look and feel to it. I feel myself getting exited. I can't wait to explore the city where Carter grew up.

I turn to Carter who is in the seat across from me, forgetting my vow to not speak to him the entire flight.

"Are you excited to be back home?" I ask.

He shrugs. "I guess."

It's like I can hear his voice in my head. Tourists. Well I don't care. This is my first time in London and damn if I won't enjoy the full experience.

It feels like forever before the plane finally lands. It feels even longer waiting before we can get off. As soon as we're outside I breathe in deeply. Even the air feels different. Better. Less polluted if that makes sense.

"We're in London!" Chanel twirls around.

"Shall we proceed to get our bags then old chaps?" Trevor asks in his fake British accent and Ivy hits him repeatedly with her rolled up magazine.

"This way everyone," Nikole gestures for us to follow her. We retrieve our bags and wait outside the airport for the car Carter's dad sent for us.

Chanel is like a kid in a candy shop. She looks around wide-eyed, as if it's her first time ever stepping outside.

"Open your eyes any wider and they'll pop out," Carter remarks dryly. "It really isn't that great."

"Dude that's because you've lived here practically your whole life," Ryan says. "Just let us soak it in."

Carter rolls his eyes.

A sleek black car pulls up and a driver complete with the uniform and hat steps out holding up a sign that says Carter King and friends.

"That's us," Ivy points.

We roll our suitcases over and introduce ourselves to the driver, whose name is Ellis. He opens the door for us and we all clamber inside.

"This is sick," Trevor runs his hands over the leather interior.

I settle in next to Chanel who's claimed the window seat. She stares out of it as she drives, pointing out every little thing she sees.

"Omg a double decker bus! I've always wanted to go on one!"

"We probably will," Carter says and she lets out a squeal of excitement. Ivy is examining the maps and brochures from the airport.

London is truly beautiful. I can't find the words to describe it except...majestic.

When we arrive at the house all, and I mean all, our mouths fall open. Except Carter.

This isn't a house, it's a mansion.

"Someone pinch me," Nikole breathes. Trevor gives Carter a suspicious look.

"Are you sure you aren't the crown prince or something?"

Carter laughed. "Pretty sure. My dad is the CEO of King enterprises remember?"

I obviously hadn't. I knew his mom worked in a small business but I'd completely forgotten about his dad. It was easy to forget too since Carter wasn't spoiled and pretty much had to earn or work for everything he wanted even though his dad was rich.

The driver opens the door and we step out. He then starts taking our bags inside and we follow, our mouths still agape. Inside is even more spectacular than outside. I feel like I'm on an episode of MTV cribs.

I hear feet pounding down the steps and a familiar twin cry.

"Aubrey!"

Before I can react I'm tackled in a hug. Oh how I missed Olivia and Sophia. They're heavier than last time I saw them, which is expected since it has been a year.

"We're so glad your here!" Olivia squeezes me.

I hug them both back. "Where's your mom?"

"At work!" They both chirp. "She couldn't find a babysitter last minute so she dropped us off at daddy's."

The man in question comes down the stairs next. Rocco is, and probably will forever be an intimidating man.

"You must all be Carter's friends," he booms. "It's nice to see all of you. Some of you again," he looks at Trevor and Ryan who let out nervous laughter.

Ivy rushes up to him with Nikole on her heels. "We just want to say thank you so much for letting us stay here."

"Your place is amazing," Nikole gushes.

"Thank you," he smiles. "Carter."

Carter steps out from behind me and goes to give his dad one of those manly hugs that involve lots of slapping on the back.

"How about a tour?" Rocco suggests.

"Oh oh can we help?" Sophia jumps up and down.

"Of course princess."

"Am I a princess too daddy?" Olivia pouts.

"You're both my princesses."

Olivia twirls happily.

During the tour I come to the conclusion that I'll for sure get lost within the first few days. The only places I really memorize are the kitchen, the living room, and the backyard, which has a pool. Then we're shown our rooms. I'm sharing with Ivy, Nikole is sharing with Chanel, Trevor with Ryan, and Carter gets his own room.

Once we're all settled in, changed, and fed we head out for our first tour of the city. Chanel insists we ride the double decker bus first and see Big Ben.

"This is so cool," Nikole laughs as we board the bus and head straight to the top. "Someone get my picture."

During the ride Carter points out all the best shops, restaurants, and hang out spots.

"The London Eye!" I point out across the river. Ivy is snapping pictures like crazy.

Carter checks his phone. "I guess we're meeting Felix at Big Ben."

Immediately the girls and I turn to Ivy who instantly blushes.

When we get off the bus we have to walk a little before we reach the infamous clock tower. But the walk is worth it. Big Ben is amazing. Honestly I'm running out of adjectives to describe this trip, and we hadn't even been here for a day.

"Well if it isn't my old blokes," Felix greets us with a grin. "And ladies. Welcome to London. Now you're on my turf."

Ivy hangs back as we all say hello. I end up pushing her forward.

"Hey," she says shyly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Hey stranger," he steps close to her and lifts up her chin to kiss her. I hear Nikole secretly take a picture next to me.

"They're so cute. Event though their relationship is weird and complicated," she whispers to Chanel and I.

"Alright!" Trevor claps. "Let's check out this tower. Can we go up?"

"Yep," Felix nods. "If you've booked a tour in advance. It's a really popular tourist attraction so tours are usually booked for months."

"Aw man."

Carter chuckles. "Don't worry. I got us tickets."

"You did?" We all exclaim.

"Don't thank me. Thank my dad. He pulled some strings."

"Dude I love your dad," Ryan slaps Carter's back. "Alright let's do this."

Everyone starts walking toward the entrance but I pull Carter back.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

"Nothing," I wrap my arms around him and he does the same. I tilt my head up to look at him. "I'm just really happy."

"Well I'm glad your happy."

"I love you."

He smiles and kisses me softly. "I love you too."

Ok that was really the end.

😭😭😭😭😭

I hope you enjoyed the epilogue. At first I planned on not having one but Paris_77 insisted I must have one. So thanks bestie. Love ya 💗

Turn the page for my really sappy authors note and some things you won't want to miss.

For the last time,

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