MICHELLE
OCTOBER 31ST, 2004

      THE FIRST THING I NOTICED WHEN I WOKE UP WAS THE FACT THAT I WASN'T UNDER ANY BLANKETS, which made me automatically shiver, feeling the cold breeze in my room.

I hated the cold.

The second thing I noticed was the arm wrapped around my torso, pulling me closer to the body behind me.

I am so screwed.

I could hear Maeve's music playing in her room down the hall, which told me she was awake and likely cleaning her room. If I focused hard enough I could hear her humming along too.

Outside my window I could hear the quiet beat of Finn playing basketball and I think he had a friend over because I could hear him talking to someone.

My gaze flickered over to my clock hanging above my door that read 10:47.

I pulled myself up, my eyes shooting out the window and landing on the two boys roughhousing in the driveway. I think I remember Finn telling me his friend's name last time he came over. It was either Scott or Scout.

I don't know what they were doing, but right now Scout had Finn in a headlock as he bounced the basketball on the cement. I don't think they were fighting because it was clear by their physical appearance that if they were, Finn could probably knock Scout out with one punch.

Scout was built like the average thirteen year old boy—even though I'm pretty sure he's fourteen—and Finn was pretty well built, looking closer to fifteen than thirteen (his actual age).

"Ugh." The boy beside me groaned, tightening his hold on me. "Turn off the lights."

I looked down at him. His nose was wrinkled and his eyes were squeezed together. He looked like he was squinting, but with his eyes closed. His hair was sticking in every other direction, it was like a bomb of blond hair exploded on his head.

I spun my body around to face him and dropped back down onto the bed. The movement made him open his eyes and his grey eyes immediately met mine.

"Hey." I whispered, my hand lifting up against my own will and brushing a strand of his blond hair out of his face.

"Hi." He pulled his arm around my waist back until it was just his hands on my hip. "I think I fell asleep." He mumbled.

"You think?" I didn't know what else to say. My mind was so wrapped up in the fact that his eyes looked so blue in this light.

Usually they kind of looked colorless, like they were actually just grey, but not right now. Right now they looked blue, like a light shade of baby blue. It was like someone had taken a chunk of the morning sky and placed it in his eyes.

It was heavenly.

I think that was my new favorite color.

I felt my hand find the side of his face, my thumb sliding against his cheek below his left eye. "Your eyes look really pretty." I whispered.

I would've added 'right now', but then I'd be lying because his eyes look pretty all the time

I wish my eyes were cameras so that I could take a photo and have this memory in my back pocket forever.

Even though I'll likely never forget it unless I get hit on the head hard enough.

"So are yours." He matched my volume.

I wanted to kiss him.

I've only known the guy for—almost—two months and I already wanted to kiss him.

Honestly, I was kind of ready to kiss him the first time we met, but then it was like a 'this guys so cute I want to kiss him' sort of kiss, now it's more of a 'he's so cute and funny and I think I'm falling for him' kind of kiss.

Is that bad?

"Michelle!" Maeve's loud voice echoed from the other side of my bedroom door, as her fist violently slammed into the wood. "Michelle, are you awake?"

I snapped out of my daze, pulling myself off my bed and practically sprinting towards the door before she had the chance to open it. "Uhh, yeah." I stepped in front of the door just in time to catch it before it swung open completely. "What do you want." I placed my body in the small opening of the door so that she couldn't see anything—or anyone—in my room.

"Nothing." She shrugged "mam wants you downstairs."

"Why?" I hugged the door to my side as I leaned closer to the doorframe.

Maeve rolled her eyes "I don't know. She just said 'get your sister for me'. So here I am, getting you."

I groaned.

Leaving Gerard alone in my room didn't seem like the best idea, but I didn't have any better options.

"Fine." I glanced back at the boy who was still sitting on my bed and sent him a look that I hope said "stay here until I get back" then I walked out of my room, closing the door behind me.

"Did you do something?" Maeve asked, skipping behind me.

Oh no.

"Not that I know of."

Did she somehow know about Gerard?

If she did, I am in so much trouble.

"Yeah mom?" I walked into the living room, Maeve hot on my trail. My mom was standing by the door, a jacket wrapped around her body, and her purse on her shoulder. I furrowed my eyebrows "where are you going."

"I've got something I need to do." My mom said, pulling her car keys out of her purse "I need you to watch the twins while I'm gone."

"Wait, what?" Maeve and I said in sync. "What about Declan?" I added on.

"He's having a meeting with his publisher or whatever. He won't be back until dinner time."

"And you?" I asked.

My mom walked towards me, placing a swift kiss on my forehead "probably even later." She then kissed Maeve's forehead "Finnley is outside with his friend right now, Maeve is right there, and Lucy is upstairs sleeping in the alcove. Don't forget to feed her. Love you, bye." Then she was rushing out the door.

Maeve let out a sigh "damn. I was sure she was gonna yell at you for having a boy in your room."

I bit my bottom lip, nodding "yeah, me too."

Wait a second.

How did she know about that?

I spun around to face the girl who was staring at me with a smirk. "Wait. How do you—?"

Oh, shit.

Then the girl ran towards the stairs.

Shit.

I sprinted after her "Maeve wait!" I called, tripping up half the stairs. "There is nobody in my room!"

I knew I was lying and chances were she knew it too, but I had a better chance of pleading my case if I didn't just outright admit it.

"Maeve!" I was too late, she sprinted into my room, not pausing for a second to knock.

Of course, he hadn't even moved from his spot. Gerard was still sitting at the edge of my bed, his head resting on his hands.

"Oh my god." He jumped up when the red head barged through my door. "Maeve! Hey!" His frantic eyes found mine "what are you doing here?" Then his eyes went wider "What am I doing here?" Then he spun around "Where is here?" His hands reached up to his head "oh my god! I can't remember anything."

Maeve rolled her eyes, crossing her arms across her chest "I'm not stupid, you big eejit."

Gerard dropped his hands "I'd have to disagree." His voice now calm.

Maeve scoffed "of course you would." She turned her attention to me, not even bothering to argue with the boy. "I saw you sneak him in here last night. I never saw him leave, so I put the pieces together."

Okay.

This was bad.

"What do you want." I asked, grabbing the red heads shoulders and turning her body towards me. "I'll give you anything, just don't tell mom. She'll tell my dad and then I'll either be forced into lockdown or forced back to my dad's."

My dad was a very protective guy and if he heard that I was able to sneak guys into my room then chances are he would flip his shit.

"Jeez." Maeve snickered, pushed me away from her "calm down."

"Maeve. I'm serious. You cannot tell mom."

"Yeah, I know." She popped her hip out and placed her hand on hip. "But you owe me." Then she sucked in a breath and turned her glare to Gerard. "So, Mister Rugby. What are your intentions with my sisters."

I groaned, slapping my hand against my face "Maeve, seriously?"

"What?" She through her hands up. "I'm just making sure this whole friendship—or whatever you guys plan on calling it—isn't because of that stupid bet all the boys got going on."

"What bet?" Both Gerard and I asked, which comforted me slightly that he had no idea what she was talking about.

Maeve rolled her eyes. "You guys are so stupid." She sat down on my bean bag chair on the floor. "Remember when I told you that 'You're every guys dirty dream right now'?"

I groaned at the reminder of our conversation a few weeks ago. "Vividly."

"Yeah, well, now the lads have this little bet going on to see who can be the first to get in your pants." She folded her knees up to her chest.

"Seriously?" I wanted to barf.

"Yeah. It's kinda like that 'binding 13' thing going on with the girls and your pal Johnny, only with the boys and you, but they don't have a cool name for it 'Cause, let's face it, guys aren't as creative as women are."

That seemed kind of ironic coming from the girl whose father wrote five books.

"What 'binding 13' thing?" Gerard and I asked in sync, again.

"Ugh" Maeve groaned, spinning upside down on the beanbag. "Do I have to explain everything to you."

"Yes." I nodded

Maeve rolled her eyes, which looked kind of funny while she was upside down. "I feel like it's very self explanatory. The girls all wanted to fuck him, they made a challenge out of it." She began to kick her feet "I think that Bella girl won, though."

"Maeve, language!"

"Hold on." Gerard stepped towards us. "Go back to the Michelle one. What's going on there?"

"Yeah, what he said."

Maeve glared between us with her eyebrows knitted together. Then she threw herself up, practically doing a flip off the beanbag chair.

"Like I said. It's pretty self explanatory. They. Want. To. Do. You." Maeve looked directly at me as she said it. "But I'm guessing since you seem just as confused as her, you didn't know about it." Her eyes flickered over to the boy beside me.

"Wait. So if it's a bet, does that mean they, like, win money or something?" I asked.

Maeve nodded "yeah, it's up to like three hundred euro now."

"Damn." My eyebrows shot up "how many people are apart of it?"

Maeve shrugged "a lot."

Hmm "That's great." I said extremely sarcastically.

AUTHOR TALKS!!
If this weren't the ninth chapter, they would've kissed in that one scene, but I don't want them kissing until later in the book (20 chapter rule iykwim). I don't want it to be too slow of a burn, but I also don't want it to only be an eight chapter burn. Then I feel like it would be too rushed.