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Chapter Eight :You're Smiling Like A Horny Guy On A Dodgy Street Corner

I wake up the next morning due to the annoying morning light that seems to be so annoyingly streaming through my window. I groan and roll onto my side so that my face presses into the sheets and mentally curse myself for not drawing the curtains before going to bed. I pull my fluffy purple blanket over my head and try going back to sleep, if you're an O'Connell then eight hours of sleep are never enough trust me.

However even as I'm trying to slip into a deep slumber I can sense that something's different and it's irking me. I'm still too warm and comfortable in my bed to actually get up and see why it is that sleeping in-an experience which I cherish more than life itself at times is getting so bothersome. Then I sense it, the reason why my stupid brain refuses to shut down and let me get some sleep, I know what the difference is.

My sheets don't smell like the peach blossom scented detergent our cleaner uses, actually they do but it's like that smell's been overwhelmed by something stronger, something much more delectable and inviting and before I allow myself to greedily inhale more of the delicious scent my brain goes into overdrive and warning bells sound in my head. This smell does not belong to me, this smell cannot be associated with any of my family members because there's only one person that I know who could leave traces of such a scent and I really don't want to think about the how's and the why's regarding that particular situation.

Sleep abandons me immediately when I realize that I'm no longer sleeping but just lying down and acting like an obsessed stalker whilst smelling my sheets. My rise from the bed is nothing like those scenes in the movies where the girl's face gets illuminated by the sunlight as she so gracefully gets up and stretches, thrilled to welcome the new day.

Instead I groan and grunt stomping my feet on the ground, cranky because I really could do with more sleep. I yawn opening my mouth widely and run my hand through the tangled mess that is my hair, I think I really should cut it sometime soon.

"Aren't you the perfect little lady?"

My eyes are still encrusted by the remnants of sleep so I have to squint and focus to make out the person who has the nerve to bug me when I'm feeling like a cave woman who hasn't had any food. Of course it's him, who else could it possibly be? Cole leans against the door smirking at me looking ridiculously good for whatever god darn time it is. I could say that I've forgotten about him sleeping in the same bed as me, I could say that seeing him has my jaw dropping or my eyes bulging out of their sockets or my blood pressure rising but that would be a lie.

It just seems like routine to have him around me all the time and it's starting to scare me knowing how used to him I am.

"Not in the mood." I mutter grouchily and lock myself in my bathroom though I can still hear him cackling outside.

Even though I took a shower before going to bed last night I still feel grimy and hence allow myself to be assaulted by the hot water as it rouses me out of my zombie like state. Once I'm as shiny and new as a baby's bottom I brush my teeth and pull on my robe. Thankfully Cole has decided to leave me or rather my room alone, seriously though it seems like the guy is in a relationship with my bed-he never leaves! Afraid that he might barge in any given second, I lock my door and walk towards my closet.

Usually it takes me about two minutes to pick an outfit seeing how as I dress up like Ernie our resident homeless guy down the street, all the time but for some vague reason I find myself itching to go through the Untouched Collection and I only do that when I know I'll be seeing Jay a lot.

Today however is Sunday and unless someone's throwing a block party again I won't really get to see him so why do I not want to wear my ratty old sweatshirt and jeans? It's like my hand gets repelled when I try taking something out from my everyday clothes and I frown.

It's the weekend, the perfect opportunity to dress down but I just don't want to.

Sighing I go to the very back of the walk in and try not to flinch at the amount of pink in there. I like pink don't get me wrong but then there's only too much of it that you can have in your closet before it starts looking like something the Pink Panther threw up. I should really tell my mom that black's the new pink...

I pick out a navy oversized sweater which has red hearts on it along with some black skinny jeans and my favourite studded ankle boots. Once dressed I tie up my hair into a messy bun since nothing could ever have me making an effort with it and bounce downstairs suddenly finding myself in a good mood.

I find Cole busy in my kitchen, there are blenders whizzing and pots and pan on the stove top. He's got a chopping board in front of him and is going at the vegetables like a pro. For a second I just stand there fixated by his skill and feel slightly embarrassed by the fact the only time I tried to cook I ended up blowing the oven.

Just another normal day in the life of Tessa O'Connell I assure you.

"Done drooling Shortcake?''

I stop staring as I register his words and manage to put some bite behind my words even though I'm not really up for an argument with him at the moment.

"I'm sorry but I don't bat for your team Martha Stewart."

His smirk drops and he glares at me, "Now you're just being sexist."

"You're wearing my mom's old apron; you should've seen that coming." I chuckle and take a seat opposite the kitchen counter.

"This," he points to his t-shirt, "is new and cost me fifty bucks; I don't care if I look like one of the Real Housewives of New Jersey."

I snort thinking about how bad that show really is, "You sound more and more like a girl each day."

He gasps audibly and before I know it he's thrown a fistful of flour at me, "Take that back." He says and I just sit there in shock while grimacing at the bitter powdery taste in my mouth.

"You idiot! I just showered." I whine as I try dusting off the flour from my face, my hair and my brand new sweater!

"You questioned my masculinity, bad move Tessie."

"You're so so...!" In frustration and mostly annoyance at how he's turned my good bright sunny day into one where I'm possibly in the mood for murder, I grab my glass of orange juice and throw it at his face.

Though when I realize what is that I've done I gasp in shock and cover my mouth with my hands.

Oh My God.

Did I just...?

I'm not an impulsive person, let's just clear that up. I always and I repeat always think something over a billion times before I actually go through with it. In fact I don't just think, I over think. I am the queen of the land of the over-thinkers so for me to have done what I just did is just completely out of character. I have somehow managed to pour orange juice all over the guy whose known better for his ability to keep a grudge than his nightly sexcapades and trust me that just means I've dug my own grave and already buried myself under.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't, I mean you were there and I got angry and I'm so sorry." My voice is muffled by as I cover my face with my hands and peek through my fingers to see if he's breathing fire and if I should start reciting my last will and testament but to my surprise he looks...amused?

Okay.

"What?" I ask him as I finally uncover my face and he in all his OJ drenched glory smiles at me. I wonder if he's suffered any serious brain damage between the hours that I slept. Maybe he found the access to my brother's secret pot stash or taken some of my mom's anti depressant's which she leaves all over the place.

I could use one right now though.

"You splashed juice all over my face," He muses smilingly somewhat eerily.

"Yes Einstein I did but that doesn't explain why you're smiling like a horny guy on a dodgy street corner."

He burst out laughing at that and his laughter is infectious and I find myself joining in though I still don't know why he isn't choking me with his bare hands.

When he stops laughing, Cole takes a tea towel and wipes his face clean. The shirt he tried so hard to protect is now stained so obviously he does what he considers is the most rational move.

He takes it off.

My eyes widen and my breathing falters as he slowly shrugs out of the now sticky material. It's like watching an Abercrombie and Fitch commercial only better because his body his so much better than any of their photoshopped models. I withhold a sigh as he uses the towel to wipe off his stomach and I nearly faint when I see the eight packs.

Holy cow, eight freaking packs.

"Try not to burn the house down while I put these in the laundry bag." He chuckles leaving the kitchen with me standing there feeling absolutely star struck. I know I saw him shirtless last night but it was nighttime and we were in bed. It kind of made sense to be half naked then but now in broad daylight my heart and brain just cant handle it as they're both going into overdrive. I stare at his broad smooth skinned back and the indentations of his muscles as he walks away from me and to the laundry room.

I'm vaguely aware of shutting down the blender and trying to flip a pancake perfectly but narrowly missing the floor when I try. I really need to learn how to cook sometime soon, I'll be going off to college next year and I refuse to be the student who lives on Ramen.

"The key is in the wrist," I jump as arms shoot out from behind my waist and take a hold of my hand that holds the spatula. All of a sudden I'm surrounded by the same scent that I was perving on in the morning and there's no hint of a doubt as to who it is behind me. The sound of his voice tells me the he's closer than I want him to be and the fact that his arms are around me is seriously destroying my resolve. I don't want him to know that his nearness is having the effect that it is so I straighten up my spine and nod like I'm listening to his instructions. His fingers are gentle as they clasp on my wrist and help me flick a pancake perfectly in the air before it lands perfectly in the center of the pan.

"I did it." Smiling to myself I try to move to face him but at the same time as I turn my head and before I can make head or tails of the situation Cole grabs the bowl full of pancake batter and pours it all over me head.

I squeal as the cool thick liquid travels from the top of my head, slipping gradually inside my sweater making me squirm. I splutter and choke as Cole clutches his stomach cackling like the slimy hyena he is.

"That was," he can't stop his laughter and I see his eyes water because of it, "Epic!"he gasps like he could use a tank full of oxygen at this point . I lean against the counter and angrily wipe at every reachable corner on my face but it dawns on me that nothing is salvageable at the moment and I'm going to need another shower.

Dandy.

"You!" I lunge for Cole whose trying to catch his breath but failing miserably, grabbing a bowl of whisked egg whites  I take advantage of his distracted state and nearly smash the bowl over his head so that the gooey liquid is smeared all over his precious hair.

Cole's obsessed with his hair so much so that once when his barber accidently cut off too much he set up fire crackers in his shop when it closed down and blew the place up.

Well it didn't technically blow up since they weren't majorly explosive but the damage was done. Moral of the story, you just don't touch the guy's hair.

Dye my hair red and call me Brave, eat your heart out Disney!

"You didn't!" He growls and stalks towards me, I smile sweetly.

"Aww is the whittle baby hurt?" I coo and pinch his cheeks and apparently that's what it takes to set off Cole Stone's fuse since he grabs me by the waist and throws me over his shoulder in a move as fast as lightening.

"Oh you're going down." He says his voice dripping with promise and pure evil.

I really do hate to admit it but I don't mind the view I'm getting right now. He's still naked back is fully on view and the fact that he's walking causes the muscles to flex. His jeans are slung lowly and even thought its his brother that I've been losing my night's sleep over for as long as I can remember I do have to admit that he has a fine...

"Oh no, oh no please don't do what I think you're going to do." I beg as he jogs lightly in the direction of the pool.

Did I mention that we have a pool? I probably should have.

"You should've thought about that before you started playing Hell's Kitchen." The mischief in his voice has a shiver run down my back and I increase the pounding on his back.

"Let me down Stone!" I try to put some power behind my words but all he does is chuckle in response, I can tell because his shoulders are shaking. We are nearing the pool and something drops in the pit of my stomach. The blood's rushing to my head as I hang upside down and from behind the curtain of my hair I see us approach the edge of the pool and Cole's hold on my waist loosens, I squeeze my eyes and brace myself for the fall. I try kicking and screaming, I try threatening to cut of his man parts, I even try to bargain with him offering him slave like services but he's not budging.

"Take a deep breath Tessie!" He shouts and I prepare myself for the fall but to my surprise he jumps along with me as we both fall into the pool with a gigantic splash. I'm swallowed by the water and Cole finally releases me, even under water I can see the fat grin on his face and I glare at him but soon my eyes start to sting. Placing my hands on his shoulders I push him downwards as I propel myself out of the water. Turns out this isn't the greatest move since he wraps his own arms around my waist and pulls me flush against him.

He resurfaces looking every bit the male model he could be and smirks at me. I hate seeing how he's not at all breathless or flustered like I am in fact his gleeful expression is confusing me so much. I don't know what we are anymore, there's no defined relationship and our compromising position isn't really helping it. We're pressed together, his shirtless chest with my soaked sweater which isn't really made of the thickest fabric. My shoulders are exposed from where the sweater's starting to slip and I feel chills all over and it's nothing to do with the overlapping water.

"I made you wet again didn't I?"

I should've done something; in hindsight. I mean there were so many options to choose from, I could've commented on his lack of ability to turn me on or used of the many witty remarks stored in my arsenal, I could've kneed him in the crotch or broken his nose with one quick punch, taught courtesy of a lucid Travis.

But I didn't do any of that.

In fact as I see him looking at me like he is with his blue eyes shining just like the sun rays reflected on the water and the corner of his mouth pulling up into what looks like a genuine smile, I can't help but want to be closer to him. It's all so foreign to me, all of this. Every single touch, every look, every smile is new to me since at eighteen years old I've never been kissed nor have I ever dated. When you have a fall out with the girl who has the reigns to the entire school in her manicured paws guys don't really want to be around you.

Except Cole.

I shiver as his hands travels from my waist, skimming lightly up the skin of my side until his hand's cupping the side of my neck, angling my head towards him. I know he's waiting for a reaction for a reaction from me, any sign that I want him to stop but I don't think I'm really in the mood to go all ninja on him right now. It's like he senses this and a heart warming smile lights up his face, one which has my heart start doing the craziest hip hop moves which would put Queen Latifah to shame. I rest my hands on his shoulders needing the support to just be upright. There were a lot of things that were wrong with this situation, the first and foremost being that I'm in the arms of the boy who's done nothing but make my life a living hell for as long as I've known him. Does the fact that he's currently suffering from the guardian angel syndrome necessarily have to change everything? Should I trust him knowing what our history is like? Should I...

"Stop over thinking Tessie, just enjoy the moment." He winks dips his head so that our foreheads are pressed together intimately along with our bodies.

"What..." I start but he places a finger over my lips.

"I said, enjoy the moment."

I do listen to him this time. Cole doesn't move his face even an inch because if he did so then our lips would definitely brush up and the idea terrifies me as much as it strangely seems to exhilarate me. I look into his eyes trying to work out what secrets lay in their sapphire like depths. Our breath is coming out in pants and the distance between is becoming almost imaginary. There's thin line we need to cross before everything changes.

"Cole is that you?"

Or we could just be interrupted.

I freeze dropping my hands from Cole's shoulders instantaneously. In response his eyes harden as they look into the distance. He can see the person who just called out and whoever it is is the one responsible for his mood's one-eighty degree turn. Even though he backs up a bit so that our faces aren't touching, his hand still cups my neck and it seems like he's not willing to drop it. I feel like he's challenging the person watching us.

It's sad though that I know from just from the sound of his voice who the person is and having that particular piece of information I just wish I could drown in the five feet of water we were currently standing in.

"You always did have the worst timing Jay Jay."

My heart's hammering inside my chest as I untangle myself from Cole who realizing that I feel extremely uncomfortable lets me go. I swim towards the large rectangular steps which lead out of the pool and begin to move out. Fully aware that I have two pairs of eyes watching me and the fact that my clothes are soaked and dripping wet with my sweater now  reaching up to my elbows, I wrap my arms around myself and head inside the house, scurrying past Jay to his credit isn't even looking at me.

I run to my room and quickly shrug out of my clothes throwing them to one side, and then abandoning the need to shower for the moment I dry myself and pull on a purple v-necked top along with some grey skinny jeans. I mourn at the sight of my boots whilst emptying out all the water in them before replacing them with some sandals. My big blonde mess of a hairdo makes me look like a lion with a bad mane job so I let it down on over my shoulders, running a brush through it to get the tangles out.

I don't even care what I look like as I take two steps at a time hoping that the Stone brothers haven't drawn each other's blood yet. I find them in my living room standing across from each other, Cole with his hands stuffed in his pockets and Jay with his arms crossed over his chest. While the former looks arrogant as always the latter has a deep frown set on his face which reduces considerably when he sees me coming. I halt at the very unlikely scene before me; never could I have imagined that Jay would be in my house.

Jay is in my house!

Oh and he caught me feeling up his shirtless brother, big deal.

"Tessa," he smiles but it looks forced. Cole turns his head and then averts his gaze after giving me a single glance.

Okay what's with that?

"What're you doing here?" I skip the pleasantries knowing that the atmosphere didn't really call for them.

"You seemed pretty upset last night," I wince recalling the memory but he doesn't notice," So I thought I'd check up on you."

As much as I want to swoon and jump around squealing like I'm on crack because of his words it just doesn't seem right. It's been nearly four years since he's come over and trust me there have been plenty of occasions during said four years where I could've used a friend, someone I'd known for my entire life but he never came. I'm not mad at, I could never be mad at him but I'm pretty okay with the arrangement we have going on here. I pine away for him in the distance and he remains unreachable and untouchable, that works perfectly.

"You've seen her, she's standing in one piece so I think it's time to say goodbye." Cole sounds biting, harsh and its like I can almost feel the waves of jealousy radiating off of him but that's just me right?

Jealous and Cole?

Yeah right.

"I don't think it's any of your business Cole so back off." Jay says with barely restrained anger. I don't think I help the situation when I finally walk over to them and stand next to Cole, it's like he senses that I've picked a side.

"Like hell I will, you've done enough to her man. If you cant help her then don't make things worse for her."

"What the hell do you mean?" Jay growls and marches forward looking quite intimidating. I realize that this could lead to something which could get out of hand so I position myself in front of Cole and place a hand on Jay's chest as he approaches us.

"Calm down Jay, there's no need to get mad." My attempts at soothing him seem to fly right out of the window when a flicker of hurt and disappointment comes across his face.

"He's the one who's hurt you and you're defending him? What does he have over you Tessa? Why are you spending so much time with him? I thought you hated him."

I thought so to Jay, I thought so to.

"It's a long story and not easy to explain so just let it go, please."

"So what you guys are buddies now, is that it? All those years he put you through hell and I'd be the one to step up and help you but now that he shows a little interest you switch sides."

I back away from him like he's slapped me and fall right into Cole's chest. He steadies me and wraps an arm around me pressing me to one side where I lean on him.

"Dude just stops talking before I break your face." Cole growls threateningly and Jay's face falls a little when he meets me eyes. I know he realizes that he's hurt me and that his attack was uncalled for. In this very moment I don't recognize who he is, his eyes aren't the warm ones I get lost in every day and there's no smile threatening to break out over his face. He looks cold, worn out, dejected and lost.

I don't know who he is.

"Tessa I'm so sorry that came out all wrong, I shouldn't have..."

"You're the one who picked someone else Jay, I was always your friend." I say through the choking feeling in my throat. I'm not going to cry in front of these two, they won't have a repeat of last night's show since I'm so much better than that.

He looks dumbfounded for a while before hanging his head in shame, he knows what or rather who I'm talking about.

Cole's arm tightens around me but that's not what I need right now. I need some space from both of them.

Just a few weeks ago I spent all my time hanging around the house, stalking my crush on Facebook, whatever my life was like I was fine with it. The only drama came from Nicole's childish bullying but it's not childish anymore, I remember with a shudder and the two reasons stand in the same room as me. They're the ones bringing the unnecessary commotion into my life and I just need to get away from them.

"I think you guys should leave." I say quietly before removing Cole's hand from around me and stepping back.

In an afterthought I pause and add, "Oh and that key underneath the mat? Remind me to hide it somewhere better."

With that I run back into my room and fall down into my bed. Life's a lot of things, I ponder later on. It's tough, cruel, unfair, unpredictable and what not but it most certainly isn't all about Cole and Jay Stone.

Before either tries to make amends with me, in the words of Beth herself 'they need to sort their shit out.'

They really do.

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