(Lei ^ I just realized that Lei reminds me of Rapunzel in Tangled)

Lei's POV

A week has passed since Noah and I have agreed to be friends. A week of friendly banter and watching movies with a pillow between us. Some of them even horror movies, fueling my belief that he was lying the first night. He's not afraid of a stupid horror movie. But I don't mind, I enjoy his company.

Right now I'm studying again. It's as if my professors enjoy me staying at home alone and reading over information and writing it down until it's stuck in my brain. The only thing I enjoy about it is making my notes colorful and fancy. It also makes me remember the important information better.

It's time for a snack.

I jump up from my desk, jamming my toe on the way. Ow I jump around on my uninjured foot and cradle the other muttering curse words and yelling them in my head.

Oh crap motherfucker, fuck, fuck, fuck. It's okay, Lei, it didn't hurt that much... nah it still hurts like a motherfucker.

Once I calm down and my foot doesn't hurt as much I limp out my door. I continue muttering curse words under my breathe. I brush my hair out of my face and walk into the living room. I see a brown head peaking up halfway from the couch. I walk behind the couch headed for the kitchen to find me a snack but I pause.

"Adrian?" I peek over the couch and see Adrian, kissing a girl like he hasn't had sugar in a year and hers is covered in it. He jumps up straight and the girl does as well, hitting his temple with her forehead and he groans, covering his head with his hands. The girl rushes her sorry and then looks at me.

"Hi, Lei." They say simultaneously with the same nervous smiles on their faces, cheeks flaming and panting.

"Alexa!" I exclaim as I look at my best friend and back to Adrian, who looks at me with a sheepish grin. "Since when did you guys become a thing?" I say crossing my arms.

"Uh," Alexa twists her hair nervously and fails to meet my eyes, "we aren't?" She says, unsure and Adrian nods his head vigorously.

I look again at Alexa, her cheeks flushed, lips plumper than usual and bright eyes. Adrian, matches her expression, lips swollen, no shirt on and his fingers thrumming against his legs rhythmically. They both look like deer caught in headlights. Don't even get me started on their hair.

"If you're not together, what is this?" I point between them. They both rack through their heads for an answer but I don't let them.

"Is this a benefits type of thing?" I gasp and Alexa shakes her head furiously while Adrian looks deep in thought.

"No, it's definitely not." Alexa says and looks to Adrian to back her up.

"Uh.." His fingers tap faster and Alexa hits him with a cushion when he doesn't back her up.

"Adrian!" She says laughing and Adrian grins before bringing her into another kiss.

"Okay, I'm leaving. Actually no, I'm not I still need a snack." I say but of course neither of them heard any of this and I leave before Alexa starts running her hands up and down Adrian's abs. This may be the reason he's never wearing a shirt.

Once in the safety of the kitchen I ignore all the other noise I hear and get to finding a snack that will make studying worth it. And coming outside of my room worth it. I immediately pour a glass of milk and then decide I'll have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Once it's made and I clean up any mess I made I pick up my milk and sandwich and scamper to my room.

...

Half an hour later I hear knocks on my door.

"Come in."

In walks Adrian, with an actual shirt on and a satisfied grin on his face. He jumps on my bed and sighs like he just came back from the most romantic date.

"A shirt? Who are you and what have you done with Adrian?" I say sarcastically and he throws my pillow at my head.

"Excuse me if I want to put on a shirt, next time shalt I request thou permission?" He says dramatically with the honest-to-god worst Shakespearian accent, it sounded like a constipated Brit. I roll my eyes and spin back to my notes, which I am nearly finished with.

"So you like Alexa?" I ask, sincerely interested, this is my best friend were talking about here. Just because Adrian is my cousin does not mean I trust my best friend's heart in his claws. Yes, claws.

"Would saying she's the honey to my bee answer your question?" He bounces on my bed causing creaking sounds and I become annoyed.

"It does, stop bouncing on my bed. You'll crack your head open like the monkeys from that song." I finish of my last notes and spin around to see Adrian standing on my bed and jumping up and down with a grin covering his stupid face.

"You're messing up my bed!" I protest and throw the pillow from earlier back at him with as much force as possible and there's an audible thump. He looks shocked and before the seconds up he throw the pillow back at me, but misses and hits the wall.

"Oh, please, live a little." Adrian says and proceeds to lay out on my bed and attempt to create snow angels in the blankets. He looks like a 5 year old, trying to make his first ever snow angel and he is sadly, failing. I stand on my bed next to him and pretend to stomp on him. He grabs my ankle, making me fall on the bed next to him.

"Has anyone told you that they hate you?" I lean on my arms as Adrian continues his useless attempt at snow angels in my bed. He gives me a confused look.

"Don't you know that when someone says "I hate you" it means they love you." Adrian states it like a fact and I shake my head. "Not for everyone."

"Well I like to believe it's opposite day for them, so they're meaning to tell me they love you, you know?"Adrian stops his snow angels and looks me, scrutinizing... something.

"How is your relationship with Noah?" He asks and mirrors my position, leaning on his hands and showing me that he's listening to what I say. I scrunch up my nose and try to find something to look at and I settle on a wedding picture I took and printed out of my best friend's and I on Fremont street.

"It's good, we're friends." I put it simply and Adrian frowns at me as if I said something wrong, making me rethink the easy words I just said.

No... I said it right, just friends.

"Why are you looking at me like that." He rolls his eyes like he's talking to a confused child about common sense. I punch his shoulder and he doesn't react.

"Don't you guys like watch a movie together every night? I know you have to do be doing more than just watching a movie." He looks closely at me for any tell tale signs that more has gone on.

"Uh no, nothing goes on. I don't like Noah, sure he's hot but he's still my roommate and he's a stalker."

"You're telling me... no cuddles?" He stares at me and I shake my head, my blond hair getting in my face. I move it out of my face and see Adrian looking for his words.

Adrian, speechless? That never happens.

"Lei Ballard, I realize we are cousins and although I don't understand how sometimes I will always want the best for you and that's why I am going to ask these next questions." He sits up straight and crosses his hands on his legs. I mimic him with a teasing smile on my face.

"When is the last time you kissed someone." He asks serious and raises an eyebrow.

"Uh.."

"-too long, that means it's been too long." He cuts me off before I even have an answer and I roll my eyes and stand up from my bed.

"Adrian listen very closely: I am not kissing or doing anything like that with Noah. Got it?" Adrian nods his head, but he's looking behind me and I turn around to see, he-who-must-not-be-named.

Oh fuck, of course when else does he have to barge into my room.

Adrian jumps off of my head and grins at me and Noah. He runs out of the room gleefully and I want to run after him. But Noah is blocking the way.

"Hello." I say dumbly and cross my arms over my chest. Noah rakes his eyes over me and gives me a smirk, leaning against the doorframe and shirtless, yet again.

Last time it was too dark for me to make out his tattoos but now in daylight my eyes run over them like his did over my body. The swirling black ink call to me to run my finger over them.

"No kissing, ey?" Noah grabs my attention with his question.

"Yes. No kissing. Now I have to do work, can you leave, please?" I ask and sit down in my chair still facing Noah.

"She already finished her work!" Adrian shouts from the other room. I'm gonna put spiders in his bed.

"How do you know that I don't have more?" I shout back at him and turn around to my desk, looking for something to do. Just so that I can prove my point. I grab a blank sheet of paper and open a textbook to a random page.

Noah grabs the back of my chair and spins me around to face him. His arms enclosing me and I push him but he doesn't budge. His green eyes meet mine and I want to stop blinking so I can drown in his eyes some more. But I blink and I look at his lips, formed in a smirk.

"Still no kissing?" He asks me in a husky voice and I shiver.

"No kissing." I respond and slide down the chair until there's an opening without a piece of Noah's body in the way. I take the exit leaving him but before I leave my room I turn back and his eyes meet mine while he sits in my chair.

He smiles.

...
Heyyy if you haven't go check out my new story, it's coming in June. :) Tell me what you think about the chapter!

'til next time, haylizzle