Author's Notes - Hurray! Finally! Alright, so listen carefully: if you loved the original ending, if you don't want to take any risks, if you think this might spoil it for you - don't read this. I'll be completely honest - to me, the story ended in chapter 12. I decided to write this anyway because you guys have been just so amazing and you asked for it and I would do anything for you. Literally, anything. That's how much I love you. I just hope I'm not making a mistake. Don't want to ruin anyone's experience. Anyway, this got so incredibly, ridiculously long, I decided it couldn't possibly be an Epilogue. It is now, officially, a gift to you, my awesome, loyal readers. It is a Bonus Chapter. To you, the story can end last chapter, or in this one. Well, my lovelies, here goes - your late Valentine's gift from me. I really hope you like it.

Chapter Fourteen

Harmony (Bonus Chapter)

“Go, Adrian!” Sophie shamelessly screamed, her voice echoing throughout the foreign gym walls, although not making much of an effect as she was definitely not the only person screaming.

Adrian, whether aware of her loud support or not, furiously ran at high speed to the other side of the basketball court with the ball in his possession, he passed it to one of his teammates and he scored, giving at least half the spectators a good reason to jump and celebrate with joy, including Sophie. The blue eyed girl clapped and waved at her boyfriend as he looked in her direction, winking a perfectly green colored eye at her. She blushed and blew a kiss at him.

Sophie smiled as she realized how deliciously different her presence at his games were now, compared to the first game she watched. That time, she had been hiding in paranoia, her fear of his rejection keeping her from fully admiring his skills and from fully enjoying the game. Now, every time he played, she made the best she could to remind him (and the cheerleaders) that she was there for him, no matter what. She jumped, she marveled at his athletic abilities, she supported him and she even hugged his mother whenever he scored. She never missed a game, not for the last month, ever since they officially started dating. The word “official” was important, because Adrian had mused that they probably had been a couple longer, even before meeting in person, even if they hadn’t been aware of it. But then, Sophie pointed out that if that was the case, it meant they had cheated on each other and so Adrian promptly changed his mind and decided that their “official” dating only started when they actually met in person.

“Did you know that termites eat faster when heavy metal is playing?” Kevin shared with Charlotte who, in spite of not being much of a sports fan and not living the events with half of Sophie’s enthusiasm, gracefully accepted to accompany her most of the time.

“No, I actually did not know that,” the red haired beauty answered, surprise plain on her face. “This kid is abnormally smart,” she confided in Sophie, eyeing Adrian’s little brother with amazement.

The game was over just a few minutes after and they quickly got out of their seats on the stands to meet the players. Sophie tastefully lingered behind for a few moments, allowing Adrian’s family to talk to him briefly, until his mother quietly left with little Kevin on her arms – but not without waving and smiling at Sophie, who gladly returned the gesture. She gleefully approached him then, her smile only getting wider as he rested his strong hands on her cheeks and gently kissed her lips.

“That was a great game,” she told him.

“Yeah, I kicked some ass, didn’t I?” He smirked and she rolled her eyes. “Did you like to see me rule?”

“Always.” But before she could find his lips again, someone interrupted their little moment.

“Great game, Adrian!” It was Diane, one of the cheerleaders. Actually, she was the cheerleader. “Hey, Sophie, nice to see you.” She shot a huge, beautiful smile at Sophie before leaving. Sophie returned her smile, but couldn’t help herself but frown as Diane gracefully walked away. She was a genuinely nice girl. That didn’t make Sophie any less jealous or possessive of Adrian when she was near her, though. Subconsciously, she grabbed Adrian’s shirt with more strength and pushed him closer to her. When she returned her gaze to him, he was grinning.

“Chill out, Murphy,” he said in his seductive voice. “You know I’m all yours, already.”

Sophie blushed and quickly let go of his shirt, trying to step a few inches away from him but, before she could do it, Adrian locked his arms around her small frame and pulled her even closer than before. “No, I didn’t mean for you to let go!” he played as he began to softly nibble at her neck, making her feel two contradictory feelings – embarrassment and pleasure.

“Adrian, stop it!” She laughed and tried, in vain, to push him away. “People are staring. Adrian, let go, you’re all sweaty.”

He did as she asked, but not without saying, “You know you love it when I’m all sweaty and over you.” He smiled mischievously.

“You’re such a moron.” Her blush reached potentially dangerous proportions and she lightly slapped him on his arm, making him laugh.

They both heard the sound of fake coughing and, turning around, Sophie almost jumped at the sight of a slightly annoyed Charlotte – she had forgotten she was there. Feeling mortally embarrassed, she only managed to mumble, “Sorry.” She nervously played with her hair as Adrian smiled and said, with his usual shameless, relaxed and joking tone, “Hey, Charlotte, how’re you doing?”

Charlotte had her hands crossed over her chest, looking lightly irritated and seemed to have spent a long, un-natural period of time starring at her nails. “Oh, Adrian, I hadn’t seen you there. I guess your face was too busy eating Sophie.”

“So, you missed me, huh?” He smiled, to which the red-haired answered with an slow roll of her eyes.

“Charlotte!” An excited voice could be heard shouting from a distance. Charlotte took a deep breath, her eyes rolled again before her hand went to cover them in a clear sign of frustration. This was the only voice capable of annoying her even more.

The voice belonged to Chad, the tall, strong, black haired friend of Adrian. He had been playing too and was now running towards them with the biggest smile on his face as his big, hazel eyes were fixed on the red-haired. Chad had the largest shoulders Sophie had ever seen, his muscles were much more prominent that Adrian’s. When he finally arrived, he spared a few seconds to wave at her - “Hey, Sophie!” - before his gaze and goofy smile turned to Charlotte again.

“Hey-hey, Charlotte! I-I mean…” He took a deep breath. “Hi, Charlotte.”

“Hello, Chad,” she answered, with a bored tone, as if he was draining her of her patience by simply being there.

Chad blushed and scratched the back of his neck in a gesture that greatly reminded Sophie of Aaron, when he was feeling self-conscious. In Chad’s case, it could also be a sign of shyness. Chad was the goofiest, most playful and docile giant Sophie had ever met, and every time he caught sight of Charlotte, he turned into a big, confusing mess of awkwardness. Sophie rather liked Chad. She could relate.

“So, uh… I was thinking that, maybe you and… and you” He quickly pointed at Sophie and Adrian. “Maybe you’d like to… come to a party.”

“Cool, where?” Adrian asked, his smiled widening.

“At my place,” Chad quickly answered. The stuttering seemed to be a symptom that only appeared when he was starring directly at Sophie’s best friend. “Today… I mean, tonight.” Then he looked back at Charlotte. “I would really like it if you came. I-I mean, all of you, the three of you, I mean,” he clumsily added.

Charlotte rested a hand on her waist and answered, “I’m not sure if I can go, but thanks for the invitation.” Then she looked at Sophie. “I’ll be waiting on the car.” Sophie nodded and Charlotte waved at Adrian and Chad, leaving right afterwards.

Adrian grinned with mocking malice and gave Chad a manly slap on his back. “Smooth. Real smooth, bro.”

Chad looked miserable, though, which broke Sophie’s heart. Adrian didn’t seem to share her feelings, as he kept teasing his friend, finishing with a terrible, “Though luck, dude. Some of us have it, some don’t.”

At this point, Sophie felt it was her moral obligation to interfere. “Don’t worry, Chad.” She smiled sweetly at him, after shooting Adrian a disapproving glare, to which he answered by shrugging with genuine confusion. “I’ll talk to Charlotte. She’ll come to your party, you’ll see.”

The black haired boy seemed encouraged by that thought and the three of them happily chatted about that night’s party until they reached the entrance to the boy’s locker-room. Chad immediately went inside but Adrian lingered behind. He smirked and she knew he was about to say something incredibly embarrassing. Or arrogant. Or rude. Or all of them combined.

“You know, I wouldn’t mind some company on the shower.”

Ding-ding-ding.

“I knew it!”

“Of course you did. I keep inviting you all the time-“

“No, you idiot. You know what I meant.” She laughed and he gently grabbed the rebellious hair on the back of her head to crush her lips into his. She sighed against him, completely defeated. Sophie was pretty sure she would never get tired of the feeling of his touch, nor would she ever get over the way his lips made her whole body burn.

“I’ll pick you up at Papyrus,” he said, the sound of his voice not helping at all to extinguish the fire she felt on her chest. She could only nod, looking nervous and he smiled before letting her go and entering the locker-room. He was painfully aware of the effect he had on her, he knew exactly how to push the right buttons.

Damn.

Sophie made her way towards the outside, finding Charlotte already in her new (but old) car, waiting patiently. They argued the whole way whether they should go to Chad’s party or not. The dark haired tried her mighty best to convince her friend.

“Come on, Charlotte, it’ll be fun!”

“Yeah, it’ll be fun for you. You’ll be with Adrian the whole time. I’d be left to deal with Chad on my own.”

“What? How dare you?” Sophie faked being insulted. “When did I ever leave you on your own, huh? If you want me to stay with you the whole time, I will.”

“No, I wouldn’t ask you to do that-“

“It’s not a big deal, it won’t be a sacrifice.” She laughed. “Come on, we always have great fun together.”

“You should be with Adrian-“

Sophie nonchalantly waved her hand, as if Charlotte was being absurd. “Adrian will be fine, he’ll be with his friends. We’re not that kind of couple, you know.”

“What kind?”

“The can’t-get-my-hands-off-of-you kind.”

Charlotte snorted and mumbled something that greatly resembled, “Could’ve fooled me.”

For the sake of their discussion, Sophie decided to let that comment go. “So it’s on, right? You’ll come?”

“No.”

“Charlotte!”

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t deal with the way Chad keeps looking at me!”

“He’s really into you.” Sophie giggled. “I think it’s cute.”

“Well, you would,” Charlotte answered, annoyed.

“He’s nice and fun and very easy-going,” Sophie continued, “and handsome and sweet and-“

“Lacks a sense of boundaries and owns a lot to discretion,” the red haired completed.

Sophie suddenly became serious and spoke with all honesty, “I think he’d do you some real good, you know.” Charlotte shot her a shocked expression but the blue eyed continued, before her friend interrupted, “I’m serious. You’d have fun with him. He could help you to… relax.”

“Like I need any help with that,” the red head replied, “especially from a guy.”

“Why don’t you just give him a chance? Just talk to him, he won’t bite.”

Charlotte went silent for a few seconds. Sophie could almost see the wheels turning in her mind. She knew she should let the red haired study the situation in silence, come to her own conclusion. Finally, and has Sophie had predicted, she spoke.

“Alright,” she said after a deep sigh. “I’ll go to the damn thing. I’ll talk to Chad. I’ll give him ten minutes! If he fails to impress me in that amount of time, you’ll never speak of him again, got it?”

“Perfect.” Sophie smiled with excitement. “Can you imagine, the four of us, double-dating?”

Charlotte looked petrified and then laughed in exasperation. “Easy there, you’re going way too fast, already. Besides-“ She quietly laughed by herself again, shaking her head. “That is one of the corniest things I’ve ever heard. And I’m pretty sure Adrian would agree with me.”

“I know.” Sophie laughed as well. “But I know Chad would agree with me.”

“That will never happen. Trust me, I’m positive that Chad and I will never date.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Have you paid any attention to our names?” And Charlotte seemed honestly bothered by this. “Chad, Charlotte, I mean… Do you hear it? It’s ridiculous!”

Sophie laughed out loud. “I can’t believe it!”

“Well, it’s true.” And Charlotte’s genuine annoyance only made her laugh more. “It sounds ridiculous, it’s cheesy. I can’t live with that.”

They arrived at Papyrus and Sophie waved Charlotte goodbye, after thanking her for the lift and making her promise to show up later, for Adrian would drive them both to the party. When she got inside, her mood only improved after the scene she watched.

Behind the counter stood J.J., sweeping the floor and, sitting in front of that same counter, was Aaron. He had a notebook in front of him and one of his school books opened as well. He was reading. He was studying. Aaron was actually studying. It shouldn’t surprise Sophie anymore, since he had been known to do that on occasion ever since he and Jennifer started dating, but somehow, it always surprised her.

The only person who couldn’t be happier that he started dating J.J., besides Aaron himself, had to be their mother. Sophie actually suspected that Silvia loved J.J. more than Aaron himself did. Not long after they started seeing each other, J.J. made Aaron know that she wouldn’t date a guy that had no high school graduation. Sophie remembered hearing her say, “I love how ambitious you are about music and I love your drive, dedication and talent. But being a musician doesn’t mean you have to be illiterate, in fact, it’s quite the opposite, really. If you put half your passion on your studies, you’ll graduate in no time.” Though Aaron only accepted once she promised to tutor him herself. Sophie also heard something about some “private lessons” on his bedroom, so she decided to stop hearing and walked away as quickly as she could, shuttering at the disturbing mental picture.

“Hey,” she greeted them both. Aaron just nodded but J.J. gave her the widest smile she could offer. “Thanks for covering up for me, J.” To which Jennifer only winked, before she and Sophie quickly traded places. It was Saturday, after all, Sophie’s turn behind the counter of Papyrus, but J.J. always kindly agreed to cover up for her whenever Adrian had a game and, in return, Sophie would to the same for the dark skinned beauty every time she wanted to watch Aaron play or rehearse during her own working hours.

“Hey, Sophie, do something useful and give me a bucket of coffee, would you?” Aaron mumbled, in a bad mood. “This freaking History thing is boring the crap out of me.”

“Always the gentleman,” she retorted.

Sophie spent a quiet, enjoyable afternoon with J.J. and Aaron’s company. They stayed there until the last afternoon sunrays caressed the large windows, supposedly studying, but Aaron was making it impossible and Jennifer gave up after a while. They were just too cute together and Sophie loved seeing her brother so happy with such a cool girl like J.J. Now that she spent a lot of her time at Sophie’s home, she could safely admit that the girl had quickly become one of her greatest friends. Besides, J.J. and Aaron were not the type of couple that shoves their couple-ness in people’s faces, so whenever Sophie hanged around with them, she just felt like she was with her big brother and a great friend. It was always fun.

When J.J and Aaron were finally getting ready to leave, Sophie’s favorite person in the world walked in. She didn’t even have to see him, just the smell of his delicious cologne travelling inside, carried by the wind, as he opened the door would be enough for her to know it was him. She was cleaning the coffee machine, which meant she had her back facing the door and the counter, but – even if the smell of him hadn’t been enough – the sound of his voice as he greeted her brother would certainly have made it.

She would recognize his charming, sexy, smooth voice anywhere.

It was her most favorite sound in the world.

Even as she heard him at a fair distance, she couldn’t help but smile, blush and shudder at the sound of it.

“Murphy,” he called and she could feel the smile on his lips. It was from all the practice they had talking over the phone for so long, before even meeting – both him and her now had the uncanny ability to distinguish each other’s feelings and expressions through their voice. She thought it was sweet. Charlotte thought it was weird. Aaron thought it was creepy.

Sophie immediately turned around and rested her elbows on the counter, straining her feet and neck a little to reach him. He kissed her on her nose and, when she playfully frowned, kissed her on her chin.

“Adrian,” she whined and only then did he finally kiss her lips. More than once. Slowly and seductive.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Aaron interrupted them. “Take it easy with the tongue action over there. Disgusted older brother standing here.”

Jennifer tapped his arm, a reproving look on her attractive features. “Don’t mind him, he’s just a little grumpy today,” she apologized.

“Oh, by the way…” Adrian lifted up his arm, a plastic bag on his hand that Sophie hadn’t noticed until then. “I thought you should have this, Aaron.” He smiled crookedly and threw it to Aaron, who caught it and looked at him confused before investigating the bag’s content. “I found it in my attic. I think my father left it there, might’ve been my grandpa’s. I think I heard you talk about it, the other day.”

Aaron’s face lifted up immediately. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he held an ancient looking vinyl on his hand. “Wow,” was all he could say as he stared at it like it was magical. “Wow,” he repeated, then he finally smiled, a smile so wide it was dangerously on the verge of laughter. “This is… I can’t even tell you how awesome this is!”

“What is it, love?” J.J. asked, looking at the vinyl. By the look of puzzlement on her face, Sophie could tell she understood its value as poorly as she did.

“It’s just one of the rarest, coolest music of all time. This is seriously old-school, dude.” He looked at Adrian like he was the second coming. “So fucking awesome! Thanks!”

“Don’t worry about it, it was gathering dust anyway. I’m sure you’ll make much better use of it.”

Aaron admired the vinyl and held it like it was made of pure, but fragile, precious gold. Then he got up and shook Adrian’s hand, right before he pulled him into a tight guy hug. “Thank you. Seriously, now, Sophie’s birth actually makes sense! I’m pretty sure bringing you into my life was the reason for her existence.”

“I’m so glad to be of service,” Sophie sarcastically said and Aaron winked at her, smiling wide, his bad mood completely gone and forgotten about.

Aaron and J.J. stayed for a little longer, keeping Adrian company as Sophie finished cleaning the shop. Soon enough, the dark haired was closing the doors to Papyrus and Adrian was jokingly teasing her, Aaron and J.J. already gone. Charlotte silently arrived at the exact moment Sophie turned to Adrian’s car.

“You are so punctual, it’s actually scary,” Adrian told her and she arched her eyebrows, as if wondering what was wrong with being strictly on time. Every single time.

Adrian drove them to a small diner, where they ate and chatted until it was late enough for them to finally go to Chad’s house.

“We could’ve made some time for me to go home and change,” Sophie said with a little anxiety, as she watched how good Charlotte was looking and compared it to her own plain clothes.

“Why? You already have the hottest guy in the party.” Adrian smirked, holding her hand as they got out of his car. Then, noticing her look of self-conscious discomfort as she noticed a pair of really well dressed girls pass them by, he pulled her closer and said in her ear, “You look perfect, already.” And he kissed her cheek.

She blushed but kept thinking that she could have made an effort, or at least thought about it before. Sophie wasn’t used to care about her clothes, but she liked to look good for him.

“Stop worrying about it.” He laughed and she couldn’t help but smile at how well he seemed to be able to read her.

As they got closer to Chad’s place, the appropriate party environment became more and more evident. Loud music was pumping, drunken teenagers were sitting on his yard and the vacant sound of stuff breaking could be heard even above the music. Once they got inside, confusion reigned, along with the extreme warmth of dancing bodies and the smell of spilled drinks. What drove people to organize such parties at their own houses, Sophie would never understand. Adrian’s grip on her hand tightened as he lead them through the dancing people, Sophie squeezing Charlotte’s hand to make sure she wouldn’t lose her friend. With Adrian’s guidance, they quickly got into the kitchen, where Chad stood with some of their friends, drinking and laughing loudly. Sophie could already see Charlotte’s eyes rolling.

“Hey, Charlotte, you came!” Chad opened his arms to embrace her but the red haired quickly shove her hand in front of him. The confused guy took her hand in his and looked at Sophie with such a baffled expression, she couldn’t help but laugh and shrug while trying to convey to him that it was normal through her expression. This time, it really wasn’t something personal, Charlotte simply didn’t hug.

They stayed in Chad’s kitchen for a while, Charlotte glued to Sophie’s side the whole time. Chad kept stealing glances of her and it was obviously making the girl uncomfortable, as she squeezed Sophie’s arm and mumbled, “Let’s get out of here, please.”

Sophie nodded and waved to get Adrian’s attention, for he was laughing at something one of his friends was saying some feet away from her. To keep herself from yelling, because it would be the only way he would be able to hear her with all the voices and loud music, she just gestured to the living room and he nodded, winking at her. She then held her friend’s hand and pushed through all the dancing bodies in the busy room.

“You promised you would try,” Sophie yelled in her ear.

“I will, as soon as I drink something strong enough,” she replied, making Sophie laugh.

They danced for what seemed like an hour, Charlotte often disappearing for a few seconds to go and get drinks. Diane passed through them and rested her hand on Sophie’s shoulders. “Hey Sophie, it’s nice to see you.” She smiled. Sophie reluctantly returned the gesture, trying to forget all the images of Diane kissing Adrian, trying to erase all the mental pictures of the two of them together that just popped into her mind every time she saw the hot blond. “Didn’t you bring Adrian with you?” Sophie’s forced smile disappeared instantly.

“He’s in the kitchen,” she said with more austerity on her voice than she meant. She said it as a way to prove Diane wrong, as if to say ‘Ah!’ but quickly regretted it as the blond girl smiled again and quickly made her way towards the kitchen. Charlotte, who had a red glow on her cheeks and looked more cheerful and relaxed than usual, grabbed Sophie’s arm and giggled. “Why are you worried? Just chill and enjoy the music.” She then closed her eyes and made up some extravagant dance moves.

Sophie arched her eyebrows. “Are you drunk already?”

“No.” Charlotte quickly regained some of her usual composure. “I’m just trying to follow your advice.”

“Great! Let’s put your new attitude into practice, then.” Without a second thought, she held her friend’s hand again and tried to pull her out of the improvised dance floor. But the red-haired, apparently, didn’t want to leave.

“You go, I’ll go and meet you in a second.” And she closed her eyes and kept dancing.

It wasn’t as if Sophie didn’t love to see Charlotte more upbeat and relaxed, she just found her timing terrible. “Oh, please, Charlotte. Just come with me to the kitchen for a moment, we’ll come back to dance in a minute, I promise.”

“You go, I stay. No big deal.”

“I’m not about to leave you here on your own.”

“Don’t worry!” Charlotte smiled. “I’ll be fine.”

“No, you’re tipsy and I’m not comfortable with leaving you here.”

Charlotte scorned. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I’m very aware of my… situation.” She smiled again.

Sophie rolled her eyes and quickly glanced towards the kitchen. Diane was nowhere to be seen, she must be inside already. Deciding that Charlotte was more important at the moment and that Adrian could deal with Diane on his own, she put her paranoia aside and stuck with her friend, trying to keep up with her carefree attitude. After a while though, Charlotte suddenly stopped dancing. She looked at Sophie with a serious expression - her usual expression - and pulled her towards the kitchen.

“Charlotte, what’re you-“

“I’m ready,” she said, determination leaking out of her tone.

“Ready?” Sophie asked as she bumped into every single person on her way.

“Ready to give Chad his ten minutes.”

“Are-are you sure?”

Charlotte nodded and Sophie believed her, smirking a little. She certainly was unconventional. They arrived at their intended destination and her heart sunk a little – Diane wasn’t there… Adrian was gone as well. Chad chocked a little on his drink as he noticed Charlotte approaching him with a stern look on her eyes.

“Ch-Charlotte, hey! Hey, Charlotte!” He coughed and she rested her hands on her hips.

“Hey, Chad.”

“Are you… having fun?” he asked, not taking his eyes off of her for a second. He looked in a constant state of surprise, as if he couldn’t quite believe that she was actually standing in front of him, talking to him.

“Alright…” She sighed and looked at her wristwatch. “You can start now.” And then she returned her eyes to him.

“Start?” He was obviously confused.

“Impressing me. Now.”

Chad looked, like anybody should, completely astonished and shocked by this, but Sophie could see a glint of amusement there.

“You have ten minutes. I would start if I were you. I’m very punctual.” She studied him with a little defiance. He laughed nervously, his hand travelled to his neck and he started speaking, trying hard not to stutter.

Sophie decided it was best to leave them alone and walked towards the door on the opposite side of the room. It led to a small backyard filled with green, fresh grass. It was also filled with people, some standing with drinks on their hands, happily chatting and laughing, others siting on the lawn, some even laying down. Sophie knew none of them. She anxiously looked around, surveying the area for a familiar face – that familiar, handsome face. She noticed, with some relief, that Diane was there also, sprayed on the ground with a few of her friends.

“Looking for someone?” His voice kissed her ear and send shivers down her body. She turned around and delighted her eyes on his perfect, boyish smile.

“Not really.” She shrugged, trying to look cool.

His smile widened and his arms embraced her waist. “I love it when you try and act all tough.”

“I am though, you know.”

He chuckled, but she forgave him as she returned his embrace and kissed him on the chin, asking him for something more. He gladly complied, meeting her lips and massaging them with his own, slowly and gently. Their little moment was quickly interrupted though, by the disgusting sound of someone vomiting. She looked to her left and, there he was, a poor guy throwing up the full contents of his stomach, too near them to be ignored.

“Well, this is quite the romantic view,” she mumbled, frowning at the gross sight and sound.

Adrian laughed and mumbled, “Poor guy.” He put his arm around her waist and directed her towards the door, after tapping the sick boy on his back and telling him, “Hold on, dude.” The drunken guy faintly smiled and nodded, giving Adrian a thumbs up and making him laugh. “He’ll be alright.”

Sophie was led by Adrian through the crowded house without telling her where they were going. First, she thought they were making their way towards the dance floor, which excited her because she did have fun dancing with him. Then, as they passed through the living room, she noticed the stairs on her left and her heart jumped to her throat as she wondered if he was leading them to the privacy of the rooms upstairs. She instantly blushed, her blood suddenly running faster, with both embarrassment and enthusiasm. But Adrian didn’t turn to the left, he kept walking straight to the door.

Once they were finally on the outside, Sophie reveled on the feel of the fresh breeze that caressed her skin, only then noticing how hot she had been inside the house.

“Why do you look so flustered?” he asked her, an air of amused confusion on his attractive features.

“What? What do you mean?” she clumsily tried to deny it, happy that he couldn’t read her mind. She wasn’t about to admit to him the thoughts that had entered her mind as soon as she imagined them alone in a bedroom. “I was just… really hot, inside.”

He smiled devilishly. “Not just inside-”

“Stop it, Adrian,” she interrupted, quietly laughing, her cheeks turning red again.

They kept walking until they reached a little garden close to Chad’s house. It was peaceful and quiet, a contrast to the place they just left. Hopefully, nobody would be throwing up there. Sophie took her cellphone from her pocket and messaged Charlotte, warning her of her whereabouts and telling her to call if she needed anything. Only then, did she notice she was shaking, the shock of the difference in temperature finally taking its toll on her.

Without a word, Adrian took off his jacket and helped her put it on. Sophie smiled with gratitude and adoration. “My, what a gentleman.”

“You are a lucky girl, I hope you’ve noticed.”

She giggled. “I have.” And she sat down beside him on the grass. He frowned as he looked at her and, before she could ask him why, he was already carefully pulling her to his lap, wrapping his strong arms around her with the kind of protectiveness she was too proud to admit she cherished.

“Much better,” he spoke into her ear and she shifted a little, making herself comfortable and resting her head on his shoulder. He kissed her neck with tenderness and she quietly moaned, closing her eyes. “Murphy,” he called in a whisper. She smiled at the sound of his voice. Sophie loved the way his nickname for her sounded, the way he always said it with a tone of sensuality and adoration that she wasn’t quite sure he was aware of. Now that she thought about it, she couldn’t really understand how it had taken her so long to understand the way he felt about her. He had been saying it in this same way for so long and it shed no doubt about his devotion to her.

“Murphy,” he called again and this time she opened her eyes and took her head off of his shoulder, to look him in the eyes. She would never get tired of that shade of green.

“Yes?”

“We should fight more often.” He smiled and she looked at him with surprise. “I miss our fights. I like riling you up. It’s fun,” he explained with a mocking grin.

“Wow. Now that’s romantic,” she said with heavy sarcasm.

He laughed and his nose slowly travelled along her jawline, making her tremble. He grinned at her involuntary reaction. “It could be romantic-“

She blushed again, knowing exactly what he meant. “Well, we fought last week,” she replied, playing with the hair on the back of his head and lightly kissing his temple.

“Yeah, we did.” He grinned again and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “It was pretty awesome, especially the ending. Remember?”

Her blood shot into her face again and he chuckled once more, she wasn’t sure if it was at her reaction or at the recollection. Probably both.

“Idiot,” she mumbled and laughed when he buried his face on her neck, tickling her. “We can fight now, if you want.”

“About what?” he asked, genuinely surprised but without losing his smirk.

“Diane,” she mumbled.

“I like it when you’re jealous.” The smile reached his eyes. “What about her?”

“Didn’t you see her at the party? She was dying to see you. She went looking for you.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said, relaxed and resting his back against the tree behind them. “We talked.”

“Oh, was it fun?”

“Not really.”

Sophie sighed and looked away, prompting Adrian to pull her closer to him and grab her cheeks, forcing her to look at him. Their faces were just inches apart, she could feel his breath on her lips. “Murphy.” She melted instantly. Whatever he had to say after that, wouldn’t make a difference. The way he breathed out her name, with such urgency and desire, had already won her over. “Stop worrying. You’re my one and only.” She was wrong, this did make a difference.

She couldn’t help herself, instinct and passion drove her next. As soon as he said that last word, Sophie grabbed his neck and hair and crushed her lips on his with such ardor, it bordered on agony. Adrian gladly returned it, his hands burning against her skin as he explored her back beneath his jacket and her t-shirt. She could feel him moaning as she caressed his tongue with hers. The kiss was way too passionate and she broke it before they went any further, slowly parting her lips from his and playfully biting his lower lip.

Breathing heavily, she looked him in the eyes and saw the wanting, the need for more. Before any of them could act on it though, his cellphone rang. Adrian ignored it and ravaged her neck with his lips and tongue. With difficulty, and making her mighty best to keep her mind clear, she talked, in between heavy breaths.

“Adrian, your phone.”

He kept ignoring it and answered her warning by kissing her neck slower and more seductively. He travelled through her jawline and got dangerously close to her lips, teasing her to kiss him back, his hand on the raw skin of her belly, slowly but surely aiming for her chest.

“Adrian,” she insisted, but with major effort, as he seemed to get even more excited after she called his name, “Your cellphone.”

“Leave it,” he mumbled.

“I can’t, it might be Charlotte.”

“And?” He continued nibbling at her ear.

“She might need us for something.” It was getting way too hard to keep her focus. Since he kept ignoring her, she had to pull him away a few inches and plead him, “Please, Adrian, it could be important.”

Groaning and unwilling, Adrian took his cellphone from his pocket and looked at the little screen. Sophie waited for him to take the call, but he never pressed the little button. He just kept starring at its screen, his face slowly turning into one of confusion.

“Who is it?” she asked, curious.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, turning the cellphone to let her see. “It’s an unknown number.”

Sophie quickly frowned and Adrian’s confusion slowly gave way to amusement. She could see his lips forming into a mocking, mischievous smile. She knew he knew what she was thinking.

“Well, I better take it, you never know,” he said with a fake innocence.

An irrational fear took over Sophie immediately. “No!”

“Why?” He no longer faked innocence, he was grinning now.

“You shouldn’t take calls from people you don’t know,” was her lame excuse.

He laughed. “That’s not true. The evidence is sitting on my lap, right now.” And he made an exaggerated movement with his free hand, as if he was going to press the button.

Sophie tried to take the cellphone out of his hand but he was much quicker and took it out of her reach. She struggled against his hold on her and made her best to grab the phone from his hand. Adrian laughed and they fell to the side. Soon enough, he was lying on the ground on his back, the little object protected underneath his body and Sophie on top of him, still trying to reach it. All the while, the phone kept ringing.

“Let me take the call, Sophie, you know you’re being ridiculous.” He laughed, then turned uncharacteristically serious. She stared at him. “You never know, that could be the love of my life calling.”

He laughed again, at her shocked expression and at her renovated attempts at grabbing the phone.

“Adrian,” she whined, fear blatant on her face. “Please, give me the phone.”

He got mockingly serious again. “Why? So you can take the call? What if it’s the love of your life?”

She fought him harder but he easily turned her immobile, holding her tightly between his arms. “Now that’s where I like you to be.” He devilishly smiled again.

“Please, don’t take the call,” she pleaded, finally relaxing under his hold. She knew she was being unreasonable, but she just couldn’t control it. Adrian’s smile got kinder and he got up into a sitting position, Sophie mimicking him. He held his cell and, without even looking at it again, rejected the call, his eyes never leaving Sophie. They waited in comfortable silence for at least a minute, Adrian always studying her and Sophie starring at his phone with anxiety, waiting for it to ring again. It didn’t and she finally exhaled normally, looking at him and trying to hold her nervous laughter.

“You’re a moron, you know that, right?” he mocked.

She nodded and got closer to him, touching his face sweetly. It was like she wanted to make sure he was really there, like she couldn’t really believe it. Adrian grabbed her hand and kissed it.

“You know, the odds of me finding someone like you again are quite null,” he continued, his features getting honest and serious. “I’m pretty sure I don’t deserve that much. I already got my fair share of luck.”

Then, he gently put his hands on her cheeks and brought their foreheads together. Sophie closed her eyes, she only listened. She listened to the sound of his breath, the sound of his seductive, forever alluring voice.

“You’re my one and only,” he whispered, “Murphy.”

Sophie listened and smiled with bliss. It was a sound that she would never forget. A sound she would forever love.

Annoying Author's Notes (Again!) - So? What do you think? Huh? Huh? I'm sorry if it feels rushed and/or unedited. I usually write rather slowly, let it rest for a day or two, then edit. Then edit again at the end of the whole story. Then go back and edit some more. This time, I only edited it once and rather quickly. Forgive me! Next, I will try and write a couple of chapters from Adrian's POV. If you're still up to it, of course. You might be getting tired of this story already. Let me know.

Also, please know that I am eternally grateful to all of you, for pretty much everything. I love you. I love you so much, I could eat you with bechamel sauce. Now here's a lovely mental picture for you ;) eheheh.

Talk to me, my yummies! Tell me what you think, pretty please.