It was a perfect morning, in all honesty. My window was open, letting the faint sun that rose two hours ago shine through my thin curtains. I had a fleece blanket thrown over my bare legs, resting my laptop on my thighs. In my left hand I held a warm coffee and in my right I scrolled through what I was reading on my dimmed screen.

It was 9am on a Sunday morning and I did not care that my hair was a mess. I did not care that I could hear the young kids across the street shouting at each other about a bike. I enjoyed the peace that I had, it was true bliss.

I did this about once every two weeks. I just sat in the cozy atmosphere and let my thoughts and worries escape. It was kind of a stress relief, but I haven't been too stressed out lately surprisingly.

I twisted out of my sheets and pillows, throwing on a familiar black hoodie that I still had refused to give back. It still had his scent lingering on it, and truthfully I didn't think he knew that I still had it, but it's not like I had intentions to give it back. At least not without putting up a fight.

A vibrate began buzzing from my front pocket, I reached inside of it and picked up my phone. Before I even had the chance to say hello, I heard a familiar voice on the other end.

"Ashton ditched me this morning, so I'm taking you out to breakfast."

"Well good morning to you too, Michael. And why were you going on a date with Ashton?" I questioned. I could actually tell he was rolling his eyes right now, not taking my sarcastic comment.

"That doesn't matter because now I'm going on a date with you."

"Not a date." I replied hastily.

"What? Is bonding over a stack of pancakes and coffee not good enough?" He said, acting as if he was offended.

"Still not a date." I joked back. I heard him laugh through the other end, making my lips curl into a smile.

"I'll be there in 10 minutes, be ready."

"Someone is pushy today, but I will be." We exchanged our goodbyes and I jogged up the stairs to get ready.

Since I wasn't in the mood to put much effort into the way I looked, I simply changed into a pair of denim shorts, leaving my sweatshirt on and tied my hair in a neatly done bun. I concealed a few spots on my face and ran a thin layer of mascara over my eyelashes.

Just as I was slipping a pair of flip flops on, I heard my front door open.

"Oh Maddie!" Michael yelled through my house. Couldn't he knock on the door like a normal person?

I stuck my head out of my bedroom door, spotting him at the bottom of the stairs.

"Did you really just barge into my house?" I asked, a disapproving look on my face.

"Did you really just ask me that? You know me better than that. Of course I did." He smirked, observing me as I trotted down the steps.

I stopped at the stair above the one he was standing on, making me an inch or two taller than him. I placed my hands on his shoulders, smiling at him graciously.

"You're lucky that you're easy on the eyes." I patted his shoulder then brushed passed him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He snickered as we made our way out the door.

"It means that I'm not getting any younger or any less hungry. Let's go!" I rushed him, my appetite growing.

-

Michael had taken me to the same diner he took me to the morning after I met him, we were even in the same booth in the back of the place.

I was pouring a generous amount of syrup on my pancakes when I realized Michael was watching me intently. His head was placed on top of his interlocked fingers that were supported by his elbows on the table. I set the plastic bottle down, glancing up at him curiously.

"I can't tell if you're judging me or if you're jealous." I poked at my plate, getting my breakfast on my fork. He smiled lightly, crossing his arms on top of each other and letting them lay on the empty space in front of him.

"A little bit of both to be fair." I rolled my eyes and changed the subject.

"So does the waitress here call you and Ashton a lovely couple too?" I raised my eye brows at him, taking a sip from my coffee.

"You're acting like such a little shit today." He chuckled, shaking his head.

"And it's not even 11 o'clock yet."

He eventually got his breakfast, and since it came so late he got his meal for free. I reached out for the bill, but he snatched it away before I could even see how much it was.

"I got it." He said, pulling out his wallet.

"Are you sure? I have cash on me." He nodded his head, waving me off seeing as it wasn't a big deal. He put down $10, including the tip, as I started scooting out of the booth, him following my actions briefly after.

"Thanks." I simply said, nudging his elbow.

He held out his arm, gesturing me to link onto it with my own. We headed out of the restaurant and back into his car, laughing and joking on the short walk to the parking lot.

Just as we sat down and buckled out seat belts, Michael's phone rang.

"Hey Calum." He said plainly. He looked over at me with a puzzled look. "Yeah, she's actually in the car with me." His facial expression changed into a cheeky stare, not letting his eyes leave me. "We'll be there."

I stared back at him with confused eyes, wondering what he was up to.

"What was that all about?" I asked. He backed his car out of the gravel lot and in the direction of my house.

"Ashton wants us all to come over at noon. We'll most likely hang around the lake, swim some. Calum said something about Luke grilling, it'll be fun."

"Who's 'us'?" I questioned, scrolling through twitter.

"Me, you, Ashton, Calum, Luke, Annabel, and Lue. Julia was invited too, but she's on her mission trip obviously." He kept switching his focus from the road to me, which made me a bit nervous.

"Pay attention to the road before we crash please." I looked up at him from my phone, glaring at him. He giggled at my comment, making me half smile. His laugh was irresistible, it always put me in a better mood.

"I know it's just-I've told you this before, but you look cute in my clothes."

"Oh stop, I'm blushing." I over dramatically said, fanning myself with my hand to which he pushed my shoulder, causing me to laugh once again.

-

I was standing in my bathroom, fiddling with the ties on my bathing suit that was just slightly out of my reach. I puffed out, giving up.

"Hey Michael?" I called out to my bedroom. No answer.

He always did this, whenever I needed help he would never answer me. It's not like it was on purpose though, just coincidentally.

I wasn't too keen on thought of wandering into my room with just the tie around my neck and my hands over my chest to keep me covered, but I really had no choice.

I stepped into my room, finding Michael's back to me as he sat at my desk on his phone.

"Uh, Michael?"

His head turned around in the direction of my voice and he froze when he noticed me almost exposed. I watched his eyes trail down my body that the black bikini suited well with. My face burned at the action and I immediately turned around before his eyes came back up.

"I need a little help.." I trailed off, motioning to the two loose strings dangling over my back.

He cleared his throat and stood up swiftly, mumbling something that I couldn't make out. His cold fingers brushed against my back, making me flinch.

"Sorry." He chuckled lightly. When he tightened the knot, he grabbed a hold of my hand, spinning me in a full circle. "You look great." He nodded once, a pleased look on his face.

I blushed at his comment, my eyes making their way down to my feet. I was never too confident about my body, but I never really complained about it either, so his compliment was sweet.

"Thank you." I said shyly, meeting back up with his gaze.

"Let's head out before we're anymore late than we already are, yeah?" He reached out and laced his fingers between both of my hands, smiling at the touch.

-

Michael and I showed up almost an hour late, so we let ourselves in and made our way to the backyard. They were all gathered on the dock which we wasted no time running to.

"Maddie!" Lue and Annabel yelled, immediately getting up from their spots in the sun to hug me. Michael and the other boys greeted each other, then came over to me to do the same.

"Hi Michael." Lue waved, then turning back to Annabel and giggling.

I caught up with them, soaking in the sun. It was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky. I glanced over to Michael every once in a while, only to catch him already watching me.

In all honesty, I didn't even know what Michael and I were. It was obvious there was something there, but it was way too confusing. We acted as friends, like we've known each other for years. And I didn't want to give that away simply because I couldn't hide my feelings from him. I would take him being in my life forever as a friend rather than him be there for six months then it be broken any day.

-

The sun was beginning to set and the sky was fading to hues of purple and reds. All of us were gathered around the same fire pit the first time we all met. I smiled at the thought, remembering us all squished in the chairs and passing around a bottle of vodka. I shook my head and weakly smiled at the thought.

We were playing the ruthless game of truth or dare, which brought back the embarrassing memories of middle school that Annabel was threatening to share with everyone.

"Alright Calum." Ashton called out, flipping over hamburgers on the grill. "Truth or dare."

"Truth."

"Okay, I dare you to-"

"Dude, I said-"

"Don't ruin the fun!" Ashton cut off, pointing the spatula in his hand towards him. Calum nodded at him, letting him continue. "Jump in the lake naked." He pointed the cooking utensil towards the water.

We all started cheering, encouraging him on and to complete the simple dare.

He rolled his eyes and stood up, making his way towards the dock. Our loud whistles and whoops followed. He stripped down to nothing and luckily the sun was at an angle to where you could only see the outline of his body.

He dove in and popped his head up seconds after, shaking his hair out.

"My clothes are gone along with my dignity!" He yelled at us, making us all die laughing. He continued treading in the water. "Michael! Come join me so I don't look stupid!"

"Too late man!" He shouted back.

Luke started chanting Michael's name, then everyone else joined in.

"I'll get in if Maddie gets in." My eyes widen, then I snapped my head to Lue and Annabel.

"I'll get in if they do." I retorted, pointing to them. We all looked at each other and silently agreed.

I shrugged my shoulders and ran down to the dock while we all shrieked with laughter. I dressed down before anyone else got down to the wooden bridge. I jumped in, covering as much of myself as I could with my hands and arms. By the time I reached the surface, the other three were already in, they're clothes scattered all along the dock.

Luckily, the water wasn't too deep and we were all able to reach the bottom without our heads going under. We swam around for a good half hour as we waited for Ashton and Luke to finish grilling. Everyone had gotten out except me.

"You coming Maddie?" Lue asked as she was out of the water, shielding herself with the towels Ashton was generous to bring us out.

"Yeah, I was just going to wait just to make sure no one saw me, uh, completely naked." I snickered, not believing I actually joined in on the dare.

She nodded her head and wandered off, leaving my sight. I sighed and looked around, putting my hands on the dock to push myself up so I could escape the cold water.

Suddenly, I was dragged back into the water. I felt a familiar arm wrap around my waist as my back pressed to his bare chest underwater. His head lowered, placing his chin on my shoulder.

"Going somewhere?"