The Life Game

7

I assume Morgan told everyone that I was tired when no one bothered me until lunch.

I had spent none of my time in the room actually sleeping. I merely watched tv and pushed all my thoughts to the back of my mind. As long as I didn't think about my problems, they might go away.

I had brought a book with me: The Little Prince. I had to bring it; it was my favorite. I usually slept with it under my pillow because it was safe there. 

It was the first thing I unpacked when I arrived. I had slipped it out from underneath my pillow a few hours after retreating after breakfast. The story wasn't the only thing that made it my favorite; it was the book's physical characteristics.

The hardcover was navy blue with small golden dots scattering the surface. The surface felt like velvet. I can't count the times I had traced over it while falling asleep. And there was a picture embroidered on the front. It was of a little boy sitting on a rock, all alone. I liked to think we were friends, so we could be less alone.

I treated the book with a lot of care, but the years of reading had left many marks. Some of the pages were dog-eared and now had creases. There was an entire chapter of water damage from when I accidentally left it in my backpack and my water bottle was open. I knew where every mark on it had come from.

A knock on the door made me jump. The sun had moved above the house as I could tell from the limited view of the window.

"Maeve?" 

"yes?"

"Sorry for waking you. Kane told me to grab you for lunch." 

"Coming." I quickly stood from the bed and turned off the TV. I opened the door to a smirking Alessio learning on the frame.

"Hey, sweetie. Heard you weren't feeling well?" He ruffled my hair in a calming gesture. His hand was rough but felt good against my head.

"I'm fine now. Sorry for worrying you," he threw an arm over my shoulder and lead me down the stairs to- outside?

"As long as you're okay. Tell me if you feel sick next time; I can," He paused on the back porch to look down at me, "'take care' of you." The look in his eyes was one of affection and something else, and his rough voice vibrated against my side from where he held me. I caught the smirk that seemed to be planted on his face.

"I don't really understand," I shot him a curious glance from under my red lashes, "and why are we outside, I thought its lunchtime?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah. Today we are having a picnic; the others are just over there." He pointed to the side of the house next to the garden I had seen through the kitchen window. I didn't have time to put on shoes, but luckily the path was only made of grass and soft dirt. My toes did feel uncomfortable by the way sand would sneak through them. 

The breeze rustled the trees and from the distance, I could still hear the whooshing sound coming from the leaves. I had felt calmer after spending time to myself. It was difficult to be social when you've been alone so long.

We turned the corner to find an impressive setup. There was a large maroon blanket set up with different pillows laid all around for seating. Despite eating on the ground, it looked comfortable. The others were all gathered there, and it seems they were waiting for us from the way no crumbs were spread about.

There was a large cheese board with grapes and strawberries as well as ham sandwiches made from Hawaiian rolls. It was a scene straight out of a movie especially with all the hot men sitting around, lounging on each other. I could feel more than see the red in my face when I noticed them staring as Ali confidently strolled up with me under his arm.