After James and I got done doing the dirty, we actually did take a shower, which was the dumbest idea ever. Seriously, I don't know why everyone romanticizes the idea of showering with your partner. The guy hogs all the water so you're just standing there freezing your ass off giving him something to look at. I ended up getting out and waiting for him to finish before I got back in. Yeah, it was that bad, but eventually we were both clean and refreshed and then we joined the boys in the living room. "That was the longest shower ever." Charlie said after we sat down on the couch. "That's because Mr. Greedy over here wouldn't share the hot water so we ended up taking two separate showers." I stuck my tongue out at James. "Such a caring boyfriend." Chris joked, and we all laughed. "Sorry, I was all sweaty!" James held his hands up defensively. "Like I wasn't?" I asked dramatically. "Not as much as me. Let's be honest, I did all of the work." James replied. "What are you guys talking about?" Charlie asked innocently. I just looked at him. Did he seriously not understand what we were insinuating? "Nothing Charlie. We just played a really intense game of Twister before taking a shower." James said sarcastically. The other guys chuckled, and Charlie just nodded his head. I couldn't help but smile at his cluelessness. Usually he gets the dirty jokes and implications. The Hangover just ended and Reece was looking for another movie to watch. "Wait, the movie's over already?" I asked, a little dumbfounded. We couldn't have been that long. "Yeah. That's what happens when you disappear to have sex. Time flies when you're having fun." Barclay winked. "Oooohhhh." Charlie cooed after he realized why me and James were really gone so long. We all laughed and Reece put in 'Real Steel' with Hugh Jackman. About an hour into the movie there was a knock at the door. We all looked at each other and James grabbed his pocket knife and went to open the door. Reece paused the movie, and we all sat and listened quietly as James slowly opened the door. "Whoa. Easy killer." I would recognize that voice anywhere. It's Caden. I ran from the couch and to the door, throwing my arms around my brother. "Ugh." He grunted when I made contact, but wrapped his arms around me nonetheless. "Wait." I pulled back and looked at him. "No more slings or casts?" I asked. "Nope. Got em off yesterday. Doctor said everything looked good, but I still have to take it easy." He smiled. "Wow that was...fast." I didn't think he would get the all clear for atleast another month. "Yeah. So are you gonna invite me in, or am I supposed to sleep on the porch?" He's always so witty. And annoying. "Right, come in." I stepped aside and shut the door once he was inside. The guys all gave him welcoming hugs and then we made our way back to the living room. "Hey man, sorry about the knife." James apologized once we were all sat down. "No worries bro, I don't blame you." Caden waved off his apology. "So how'd you get here so fast?" I asked, changing the subject. "Well as soon as we got off the phone earlier I checked the train schedule and there was a train leaving from Essex to London thirty minutes later. So I threw a bunch of clothes in my bag, called into work for the next two weeks, and hitched a ride to the train station." He replied. "What do you mean 'hitched a ride'?" I asked. "Oh, I stood on the side of the road with my thumb up and got a ride from a stranger." I could feel my eyes widen in horror at his words. "I'm kidding. I took a cab, relax." He said. "When did you become such a sarcastic pain in the ass?" I rolled my eyes. "I've always been this way loser." He teased. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." I scoffed. "So are we gonna talk or no?" He said, suddenly serious. "Yes, but not tonight. We have rehearsals tomorrow morning and afternoon, and then a performance for Big Brother at eight. We'll be home around ten thirty. We can talk then." I sighed. "Alright. And I assume you ignored my advice and told them about Ryan anyway?" He asked accusingly. "You assumed correctly." I replied, slightly annoyed. "Of course." He rolled his eyes. "I don't have to tell you guys how important it is to keep quiet about what she told you, do I?" Caden looked from me to the boys. "We're not gonna say anything." Casey assured him. "I'd hope not, because if the police find out, she would go to prison." Caden glared at me. "They get it Caden. They're not gonna tell anyone, now can you let it go?" I sighed. "Yeah alright. Where's the shower?" He asked. "Down the hall, first door on the right." I mumbled. "Thanks." He grabbed his bag and disappeared down the hall. "Well that went well." James joked, and him and the others all looked at me. "He's just worried about me. I'm the only family he has left and with Zach in town...he just wants to make sure my past stays in the past, that's all." I defended. "We get it. And you're not the only family he has. He's got us too." James said softly. "I know. And he knows that too. Thanks guys." I smiled at all of them before standing up and stretching. "Ok. It's been a long and exhausting day. I'm gonna go to bed." I yawned. The boys all said goodnight and I stumbled my way to my room. Before I could change into my pajamas, my bedroom door opened and Reece walked in. "Whoa. Hey." I said, startled. "Sorry, I just..." He trailed off, not knowing what to say next. "Reece? Is everything ok?" I walked over to him and placed my hand on his arm. He looked up at me and shook his head. "No. I'm terrified. Ever since you told us about Zach I'm scared to even walk outside." He shook his head. "Hey, sit down." I walked him over to my bed. "Look at me." I ordered, and when he looked up, I finally seen him as the scared sixteen year old that he was. It almost broke my heart. "You are going to be fine. Zach won't hurt you. He only wants me, remember? As long as you keep your distance from me the next few days, you'll be fine." I rubbed my hand softly acrossed his back. "Keep my distance? We're with each other all the time." He complained. "Yes, but tomorrow night I'm sending you, Tom, Casey, Barclay, and Charlie back to your apartment. He won't follow you guys there." I reassured him. "But what about you?" He asked. "What about me? I'll have James, Chris, Jake, and Caden with me. And I'm gonna go buy a tracker for my phone tomorrow so the plan will be ready. It's gonna be ok. I promise." I smiled and we both stood up. "I don't want anything to happen to you. You're like my big sister." He whispered. "I know. Come here." I said and pulled him in for a hug. Unlike all the other hugs I've given or recieved where I was the one being protected, I was now the one protecting Reece. "Alright. Now go get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow." I pulled away and smiled at him. He nodded his head and walked towards the door. Before he left he turned and looked at me. "Night Aria. I love you." He said shyly. "Goodnight Reece. I love you too." It was true. I do love him. Like a brother obviously. I love all the boys, and that's why I need to protect them. So that's why I'm gonna sneak away tomorrow night after they all fall asleep.
A LITTLE BIT MORE REECE AS REQUESTED :) I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKED IT. JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, ON A SCALE OF 1-10 HOW TERRIBLE DO YOU THINK ARIA'S PLAN TO SNEAK AWAY IS? 1 BEING A GOOD IDEA, AND 10 BEING AN ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS IDEA...? VOTE AND COMMENT! xx
