Everlasting Bonds - COMPLETE

Chapter 42

POV: Lark

Ugh.

So this is what a hangover felt like.

My head was pounding and I knew my body would feel sluggish for most, if not all of the day.

I rolled over onto my back and the plush white duvet cocooned around me. I noticed that the blanket wasn't the only thing surrounding me. Pillows rested against every side of my body, and I couldn't stop the smile that slowly spread across my face.

I had slept over at the guys' apartment after the club and stayed in their guest room – or the room they decided is mine if I ever decide to move in. They must have placed the pillows after I had fallen asleep.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I had never gotten drunk before. Even on the assignments Gio sent me on that had me at cocktail parties or sketchy bars, I never drank enough to put myself at greater risk. The fact that I had let myself just have fun last night felt like a huge accomplishment.

I trusted the guys.

A fact that I knew before but felt even more solidified now.

My legs felt heavy as I swung them out of bed and walked over to the closet to drab a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants.

The pants were Aidan's and the sweatshirt was Luka's. At least those were the original owners. Now, they permanently resided in my closet... not that the guys' minded too much, or at all.

As I made my way downstairs the smell of various breakfast foods made my mouth water, and I rounded the corner into the kitchen I was greeted with a ginormous spread of bacon, waffles, fruit, yogurt, and orange juice.

"Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to grace us with her presence?"

Luka noticed me first and his smile was a boon to my pounding headache.

"I'm hungover. Fuck off", I teased him.

"Oh no. We've got a code red people. Get her some food stat! Colt you pour the juice and Greyson you start piling waffles on a plate".

Greyson and Colt's laughter rang through the marble-accented kitchen as I stuck my tongue out at Luka before taking the empty chair at the island between Grey and Colt.

Surprisingly the guys complied with Luka's directions, and I had a plate full of warm food in front of me that was just waiting for me to dig into.

Colt brushed a soft kiss against my temple as I cut into my food. "How are you feeling?".

I knew he was asking about my hangover, but the gentle way he was rubbing my back made me want to give him a very different answer. "I'm fine. Just have a headache and my body feels a little stiff. I'll probably need a nap later though or else I am going to be incredibly crabby tonight".

"Well our place is yours, so feel free to raid the medicine cabinet in the upstairs bathroom. I know we've got some Tylenol up there and whatever else you'd need".

I nodded my head in response. Not wanting to use my mouth for anything other than shoveling this perfectly cooked bacon in my mouth.

"Are you staying here for the rest of the day or are you going to head back to your place?", Greyson asked between a mouthful of strawberries.

Luka interjected before I could answer. "Guys let the woman eat!".

I laughed before chucking a grape at his face and then turned to Greyson. "I'll probably head back to my place. I don't have any of my school stuff here and we've got class early tomorrow".

He frowned slightly, "You know you wouldn't have to go back and forth so much if you moved in...just think. No rent, great roommates and an amazing view of the city".

I knew they all wanted me to move in, but it just didn't feel like the right time. Truthfully, I loved their place. It was warm and spacious and it felt like home more than my studio did. It just, felt odd. Especially when we hadn't figured out what we were to each other yet.

I loved them.

They loved me.

I kissed Luka and Grey.

Colt just broke up with his girlfriend.

Aidan still had one.

It was all still a little too complicated and moving in with them would only exacerbate that. I took a sip of orange juice and realized I had been in my head for a minute. They all were waiting for my reply.

"Not yet. I do think of this place like home, but I want to keep my studio for a bit longer". None of them argued with me although I could sense the slight disappointment.

My earlier thought about Aidan made me realize that he was not down for breakfast yet and I wondered if he was still sleeping. "Where's Aid? He's usually the first one in line for food".

It was Luka who answered, and I noticed a small change in his demeanor. "He went to the gym. Needed to work off all those tequila shots from last night". Something about the tightness of his mouth made me think back to last night.

"But didn't he leave before all of us?"

Luka bit his lip and opened his mouth, but it was Colt that answered instead. "He just needed to get out of the apartment today. His fight next weekend is a big one and he didn't relax as much as he wanted to last night".

Nodding my head, I thought back to our brief dance.

Aidan's an amazing dancer. His body always seems to know exactly how to respond to each downbeat and rhythm change. When he left suddenly last night, I was worried that something was wrong, but the guys had assured me that he was fine and just wanted to head to bed.

I couldn't escape the nagging feeling that he had been running away though. Running away from me.

The rest of breakfast passed by in a blur of airborne fruit and laughter, and it wasn't long before I decided it was time to pack up my stuff and head back to my apartment.

The guys all waved to me as the elevator doors closed and a warm feeling took over.

It was love.

It felt so normal. So right.