Even In Pieces [bxb]

Chapter 34

Zachary

"Stop whining, Jesus." I groan at Everett.

Bridgett nods. "Exactly, you are worse than me on my periods."

This makes me laugh and Everett narrows his eyes at his sister. Bridgett just smirks, not even a bit fazed by Everett's death glare. I don't think anything fazes Bridgett.

"It's not your damn knee the hammer fell on!" Everett growls as he rubs his right knee with his palm.

I roll my eyes at him. "Yeah, because we weren't careless enough while handling a hammer."

Everett meets my gaze with a hard stare. His hair is damp with sweat, so is his t-shirt. His cheeks are flushed with all the hard work the three of us put into fixing up the roof of the shed in the backyard of the Garcia family. He looked sexy as fuck, and I wanted to crawl onto his lap and kiss till neither of us can feel our lips.

"Guys, we all need a shower and food. Our sweet big brother who didn't want to get sweaty better be done with whatever he was making in the kitchen by now or else I swear to god I will destroy the roof myself and make him fix all of it." Bridgett grumbles, meaning every word that she says.

I grin at her, making my way next to where Everett is sitting. I fall onto my knees on the floor to get a better look at his knee. Pushing off the hand he is using to massage, I rub a thumb over the red bruise. Nothing seems to be broken, the only problem is the bruise which, by the looks of it, will heal in a few days.

"You need to stop hurting your legs. Seriously, it's always the fucking legs, either with soccer or with your stupidity." I grunt at him.

"Maybe I just like seeing you on your knees for me." He smirks at me.

I hold back a grin. "You don't have to try this hard for that to happen."

"I think that's my cue to get the hell out of here before I witness something that I really shouldn't." Bridgett says, turning and walking towards the house.

"Let's go. We are far too sweaty for any sort of activity Bridgett seems to have in her head." I tell Everett, and he gets up, smiling at me. He pushes his forehead against mine for a moment. I stroke his cheekbone with my fingers and just let the moment be. Pulling back, we smile at each other and make our way into the house.

We take a shower together in his bathroom. Kissing and touching just because we could, fighting for the towel because we used the rest of them up and forgot to put them in the laundry, all the while blaming each other for it. Finally, we make our way downstairs for lunch after putting on a shirt and sweats that we aren't sure belong to which one of us. Not that it matters. Jonah really did go all out making lunch. Even Bridgett seems to be pleased, which really is a wonderful achievement to make.

Eleanor and Parker do the dishes while the rest of us crash down on the sofa, Everett laying half on top of me while Bridgett and Jonah fight over the remote and Clover just seems to be done with the immature adults surrounding him.

"Why the hell does everyone in this family argue so fucking much? You both," He both points to Jonah and Bridgett and then turns and points to me and Everett. "And then you two."

I can feel my heartbeat in my throat. Family, he called me part of this family. It shouldn't feel so amazing to hear that, especially when he probably just said it casually, but damn if it didn't make me feel happy. Everett puts a hand on my thigh and squeezes, as though he knows what I am thinking. He smiles at me with understanding. I smile back at him.

"Just be glad we are not punching each other anymore." Everett says.

"If you miss it that much, I can definitely do it again." I say.

Bridgett laughs and Jonah just looks at us like he can't understand us. Everett scoffs at me. "I'll let you know when that happens."

"You guys are so fucking weird." Clover shakes his head at us.

We both shrug at him, unapologetically. I like that we can just be this easy with each other.

We watch the TV for a while before both of us go back upstairs because Bridgett and Jonah just wouldn't shut up. Clover, being the smarter one of us, all had already gone upstairs. We enter Everett's room, and he shuts and kicks the door behind us. He pulls with him to the bed and we both fall on it, rolling onto our back, facing the ceiling while Everett puts one of his legs above mine. My heart flutters at the gesture.

"I love having you here. In my bed, the room that will always be mine, the house I grew up in, the people who I love." Everett says.

I can feel my cheeks heat at his confession. The fact that he is probably the only person who could make me flush is definitely something that I have noticed more than once. "I love being here."

He turns and grins when he sees that I am embarrassed. I roll my eyes at him. "Is it weird that I want to be with you forever?"

I smirk at him. "Where's my diamond ring?"

He laughs and turns to his side, coming closer to me and burying his face in the crook of my neck while wrapping an arm around me. I relax into his arms, pressing myself against him. "Next time I propose, I'll keep it in mind."

"Not if I beat you to it first."

Everett looks at me, grinning. "Look at you, growing out of your commitment issues and talking about proposing."

I flip him a middle finger. We both fall into laughter. Having the warmth of him pressed against me feels all kinds of good. One day, maybe we will reach a place where both of us might just have to buy the rings. Forever with him does sound quite perfect.

"Marriage sounds like a terrible idea that we can definitely discuss, but for now, I have a moderately bad idea which goes along the lines of getting our own apartment next year of college. Our last year in a shared apartment with Finley, Pierce, Dylan, Alice and Sloane. Will make our rent way cheaper than the dorms, and you won't have to stress about money as much." Everett says. The uncertainty in his voice makes me lightheaded because it means that he wants this. I haven't thought about my own apartment, but it would solve a bit of my financial troubles. The fact that Everett had considered this fills me with emotions that I am not used to feeling. Then again, Everett has been making me experience new things since the moment I met him.

Thinking about it now, that's probably one of the reasons that had made me hate him. He always had a way of messing up my world and making it better.

I stare at him, my heart thudding in my chest. I bring my palm up to his cheeks, grinning. "Yeah. That sounds awesome. Way better than a proposal."

Everett laughs, pulling me closer."I can't wait to see your face when I beat you to it and propose first."

I snort. "Keep deluding yourself into thinking that you can beat me at anything."

I place a hand at the back of his neck and pull him. He goes willingly on top of me, kissing me languidly. God, the way that we just fit together like this. Forever with him is going to be a wild ride that I can't wait to live

___________________________________________________

THE END.

demons_and_reveries is my Instagram account.

P. S. If you haven't voted, go back and vote, stupidheads!