haven murphy had nothing to lose. everything was different after sarah cameron's birthday party, the night her father died. haven just didn't feel right in her own skin. then, on a whim, she befriended pope heyward and got sucked into a wild goose h...
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CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE: HURTS LIKE THIS (episode eight: the cross)
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EARLY MORNING SUN WAS streaming in through the window when Haven opened her eyes. It was bright, casting a warm shadow across the sheets beneath her. If she listened carefully, she could hear the faint hum of boats out on the marsh, the crackle of bacon cooking in a pan. Everything was quiet, peaceful. For the first time in ages, Haven Murphy had woken up feeling well-rested, ready to take on the day.
But then an arm circled her waist, a dazed kiss was pressed to her bare shoulder closely followed by a snore, and reality snapped back like a rubber band.
Haven was in John B's bed. When she rolled over, John B was beside her, one arm around her waist and the other covering his eyes from the sun. They had ― oh, shit. She thought it was a dream ― a really good dream, but nothing more. She was so wrong. Oh, what had she done? They were never going to get past this. If Haven didn't leave now, John B would wake up, find her where Sarah had always been, and...
She was going to lose him as a friend. There was no other way around it. She'd ruined things. As usual. Fuck, this had to be a Maybank thing, to destroy your life when things were good for once. There was no other way to explain how Haven had thought it was okay to sleep with Sarah's ex.
Quickly, she slid out from beneath John B's arm, grabbing the first shirt she found on the floor before throwing it over her head. She'd changed back into her undergarments after... that, leaving her to quickly hike her skirt up her thighs before booking it to the door. She could come back for the rest of her things later, or she could convince JJ to do it for her. She just needed to go.
Alas, her plan was thwarted when she stepped into the living room and narrowly dodged a fatal blow to the head from a frying pan.
"What the fuck, Arden?" she screeched, heart missing a beat as her arms blocked the swing. "Are you trying to kill me?"
"I thought you were an intruder," the other girl exclaimed, gripping the cooking utensil like a bat. "What are you doing here, Haven? Why the fuck are you sneaking around my house?"
"I'm not― I'm just leav―"
"But you just got here," JJ pointed out, to which Haven frowned in confusion. Hadn't he seen where she came from? Oh. "Does your mom know you're here? Do you want to stay for breakfast? Arden's making a breakup breakfast for JB!"
"Oh, uh―"
Nervously, Haven's eyes drifted over to Arden. The girl in question was already watching her, eyes lingering on Haven's neck for some reason. Suddenly, her jaw dropped in realisation, and Haven was ready to turn and make a run for it when the door behind her suddenly opened again, a tired yawn slipping past John B's lips as he took in the sight before him. Barely noticing his friends, he grinned at the sight of Haven in his shirt, not that she'd noticed it was his when she took it. Before he could think twice, he murmured a soft greeting in her ear, wrapping his arms around her shoulders from behind.
