Clay asked me to hang out again to work on things, something that's becoming our little thing. We sit in a comfortable silence as we work on our separate things. I've been doing different coding projects here and there. He's been working on a lot of things for merch. And, although there's been talk about another elevator video in a month or so, we do our on things separately.
We do our thing independent of each other in our lives that would, in most other circumstances, would be completely separate from each other. It's a strange thing to think about.
One time I stopped typing on my laptop and glanced up at him, sitting in the bean bag chair which I refuse to sit in ever since I saw the mountain of dirty laundry. "Do you think we would be friends if my computer had actually worked for Nick's code that one time?" I had asked him.
He thought about it for a solid minute. If my laptop didn't work, Nick would've taken credit for my code, and Clay would've never known I had existed. In fact, Nick could've picked any other coder and gotten the same, if not better, results for their videos.
Clay brushed his hair out of his eyes and looked up at me. "In all honesty, probably not." My heart sunk at his words as he spoke. "Our worlds just don't really mix, and our dreams are all mixed up."
"Mixed up?" I asked.
He nodded. "You can't stay in one place, y/n. You bounce off the walls when you have to sit through a movie longer than two hours. I can't imagine you staying in Florida forever."
I sighed, knowing everything he said was true. I did want to eventually travel around the world; it was something I've been letting slip further and further as I've gotten older. Every once in a while, I'll get a spark to just up and move somewhere random on a whim, usually when I'm thinking of Maggie. That's what we were going to do together: travel.
My eyes meet Clay's as his fingers hovered over his laptop's keys, waiting for me to be done talking, but being respectful of my open thoughts.
"And you want to stay here?" I asked.
He nodded. "I couldn't imagine being anywhere else."
I remember a little piece of coal settling in the pit of my stomach right then and there. Clay had already been able to tell something I hadn't seen coming. He and I were destined for different futures. His was right here in Florida where he loved, and mine was somewhere off in the distance in a place I probably won't stay for long.
Even with that conversation in my head, I've continued to come back to their house. Because this isn't the future; it's the present, and I want to spend a lot of that with people I'd consider my friends.
I just walk through the front door when I get to their house, another habit I've formed after the boys got tired of getting up to open it for me. The house smells like someone's cooking and rosemary fills the air. It reminds me of going over to Maggie's house in the evenings where her two perfect parents would be cooking together in the kitchen like a romance movie.
I shut the door quietly behind me in case Nick's sleeping. It's just after one but he tends to sleep until two. It latches into place, and I turn to head towards Clay's room, only to stop short from the sight of a stranger in the kitchen.
It's a woman cooking something on the stove. I should've known something was different by the smell of food in the first place. I've only ever seen the guys eat take out and pizza rolls, although I do occasionally see leftovers neatly stacked in tupperware containers in the fridge. I never asked about the food, not knowing where it came from.
She turns her head towards the opening door, her dusty blonde hair falling over her shoulder, and she smiles at me.
"Hey hon," she says, wiping her hands on her apron, "How are you?"
I pause, not knowing one clue about who this woman is. Her smile is familiar, with smile lines around her mouth showing years and years of good times.
I hear a loud pattering from the stairs and turn, only to be face to face with a teenage girl.
Who are these people?
"Hey," she says casually before looking past my shoulder to the kitchen. "Nick said he wants chicken, but he needs to wake up first."
Okay, so they know at least one person who lives in this house, unless Nick is tied up after being kidnapped.
"I told you not to wake him up," another voice says. My chest builds in panic at the sight of another new person before realizing I know that voice.
My eyes must still be slightly panicked from the other two people I don't know when I see Clay coming from his back hallway.
He smiles to reassure me, and I feel better about the two people although I still have no clue who they are. "You can put your stuff in my room and then come eat with us."
I nod and follow directions, taking a deep breath in his room before conquering the kitchen.
Clay is leaning against the counter, talking to the woman by the stove. It's only now that I realize why her smile seemed familiar. It's the same as Clay's.
The girl grabs a chip from a bag on the counter before taking the whole bag to the living room. Clay's head instantly turns and follows her every move.
"Drista, I was eating those." His brows are furrowed, but there's an affectionate tone in his voice. One that I can only describe as brotherly.
This is the moment that it clicks. The woman and the girl are his mom and sister. Why couldn't he have introduced us first, or at least told me they would be here?
"If you were eating them, then why are they with me on the couch?" The girl asks before taking a big bite.
"Because you took them from me." Clay rolls his eyes. "Why else would I have complained?"
She just shrugs. "Oh well, what are you going to do about it?"
Nick appears at the end of the stairs. His hair is rumpled a bit, obviously just waking up. He's about to go straight to the kitchen but makes a detour when he sees the chips in Drista's hands. She holds the bag out, and he takes a couple.
Drista smiles at Clay as Nick unknowingly helped her win the little argument.
Clay sighs and turns back to his mom. "Anyways, I was thinking I'd go over for dinner on Wednesday instead of Thursday since Nick and I had stuff that day."
"Doesn't make a difference to me." His mom shrugs. "You'll need to come later than usual though. Your brother has practice."
I smile at the image of Clay with his family. Of Nick with Clay's family. The whole thing just seems really special, and here I am for them to share it with.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
sorry for the filler chapter! things are about to speed up just a tad ;)
i'm going to be posting 1-2 times a week for the next little bit of time to avoid burnout! thanks for understanding
have an amazing day <3
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saturday mornings are for pancakes // a dream x reader fanfiction
Fanfiction"What are you doing in my kitchen?" he asks groggily as he makes his way over to the barstools. I laugh at the way he rubs his eyes. "Making pancakes." He squints up at me, hangover all over his face. "Why are you doing it so early in the morning?" ...
