𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 ( 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐎𝐧𝐞)

𝐄𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 - 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩

If somebody makes you feel,
Let them.
~reyna biddy~

              𝐋𝐢𝐚

They say friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. But I will say affection is a trepid term for how I felt about these bunch.

They were my friends.

My family.

My own pack.

I would give up any of my organs for any of them, and the most significant part of this is knowing they would do the same for me.

There is great joy in knowing I'm loved as much as I love.

Shoving myself out of my trance, I looked around at them, trying to speak at the same time, especially the youngest.

"Hey!" I said. They didn't hear me, but Luc did because he turned his head to me, giving me a crooked smile and a wink.

The rogue! The gorgeous rogue, I said inwardly, determined not to get lost in his green gaze.

It was time to cook. I planned for dinner and tomorrow's lunch because I wanted us to have one final meal together before everyone left. I would miss them terribly, especially when Luc left, whichever day that was since he had refused to tell me.

Luca and Zion knew how to cook more than anyone of us. It was like a natural gift even though they got a few lessons from our moms, especially baking. I remember Zion backed Serena's fourteenth birthday with supervision, of course, but it was a beautiful white creamed cake.

I teamed up with Luca while Serena teamed up with Zion; he was right when he said she didn't want to cook. Serena was a terrible cook, worse than I was; her mom, Mia, was also the only one with no culinary skills whatsoever.

"What do you think we should cook?" Luca asked me; I shrugged insouciantly without looking at him. I didn't know what we would cook; I assumed he knew.

"Want me to decide?"

I nodded, and he let out a cheeky laugh which was swallowed by Sienna's commanding voice, baiting Nate again.

"Are you afraid I might be better than you?" she taunted him, Nate gave her a bored look, taking Zion's beer, but my brother's reflex was spot on because he grabbed it out of Nate's hand before he had a chance to take a sip.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Zion hissed, glaring at him. "Jamie, let me take a sip," He exclaimed, looking at Zion as if that was reason enough to let him drink.

"Well, I'm not Jamie. What are you doing trying to drink beer at fifteen?" Zion added, glowering at him. Jamie didn't seem fazed; he grimaced right back at him in what could be described as a glowering match.

"You started drinking before you turned twenty-one; I have seen every person in this room take alcoholic drinks, even Zippy here."

"Don't call me that!" Sienna angrily shot back. Then she added, "Nate, you're different from us." it was the first time Sienna had spoken softly to him, endearingly calling him by his nickname, and he noticed. He turned slowly, his eyes narrowed like he expected to find mockery in her gaze, but he found none.

"What does that mean?" Luca cupped his neck, lovingly shaking him a little the way he did Nicolo, and then bear hugged him before letting him go, "it means we protect you."

"I don't need your protection. I've got bodyguards to do that," he responded, sounding like a petulant child. None of them said a word because, someday, Nathan Joseph Ocean would find out exactly what having their protection meant; in the meantime, they needed to start dinner.