His Last Words [COMPLETED]

3. After

[Carla's POV] <- BEFORE

"Why are we watching this again?"

"Beats me. You're the tool who can't say no to a pretty face."

I felt my brother reach his arm out behind me and knock his best friend who sat on the other side of me. They both laughed, jostling me who sat between the two boys who weren't acting like the adults they were supposed to be.

"Hey! I'm not some pretty face and I'm definitely not going to be stuck in the middle when you two start acting like grade schoolers."

"I'm not a little kid. I'm twenty one, I'll have you know." My brother proudly stuck his chest out, trying to act like a man when in fact he's a skinny and awkward young man. I love him, but he is really just a big kid. Protective, but childish at the same time.

"Oh, really now?" A hand on my shoulder pulled my attention to my other side, to my brother's best friend. In comparison to my child-like brother, his friend was a bit bulkier and much cuter. In a way that had potential to be something amazing when he got older. Not that he acted his age either. Sigh, I was surrounded by children.

"Well, I'm almost twenty two, so I'm the oldest and definitely the most handsome." The smirk on his face betrayed his playful words and my brother's indignant huff next to me told me that this would escalate quickly if I didn't do something soon.

"Yeah, and I'm eighteen so if we can all shut our traps and watch the movie then I can get my Ryan Gosling fix and you two old men can go to bed early."

Arms went around me, a fist nuzzled the top of my head and fingers tickled my sides. I tried to fight back but could do nothing but wait it out. When they finally let me go we were all breathing heavily and my heart was racing.

"Idiots." I muttered and folded my arms over my chest.

"What was that? You want to go for another round?" My brother mock whispered in my ear.

"Shut up. I want to watch the movie."

When we calmed down I was able to stretch out on the bed, snuggled between the two of them. Evan had his arm around the back of my head while my brother was leaning against the headboard with his ankles crossed at the bottom of the bed.

As we watched the movie, the guys would occasionally mock Ryan's actions and I would huff in protest. Though every now and again I had to admit that the female character was a bit of a spoiled brat. I wouldn't say it though since Tay said that I was just like her sometimes. I was protected, loved and had everything I needed. So I was just like her except for the parts where she loses the love of her life and her memories of him. I shuddered. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even my worst enemy.

I grew sleepy and lay my head against Evan's shoulder. Before I knew it I was curled into his side and had my arm across his chest as he held me while I slept through the end of my favourite movie.

~

"You'll protect her, won't you?"

"What do you mean? Of course I'll protect her but you make it sound like you won't be there, protecting her, with me." Evan's voice pitched towards the end.

I could hear the smile Taylor obviously wore in the way he spoke to his best friend. "You know that I will be. But you and I both know that it's you she wants to spend more time with. It's you she has a future with."

The pause that followed weighed heavily between the two men. When Evan eventually responded, his words were stilted. "Tay, I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I'm- I guess I'm just trying to figure out what I want to happen before I do anything."