Signs of Spring: Male Reade x Summer Rose x Raven Branwen

Chapter VI: Breakfast in Bed

(F/N)'s alarm sounded at seven the next morning, not that it needed to. The events of last night had prevented (F/N) from getting any sleep. Lying in bed, his eyes bloodshot due to lack of sleep, (F/N) simply allowed his alarm to continue ringing, dreading the start to his day. Had he actually managed to get any sleep, (F/N) might have been able to trick himself into thinking that the events of last night were a dream and nothing more. Instead, he had spent half the night convincing himself that it was a hallucination, brought about due to lack of sleep. Wishful thinking. With a resigned sigh, (F/N) turned off his alarm and sat up in his bed, thankfully alone. He was about to throw the blankets off his lap and start his day when the door opened. Fearing that it was Raven, (F/N) quickly covered himself again, pulling his blankets up to his chin.

Through the door stepped not Raven, but Summer. Already fully dressed, Summer looked like she had been awake for hours. She was already dressed in her school uniform, her tail swaying gently from side to side. Her hair had been straightened, a stark contrast to last night, her bangs falling over one side of her face, obscuring her left eye. Finishing the picture was a large tray in her arms, laden with food.

"Summer?" (F/N) asks. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh good, you're awake." Summer grins, closing the door with her foot. "Here, I made you breakfast."

Sitting down on the edge of (F/N)'s bed, Summer reaches across his chest and lays the tray across his lap before kissing him on the cheek. It's almost as if they've been married for years.

"Uh..." (F/N) says confusedly. "What's this?"

"What's it look like silly?" Summer giggles.

"No, I know, but... why?"

"I just wanted to thank you." Summer responds. "For our date and, *sigh*, for dealing with last night."

"Right, that."

"Yeah," Summer says slowly, "I should apologize for that. Raven, she can be a little, well, aggressive. But I wanted to thank you for not doing anything with her last night. Most guys probably wouldn't have even given it so much as a second thought."

"No need to apologize. And as for what happened with Raven, I'm not a hook-up kinda guy. I'd like to at least buy her dinner first."

"What?" Summer asks, her smile faltering slightly.

"Well, if she really likes me, I can at least see if I like her too."

"But what about us?"

"What about us?"

"I thought that we were, you know, together."

"I did too." (F/N) replies.

"Then why are you planning on asking Raven out on a date? It makes you look like a playboy." Summer says bitterly.

"Hey, I don't remember anyone asking me how I felt when you two decided to start some petty fight over me. I'm just trying to keep things civil."

Summer was about to say something, but instead bit her lip, a frown creasing her forehead as she thought about what (F/N) had said. As much as she hated to admit it, (F/N) was right. She had indeed agreed to fight Raven for his affections, so she supposed she shouldn't be surprised. Maybe if she hadn't allowed Raven to get under her skin, she would have refused and managed to avoid this whole mess. Then again, it was unlikely Raven would relent, regardless of whether or not Summer had agreed to her challenge. Still, she felt bad for allowing herself to stoop to Raven's level, not to mention completely disregarding how (F/N) might have felt about it.

Evidently her guilt had made its way onto her features, as (F/N) released a heavy sigh. Setting the breakfast tray aside, (F/N) wrapped his arms around Summer and rested his cheek on her head, hugging her from behind.