When The Whistle Blows

Chapter 34

Astrid

"You wound me," Corey sighed dramatically, causing me to giggle.

Bentley chuckled from beside me, nearly dragging my attention away from the melodramatic twin.

"Oh suck it up, it's obvious I'm the better twin," Colten said, teasing his brother.

Realizing he was just antagonizing his brother, I stood from my seat and leaned between their seats.

I faced Colten first. "Be nice to your brother, and that includes not purposely causing fights with him," I told the elder twin with a raise of my eyebrows. Not waiting for a response, I turned to Corey. "Coors, I didn't mean to offend you. What I meant to say was that if I needed a new winger on my line I would choose Colten because he is a righty and would therefore benefit more as a right-winger. If I wasn't already a lefty and a left-winger, then you would be my choice for the position." I was nearly winded at the end of my long explanation. 

Still not waiting for a response, I planted a quick kiss on Corey's cheek then turned and planted one on Colten's.

Then with dramatics of my own, I fell back into my seat.

On my right, and across the aisle, Luka was passed out and stretched out over his two seats, clearly taking advantage of not having anyone sit next to him.

His blonde strands sat messily on his head and his soft snores brought a smile to my face. The low hum of the bus must have lulled him to sleep, much like most of the team.

Behind me, Ryder slept soundly too. His black hair was pressed against the window, while his neck craned at an odd angle. His features were peaceful and I could've sworn a soft smile rested on his usual hard lips.

My eyes flicked to his seat buddy who was still awake. Chocolate brown eyes stared back at me intently.

"Not tired?" I asked Henrik.

"Unfortunately not, I'd rather wait till we get home before I slip into unconsciousness and become unaware of my surroundings," Henrik said, his strange wording causing me to frown with confusion.

That was until he slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a sharpie. A dark smirk crossed Henrik's face as he turned towards Ryder's prone form and started drawing away.

From a classic mustache and an eye patch to whiskers and a roughly shaped male part, Henrik was having a grand time of graffiting his best friend.

Deciding to not be a part of that scheme, I turned back in my seat.

Bentley watched me with a small smile playing at his lips.

"You okay?" I asked him, confused as to why he was smiling. Although it wasn't unusual for the brit to be smiling, I was curious as to why he was smiling and watching me.

"I'm great," Bentley said. "I'm glad that everything's back to normal." His eyes followed me as I leaned down and adjusted all my stuff on the floor and grabbed a blanket.

"Me too," I sighed, scooting closer to him and placing my head on his chest while also tossing the blanket over my exposed legs.

Bentley's warmth encompassed me as he held me to him and started playing with my hair.

I got comfy against him and we sat in silence for a while, until he spoke. "I'm sorry, Love," Bentley said quietly.

"Why?" I asked, looking up into his green eyes.

"For ever making you doubt me. I may not be the best at displaying affection but I want-no need you to know that my heart lies with you." His fingers played and pulled at my red strands as he spoke. "Whatever the future brings, I'll be by your side no matter what." His lips tugged into a soft smile.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you," I said. Not being able to resist it, I leaned up and pressed my lips against his.

His soft lips met mine, but before the kiss could progress he pulled away.

I frowned as he spoke. "You should get some sleep, Love," he suggested.

"I'm not tired," I yawned immediately after I spoke, which caused Bentley to chuckle.

Even though he had a point, I still mumbled my protests as I went back to laying against his chest, which caused another chuckle to rumble through his muscled body.

With Bentley's soft touches combined with the relaxing hum of the bus, I was out like a light.

A peaceful sleep ensued briefly before I awoke again. Slowly, I was pulled from my dreamless state and my eyes fluttered open. My mind slowly processed the noises around me as I stared at the ceiling of the bus.

The bus was still moving and night still surrounded us.

Taking in more of my surroundings, I realized that I was no longer laying on Bentley's chest, but rather his lap. Which admittedly was more comfy than his marbled chest. The owner of said lap and chest was fast asleep, his head resting against the window and swaying slightly with the movements of the bus.

Looking around, I glanced between the crack in my seat and Bentleys and saw brown eyes flick to me.

"You're still awake?" I mumbled sleepily to Henrik.

He nodded back in response as he leaned forward in his seat so I could better see and talk to him.

"How much longer?" I asked him as I looked around for any sign of what time it was.

"About an hour," Henrik said.

Noticing that I was going to get up, Henrik spoke again. "You should get some more rest, you could always use it," he suggested.

I could tell that not only him, but all my guys were worried about me exhausting myself. Which honestly wasn't absurd, after all, I've had some crazy and spontaneous episodes that would worry anybody.

I glanced up to Bentley who was still sound asleep.

"He's fine," Henrik reassured me. "If he didn't want you on his lap, he would've moved you or himself."

Realizing that Henrik did make some sense, I decided to stay where I was.

"Please don't decorate my face while I sleep," I said to Henrik, who just smirked.

"Comforting," I muttered before turning away from him and getting comfy again.

Bentley's thighs were definitely way more comfy than his chest, so after adjusted my positioning just a bit more, I felt sleep tugging at me again.

Right before I fell asleep, a hand slithered around my waist and rested against my stomach. Bentley's warm touch only helped me slip asleep faster.

I was only awoken from my peaceful slumber once when I felt strong arms lift me from my seat and into the air.

My eyes opened briefly and clashed with an icy gaze that stared down softly at me.

"Back to sleep, Grapes," Ryder's deep voice advised.

I didn't protest as sleep once again claimed me, only to briefly fade once more when my familiar soft sheets surrounded me.

Home Sweet Home.

~~~~~~
Thank you for reading Chapter 34. I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry for not updating for so long.

I wanted to give y'all this little update because I have a feeling it's going to be a while until the next one. I'm really needing a break right now from my stories on here as I feel I've lost my passion for writing them. I don't know when I'll be updating next, but I'm truly sorry for leaving this story and my others hanging. I hope you guys can find it in your hearts to forgive me.

Best of Regards, MJ