Everlasting Bonds - COMPLETE

Chapter 18

POV: Lark

I woke up in my bed.

The early morning light cascading in geometric shapes across my apartment was accented by the alarm chiming in my ear. Groaning slightly, I rubbed my eyes and rolled onto my side to reach for my phone.

Turning it off, I noticed there was a sheet of paper underneath it.

Morning Lark,You falling asleep in random places reminds me of when we were kids. You passed out at your kitchen table so I carried you to your bed around 11 pm. I would have stayed, but I didn't want you to be uncomfortable if you woke up in the middle of the night and saw some guy sleeping on your couch. I also grabbed your spare key so I could lock up when I left. I'll return it to you at our family meeting tonight. Thank you for trusting us with your story. See you tonight. Love,Luka

Sitting up further, I wrapped my arms around my knees. Tears fell from my eyes at the kindness Luka had shown me last night. He prioritized my needs and made sure I was safe.

Exhaling sharply, I wiped my eyes and shook my head to clear away the intense emotions I was feeling. Grabbing my phone again, I noticed I had a few messages waiting for me.

Colt: I'm sorry if last night at the apartment made you feel uneasy. I don't ever want you to feel like that around me...see you later.

Greyson: I hear we are having a family meeting tonight, would you want to sleep over after? We have a spare bedroom that you can use. No girlfriends allowed either. This is just family and Colt is going grocery shopping today for snacks!

I rested my head back against my bed as I thought about their texts. With Colt, I didn't know what to say. I had been uneasy, but that was because I was kind of jealous. I had no right to be considering that I was crushing on all four of them and I hadn't been in his life for almost a decade.

Grey's message required me to think a bit more.

Did I want to stay the night?

Thinking about it, I decided that it would probably be a good idea. Everything I needed to tell them was going to make me tired. Physically and emotionally. Having a place to crash might not be a bad idea, especially if I would have my own room. I quickly responded to them both, letting Greyson know I would stay over and telling Colt that everything was fine.

When I finally got out of bed it was closer to 7:00 am.

I still needed to eat and pack a bag, so I knew I wasn't going to have time to shower. I quickly brushed my teeth, washed my face, and got dressed for the day.

I packed my overnight bag quickly, double-checking I had all of my toiletries before moving on to pack my school bag. Throwing a grey cardigan over my white t-shirt and light wash jeans, I headed out the door.

Readying myself to face the day.

-*-*-*-*-*

By the time I arrived at my creative writing course, the room was already filling up. I was looking around trying to find an open seat when I heard the name Emily being called. It took me longer than it should have to realize that was me.

I had been spending so much time with the guys that I almost forgot all about Emily McCoy. The girl I was pretending to be. The girl I didn't want to be.

I wanted to be Lark or Mia or Emilia.

"Emily!"

I finally saw where the voice was coming from and realized it was Wyatt. The boy I had met only a couple of days ago. Even though it now felt like my first day of college happened a lifetime ago. Forcing myself to paint a genuine smile on my face, I walked over and claimed the seat next to him.

We were sitting in the third row again. Not in the same spots as we had been the previous class, but close enough.

"Hey. How has your first week of classes been going?", I asked him. Even though I wasn't interested in him romantically, I truly did think we would make great friends. He angled his body towards mine before answering.

"It was good. Nothing too exciting, but I suppose it is syllabus week after all. How about you?". My week was a complete whirlwind so far and it's only Wednesday. I couldn't exactly say that though. Instead, I gave him more half-truths.

"A bit overwhelming to be honest. I fell behind because of that year off I told you about." Wyatt nodded his head and opened his mouth to speak again, but was cut off by Cartwright telling us to take out our books. Wyatt gave me an apologetic grimace and turned his body to the front of the classroom.

I silently thanked whatever gods were out there that he wasn't someone that would attempt to talk during the entire class.

When I looked away from him and towards the front of the lecture hall, I was surprised to see Greyson's gaze resting on Wyatt. I hadn't forgotten that he was a TA for the course. What surprised me was the thinly veiled hostility I saw in his eyes. When we were younger, it took a lot to ruffle his feathers. It made me wonder if Grey and Wyatt had some sort of history.

When Greyson finally realized I was staring at him, his entire demeanor changed. He went from angry to elated and content in a matter of seconds. I could feel a smile pulling at the corners of my lips involuntarily. For the hundredth time since we were reunited, the depth of their absence hit me like a ton of bricks.

I shook my head slightly to bring my focus back to the here and now. Having Grey as a TA was great, but if I didn't learn how to not be so distracted by his presence I was going to have a hard time paying attention and receiving a passing grade