Battle of Hearts

Chapter 37

"Morning. Where am I?" She asked sitting up and silently a hopeful string broke inside him.

"My house. You were drunk and there was no way I could leave you like that." He said too bluntly for her taste. He saw her reluctance and realized soon she wasn't vulnerable anymore. As the sun shined like every day an unforgettable night ended and she was back to her old cold self.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"My head's exploding." She chuckled a little pressing her hands to her head.

"Bad hangover. Come on, go freshen up and I'll bring you something to eat." He advised getting up.

"Oh no that's fine. I'll just go home." She got up from the bed and began folding the blanket she was previously inside.

"Don't be silly. Leave it, the maid will do that." He took away the blanket from her hands and threw on the bed. "You can't go to home like this anyways. Your car is at Haley's."

"Oh great." She muttered sarcastically and trudged her way to the bathroom.

"Good. You clean up and I'll bring breakfast."

She stopped. "No need for that. I'll come to the kitchen." She confirmed it with a smile which he would have believed if it wasn't for her lethargic tone.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay… I'll see you at the table." He nodded and went away to the kitchen to ask the cook to make pancakes. On his way to the breakfast table he came to a conclusion that she didn't remember it after all. A sigh escaped his lips and he was too lost in his thoughts to notice anyone's presence. He was just exhausted, frustrated and confused. His heart said she was worth the wait but his mind knew the truth. School was about to end and he would have to let her go eventually. It was very likely they would be miles away in a few months. Could he really sacrifice a good and safer relationship with Emily for something so transient and fleeting?

"Hey, bro."

He looked up to see Callum with a little Lucy by his side. "Good morning." He said happily pushing away his thoughts.

They sat on the chairs beside him and he asked his sister, "How are you, Lu?"

She looked up at him and squeaked excitedly, "I'm good. What are we eating today?"

"Chocolate chip pancakes."

"No, I want waffles." Callum demanded and Cameron shot him a look to make him understand he wasn't going to listen anything. "Nobody listens to me in this house." He whined again settling back in his seat.

"Cameron." Lucy called innocently, "When are mom and dad going to be back?"

"Um… Today, I think. They should be home till five."  He said trying to escape from his sister's burning curiosity. She was always inquiring about their parents and he knew that she was too little to understand their 'work'. She always complained about them not being together like her friends' families. But there was nothing he could do except be a good brother.

"Ally? What are you doing here?" Callum  question jolted him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see she was awkwardly standing at the end of the table. Before his brother could ruin things for him by telling their parents about a girl waking up in their house he stepped in.

"Uh… She's here to grab my… notes."

"This early?" Callum asked turning his head towards his brother.