Between Us

☆ part five ☆

The living room had descended into the kind of comfortable chaos that only exhaustion could bring. Liam was sprawled out on one couch, limbs flung every which way, his head resting against Oakley's shoulder. Oakley, sitting upright and somehow still managing to sleep, was snoring softly, his head tilted at an awkward angle. Across from them, Indi was curled up in the armchair, her face half-buried in the sleeve of her hoodie. Kitty, on the other couch, was halfway between awake and asleep, muttering something incomprehensible as she shifted under her blanket. Only Lark and I were still awake, sitting quietly amidst the wreckage of empty cups, snack bowls, and abandoned game pieces. It had been a long night, but it felt wrong to leave the house looking like this when Indi's family had been kind enough to let us all crash here.

"I can't leave it like this," Lark said, breaking the silence as she stood and stretched. "Come on, Soph. Let's clean up." I followed her into the kitchen without hesitation, grabbing a towel as she filled the sink with hot water. The quiet hum of the house felt almost sacred, the low murmur of Oakley's snores and the occasional creak of the old furniture filling the stillness.

Lark started washing dishes, her hands moving quickly and efficiently, while I took my spot next to her with the towel, drying each dish she passed me. For a while, we worked in companionable silence, exchanging the occasional small comment about how many cups had been used or how Oakley somehow managed to spill more snacks than he ate. But as I watched her work, the memory of what had happened earlier in the night crept back into my mind.

"Hey," I said, breaking the silence.

Lark glanced at me briefly, raising an eyebrow. "Hey what?"

"Thank you," I said softly.

She frowned slightly, tilting her head. "For what?"

"For standing up to Kitty," I replied, my voice quiet but steady. "I really appreciate it."

Lark stopped scrubbing the plate in her hands and looked over at me. Her green eyes were soft, and for a moment, she seemed genuinely surprised. "You don't have to thank me for that," she said, shaking her head as a small smile tugged at her lips. "Kitty had it coming. She's been awful to you all week, and honestly? I've had enough of it."

Her words made something warm bloom in my chest, and I couldn't help but smile back at her. "Well, I'm thanking you anyway," I said. "It really meant a lot to me."

She laughed softly, turning back to the dishes. "You're welcome, then, I guess."

I sighed, leaning back against the counter for a moment and looking around the kitchen. The warmth of the moment, the quiet intimacy of it, felt like something out of a memory I didn't even know I had. "I missed this," I said suddenly, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

Lark glanced at me again, her hands still in the soapy water. "Missed what?"

"This," I said, gesturing vaguely between us. "You. Us. I don't know. I just really missed you this summer."

Her expression softened, and she looked at me for a long moment, her green eyes searching mine. "I missed you too," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. The way she said it, the sincerity in her voice, made my chest ache in a way I couldn't quite explain. For a moment, I forgot about everything else—the tension with Kitty, the weight of the group's shifting dynamics, even Liam sleeping just a few feet away. It was just me and Lark, standing in the soft glow of the kitchen light, the only sounds the faint clink of dishes and the quiet murmur of the house around us.

The quiet moment between us was abruptly interrupted by a shrill ringtone piercing the silence. Lark and I both turned toward the living room, where Kitty, half-asleep on the couch, was fumbling through her bag for her phone. "Hello?" Kitty slurred, her voice loud enough to make Oakley stir slightly in his sleep. "Yeah, I'm still here. You're outside? Ugh, fine, give me a second."