Summer Lovin'

Chapter 4

Hey there! 

After recieving my very first comment...I thought I'd post the next chapter. c: I know it's only one comment, but at least I'm progressing! <3

It's shorter than the other chapters, sorry!

Alright, enough of the chit-chat....here's chapter 4! 

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Edited? [x]

xoxo

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A crumpled white shirt, and a slowly rising chest was all I saw when I woke up. I looked up in a daze, only to see Cole's soft face. I had my arms wrapped around his stomach and his left arm was left around my waist. Everyone else was knocked out cold. I tried to get up, careful not to wake him.

I couldn’t let him know that we technically slept together.

Once I was free from his grasp, I caught myself staring at his perfectly carved out jawline. I loved the way his nostrils flared ever so softly. The way his eyes were set in stone, not allowing it to move. He was so peaceful when he was sleeping. Adorable, even.

Erin, you're staring at him sleep. I told myself, snapping out of whatever I was snapped into. 

I tried to distract myself as I stretched out my aching back from the cold linoleum floor I woke up on. I knew Gabe was an early riser unless something was bothering him, then he would sleep throughout the whole morning if he could. But he was nowhere in sight. And the last thing I remember, we were both laughing at the terrible slapstick scenes in the movie. I don't remember him ever getting up and leaving. I went to the kitchen, grabbed myself a water bottle and then sat back down on the cold floor, next to Cole.

At a respectable distance this time.

I unscrewed the cap and started drinking it. Just as I was in the middle of chugging it down, the door flew open and the Florida sunshine came seeping through. “Any boy who is anywhere near my sister, is getting beat!” A not-at-all threatening voice boomed throughout the quiet house.

Before I could stop myrself, the water came flying out of my mouth. “What the hell Jamie? What are you doing here?” I sprinted towards the kitchen, careful that I didn't slip on my own mess, and grabbed a handful of paper towels.

“Uh…” Cole croaked, shading his eyes away from the sun that was now making its way to the living room. "What time is it?" His morning voice was so sexy that I had to keep from swooning out loud.

“Great! You’ve woken everybody up!” I yelled, throwing my hands in the air.

“Jamie?” I heard Gabe's confused tone coming from the top of the stairs.

“Seriously? Did dad tell you to come over here and spy on me? Because we weren’t doing anything! We all fell asleep watching a movie.” I half-yelled as I shoved him in the shoulder.

He ignored me as he looked at Cole and Gabe with a sparkle in his eyes. It was really starting to worry me, all this time I thought he was into girls. “Oh my gosh. You guys are IM5, well two-fifths of them.” Jamie's eyes roamed around the house, "Oh never mind, there's Dalton." he said, eyeing his back. Cole nodded and smiled back at him as Gabe rolled his eyes and made his way downstairs.

“My girlfriend goes on and on about you guys, it’s not even funny.” He continued. “Well, you guys are good kids. I’ll just show myself out.” He showed himself out, without saying another word. But then I saw him appear in the doorway with his iPhone pointed in their direction. A flash went off and a soft, “Damn it.” slipped from his lips.

I started laughing as everyone else stared at the front door asking if that really just happened. "My brother is a dork, don't pay any attention to him." 

Gabe shook his head, "That boy never changes."

“Who’s up for some cold pizza for breakfast?” Mel asked, getting up and successfully diverting our attentions away from Jamie. Everyone jolted up at the sound of cold pizza and sat around Gabe's round glass table. 

Mel glanced behind her, "Do you think we should wake him up?" 

"Nah, he's grumpy when he's woken up." Gabe stated, pouring himself some orange juice.

“Okay, I have a question.” Cole spoke up. When we all looked at him, he continued, “Who fell asleep next to me?”

I guiltily took a bite out of my pizza, “Why?”

“I always sleep with my stuffed koala, so I’m used to holding things when I go to sleep. I woke up and I didn’t have my koala, I probably left it somewhere. So if I grabbed someone while I was sleeping, I’m sorry…except if I grabbed Erin, then you're welcome.” He winked at me and my heart wanted to jump out of my rib cage and right onto this clear table, for everyone to see.

I quickly changed the subject, “Gabe, where'd you go this morning? I woke up and you weren’t here.”

“I went up to my bed.” He said plainly. He got up and put his plate in the sink without a single glance in my direction. He seemed to be looking everywhere except at me.

Mel got up, “I think we should be headed home.” I think she sensed the tension too. She put her plate in the sink and started gathering her stuff. Cole went down on his knees before I had a chance to do the same. “No stay!” Cole begged.

I laughed as I ran my hand through his hair, “We seriously should get home. Don’t worry, I put my number into your phone so we can still talk.”

His eyes widened and a corner of his mouth went up in a teasing smirk, “You put your number in my phone?”

Think fast Erin, don't let him see you sweat!

I got up and quickly put my plate into the sink, “I didn’t just put it in your phone, I put it in Dalton’s too…just so we can all still communicate.” I said quickly. I grabbed my stuff and rushed out the door before he saw the truth behind my little white lie.

 ~

“Ugh! Why am I such a dork around Cole?” I jumped on my bed and stuffed my face in my pillow. Mel put her bags down and rubbed my back. Her parents wanted to move back to Texas, and she convinced them to let her finish high school here. So she’s been staying at my house ever since. It was the summer before Junior year, we were only two years away from graduating, there was no point in starting all over.

“Erin, you know how you are around guys you like, you are definitely not yourself. But that’s just who you are.” I sat upright as I held the pillow to my stomach. “I don’t know what’s going on Mel. Whenever I look into his deep brown eyes, I melt. And when I think he’s flirting with me, my brain shuts down and I suddenly forget every word known to the universe. Why am I such a stupid hormonal teenager?”

She hit me in the arm, “Erin Marie Reynolds, you are NOT stupid, okay?”

I sighed. That's all I could do to keep from banging my head against the wall.

“You know what you need to do? You need to stop over thinking everything, and just follow your heart. You really like Cole, right?”

“Yeah, but I just met—”

She cut me off, “No buts, you like him, it’s as simple as that. Erin, go for it…he really likes you. There was never a moment when his eyes weren’t glued to your face.” She smiled at me.

I laughed to myself as his face popped back into my head, “He’s just so cute oh my gosh. The way he laughs. The way he smiles. The way he holds his koala.” I suddenly got lost in his perfections.

Mel snorted, “And the way he snores.” I sighed, “Don’t you think that that’s just adorable?” She rolled her eyes and laughed, “You think his gorilla noises were adorable? Wow Erin, you’re in so deep I don't think I'll be able to get you out."

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wow I edited this & my tenses were just freakin' terrible, i'm so sorry guys. what was wrong with me? :-(