FALLING AROUND YOU ➵ DANIEL SEAVEY ➵ SEQUEL

22 ➵ The News

"I cannot think when I am near you, for your soul is like the sun: it is old, but it is radiant. Every time you speak, it is born again."

—

As I was greeted by the beams of sunlight, I suddenly felt a powerful hum in my head along with a throbbing feeling. I groaned in agony, pulling my hands to my temples. It almost felt like I needed to throw up, but I simply couldn't. A small snicker was heard from the corner of the room, and my gaze met the blue eyes I grew so familiar with.

"Morning sunshine," the Seavey boy walking closer towards the bed.

I groaned as a response, "What happened last night?"

He chuckled once more, "Aren't you going to ask why you woke up in my bed?"

My attention towards the scenery heightened, realizing my current position. I looked towards my clothing, but I was in nothing more than a baggy shirt and a large pair of boxers. The dress of last night was neatly placed on the desk opposite side of the bed, and it looked like Daniel had already changed. I could feel my eyes darting everywhere, and I knew Daniel could sense my new panic.

"Sienna," he put my hand in his softly. "We didn't do anything last night, okay?"

His words held much reassurance, but I still shook my head. "Did you, uh, did you change me?" I could feel the scarlet paint my cheeks with the most absurd, yet intimate question.

The angel boy shook his head once more. "Christina changed you. If I did it, I feel like I would be overstepping our weird reintroduction, if that's what you want to call it," he chuckled.

I pulled my hands on my face in embarrassment. "I wouldn't mind," I said jokingly, looking at the boy.

He raised an eyebrow, "Good to know for next time."

Suddenly, I felt another throb of my head, and I quickly clutched it in pain. "God! What even happened last night?"

Daniel snickered at the thought. He grabbed both my hands smiling. "You were a mess," he said simply. "You got super drunk, and it was such a hassle to get you back to the house. You threw up, so Christina and I tried our best to clean you up. You're lucky I love you and let you sleep in my bed because your breathe smelled like vomit."

I rolled my eyes, pushing his shoulder in a playful manner. I couldn't get over the mild words of him saying he loved me, being as I spent days thinking my love for him was newly unrequited. I was so wrong. He didn't stop loving me, but he feared that if he said it out loud, then all the hurt would come back. He was wrong in that sense too.

"How did I even end up drunk?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, after our kiss on the rooftop, we headed back downstairs and met with the rest of the group. Jack and Jonah had another flask, and you just went straight for it; chugged the whole thing! It was incredibly entertaining to watch, but not so fun to clean up," his eyes met mine. "You're a really fun dancer drunk, though."

My fingers were covering my eyes in pure humiliation. "I feel like I'm back in high school, stealing a few sips of vodka from my parent's alcohol cabinet," my words muffled as my hands covered my mouth as well.

Daniel slowly pealed my hands away from my face, kissing the palms. "It was a fun night, okay? No need to feel mild embarrassment. I'm sure we've gone through much worse than dealing with a drunk Sienna roaming around."