Candid

Chapter 16

As per usual, I will reply to any comment posted within the next week, it may take longer depending on how I feel!

Enjoy

|| ✨ ||

Light shone directly in my face. I groaned and rolled over on my bed. My arm smacked into a soft and small body. My face scrunched, my eyes squeezing shut tightly, willing the heaviness of sleep to disappear before I opened my eyes.

Valentina lay curled up in my bed resting against my body, Lizzy, and Logan on the other side of her. Logan's head was hanging off the bed and I shot my arm out, pulling him safely back on before he could fall off and get hurt. Lizzy was snoring up a storm, her arms resting behind her and her mouth wide open.

How?

I sat up in bed and ran a hand through the tangles. My hair was matted to my face and had dried in clumps since I fell asleep before I could dry my hair after my shower when we had gotten home early this morning.

A throat cleared and I froze, peering through a half-closed eye at the person sitting at the foot of my bed. Tessa grinned back at me, a steaming cup of coffee in her hand by the aroma wafting around my room.

"Good morning little sister," she greeted, sipping slowly.

I grumbled a half-hearted reply.

"You passed out before your dear date could find a place to sleep," she said, a teasing lilt to her cheery voice. Honestly, how is she not hungover right now? "We threw him in the guest room and put the little ones here, they didn't even stir."

I stared at her through bleary eyes. "Is he still here?" I asked through the cracks in my voice, desperate for some liquids.

She grinned that evil Tessa smile. "He's downstairs, helping mom with breakfast."

I nodded my head and was desperate to fall back asleep but I might as well get out of bed now that I am awake. I placed my feet on the ground and knew that today was going to be difficult from the tenderness of my heels and toes. Stupid shoes.

I stood up, bracing an arm on the bed, and shuffled slowly into my bathroom. My hair snagged as I ran a slow brush through it followed by brushing my teeth and throwing some water on my face, getting it all over the sink. It didn't do much to wake me up and I yawned loudly before exiting the room, walking past Tessa to my door, my footsteps heavy.

Tessa followed my lead, a skip to her step. "Why are you so cheery?" I asked quietly, rubbing an eye.

"I got laid last night," she answered casually and my legs nearly buckled on the stairs. I gripped the railing and stared at her silently, deciding not to comment on her words.

"There's my sleeping beauty!" My mother's voice echoed through my head as I stepped into the kitchen.

"Morning," I mumbled and sat at the island stools, my body swaying. Safe to say I was not a morning person.

I heard my mother's laugh followed by a deeper one. A body stood next to mine and I knew who it was before I looked up at his face.

Grayson grinned down at me, his eyes roving over my face, curling his lips so as not to laugh at my gorgeous appearance. "Good morning Munchkin."

I frowned and leaned my head against his chest, my eyes closing on their own accord from the comfort I had found from his soft t-shirt. Grayson ran a hand down my back, his chuckles filling the room.

"As you can tell Grayson, Maddie here is definitely not a morning person, especially on weekends," my mother announced, sliding a mug in front of me. I twisted my head still leaning against Grayson's chest and smiled gratefully at my mother. "She doesn't usually talk until she's had her morning coffee."