Lera
I open my car door to be hit with the hot, sticky air of mid-July. I take my sandals off, and let my feet sink into the sand. I shut my eyes, just listening to the ocean waves crash in front of me.
"Hurry up and help us with the bags already!" I'm pulled out of my trance by Noah glaring at me from the back of the car.
I walk to the back of the car to grab my bag before hauling myself to our ice-blue front door. The whole house seems like a dream, the type of house you see in movies. My mom fumbles with her keys, trying to figure out which key belongs to which thing. Classic.
She finally finds the key to the beach house, and pushes past us to unlock the door. The lock clicks and she pushes the door open with her elbow.
It's breathtaking.
Its interior is decorated with light blue and seashell pink tones, with little ornaments decorating every spare inch of the kitchen/dining room. White oak floorboards run throughout the house, creating an open, bright space. Seashells line the cabinets, and potted plants dot the spare floor space.
I drop my bags at the front door, before pulling Kat's hand down the hallway. Snug couches sit facing a large, wooden bookshelf, an inviting sight.
But my eyes are drawn to the left side of the room. A fragile looking, white grand piano sits underneath a large window, its frame matching the floor color. I've always loved the sound of a piano, but never been able to play. But, the bookshelf does entice me. I scan the titles, my eyes stopping at the collection of classics. Little women, Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering heights, Jane Eyre, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, and a whole shelf dedicated to Taylor Jenkins Reid! I could be here for hours.
"Come on Lera, let's go find our room!" Kat exclaims, pulling my hand back towards the front of the house.
We grab our bags, and haul them up the long staircase. 4 bedrooms make up the upstairs level, the kids level. 3 of the rooms have 2 single beds on either side, and the other has a queen size bed. The rooms will be split into me and Kat, the boys, and Christian's younger sister, Fern, with the larger room left as a spare. Christian and Fern's parents will be sleeping in one of the downstairs rooms, with my mom in the other. 'To get away from you all' they had said.
We open the door to our room, and take in the sight. Fresh, blue linen sits at the foot of our beds, the walls a cool grey color. There's a dresser on each side of the room, and ornaments alike the ones in the dining room decorate the top of them. A large, circular window sits in-between the two beds, showing where we parked the car earlier.
I throw my stuff down on the left bed, before Kat pulls me onto her bed.
"This is going to be the best summer ever!" She yells at me.
"We're going to have so much fun!" I scream back, holding her hands and jumping up and down.
My brother pokes his head in our doorway on the way to his room.
"You guys are so lame." He says, rolling his eyes.
I poke my tongue out in response. I don't care how stupid he thinks we look right now, I feel so energized. After a long year of school, I need a break. Preferably one that includes sipping lemonade on a beach towel for 2 months straight. Oh look, here we are!
Tired out, me and Kat fall down onto her bed, giggling with excitement.
"Hey Kat?" I ask once we've caught our breathe.
"Yeah", she answers, rotating her head towards me.
"What do you think is going to happen this summer?"
She stifles a laugh, before saying "What, between you and Christian?"
"Ew, no. I hate him. And anyway, he hates me." I retort, looking confused.
"Keep telling yourself that, L." she replies, an amused look on her face.
I groan again.
"I meant, what do you think will happen this summer, in general."
"I think, this will be the greatest summer ever, in whatever context you want that to be." she says, throwing me an overexaggerated wink.
I stand up and grab my pillow, before thwacking it over her face. Oops.
"Oohhhh, you're dead!" Kat says, before picking up her own pillow and chasing me around our room. We chase each other, shrieking until we both double over, stitches in our sides.
"Guys! The Laurence's are here! Come and say hi!" my mom yells from the bottom of the stairs. I freeze. How am I going to survive living here, with him teasing and patronizing me for an entire summer!?
I get up off of the floor and turn towards the window. Which has direct sight to the car parks. Where he is. Unloading the bags. As we speak.
Almost as if he can hear my thoughts, he looks up at our window. He spots my stare, and before I can look away, he throws me his signature smirk.
"Come on Lera," Kat says, pulling my arm towards the door.
She continues pulling my arm down the stairs, as I silently will the spiritual gods to make this whole house collapse on top of me.
It's not that I find it weird being near my brothers best friend. Christian's at our house all the time with my brother, it's just that I've never spent months cooped up in the same house as him. Will he make my life hell? Probably.
I just want a good summer. That's all. And I don't want him here to ruin everything like he usually does.
As we near the bottom of the too-long staircase, my mom throws open the door and embraces Christian's mom, Janet in a long, tight hug. They could practically be sisters, the two of them.
Next comes his dad Paul, a tall, friendly man. He takes my brother in a tight hug first. After my dad left, Paul took my brother under his wing, always inviting him to do things with Christian and him.
"Lera!!" I turn to see Fern running towards me. I open up my arms and she bounds into them. She's only 7, but sometimes I felt like we had this special bond. Maybe because I've known her since she was born, or the fact we have a mutual loathing for our brothers, we just seem to click. Which is sort of weird seeing I'm 9 years older than her.
"How are you Fern! We are going to have the best summer together!" I said, her eyes brightening. We giggle together, before Fern runs off towards Kat.
I straighten my back, it already starting to ache, before I lock eyes with the last person to make their way up the drive. A devilish smile spreads across his face, accentuating the cut of his jawline. He's undoubtable handsome, and never fails to make this known.
"Hey, dreamer, how you been," he says, the sun glinting in his eye and he ruffles my hair.
This is going to be a long summer.
A/n:
Eeeeeeekkk, second chapter is up!
Sorry if this chapter was kind of boring, just thought we needed some description to set the scene. If you have any feedback feel free to put it in the comments here.
Also, the banner was just sort of my inspiration for the stairs lol.
Christian's POV is next!
Thanks again for reading, stay tuned for the next part!
love you all, em xx