Rosie's P.O.V
Once everyone's had a chance to digest Adrian's delicious breakfast, Collin suggests we all head to the beach so Theo can properly meet the boys while he's here. They were all at the party, but Theo spent most of the night by my side. He's barely been here a day and already my cousin is treating him like a brother.
Everyone agrees, sending a variety of excited emojis in the group chat we formed a few days ago. Dax hardly ever sends emojis, but I let myself imagine his 'ok' is an excited one.
Elle and I run upstairs to grab our one piece swimsuits and two pairs of shorts while Collin and Theo head to their respective rooms to change into swimming trunks. A few minutes later, we all climb into Collin's Jeep after Elle yells "Shotgun!" She winks at me as Theo climbs in the back. I laugh quietly, sticking my tongue out at her.
Theo slides his hand over mine once we're buckled, making me blush as Collin starts to drive. Butterflies whir in my stomach as a few stray curls blow in the wind, escaped from the tight bun I twisted them in earlier.
I catch Elle grinning in the rearview mirror and feel a blush rising in my cheeks. It only gets worse when Theo takes his shirt off.
"Are you okay?" Theo squints at me, a nervous smile forming on his lips.
"Huh?" I look around, realizing we're parked and I'm the last one in the vehicle.
"Oh," I chuckle in embarrassment. "I guess I got distracted."
Collin crooks an eyebrow, about to make a joke but thankfully Elle decides to loop her arm through his and run toward the water. "Come on, Collin!" She shouts, stumbling awkwardly through the sand, "We have a score to settle!"
Collin chases after her eagerly, his competitive side proving to be an excellent distraction.
Theo and I laugh as we watch their antics unfold. Theo laces his fingers through mine, smiling shyly down at me as I blush. We start strolling slowly down towards the water front, enjoying the sound of the waves as they get louder.
I hear Elle shriek, whipping my head around just in time to see Collin laughing manically over her while she pops out of the water, a pout on her face.
She says something I can't hear, earning a wide grin from Collin as he holds his hand out, offering to help her up. Elle begrudgingly accepts, still frowning. Halfway up, she pulls a cliché move, yanking Collin's arm so suddenly he's caught off guard, landing beside her in the water. Elle shrieks again, hurrying to stand and run to dry land but Collin's too fast. Soon, she's back in the waves, both of them laughing hysterically.
Their laughter is contagious. Theo and I chuckle, noticing several others on the beach watching their little game with a mix of shaking heads and sweet smiles. They probably think they're a couple.
Ew. I think, That would be like my sister dating my brother. Gross.
I look up to see Theo still watching the pair with a mystified grin.
I smile, intrigued, "What?"
Theo turns to look at me, shaken out of his thoughts. "What? Oh, I was just realizing I've never seen Elle act like this before. Normally she's so quiet and reserved."
I turn to watch my best friend again, noticing how free she looks as her and Collin spot Noah and Dax coming up the beach. Elle turns to Collin with an excited little bounce, beaming from ear to ear as they turn this event into yet another competition, racing each other up the beach with a few attempts at tripping the other, swerving in ridiculous lines as Noah and Dax stare, looking wary but amused.
"Huh," I mumble, "You're right."
I smile widely at first, feeling proud before a wave of nausea hits with my next thought. "Oh my gosh, do you think she likes my cousin?"
Theo laughs, "Would it be so bad if she did?"
I glare at him, turning to watch our friends with a keen eye as they finally meet each other. Elle smiles up at Collin, laughing lightly as she concedes defeat. She hugs Noah, both of them smiling but looking a little hesitant – that doesn't seem suspicious due to their shy natures. Elle blushes as she greets Dax, ducking her gaze awkwardly as he nods, a twist of a smile on his lips.
Collin claps both of the guys on their backs, shrugging an arm around each of their necks so he's in the middle while he guides them down the beach. I'm watching Elle so closely, it takes me a second to realize the group is headed our direction.
Elle follows behind, watching the waves in between steps. I notice Dax turn his head back to watch her, but he's fixed his gaze ahead again by the time she looks forward.
Theo meets my gaze, a look of realization passing between us, knowing smiles tugging at our lips.
Elle likes someone, but it definitely isn't Collin.
We fix our faces into friendly expressions, Theo shyly introducing himself to Noah and Dax as our groups merge. Luke shows up with perfect timing a few seconds later, a large amount of noise preceding his appearance, as usual.
"Yoooooo!" He hoots, his never-ending energy apparent as he claps Theo on the back. "Sup, man?" He greets, immediately pulling my stunned boyfriend in for a bro hug. Two back claps later, he pulls away with wiggling eyebrows. "You must be Theo."
Theo laughs awkwardly, attempting to make a joke, "It'd be very awkward if I wasn't now."
Luke snorts, shrugging his shoulders. "Ah, you're right. I recognized you from the party but I do tend to come on pretty strong, sorry about that."
Theo shrugs, smiling. "I don't mind. I'm actually relieved everyone has been so welcoming."
I smile, glad my boyfriend gets along with everyone. The only one I was a little worried about was Dax but even he's been...his version of warm.
I notice Elle glancing at Dax, their eyes meeting for a second before everyone starts to converse. Collin and Luke start asking Theo and I about our relationship. Noah chimes in a few times but chooses mostly to listen intently like he normally does.
I blush, getting distracted as we answer, butterflies populating my stomach while we share details of our history in New York.
Elle hypes us up, making sure everyone knows she 'ships us hardcore.'
I laugh, enjoying the attention as everyone appears to think we're cute together.
Milo runs up a few minutes after we've all settled around a rocky area. His breathing is heavy as he apologizes for being late. "Sorry, guys," he pants, plopping down a little too harshly to sit on a rock beside Dax. He rolls his eyes as he continues, "My stupid ex won't leave me alone." He lifts his gaze to make eye contact with everyone, "She was at my house for two hours making sure she got everything she left there."
He groans frustratedly, running his hands through his dark curls. "She didn't even have anything there! Like three items, tops!"
His eyes finally land on Theo when he looks up again. "Oh," he calms his voice, looking embarrassed. "Sorry, man. I forgot Rosie said we were hanging with her boyfriend today." He brushes his humiliation aside, an easy grin spreading across his face as he holds a hand out across the circle, leaning forward.
Theo stretches to shake it, grinning happily. "No worries, man. Good to meet you."
Milo laughs, huffing out a final frustrated breath before he dismisses his story with a wave of his hand. "Don't read into my horrible situation, by the way. Rosie is nothing like my ex, so you don't have to worry about something like that."
Theo smiles, looking over at me before he answers. "Oh, I know."
I blush, squeezing his hand where it sits in my lap.
Collin makes a gagging sound, "Gross. Stop being so cute and lovable."
We all laugh, the mood lifting as we decide to start a game of Two Truths and a Lie to help Theo get to know everyone.
We're just about to finish the second round when I spot a tan figure running a few yards away from us, her golden hair shining in the sun. I squint, standing up to get a better view.
"Kammie!" I yell, startling Elle as I confirm my suspicion. Dax flinches a little beside her, amusing me as I realize they're both a little jumpy. Cute.
Kammie turns her head, beaming when she sees me. "Oh hey, Rosie!" She jogs over, running in place once she's close. "How are you doing?" She smiles at everyone, her kindness showing as she makes sure to hold eye contact with each member of our group.
I grin, "I'm great, thanks! Hey, we're all just hanging out. You're welcome to join us if you want."
Kammie smiles, hesitating as she looks at her apple watch, probably checking the stats of her workout. She slowly stops jogging in place, relaxing her posture as she climbs down the rocks, "Sure, sounds fun."
Theo and I are sitting right by the edge of the water, otherwise I'd let her sit by me. I glance towards Elle but she's in between Collin and Dax. Noah and Milo are on the other edge, the only available spot is next to Noah.
I'm worried that Kammie will feel awkward sitting by an unfamiliar guy but she sits without a second thought, smiling warmly at Noah. "Is it okay if I sit next to you?"
Noah blushes, nodding as he stammers out a shy confirmation.
Guess I was just projecting.
We continue our game, letting Kammie in on the fun once everyone's greeted her. Noah's even quieter than usual at first but Kammie showcases her natural talent to make everyone feel like they've known her for years and eventually Noah opens up. In fact, he opens up more than Elle or I have seen the entire time we've been here.
Elle meets my gaze across the circle, raising an eyebrow ever so subtly as we communicate in veiled facial expressions.
Yep. We're definitely about to be matchmakers.
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A couple hours later, the sun is slowly lowering itself toward the horizon, casting a hint of orange across the water. I adjust my position on the rock for the hundredth time, feeling my tailbone complain.
"Hey!" I have an idea, a cocky grin growing across my face. "Let's have a sand castle contest."
Theo crooks an eyebrow at me, "Is that really fair to everyone else?"
I swat his arm lightly, scoffing. "I don't know what you mean."
Collin rolls his eyes, meeting my gaze with a wicked smirk. "I might not be able to beat Noah but I can definitely beat you."
Luke chimes in with a holler, already halfway across the beach, "We both can! You're going down, Rosie!"
Theo's eyes widen, eyebrows raised as a smirk slowly crosses his lips. "You know what?" He says, turning to me with a glint in his eye, "Crush 'em, babe."
Luke and Collin meet me by the shore as I recover from Theo calling me 'babe', scooping handfuls of sand around them confidently. I bite the inside of my lip, struggling to contain myself as I kneel down, knowing I'm about to crush their spirits.
"Ready, set...Go!" Elle yells, starting a timer for 10 minutes on her iPhone. While the three of us contestants start forming small hills in the sand, Dax slowly starts to move closer to Elle. I wet my hands with the well of water I created earlier, starting to give the basic mound in front of me a defined shape.
Luke starts to pale as he looks over from his position beside Collin. Collin looks up, ready to taunt me as he glances from Luke's sculpture over to mine. The smile slips off of his face as he glances back down at his own project, hurriedly adding more sand to the pile.
Elle laughs, enjoying the panic on Luke and Collin's faces. She turns to Dax, asking him to start recording a video. Dax's mouth twitches into a slight grin at the idea. He hurries to pull out his phone, pointing the camera in our direction. I look directly in the lens, wiggling my eyebrows confidently before I continue shaping the towers of my now mostly-defined sand castle.
The boys are in too much of a rush to notice they're being filmed, sand covered hands flailing about as they do their best to save face.
Elle inches closer to Dax, he kindly lowers the phone so she can see what's in the frame of his camera. She laughs, her eyes crinkling as she looks up at him. Dax's face looks relaxed, something I haven't seen before. I turn my gaze back to my castle, looking around me for a few pretty shells or mini crystals.
"One minute!" Elle warns, spurring Luke to yelp dramatically. Collin starts to carve little brick lines in his single-towered sculpture. All I can manage to find nearby are some smooth, gray pebbles that I decide to fashion into little stone hedges by the castle entrance.
"Time!" Elle shrieks, bounding over to me so she can raise my arm. "We don't even need to vote, Rosie is the clear winner!"
I scoff, "Thanks, Ellie, but there's no way we're deciding this without a vote or they'll just say 'we never actually voted, so you didn't win.'"
Elle crooks an eyebrow, "You have a point."
She lowers my arm before dramatically starting the vote. "Show of hands – who thinks Luke's sand castle is the best?"
Luke looks hopefully up at his friends, standing up to kick his plain blob of a hill with a stick flag as he realizes no one's gonna vote for him. "Aw, man!"
Elle covers her mouth to hide a laugh before continuing, "Collin's?"
Again, no one raises their hand. Collin pouts, destroying his admittedly mediocre castle.
"Alright, who thinks Rosie is the obvious winner?" Elle shouts, raising her hand immediately.
Everyone raises their hand, even Collin and Luke drop the pouting act as they raise their hands, grinning at me. Theo waves both of his hands in the air, making me laugh loudly when he runs over to hug me, dipping me slightly as he pulls me in for a kiss. The group hoots - Luke loudest of all - before we pull apart, cheeks flushed.
My heart twists as the happy moment passes; I find myself watching Theo with a mix of pride and sadness as I remember he'll be leaving in less than 48 hours. I scan the rest of the group, hoping to remember each grin in detail, basking in the joy of my friends.
My heart once again feels torn between the heartbreak of being thousands of miles apart from Theo and the heartbreak I feel when I think of leaving California – leaving Collin and this dorky group of guys that I've grown attached to. I've never had siblings – Collin was the closest thing to a brother I'd ever experienced – but somehow this group made me feel like part of a big, admittedly weird family.
If Theo could just spend the rest of summer with us, my mixed feelings wouldn't be a problem anymore.
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The next day, I wake up after tossing and turning for hours, already struggling to comprehend reality when Elle opens my door, poking her head around the side with a sheepish grin.
"Look who's up before you again," She giggles.
I groan, unwilling to admit that the tables have turned lately.
"Yeah, well, at least you don't have to come in here decked out with S.W.A.T. equipment to wake me up because you might actually die if the sleeping girl reacts violently," I quip, rolling over to face the window.
Elle pouts, walking around the bed to face me. "Well, I'm sorry! I didn't ask to be a deep sleeper prone to violent outbursts but unfortunately, that's what you get."
I glare at her. "Just because you're asleep doesn't mean you're innocent."
Elle's mouth opens as she tries to form a response.
"Ugh," I groan, "I mean, it does. But it's not fair!" I sit up, smoothing my frizzy curls down halfheartedly. "You get to hit me and kick me and I can't even say anything because," I say the last part over-dramatically, "You're asleep."
Elle purses her lips. "Alright, alright. That's fair."
I squint at her, still glaring. My morning grumpiness starts to fade as I sigh. "Well anyways, how long have you been up?"
Elle grins, shrugging her shoulder, "About an hour. It's only 8 AM but still, that's early for me."
I glance at the clock, realizing I should get up now if we want to work out at the studio before Theo takes me on our date later.
"Yes, yes." I smile softly at her, trying very hard not to let my sourness show. "I am very proud of you. Like, actually."
I sigh, sliding out of bed with yawn. "I'm just grumpy."
Elle laughs, "No worries. I'm in no position to judge."
I chuckle, nodding in agreement before shooing her out of my room so I can take a hot shower.
I realize halfway through managing my curls that I'll just be getting sweaty at the gym anyways so I decide to do most of the work in the shower I'll take after working out.
I meet Elle downstairs, grabbing a couple CLIF bars and our Blender Bottles before we ask Collin if he can drop us off. Collin leaps up from the couch, grateful to escape the humiliating situation of Theo beating him at MarioKart. Theo beams at me, standing up from the couch to give me a hug.
"Good morning, beautiful," he whispers, squeezing me tightly.
Theo accepts Collin's invitation to ride along with us, following me out to the Jeep, holding my hand for the short twenty steps it takes to cross the driveway.
He squeezes my hand before letting go to climb in the front when Collin grants him the privilege of 'shotgun.'
Elle and I roll our eyes, climbing in the back together. We drink a small protein shake on the way, sipping as we watch the warm scenery.
Theo looks back at us with a shy grin. "So, do you mind if I ask how much weight you guys have lost?"
I beam, "Well, we weighed ourselves after the first two weeks and we each lost 10 pounds but we haven't checked since then."
Elle scrunches her eyebrows together, checking the calendar app on her phone as she counts the days. "Oh, wow! It's been six weeks since we started, Rosie."
"Really?" I look at her screen, confirming the dates. "Oh my gosh! You're right! We should weigh-in tomorrow."
Elle agrees excitedly, a bright grin shining on her face. I laugh, relishing my best friend feeling proud of herself for once. I feel proud too.
Theo echoes my thoughts from the front seat, "I'm proud of you guys. That's awesome!"
Collin chimes in with a heartfelt sentiment of his own. Elle and I thank him before deciding the vibe has gotten too mushy for our liking.
"Anyways," Elle laughs awkwardly, "what have you been up to, Theo? How's New York?"
Theo smiles at her, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, I was telling Rosie not much has changed. It's pretty boring and, you know, toxic but that's better now that school's out. At least in my case," he chuckles.
Elle scrunches her nose in disgust as he mentions our school. "Yeah, that's good at least."
Theo turns further in his seat, trying to see Elle better to continue their friendly chat. "What about you? Rosie said you guys were having fun hanging out with Collin and Kammie and everyone but how do you like your job?"
Elle leans forward as she answers. It warms my heart to see them engaging with each other, a lot less shy than when Theo and I first started to talk more.
"It's alright. I like most of it but there are some cons obviously," she laughs.
Theo chuckles, "Yeah, retail jobs aren't always pretty."
Elle laughs, "For real! Actually, my manager had to be taken to the hospital a couple weeks ago because a crazy ex-girlfriend of Craig's showed up and started a fight."
Theo's eyes widen, "Oh, wow. Is she okay?"
I join in with a loud laugh, "Yeah, she actually did more damage to the other girl."
Collin chuckles as he drives. Elle nods, "Yeah, it was crazy."
Theo shakes his head, an amused smile on his face. "Sounds like it."
"Ooh!" I bounce in my seat, turning to face Elle. "We should take Theo to SMOOTH later!" I turn back to face Theo, "It's a smoothie-slash-smoothie-bowl place and it's soooo good."
Theo chuckles, scanning my face subtly. "I'd love that," he says as I blush.
A/N: Ahh! I forgot to add the cover that @maddeadelia made for FGR but here it is 😍
Thanks again! It's beautiful! 💕