Everest.
I knock, fist banging against the door. Ria always takes way too fucking long answering the door so the only way to amend that is to annoy her. My favourite pastime.
It's Saturday and it's been a couple weeks since I took Benji on one of our ice cream dates. He awaits them and I'm not gonna disappoint. I love spending time with the little dude and I actually enjoy his company more than most other people.
I'll shout it out to the world, regardless of how lame it may sound. An eight year old beats you all by miles.
Just as I go to knock again, the door whips open and an angry looking Ria glares up at me, "In case you fucking forgot, I have ears. I heard you the first time-"
"Hi to you too, sunshine." I grin, not waiting for her to invite me as I walk past her and inside.
She lets out a little growl before letting the door shut behind her and tells me when I look back, "He's upstairs. I need a smoke."
"You're good." I urge her to go ahead before bounding up the steps, "Benny?" I call out as I get up the staircase.
"I'm here!" He calls out and I follow his voice, to his room. As soon as I open the door, a whiff of strong paint hits my senses and dizzies me for a second. I realise why when I look over the room, tarps over the floor and furniture with a half-painted wall.
I grunt when Benji runs into my legs and I lower, lifting him up to swivel him onto my back, as per routine. His arms wrap around me, "I missed you, Evvy. I haven't seen you in like—"
"Two days?" I raise an eyebrow.
"Yeah." His eyes go wide, "That's a whole fourty-eight hours, ya know."
"I missed you more. Dude, you're growing way too fast. You can't outgrow me." I feign a gasp, just so it makes him smile. He's a small kid and whenever he's on mine or Luca's back, he always reassures himself he's gonna be as tall as us one day.
"Oh, I'm so gonna outgrow you." He snickers, nodding to himself, "Gonna reach the top shelf all by myself. Cos I'm cool like that."
He so is cool like that.
I glance around the room. Ria had mentioned that they were gonna decorate his room, to his liking. She did not mention the entirely blue wall. I point to it, "I'm guessing you picked that."
"You like it?" He asks.
"Fuck yeah." I say and then my eyes widen-
"I shouldn't say that word." Benji beats me to it and I smile.
It's not a dark blue, whatsoever. It's more like the ocean, light and pale enough to liven up the room where his bed lies in the centre. Benji's favourite colour is specifically light blue. He doesn't appreciate darker colours.
Kinda like Vy.
I almost smile when I remember them meeting each other in the graveyard. I hadn't anticipated Benji bumping into her legs but I also hadn't run over immediately after. I lingered, watching the way she smiled when Benji rambled on to her and her younger brother. Azure, if I remember correctly.
I'm a grown fucking eighteen year old and that kid sort of terrifies me. There's such a...sharpness to him and I've been surrounded by immoral, not very nice dudes for most of my life. My irritating best friends, being a prime example. But he's tough in a whole different way. Intimidating.
"You're daydreaming a lot more recently." Benji leans forward so he's half hanging over me, "You know who else day dreams like that? Lu. Cos I'm pretty sure he thinks about Ria like fifty times a day so he always kinda looks like a goof. Just starts smiling sometimes."
Benji grins, "Are you turning into a big ball of love, Evvy?"
"Pft." I pull my face back, "Me?! Dude, I made a pact, remember? Benji before bitc-"
Ria clears her throat. I spin around so quick that me and Benji both almost fall.
She raises one eyebrow. I shakily smile, "Nothing."
"Uh huh." She deadpans and then walks over to the paint can, picking up one of the brushes and continuing where she left off. Slowly, she turns to look at us, "Are you both just going to stand there and let the lady do all the work?"
I frown, "But we wanted to get ice cream."
She looks between us and narrows her eyes. She leans a hip against the wall, "And what lets you earn ice cream whilst I do this?"
"We just love you so much." Benji chimes in and Ria's lips twitch with a smile when she looks to him, "Like- so much."
"Honestly, we love you so much we need a medal. A reward. Ergo, ice cream. For loving Ria the most." I add, both of us smiling wide.
She stares, "You're both idiots."
That isn't exactly a no. We look back to her in question and she rolls her eyes, waving us away dramatically, "Get out of my house."
I walk over to her and Benji leans over to smack a big kiss on her forehead. I smack one on her cheek and she scrunches her face. Pfft. Like she doesn't love us so much. Again, she waves us away.
"Thanks, Ria!" Benji beams.
"Shoes! Put your shoes on." Ria reminds just as we're hurrying out and I turn back, grabbing his shoes from the corner of his room.
Benji has the tendency to forget to put his shoes on. It could just be an odd habit but more likely, he never had to care about stuff like putting his shoes on, or ensuring he's wrapped up in a coat before he leaves the house when he was living on the streets for so long. It's a transition, and we're all here to help him through it. Until all he remembers is the good.
Me and Benji both call out our goodbyes before we make it outside, to my car. Once our ice cream trips became routine, I had to check if Benj still needed a booster seat but he fit the requirements. So we're all good.
He buckles himself into the front seat and I hand him my phone like usual; he likes choosing songs for the aux. Once I start driving, I entertain his extremely random selection. He's not sure what songs he likes so he just picks random ones. Ranging from One Direction to fucking Justin Timberlake.
God, I love this little kid. He makes a show of singing horribly and wildly to songs he doesn't know the lyrics of, just to make me smile. It works every time, only that he ends up laughing harder as we drive through town.
What would we have fucking done, if we never took him in as our own? His heart of gold feels like it strengthens everyone's around him. I'd go far and wide to protect it.
***
"Just so you know," Benji announces between the final bites of his ice cream cone, "I'm so gonna beat you at Halo."
"When did you get so sure of yourself?" I challenge back, "I'm the big dog here, Benny. Gaming's my middle fuc— freaking name."
"Your middle name's Ronan." Benji deadpans, "Boring."
I narrow my eyes and slam my finger on the stupid doorbell of Luca's stupidly large house. I haven't seen him much recently and mid-debate, Benji told me that he was missing him. If I thought about it, I did too, so we drove over here post ice cream.
I've always been envious of this mansion. That's probably why I spend most of my time here but in honesty, wherever Luca is, I follow. I'm mostly in his company. It's not like I necessarily fucking yearn for him all the time but I don't know, it's just an unspoken understanding that a lot of the time, we're together.
I don't know where the fuck he's been as of recent so I slam my finger on the doorbell again. The door opens and I'm instead met with my favourite stud.
I grin, "Have you permanently stolen his chain?"
"Looks so much fucking hotter on me." Miguel smirks back, lifting the silver chain so it's between his teeth. As soon as he spots Benji, he's grinning and reaching down to lift him up, "My man. Hey, Benj!"
"Hey, Miggy." Benji beams. These two wrack up the most mischief together, their friendship one that I fucking love. Benji looks up to him like a brother and whenever they're together, he doesn't stop laughing.
"Where's Lu?" I ask him and he shrugs.
"Probably stealing my girl." Miguel sighs wistfully, talking about Ria.
"She still calls you kid, dude. Move on." I shake my head, following him as I walk inside the minimalist mansion. Glass and lavishness surround the expanse. We make our way into the best lounge room - the one with the biggest TV and surround sound speakers that Luca specifically forbids us to go into.
Me and Miguel broke the glass table a couple months back after a heated debate on Lilo and Stitch. Nobody seems to like the movie as much as me but I take no fucking discrimination to it. We ended up wrestling and crashing into the table.
"I could so beat Ev at playing Halo, right?" Benji asks Miguel.
"Anyone could." Miguel snorts.
"Suck it." Benj taunts back at me.
"We'll see about that, dipshits." I slump onto the couch in front of the TV whilst Miguel sets up the game.
I lean back to catch a glimpse of the driveway, noticing that Luca's Camaro isn't parked up. I don't think he has any boxing training and I know he's not with Ria. She's working right now, at Emerson's diner with Val. He's been MIA a lot recently and it triggers my suspicions. Only because whenever that happened in the past, it was because he was having a bad phase. He'd fight and drink and fuck.
Drinking and fucking aren't on Luca's agenda anymore so where is the dude? Whatever. He's probably picking out Ria's wedding ring or some shit. I wouldn't be surprised if he got on his knees to propose to her as soon as possible.
Benji hops up besides me and Miguel sits to the other side, tossing me the controller.
We're quiet for just a second before Benji blurts, "Everest's in love."
My eyes snap wide open.
Miguel's laughing immediately, turning his whole body to face me, "Oh, ho, ho, do fucking tell. You? I assumed you just thought with your little dick all the time."
"Language, you little shit." I reprimand and Miguel's amusement only rises higher. He shoves me.
"Tell me."
"I just killed you." I say flatly. Three headshots. He's a big ball of splattered blood right now but he definitely doesn't care, shoving me with a bigger grin.
"Ev! This has never happened in the history of you, you gotta tell us." Miguel throws his hands up.
"Honestly, I'd rather not confess any sort of love for anybody - not that I have any - to you two imbeciles. I am a grown eighteen year old man. You cannot coerce me. I'll sit on you." I lift my chin.
"...Vy." Miguel reads out and my head snaps to look at him, "Huh, what's that short for? Vivian? Vita...no, I got it. Vienna, for sure."
How the fuck did he get my phone? I sit up, reaching for it but he dodges and holds it high. I catch a glimpse of the phone and realise she's calling me and now, I want that phone for a whole different reason. She's calling me.
I'm normally the one to call her. I'm having to fight back the urge to smile and shove Miguel onto the floor, simultaneously. I will wrestle him for that phone if I have to.
"Miguel." I grit out, "Give it, you bit-"
He dodges away from me and hops up onto the couch so he's standing, teetering the phone back and forth to taunt me, "Is she your girlfriend?"
"Fuck off!" I swipe my arms out to try and catch his legs but he jumps just in time, Benji in a fit of laughter besides me, "Dude-" I nervously glance at the phone, "It's gonna end. Give it."
"Oh my god, you are whipped-"
I yank his legs and he falls into a heap on the couch. I clamber over him and snatch the phone before he can gather himself. Just cos he deserves it, I also whack him with a pillow but he's laughing so much he barely notices. I rush to answer and hold the phone to my ear.
"Hey." I breathe, pinching my eyes shut.
"Hi." Her sweet voice sounds out and I can hear her smile, "Are you- you sound out of breath."
"I-" I ruffle a hand through my hair, "Was..running."
Even I cringe at that. Miguel bursts out laughing so I whack him with the pillow again so he shuts up. Idiot. He's as much of a pain in my ass, as I am to everyone else. Ugh.
"Oh. Okay," She says, "Can I see your face?"
"Missing me?"
"No. I saw you yesterday." She says but I can hear that little smile. She so misses me and rightfully so. If I can't get her out of my head, she shouldn't be able to get me out of hers.
Before I can speak, Miguel speaks up, "Hey, Vienna! It is a pleasure-"
I shove the pillow over his head and I hear Violet's nervous chuckle, "Who was that?"
"A silly little shit that doesn't know how to mind his own business." I respond, my voice a little tight cos I'm wrestling with Miguel. Just as I think I'm safe, Benji swiftly snatches the phone from me.
Miguel takes action now, pinning my hands down to the sofa. God fucking dammit, these two are evil. I admire it just as much as I hate it, especially right now.
"Benj." I jostle, watching him fidget with my phone, "What are you-"
"Hi!" He beams and I realise he's switched it to a video call, "Wait...I know you. Your brother's the Disney Prince."
"Benji?" I hear her confusion and Benji lifts the phone. Clearly and embarrassingly showcasing the predicament I'm in. Overtaken by two children, one of which is still pinning me to the sofa.
I smile and tilt my head back to look at her, "Hi."
"Hi there." She raises an eyebrow, clearly stifling a smile.
"Fuck, she's hot too." Miguel sighs and at that, my eyebrows furrow. I jerk my knee up like I'm gonna hit his balls and he shrieks, scurrying off me before I can make impact. At last, I am fucking free from his torment.
I take the phone from Benji and Violet's green eyes meet mine through the phone. I stop for a moment, taking her in. I was about to get up to sprint into another room but now, without realising, I settle back into my seat just at the sight of her. Missing her is a fucking constant.
She smiles this soft, tender smile and fuck, I want to snatch her to myself through the phone. Wispy strands of her light hair fall from that half-up hairstyle. I wonder if she's got one of her silk ribbons in her hair. I still have one of hers, that I'd snagged when we were in that hospital closet.
I don't realise at first that both Miguel and Benji are resting their heads against my biceps, trying to catch a glimpse.
"Hi." I say. Again. I sound like a fucking moron. Get it together, Ev.
"Hi." She smiles back and then clears her throat, "I'm- I called you for a stupid reason. It doesn't matter if you're busy."
"I'm not busy." I'm quick to say because I already know where this is going.
Violet's mind wanders because she has a whole wonderful fucking world in that head of hers. A lot of thoughts and a mouth that needs to let them out sometimes so on occasion, we'll text each other stupid stuff that pop into our heads.
My favourite was her definitive belief that her cat can speak English. She whole-heartedly believes felines have the secret capability to learn language and hide it from us cos they're smart. In an alternate universe, she'd be 'badass enough' to uncover the secret cat government. She would 'give me the honour' of being her partner in crime.
And people have the audacity to say I'm insane for wanting her to have my babies. I'm pretty sure if I blurted that I love her, it'd scare her away. And trust me, it's fucking tempting a lot of the time.
"Later." She tells me and then raises her eyebrows, "You seem a little squashed."
Miguel and Benji are half fucking leaning over me, quietly eavesdropping. I roll my eyes and begrudgingly introduce them, "You already know Benji. He's Ria's little brother." I tell her the shorter version.
"Hi, dear." Violet smiles.
"Your eyes are so green." Benji leans into the phone like he can jump through it, "Woah. Mine are poopy brown. See." He lowers his round glasses, like she couldn't already see.
Violet gasps, "Don't you dare. They're perfect. They're pools of honey and cocoa and chocolate brownies. Everyone loves brown eyes."
"Fucking perfect." Miguel smirks, "So I'm chocolate brownies and sexy trees."
Honestly, Miguel being around Benji sort of scares me. It's only a waiting game until Miguel continues the cycle and corrupts Benji. Just as everyone claims I did to him. Lies.
Miguel has rich hazel eyes, a mixture of light brown and flecks of green. Mine are fucking cooler than his. I'm the ocean and the sky and stuff.
I very begrudgingly introduce him, "This is Miguel. Luca's little brother. He smells."
"Hi. I'm Violet." She smiles.
"Violet. Yeah, that was the most probable option." He says, "It's my pleasure to meet you, beautiful."
I'm narrowing my eyes at him. See, he did this whole procedure with Ria when he first met her and I found it greatly hilarious. Now that it's with my girl, I'm thinking of inciting another five metre ban. Miguel's a fifteen year old stud and is gonna be a troublemaker when he gets older.
"Okay, here." I give Benji one controller and distract Miguel with the other, "Kill each other and shut up."
Almost immediately, they're immersed in the game and I can finally have Violet to myself. Well, as much as I can with both of them still besides me. She looks fucking hot right now and I don't think they'd appreciate me telling her how badly I want to fuck her again. So I bite my tongue.
When I'm not think about Violet's smile, or her eyes, or the way they light up for me if I smile too, all I fucking think about is the way she felt when I was buried deep inside her. When she'd succumbed and curled against me when I was the one to reap her orgasm.
Her nail marks down my back are fading and I fucking hate it. If I could keep that reminder of how I held her sanity in the palm of my hand and how she let loose enough to mark me as hers, trust me, I would.
She's beautifully fucking wild. So perfect for me that I'm looking at her now, and wondering if she's real. A part of me can't help but bide the time before she vanishes like an illusion, leaving me behind. All the good things do.
"What are you thinking about?" She asks tenderly.
"You." I lift an arm behind my head, "What are you thinking about?"
She chews on the corner of her bottom lip, suppressing a tiny smile, "You'd never guess."
I feign a shocked gasp, "Don't tell me it's true, sweetheart. Am I on your pretty little mind?"
"Unfortunately so." She mocks an aggrieved sigh, tipping her head back in dramatic fashion.
Our smiles split our lips but she sits up now, "Oh- I just remembered." She's grinning as she sets her phone down besides her. I take her in, sat on her decadent bed in an even more glamorous room. Leia, her ugly sphinx crawls onto her lap and Violet scoops her up affectionately whilst crossing her legs.
"Remember when you asked me what my favourite place on Earth was?" She asks.
I nod. It was one of those calls when I ring her, instead of drinking. She always knows and always talks to me without even mentioning it, distracting me from my annoyingly clingy demons. Her voice is an anchor and most times during those calls, I'll be slumped against my bathroom floor, moments after a panic attack that's driven me mad.
I'll be a mess. She won't know and she'll somehow pick up the pieces, even as we're half a town away from each other.
"French countryside." I remember.
Her eyes seem to soften at that, like she hadn't expected me to remember a small detail. I remember every fucking thing about this girl, whether I want to or not.
"Yeah." She nods, rubbing behind Leia's ears, "Well, Sage is going on a business trip and I didn't think he was gonna take me with him." Her smile stretches wide now, "But I sugared him up and I am leaving for Provence." A squeal leaves her and the sight of her excitement makes me smile, "God, I'm so excited. I feel like I'm going back home— and it's Paris Fashion Week so I'm hoping I'll get to see some runways. And pretend like I'm in a movie when I walk the streets of Provence. I should get a scarf. So I can flick it dramatically. I'll look so cool."
It's hard to contain my smile, "I'm happy for you, baby. When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow. Which is such short notice but he already talked to Principal Banning. We're so close to summer anyways, I got the okay." She beams.
Two weeks. I recognise the slight gnawing in my stomach and do my best to banish it. I cannot become clingy enough to let her see cos two weeks is only fourteen days. And she's been waiting to go back to Paris for a long while now.
Fourteen days. I can do fourteen days. What's the time difference-
"Ev?"
"Hi. Yes." I snap out of it, "That's cool. Wait- do you have a private jet?"
"Sage has a jet he bought himself for his twenty-third birthday but he never really likes to use it." She shrugs.
"And why the fuck not?" I furrow my eyebrows.
"I'm not sure." She shrugs, "I think it's cos it reminds him of dad. They flew together a lot, on dad's jet."
She never really talks about her dad, nor does she ever bring up her little sister. Even now, her expression sobers a little. She clears her throat and raises an eyebrow, "So, you gonna miss me?"
"Could never." I scrunch up my face, "Not the way I roll, Violet Amory."
"I'm gonna be six hours ahead of you. I'll probably be sleeping when you win your soccer games but I still want a text."
That makes me smile like a doofus, but my stomach twists at the same time. Six hours is a lot. The next two weeks are brimmed with soccer practice and big games for the team. If I'm not at school or if I'm not working with the guys, I'm gonna be on that field. Nevertheless, any bit of my spare time will go to her.
God, she just told me and my stomach's already sinking, dreading it. Not seeking her out at school, or in the library. Even though she insists we keep some distance at school, my eyes are always on her.
"I could lose, you know?" I taunt.
"At least that way, I know I'm your lucky charm." She quips and then holds up Leia, their cheeks smushing against each others, "Remember him, Leia?"
Leia mewls and Vy nods, "She remembers you."
"I bet she does." I grit out slightly. I will never forget the stress that little she-devil inflicted upon me. I turn my attention back to Violet, "Can I see you before you leave?"
"Sneak in tonight." She tells me. I saw her yesterday but only for a while and I just want her company, all to myself.
"Don't be silly, remember to wrap your willy." Miguel so sweetly chimes in and my glare turns on him. He's hunched over, controller in hand and he smirks, though he's not looking at me, "What? I'm looking out for you and that beautiful princess-looking goddess over there."
"You should look out for your dick." I tilt my head, "I bet I could kick off the tiny thing."
"If you wanna see it so badly, unbuckle me." Miguel says back with ease.
Violet's stifling her amusement when I narrow my eyes. She shrugs, nuzzling her cat, "What? He's so much like you I'd think he was your brother instead."
"I'm hoping I don't influence our kids to be devils too, sweetheart." I say, smirking.
"I'm not having your babies, Everest." She deadpans.
"Uh huh." My smile only rises, "Not even if I get on my knees and beg so sweetly?"
Benji clears his throat, reminding everyone of his presence. He does that a lot but never seems actually irritated by it. I think he anticipates us all to start blaming each other for not biting our tongue so he prevents that. Sweet, smart little kid.
She doesn't respond, looking away when a blush rushes to her cheeks. I have a sneaky feeling Vy likes me on my knees for her. Good. Cos I fucking love kneeling for her.
"Hey, Vy?" Miguel calls. So we're just hopping to nickname basis already, huh?
"Yeah?" She says from the phone and my eyes narrow skeptically.
"Hypothetically," He starts, meaning this can only end bad, "If I were to seduce you, would you be my sugar mommy? You know. Cos you're hot and rich as shit."
I chuckle. And then I chuckle a little more, my smile so tight it hurts, "Vy, sweetie."
"Yes?" She answers me.
"Hang up the phone. I don't think you'd take well to me murdering children." I'm still smiling, a little murderously when Miguel meets my eyes and then promptly backs away.
He smirks anyways and calls out to her, "I'm fifteen, baby. Don't let age deter you."
"Oh- fuck this-"
Benji promptly hugs me. I freeze and it's only instinct when my arms wrap around him. And then it takes me a second to snap out of it. I was about to pounce on that stud over there and now I'm completely still, with a little kid around me.
Benj did it on purpose.
"Murder isn't good, Evvy." Benji sighs and then pulls back, handing me the controller. He pats my shoulder, "How about you let out some of your frustrations?"
My eyebrows are pinched and I grumble, "That's my girl, Benj. If she's anyone's sugar mommy, she's mine."
"I'm still here, you know." She says from my phone.
"Of course she is." Benji soothes me, "I dunno what that means but sure. Whatever makes you happy."
I look to Violet and she's raising her eyebrows, "I'm nobody's sugar mommy. But if Benji needs anything in the whole wide world, I'll give it to him."
My jaw drops. So does Miguel's, at the same time.
Violet smiles mischievously and we both look to Benji, who just shrugs. Completely unaware and happy. I think he just wants to get back to playing Halo. Me and Miguel both share a glance.
Maybe, if I need to fear anyone stealing my girl, it's little Benj.
a/n
this was a cute calm filler chapter to write. i honestly just wanted more of benji and miguel.
<3