I woke up much later than usual on Sunday morning. Last night I hadn't bothered to set an alarm, figuring that I deserved to sleep in. I took the day off from work, so I had all day to lounge around the house.
Plus... I could feel today was going to be a good day.
I checked my phone, still in bed, and saw a lovely message from Aiden. Despite his busy work schedule, he still made time to send me long texts once in a while. They almost felt like diary entries as he detailed what he'd done for however long he hadn't messaged me. It always made my day.
I got up and got dressed into my usual: a t-shirt and jean shorts. I left my hair loose and decided to wear contacts today instead of my glasses. I hated contacts, but I liked how I looked without glasses sometimes, for a change. And today, I wanted a change.
River was on the couch, playing his PS4, when I came out of the bathroom after getting ready for the day.
"Good morning," he called, not looking away from his video game.
"Good morning!" I replied. I went over to the fridge and got some cereal for breakfast. It was already 11 a.m. Did I really sleep that long?
---River's POV---
I glanced over at Holly. She was wearing cute jean shorts today with flowers on the pockets. And then she turned around, and I noticed she didn't have her glasses on. Contacts? With or without glasses, she was pretty.
I turned back to my game, not wanting my thoughts to continue past that.
I was feeling a lot better. I got a nice amount of sleep, and now, I was shooting zombies. What could be a better Sunday morning?
Holly ate cereal at the table as I continued my zombie rampage. I heard her put her bowl away and start washing the dishes.
"I was going to do those," I said, suddenly dropping the controller and hurrying over.
"It's okay, you're busy freeing the land of zombies," she said with a grin.
"No, really," I said. I stood next to her at the sink. "I can help."
"Fine," she said with a sigh, handing me the bowl she had in her hands. "There's not much to do."
"I'll still help."
BANG BANG BANG.
I jumped slightly. Holly whipped around.
"Was that...?"
BANG BANG BANG.
"Holly Bear! I know you're awake because you answered my texts! Open up!"
Holly faced me with wide eyes as though she'd been caught red-handed.
"My friend," Holly breathed. "What do we do?"
"Oh, it's unlocked," I heard her friend say from outside the door.
The door handle turned. The door creaked.
"Your door was unlocked! I hope you don't mind that I—"
A girl wearing all black with red streaks in her hair came through the door. Following her was a guy dressed in a flannel shirt, freckles darting across his face.
The girl stopped. Her jaw dropped as her eyes met mine.
"Alice? James?!" said Holly. She ran to her friend as I stood at the sink. "You know I love you guys and would normally let you in, but WHY DIDN'T YOU WAIT?!"
"Happy birthday!" said James, revealing a cake from behind his back. The candle had burnt out.
"We were surprising you..." said Alice, still staring right at me.
"It's your birthday?" I asked Holly.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to youuuu," sang James, off-key.
"NOT NOW JAMES," Alice shrieked.
James looked confused.
"I liked the song," Holly said to him.
He gave a self-satisfied smile. "Thank you."
"WHY IS RIVER HERE?!" Alice demanded, pointing to me.
I leaned back against the sink and smiled to myself. Holly's friends were so chaotic.
"You didn't tell me it was your birthday," I said to Holly, thoroughly enjoying her look of shock that almost matched her friend's.
Holly took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Then she said, "James, Alice, sit." She pointed to the couch.
They sat immediately, James still holding the cake.
Holly stood in front of them, arms crossed.
"What I'm about to tell you must not leave this room."
They waited for her to continue. I couldn't handle the suspense.
"I'm her roommate," I revealed.
Alice's jaw dropped open again as her head snapped toward me.
"Let me explain!" said Holly, glaring at me. I smirked.
Holly told the story about the apartment and the landlord, how we didn't notice the contract's fine print, and how we'd been living together since we didn't have anywhere else to go. She left out the part about me being a complete jerk to her in the beginning, but I was thankful that she did, even if I didn't deserve it.
I moved to stand beside Holly so that we were looking down at her friends on the couch.
Alice glared at me.
"So, you are the roommate..."
"Yes...?" I said, tilting my head slightly, bracing for the storm.
Alice shut her eyes. Then she opened them in a burst of movement and had the biggest smile on her face. She bounced in her seat.
"I can't believe it!" she shouted, clapping her hands together. "My Holly Bear and my River darling? Together under the same roof? It's an honor to meet you, by the way, River Alves. You are so hot."
She was certainly not like other fangirls that I had. I blinked. "Uh, thank you?"
"And YOU," Alice said, standing and putting her hand on Holly's shoulders. "How dare you not tell me sooner! What if I had died without ever knowing you two were living together?"
"Don't be dramatic," said Holly, but she was smiling. "Sorry for not telling you sooner. We're trying to keep it a secret, so please don't tell anyone."
"We won't," said James. I had a feeling he was speaking more for himself than for Alice. She didn't seem like the type to keep this to herself...
"Don't worry," said Alice, turning to me and speaking as though she read my mind. "I don't have any other friends than these two, so I have no one else to tell."
"Okay..." I spoke.
"Since you're here, let's have some cake!" said Holly with a grin.
Alice cheered and followed James into the kitchen as he held the cake.
Holly looked at me. "I'm sorry our secret got out."
"It was bound to happen, and they're your friends. No worries."
"You don't have to stay if you don't want to..."
I looked into her blue eyes, not obstructed by her glasses. She was nervous.
"Do you want me to stay?" I asked.
She twisted her hands together and let out a small, "Yes."
"Good. I wouldn't miss this for anything," I said, moving past her and into the kitchen with her friends.
We cut the cake, sang 'happy birthday' properly, and ate around the table. James was quiet but really nice with a dry sense of humor, and Alice was loud and blunt but very funny. I liked them.
None of us wanted to leave, and we were getting on well, so Holly brought out a deck of cards for us. We played Crazy 8's for about an hour. The whole time, we were talking and laughing.
"It was nice to meet you, finally," said Alice at the door, ready to leave.
"You have a PS4?!" said James suddenly, looking towards the TV. "Add me, let's play together sometime!"
"Sure," I said with a chuckle.
"Happy birthday, Holly!" said Alice, and James repeated it.
They left, and the apartment was back to its usual quiet.
Holly sighed and flopped down on the couch. "Thanks for hanging out with them. I know today was your rest day, but I'm glad you joined us."
"I'm glad, too," I said with a smile. "Let's finish our art project, and then tonight I can cook for us."
"I think we need more groceries first."
"I'll go shopping."
"I'll join you."