(Caroline's POV)
The first thing I noticed when I woke up was my pounding head. It hurt like hell. I grumbled and opened one eye at a time to adjust to the sudden brightness coming in through my window. I sighed in relief when my eyes landed on a bottle of painkillers and water on my nightstand. I cautiously sat up and held my head for a second before I took them gratefully. God bless whoever put this here. Wait, how did I get home last night? The last thing I remember was dancing with this random guy. He handed me a drink and...
Oh no.
I checked my body and moved my hips slightly to see if I was sore. I sighed in relief. So I guess nothing terrible happened last night. So what did happen? After the painkillers numbed my headache, I threw the covers off of me to see that I was in my pajamas. Mariana and Stacy must have brought me home last night. I walked to the bathroom across the hall just as it was opening. My eyes widened at who was on the other side, standing with a towel wrapped around his waist. I only gaped at him. Keegan had a nice, no, great,no, godly body. I could tell that much even with a shirt on. His chest was deeply defined with sharp cuts outlining his incredible muscles. He had a freaking 8-pack. His sides rippled like a house made of bricks all the way to the boarder of his abs. He had a deep v-line that disappeared into the towel. His arms were ripped also with his veins raising the skin over them. He didn't have hair on his stomach or chest at all. He was Adonis in the flesh. My cheeks turned bright red as I realized that he just watched me check him out.
"I-I... what are you doing in my house?" I asked him confused. He only shrugged and walked into the guest room. I followed him. He was facing the bed with his hand on the towel. His back was to me.
"I was just about to drop my towel you know," he said without turning around. His back was just as muscular and defined as the front of him. I let out a quick breath and turned so that my back was to him. I covered my eyes with my hands.
"Go ahead... I'm not looking," I said. I heard the soft putter of the towel hitting the ground before I heard him moving.
"What are you doing in my house?" I asked again. He chuckled. I felt his hand on my hip as the other ran over my stomach. I gasped and uncovered my eyes. My arms dropped to my sides as my eyes shot open. I shuddered and flinched away from him slightly as he touched my scar. His arm slipped around my waist and I felt his hard bare chest against my back. I relaxed into him. I couldn't help it. His breath was right at the base of my neck and I stifled a moan. Even just touching me was a major turn on.
"Your brother invited me to stay after I brought you home last night," he said softly near my ear. My eyes shot open but I didn't move. I didn't want to.
"You brought me home last night?" I squeaked. He nodded before resting his head on my shoulder. I sighed and closed my eyes. "What the hell happened last night? I barely remember anything. I know that my drink was spiked, but nothing happened. Did you... did you stop him?" I asked softly. His grip tightened around me. He hesitated before he nodded slowly. We were both silent for a moment as he just held me. His arms were secure and protective around my waist and over my shoulders. My hands came up and held onto the forearm of his arm that was going across my chest.
"Are you okay?" he asked me gently. I sighed and closed my eyes, letting my head rest back on his shoulder. I had no idea what I was feeling. Being in Keegan's arms made me forget almost everything.
"Caroline! Breakfast's ready!!" my brother yelled from the kitchen. Keegan placed a slow soft kiss against my neck. I sighed lightly as my eyebrows knitted together.
"Don't do that," I said hoarsely. I didn't have much of a voice after Keegan's unexpected kiss. He chuckled before he let go of me. I immediately felt cold without his touch. I had the strong urge to run back into his arms. He reached over to the bed to pull the shirt on. I watched, slightly disappointed that he covered his chest up.
I walked downstairs with Keegan on my heels. I walked into the kitchen and sat at the table. There was a huge stack of pancakes in the center of the table. My brother sat a plate of eggs next to it. I smiled as my mouth watered. Keegan sat next to me and my brother sat across from me. My smile fell when I saw my brother's stern face. His chin was leaning against his clasped hands as he stared at me. I hesitantly too a few pancakes and a scoop of eggs on my plate. I drenched my pancakes in syrup before taking a big bite. Keegan loaded up his plate and dug in. My brother stayed silent and motionless.
"Do you want to tell me what happened last night?" my brother asked quietly. I stopped chewing and my eyes shot to him. Keegan's chewing slowed but it didn't stop completely. My eyes flickered over to Keegan briefly before I looked back to my brother.
"Keegan told you, didn't he?" I asked. He scowled at me.
"Well I found him in the house last night," he said accusingly. I sighed and set my fork down.
"Look, I know it was stupid but I wasn't really thinking about what could happen. I was just trying to have fun," I explained in a rush. Danny sighed and started putting food on his plate.
"Good thing Keegan was there or else who knows where you'd be right now!" he yelled. I flinched and looked at the table. I heard him sigh and felt Keegan's hand lace with mine. It calmed me almost instantly. I didn't raise my eyes to his but I squeezed his hand gratefully. "I just... I worry about you Care. And with mom and dad," he trailed off as my eyes finally snapped to his. They blurred with tears as it felt like my very fresh wound was being ripped open. I took a shaky breath and tried to calm myself. Keegan's thumb was running over my hand gently. It was comforting, but the sting of my parents' death was still very present and very painful.
"Danny," I whispered. He sighed and looked at me sympathetically when he saw my face.
"Care, I'm sorry," he apologized softly. I stood quickly, releasing my hand from Keegan's. I quickly walked up the stairs to my room without a glance back before I completely lost my cool. I missed my parents. Watching them die was not something I wanted to be reminded of. I ran into my room and slammed the door behind me. When I was curled up on the bed, hugging a pillow, I finally let my tears fall. I sobbed quietly into the pillow as tremors racked my body. Everything I'd been trying so hard to keep down came bubbling to the surface. I didn't want to think about my parents. I didn't ever want to think about my parents. All I saw when I thought about them was how they died... and how I was the only one who got out alive. There was a light knock on my door but I ignored it. It opened anyway. Danny and Keegan walked in cautiously.
"I'm sorry, Care. I forgot how... new that still is to you. I didn't mean to upset you or remind you. It just sort of... slipped out. Please stop crying," he begged. My brother hated crying unless it was coming from Preston. He also hated making me upset... almost more than he hated crying. Keegan walked further into my room and tucked my hair behind my ear and out of my face gently. He smiled lightly as he knelt beside the bed.
"Hey," he practically whispered. He stood and got in on the other side of my bed. He pulled me up into a sitting position and opened his arms for me. "Come here," he said softly. I didn't hesitate. I crawled over his lap and buried my head into his chest as I grabbed my stuffed bear and clutched it tightly to my chest. It was a bear my parents gave me. I'd always grab it when I missed them or when I'd get upset. Keegan's arms went around me as he rested his back against the headboard. He rubbed my back gently as I continued to cry. He didn't say a word. He just held me, which was fine by me. He shushed me lightly as I sobbed into his neck. Being in his arms actually made me feel better. It was like warmth spread through my body, calming me. Once my sobs stopped, I just sat there across Keegan's lap. I didn't want to move. I was embarrassed enough as it was because of last night and breakfast this morning. Keegan started humming to me lightly. And he actually wasn't half bad. His voice was decent, or at least his humming voice was. He trailed off and let out a breath, his hand still rubbing my back. I finally lifted my head to look at him. His hand released from around me and he wiped my wet cheeks with his thumbs.
"Better?" he asked. I nodded slowly.
"Why are you doing this? Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be with your girlfriend?" I asked him hoarsely. He sighed and caught my chin so I was looking directly at him.
"I'm here because I care about you... and she's not my girlfriend anymore," he answered. My eyes bulged. He broke up with her last night?! Oh crap, she was going to kill me. I looked away from him as I processed all of this information.
"Ninny?" I heard from the doorway. I sniffled and took a deep breath.
"Come in baby," I said. He walked through the open door and climbed into my bed. I slid off of Keegan's lap and onto the bed beside him. I wanted to be back in his arms again, but our moment was over. Preston climbed into my lap similarly to how I was just sitting on Keegan. Preston didn't rest his head on my shoulder like he normally did. He sat straight up and inspected Keegan. I chuckled softly.
"Preston, this is Keegan," I smiled gently.
"K-Keys," Preston said. I laughed. Preston gave everyone their own name according to him. Then he did something I didn't expect. He crawled out of my lap and went to get in Keegan's. Preston was shy. He normally didn't go to people he didn't know. It took him a whole year to go to Mariana and Stacy. Preston's little face lit up with excitement. Keegan's eyes bulged as he watched him. Then his eyes landed on me.
"Does this happen normally?" he asked. I slowly shook my head, watching Preston still. Preston laid his head on Keegan's shoulder and let out a breath as he closed his eyes.
"I think he's still tired. Rock him a little," I whispered. Keegan did as I asked, holding my nephew gently. I smiled sappily at the picture. It was so cute. Who knew Keegan would be good with kids. What was more surprising was that Preston actually went to him. Preston didn't go to just anybody.
~
I wasn't as cranky as I normally was on Monday. After Keegan left my house Saturday, he stopped by Sunday to see how I was doing. He even brought a toy airplane for Preston. It was still amazing how much Preston liked him. They played in the living room for almost the whole day. With Monday rearing its ugly head, I actually wasn't that affected by it. I mean, I still wasn't talking to anyone until lunch, but that was okay. That was my tradition. I was relieved when lunch rolled around. I couldn't wait to see Keegan. I wanted to see him. I wanted to touch him and feel that comforting warmth I always feel when we're touching. I slid into my seat at the table with the lunch I packed. Stacy and Mariana were the first to the table. They looked sullen and sad.
"We are so sorry about what happened at the party," Stacy blurted first. I shook my head.
"Nothing happened and I got home okay. That's all that matters," I said. Mariana put her head on my shoulder and her hand rested on my far shoulder as she sighed.
"I'm sorry too. I never should've let Stacy talk me into taking you to a party," she said. Stacy's mouth dropped as she looked at Mariana.
"Hey!" she protested. I only laughed.
"It's okay, really. Keegan took me home and I was fine," I shrugged. Stacy and Mariana's eyes lit up. I ignored their curious and pleading faces and took a bite of my sandwich.
"Okay, I can't take this anymore. Spill. What happened?" Stacy asked. My cheeks turned bright red as I thought about what actually happened. "Oh my gosh! Did you hook up with him?" she squealed. My eyes widened as I started shaking my head.
"No! And keep your voice down," I said quickly. She only giggled. I sighed and looked around before I looked back to my friends. They leaned in expectantly. "He broke up with Natasha. And my brother caught him at the house and asked him to stay the night, but he slept in the guest room. And then we all had breakfast together and my brother questioned me about the party and I broke down. Keegan came to my room and just held me and it was the best feeling I'd ever had. Then, get this, Preston even sat in his lap. Preston loves Keegan which is so weird because you know how he is. Then Keegan left, but he came back Sunday to check on me and ended up playing with Preston almost the whole day. It was so cute!" I explained in a rush. Stacy and Mariana squealed but quickly stopped when Keegan and the guys came into view. We all started eating our food, pretending like we weren't just talking about Keegan. They all slid into our table. Keegan sat on my right and grabbed my hand. I loved the way it fit perfectly into his; his fingers laced waffle-style with mine. Mariana held her place on my left. Gregg sat as far away from me as he could. I laughed when I realized it.
"Hey Gregg, why are you way over there? You know I don't bite," I said with a wink.
"Yes you do," he murmured, keeping his eyes on the table. Mariana, Stacy and I laughed. None of the guys did. Gregg kept his nervous eyes down and Keegan's grip on my hand tightened. The others just stayed quiet. When we sobered up, I released my hand from Keegan's which made his eyes snap to me. He was about to protest but the she-witch interrupted him.
"Hey Keegs," she smiled as she sat on his other side, pushing Asher over in the process. He sighed and turned to her. I looked on confused. I thought he broke up with her?
"Natasha, I told you, we're not together anymore," he said sternly. She only smirked at him as she touched his face and leaned closer.
"That's not what my dad says," she said in a sing song voice. "He said you can't do that. And you know you can't be with... Caroline... she's not like us," she added. I wondered what she meant by that. Was she saying that it was because I wasn't popular like them? And what did her dad have to do with anything?
"Natasha," he said slowly like he was reprimanding to a two year old. "You know very well how this all works. I'm going to be... in charge soon and I want what I want, so get used to it. As for us... we're over," he said carefully but sternly. His voice was laced with authority. She puffed out a breath and stood before she pointed a finger at me and narrowed her eyes.
"This isn't over," she gave her final words before she left. Gregg was the first to speak up.
"I hate to say this, but she's right until you figure something out," Gregg said. Keegan glared at him.
"We'll talk about this later," Keegan snapped at him with the same amount of authority. Gregg lowered his head and started eating again. The whole table was silent for the rest of lunch. What was with all the secrecy? An even better question: what the hell was going on?
The lunch bell rang. Everyone was too happy to get out of there. Keegan walked beside me quietly to our Forensics class. Before he could walk into the classroom, I pulled him aside. He leaned up against the wall and waited as I tried to figure out what to say.
"What the hell was that at lunch?" I asked quietly. He only shrugged.
"My parents are... friends with Natasha's parents. They shipped us a while ago and they expected me to stay with her, but I didn't," he answered carefully. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair.
"She's not going to leave me alone. You know that right?" I said. He shrugged again.
"She will if I tell her too," he muttered.
"Why?" I asked confused. He looked surprised that I heard him. He ran a hand down his face before he sighed.
"She just... she has to, and let's just leave it at that," he said before he walked into the classroom. I followed after him. Something told me that this was going to be a long year.