ANGEL'S POV
I woke to Sage's arms around me and a bright sun spilling through the windows. I smiled to myself as memories of the night before presented themselves to me.
I yawned before glancing at the clock, my smile quickly vanishing when I saw that it was 10:50.
"Shit, shit, shit," I whisper-shouted, squirming out of Sage's grip. He woke from the sudden movement, confused.
"What's the matter?" He croaked, rubbing his eyes adorably.
"It's almost eleven!" I rushed out. His eyebrows furrowed before it clicked and his eyes widened. We had to be at the airport at twelve, it was a thirty minute drive, and we still had to pack, shower and get ready.
"Damn it." He shot out of bed and we packed all of our belongings in the matter of twenty minutes before we headed into the bathroom.
"Okay, I'll brush my teeth while you shower, and then we can switch," I suggested. Sage smiled lovingly. "What?"
"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about how much faster it'd be if we just got in together." My cheeks reddened and he laughed softly. tugging on the bottom of my shirt. I lifted my arms, letting him remove it. I proceeded to take his off, and he pecked my lips sweetly.
Once we finished showering, we quickly got dressed, pulling on basketball shorts and tees.
When we padded into the kitchen, Tommy was up and ready, my eyes widening at him.
"Tommy! Why didn't you wake us up earlier?"
"Well, I came in to wake you, but you two looked... intimate." Sage snorted behind me, triggering Tommy's laugh. My face burned. "Don't worry, I didn't see anything, I could just tell." I covered my red cheeks with my hands and groaned.
"Sorry about that, Tommy," Sage spoke softly, resting his chin on the top of my head as he wrapped his arms around my waist.
"No problem... I'll just have to wash those—"
"Oh my God, okay! Let's just go," I interrupted, squeezing my eyes shut. Sage and Tommy chuckled as I scurried out the front door, waiting for them outside. Once they joined me, I shoved my suitcase into the trunk, followed by Sage's. I climbed into the passenger seat, Sage in the back while Tommy drove.
When we arrived at the airport, it was 12:07 and our flight's scheduled takeoff was at 1:10. It wasn't until we were just about to say goodbye to Tommy that I realized I never got his groceries.
"Oh, Tommy, I forgot to get your food." I placed a hand against my forehead.
"Food? For what?"
"Just to pay you back." He shook his head quickly.
"That's not necessary." I pouted, glancing at Sage with a look that said, Help. He met Tommy's eyes.
"How about we just give you some money to get groceries or whatever you want? It's the least we can do." I peered up at Tommy pleadingly, earning a sigh.
"Fine. But no more than thirty dollars." I snorted, handing him sixty. Sage handed him forty and Tommy shook his head.
"Unnecessary," he mumbled, then sighed with a sad smile. "Alright guys, you'd better get going."
"Yeah... I'm going to miss you. You should visit us at school soon, I miss having you around." He smiled warmly, nodding.
"I will. I promise." I took a soft breath.
"Okay... I'll see you soon," I promised, and he pulled me in securely. I squeezed him back. When we parted, Tommy patted Sage's shoulder, then brought him in for a hug.
"It was really good meeting you," Sage spoke.
"You, too. Thank you for looking out for Angel." I smiled softly, watching the two. When they separated, Sage took my hand in his and I waved softly at Tommy, who smiled and shooed us off.
Sage and I checked our bags and went through TSA before boarding the plane. We sat in our seats, Sage in the window seat and me in the middle. The aisle seat remained empty and I rested my head on Sage's shoulder.
When the flight attendant asked us to switch our phones to airplane mode, Sage glanced down at his phone, just about to switch the setting when he froze. I glanced at him.
"What is it?" He met my gaze, an unreadable expression in his eyes.
"My mom called." My heart skipped. "She left a message," he added in a whisper. My mouth fell open.
"Well, listen to it. Hurry, before we take off." He hesitated, the phone turning in his hand anxiously.
"Will you?" I stared at him.
"I... Sage..." I bit my lip.
"Please," he pleaded. The fear coursing through his eyes broke my heart, so I sighed softly, nodded and put the phone up to my ear.
"Sage, I know you probably don't want to speak to me right now, but I just had to let you know that I love you. More than anything. Nothing could ever change that. And if you love Angel, then I love him, too. He makes you happy, and that's all I've ever wanted for you. And... if you never want to speak to or see me again, I understand. I just want you to know that my love for you will never change. I love you, Sage." As Harper's voice cracked, my eyes welled up with tears and I removed the phone from my ear.
"That bad?" Sage asked warily. I looked up at him, shaking my head slowly.
"Listen." Nervously, he retrieved the phone from my hand, playing the message again and pressing it against his ear. His expression seemed to melt into a new one every few seconds, from nervous to shocked to sad then... emotional. He quickly gripped my hand, locking our fingers together. When he pulled the phone from his ear, he powered it off completely, and I was unsure of what to say or do.
"Sage—" He cut me off by smashing our lips together.
"I love you." He'd said it so simply, and so softly, that all I could do was look at him with adoration pooling my eyes.
After takeoff, I leaned back on Sage's shoulder, letting my eyes flutter shut.
**
I'm not sure how, but I slept for the entirety of the first and second flight and woke just as we were landing.
It was after 8:00, but not yet dark. The air was warm and welcoming and I sighed, relief and content cascading over me like a shower.
We exited the airport after retrieving our suitcases from baggage claim and headed outside. I squinted at the sunlight, shading my eyes with my hands. Sage and I marveled at the sight in front of us; there were trees everywhere, a clear, cloudless sky, and a body of water in front of us.
After powering it back on, Sage called Ben to see if he and Leo were at the hotel yet.
"Okay... Alright, we'll meet you there, then. 'Kay. Bye," Sage said through the phone. He hung up and turned to me.
"What did he say?" I asked, intertwining my fingers with his.
"He said they just got in a taxi and they're heading to the hotel now." His uneasy tone prompted a frown to land on my face.
"You okay?" He nodded, smiling. I gave him a quick peck before we made our way to the airport's taxi service, giving the taxi driver the address, but he seemed immensely confused with where it was.
"So, wait, what road is it on?" He asked for — I swear — the fifth time. Sage was past frustrated at this point, and as he opened his mouth to snap, I rushed out a response.
"Why don't I just turn my GPS on for you, yeah?" Sage rolled his eyes as the taxi driver nodded eagerly, relieved. When I got the GPS on, I was pleased to see that the hotel was only ten minutes away.
Sage was leaning his head on the window, watching the water and the trees that we passed. I reached over took a hold of his hand, getting his attention. I leaned against him and he pressed a kiss to the back of my hand before I began padding my thumb across the back of his.
I closed my eyes for the short car ride, jet lagged and hungry.
When we arrived at the hotel, Sage mumbled a thank you and went to grab our bags. I sent the driver an apologetic smile and thanked him, as well, before paying him.
Sage was waiting at the hotel doors for me. I smiled, taking my suitcase and following him inside.
We checked in and rode the glass elevator up to the seventh, and top, floor. I grinned when we entered our two bedroom, one bathroom suite, running straight to the big window that took up one wall. It had the most serene ocean view and the way the sky's colors were molding together smoothly was breathtaking.
"Are Ben and Leo almost here?" I asked, eyes taking over the scene.
"I don't know," Sage muttered behind me bitterly. I turned and narrowed my eyes at him as he sulked around the room.
"What's wrong?"
He shook his head. "Nothing it's just... they're fighting, and you know how they get when they fight. It's nearly unbearable." I smiled playfully, taking a step towards him.
"I'm not unbearable, am I?" I teased, wrapping my arms around his torso. He smiled, his arms making their way around my waist.
"Only a little." I scrunched my face up before our lips met, feeling this insane sensation of ease. That all ended when Ben and Leo busted in, shouting at each other. Sage sighed with his forehead rested against mine before turning to the couple.
"I don't give a damn what Josie thinks of me," Leo snapped, releasing his suitcase once he got in front of the couch.
"Well, Josie's my sister, so I kind of do care. And you know, your cousin Lacey didn't seem too fond of me, either." You could practically see the steam coming out of their ears.
"Well, I don't care what Lacey thinks of you because you're my boyfriend, not hers." Ben furrowed his eyebrows and opened his mouth to retort, but Sage cut in, clearing his throat loudly. The pair turned to us.
"Oh, hey guys," Ben greeted, voice tired. He looked at us like he hadn't noticed us this entire time.
"What's going on?" I asked carefully, making my way to them to hug them.
"Nothing," Leo replied when we parted, frustration lacing his voice. I was going to ask more, but decided it was better to not get involved.
Sage hugged them, as well, before we all went to our rooms, unpacking. Sage and I were in our room chatting about the things we wanted to do, when all of a sudden, Ben and Leo started yelling again from the other room.
"Think we'll get a noise complaint?" I wondered. Sage huffed.
"I wouldn't doubt it." As they got louder, Sage shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose while his eyes fluttered shut. "They're going to be like this the entire week."
I let out a puff of air. "This'll be interesting."