CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE.
adrianna saint laurent
perspective
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I FEEL THE sun's ray hit my face and I tighten my eyes shut. I'm about to move my face to dodge the light but shade soon takes over. Feeling confused, I slowly open my eyes to see what was happening.
Elijah's eyes are the first thing I see when I open my eyes. He was holding his hand over my face, blocking the brightness.
I glance into his eyes for a few seconds before lowering my gaze, inspecting the position I was in.
I was cuddled up in his arms, pressed against his hard-coiled body. His hand was under my t-shirt, holding onto my bare waist. I take a deep breath in, trying to compose myself. But I still couldn't control the butterflies erupting in my stomach.
I try sitting up but I'm pulled back down, straight into his arm again. I look at him and throw him a glare, trying to remove his arms from me.
"Leave me, Elijah," I murmur, moving my face away from his so he doesn't smell my morning breath. Let's be realistic, no one had a perfect, minty morning breath.
"Alright," he chuckles, taking his arms off me. I sit up and look around me to check up on the others.
Kota had his arms and legs on Nico, suffocating the poor boy but he was still sleeping peacefully. I smile when I notice Kota smiling in his sleep. God, he was like a baby. Well, mentally he was one.
On the other side, Theo had rolled off the mattress. He was sleeping on the floor, cuddling with his pillow and I could have almost said that he was kissing it.
I glance at Kota again, smiling at him but I stop smiling when I see his lips twitching. He grabs my hand out of nowhere and opens his eyes, "Hi, Annie!" He shouts and I let out a squeal, taken back by his loud voice.
"God, I thought there weren't any roosters in this area," Theo groans, opening his eyes, looking at us as he slowly sits up.
"It's the rooster we brought with us," Nico groans, opening his eyes and glaring at Kota who was smiling like a kid.
Now, everyone was awake because of Kota.
"He eats speakers," I mutter, glancing at Kota as I get up, shaking my head at him.
I walk upstairs and enter my room before walking into my bathroom. I wash my face and brush my teeth, throwing all the drowsiness away. I walk into my room and look into the mirror as I brush my hair.
I walk downstairs and notice that all of them were clearing up the living room, packing up the mattress as they kept it back into the storeroom.
"We should have a picnic," Kota suggests, grinning at us as we enter the kitchen.
"In the forest?" I arch an eyebrow at him. How does one have a picnic in the middle of a forest and it looked like it was about to rain heavily despite the high temperatures.
"It's about to rain any moment and you want to want to have a picnic? Visit my hospital. I'll give you a free appointment with the best therapist there." Nico scoffs, rolling his eyes at Kota as he ties the apron around his waist since it was our job to make breakfast for these chaotic humans.
"I don't need a therapist," Kota frowns, "Let's just have a small picnic here before we leave. It's our last day anyway. Please," he pleads, pouting at us, giving us his best puppy eyes.
"Dude, let's just have a mini picnic. It won't be a waste of your time," Theo sighs, patting Kota's shoulder as he glances at us.
That was Kota's first victim.
"Annie, please!" Kota pouts, giving me his best puppy eyes as he holds my hand. I spiritually couldn't say no to him anymore.
"Fine," I groan, rolling my eyes at him. He grins, pulling me into a hug and I couldn't help but smile.
"Do I have a choice?" Nico murmurs, glancing at us, knowing that he couldn't decline.
"No," Kota grins, "You're joining us and so are you," he snorts, pointing at Elijah who was leaning back on his seat.
"You're preparing the snacks and drinks since it's your plan," I state, narrowing my eyes at Kota.
"Gladly," he grins, skipping away to grab the picnic basket while I shake my head at him.
Nico and I quickly make breakfast, serving pancakes and hot chocolate for all of us. I take a seat in between Theo and Elijah as I dig into my food.
"It better not rain or else I'm running back here," Theo mutters as I finish my hot chocolate before getting up to clean up the dishes.
"Just pray that it doesn't," I sigh as Nico takes the plate out of my hands and puts it in the dishwasher, alongside the other dishes.
"Come on, go change! You take the longest to change, Annie," Kota pulls me back, pushing me towards the staircase.
"I do not!" I frown, glaring at him, "You're just exaggerating because, in the end, I end up being the best looking."
"Yes, yes, yes!" He grins, "Now, go change so you look the best dressed and looking here."
"I don't need to change for that. I already am," I smile at him before I start walking up the stairs.
I walk into my room and close the door behind me before walking towards the closet. I look at all my clothes and take out a silky, baby blue spaghetti-strapped dress.
I change into the dress and open my jewellery box, grabbing my gold earrings and a gold chain necklace, putting them on. I look into the mirror as I brush my hair, letting it flow on my back. I apply some lip balm on my lips before putting on my socks.
I look into the mirror one last time before walking out of my room, closing the door behind me as I walk downstairs.
"God, how are all of you always dressed up before me?" I groan, narrowing my eyes in confusion at the boys who were seated in the living room, waiting for me.
"I told you that you take the longest," Kota snorts, walking towards me as they all stand up, ready to leave.
"The best dressed as always, aren't you?" Theo muses, glancing at my outfit as he smirks at me.
"What can I say? It comes naturally, unlike all of you," I tease, reflecting his smirk at him as I slip into my shoes.
"Yes, we get it that you look good all day. Now, we better leave since we have to back here before late afternoon because we need to drive back to New York City." Kota locks his arm with me as we walk out of the lakehouse.
"Where's the basket?" I glance at Kota but he wasn't holding the picnic basket, "I swear I'm gonna run back if you didn't bring any food. I'm only joining you for food."
"Annie, your food is with Elijah," Kota chuckles, pointing his thumb at the back and I turn around to look back. Elijah was walking behind us, his one hand in his pocket while he casually held the heavy basket in his other hand.
"Good," I chuckle, grinning at Kota as he holds onto my hand. We intervene our fingers together as we continue walking, swinging our hands.
"I didn't know there was an open space here," I mutter, walking through the wild trees towards the open ground situated in the centre of the forest.
"This is where we used to have picnics when we visited the lakehouse," Nico chuckles, opening the picnic blanket on the ground and I move to help him.
"Mhm, it's pretty nice here," I smile, breathing in the fresh air. I remove my shoes off before I step on the blanket and take a seat.
"Of course, you brought that," Nico scoffs, glancing at Theo as he pops the champagne. I move my head away, hoping the cork doesn't hit me.
"It's non-alcoholic," Theo grins, pouring the champagne in the glasses. I didn't even know that they brought this much stuff.
"You brought doughnuts?" I smile as Kota removes food from the basket. He nods and my smile only widens.
"Since I couldn't make them, I bought them from the local bakery here," he smiles as I take a doughnut from the pack.
"You're my favourite, you know?" I grin at him, pressing my hand over his.
"I know," he grins back at me, "You're my favourite too, Annie."
"Why can't you talk to me like that?" Theo frowns at Elijah as he points at us, "I am your best friend, aren't I?"
"No," Elijah states, "You're the most annoying person I've ever met and I don't wanna sweet talk to you, " he scrunches his face at Theo, rolling his eyes at him.
"He said that I'm the best person ever," Theo grins, pointing at Elijah, "Don't worry, I don't find you annoying too."
"You need help," Elijah mutters, throwing Theo a dirty look as he moves away from him.
"He said he needs a hug," Theo grins, "Let me give you a hug, Eli," he teases, wrapping his arms around Elijah's shoulders while we shake our heads at him, knowing he was purposely trying to annoy him.
Elijah slaps his hands off his shoulder, throwing him a glare, "Don't call me that," he hisses.
"Why not? I thought you liked being called that nickname?" Theo feigns a frown, placing his hand on his heart, pretending to be hurt while I hold back my snicker.
"Not by you. It's disgusting," he scoffs, twisting his lips into a frown at him.
"Let me guess, she's an exception?" Theo muses, pointing at me as I take a bite of my fourth doughnut of the day.
"She doesn't call me by any nicknames," Elijah states, looking into my eyes.
"Oh really, Eli?" I tease, smiling at him as I look into his eyes. I see his lips twitch into a small smile but he moves his face away, trying to hide the smile.
"Yeah, he's not going to say anything. I give up. Just date alre- that hurts!" Theo hisses in pain as Elijah elbows him in the stomach.
"Just drink this and shut your mouth," Elijah grumbles, shoving the champagne glass in front of his face.
"Don't worry, I won't expose you," Theo grins, smirking at him before taking a sip from his glass, satisfied with Elijah's expression.
I glance at Elijah since I could feel him staring at me. Our eyes meet and we look into each other's eyes for a few seconds before he looks away from my gaze.
I hold back from smiling once I notice something surprising on his face.
Elijah freaking Winchester's cheeks were pink. He was fucking blushing and he didn't want me to see that.
"God, stop chugging on that bottle!" Nico hisses, grabbing the champagne bottle out of Theo's hold, twisting his lips into a scowl at the blonde boy.
"Dude, it's non-alcoholic!" Theo groans, rolling his eyes before he falls back on the blanket, putting his hands behind his head.
"Seriously, Theo?" I sigh, "You finished half of that bottle," I grumble, glancing at the bottle before looking at him.
"Yeah? Did you want some too?" He murmurs, raising his eyebrow at me as his lips turn into a small smirk.
"Yes," I groan, slapping his arm, "I'm thirsty as fuck. Give me that," I grab the bottle from Nico's hands.
Nico raises his eyebrows at me, shaking his head at me, "Anna, don't drink that-."
Nico pauses, shutting his mouth when I place my finger over his lips, "Shh, Nico. It's alright," I smile, patting his shoulder as I open the bottle, chugging the liquor down my throat.
"Holy shit." I murmur, placing the bottle down on the blanket, turning my head around to look at him.
"You liar, this is is not non-alcoholic," I scoff at Theo who continues to smile at me, his eyes glimmering in amusement while I narrow my eyes at him.
"Why? Too much to handle for you?" He challenges, biting his lip as he tries to hold back his grin which was going to make its way on his face soon.
"Mhm, no," I shake my head with a small smile.
"This is a child's play for me, you fool," I laugh at him, "Your tolerance levels must be non-existent for this," I point at the bottle, "To affect you."
"Oh, you wanna challenge me?" Theo muses as he sits up, moving closer to me.
"Pretty sure you're the one challenging me but alright," I murmur, smirking at him as I look into his sapphire eyes.
"Definitely not," he scoffs, "You don't know who you're challenging, love."
"And you don't know who you're talking to, sweetie."
"Well, let's start this shit," Theo snorts, grabbing the bottle out of my hands, twisting the lid as he opens the glass bottle.
"No," Elijah grumbles, taking the bottle out of Theo's hands, "None of you two are drinking this and getting drunk."
"Fuck off, Winchester. You're just jealous that you weren't included in this challenge," Theo snorts, rolling his eyes at Elijah while I nod in agreement.
"You could have just asked if you wanted to join us, Eli," I tease and he looks at me, biting his lip at me as he holds back his smile. He sure did like it when I called him by his nickname.
"As much as you two wanted me to join you, I don't want to join nor do I want you to drink this," Elijah rolls his eyes at us as he places the bottle back in the basket, pushing the basket behind him so we won't be able to get the bottle back.
"God, you're so annoying." Theo groans, scrunching his face at his best friend.
"You sure that you aren't talking about yourself?" Elijah raises his eyebrow, crossing his arms at us.
"Before a fight starts, let's pack this stuff up since we're done!" Kota shouts, standing up and he points to the stuff on the blanket.
"Are we leaving already?" I glance at Kota as he holds my hand, pulling me up.
"No, silly," he laughs, "We're gonna pack this stuff up so we can play."
"Play?" All of us look at Kota who was grinning at us.
"Yes, because why not?" He shrugs, folding up the blanket as we walk towards the oak tree and keep the stuff under the huge tree.
"Dude, I swear it's gonna rain any minute," I groan, looking at the grey skies above, reflecting my eyes. I reach out my hand and I feel a raindrop on my palm.
"Tag, you're it!" Kota slaps my shoulder, glancing at me before running away while I stand in my spot watching him run away.
I groan, turning around to look at the rest of them, "God, he's so childish. You guys are not playing, right?" I mutter before I watch them all smile at me, turning on their feet.
"Oops?" Nico grins, taking a few steps forward.
"God, no," I murmur, widening my eyes, "Nico! You bitch, I hate you!" I scream as he runs away from me before tapping my shoulder, leaving me with the two devils.
I turn around to glance at Theo and Elijah, "Now, you aren't leaving m-."
"Bet you can't catch me," Theo whistles, winking at me as he starts to run away while I scream in frustration.
I grab Elijah's arm before he could even move an inch and glare at him, "You aren't leaving me alone over here."
"I won't," he murmurs, staring into my eyes with a small smile playing on his lips.
"Am I supposed to believe you?" I arch my eyebrow, tightening my hold on his arm as I look back into his eyes.
"You think I'm bothered to run around when it's about to rain any second?" He scoffs, rolling his eyes at me before he glances at the grey skies.
"Alright..." I mumble, taking my hand off his arm but I quickly look into his eyes, "I swear if you run off, I'll chase you with a knife."
"Is that a threat?" He muses, glancing at me with a smile.
"Of course not!" I smile, "It'll be a threat when I stab you with that knife."
"Mhm, right," he mutters as he watches me lean back on the tree bark.
"They better not wait for me because I'm not chasing them. That's a waste of energy," I groan, closing my eyes.
"Adrianna?" Elijah says my name and I slowly open my eyes, only to see him standing in front of me, his armed pinned on my sides.
I look into his emerald eyes, feeling butterflies rise in my stomach, "Yes?"
"I'm sorry."
I arch an eyebrow at him, "You should be sorry, but for what exactly are you apologising for?"
"For everything," he whispers, "I'm so sorry that I removed all my anger on you. I shouldn't have and I regret it. I should have listened to you but I lost control over my rationality. I couldn't process everything that you had told me. I'm so sorry. You don't have to accept my apology," he sighs, looking into my eyes.
"I won't accept your apology," I mutter, pushing him away slightly as I look into his eyes, watching him frown but he quickly pulls his expression together.
"You should have listened to me, asshole," I scoff, rolling my eyes at him.
He frowns, nodding at my words, "I know and I'm so sorry about tha-."
"You thought I would react like that?" I muse, smiling at him as I watch his frown twist into a smile, the brightness in his eyes increasing with every crease of his smile.
"You're not angry?" He mumbles, staring at me with hopeful eyes.
"Nope," I shake my head, "I would be angry too, if someone I was looking for all these years was right here, hiding under my nose," I shrug, smiling at him and his smile brightens.
"Thank you," he gives me a small grin, "And once again, I'm so sorry."
"If you want to apologise that bad, just get on your knees." I tease, pointing at the ground.
"For you, I'll do anything," he smiles at me.
"Dude, don't actually go on your knees," I laugh, pulling him towards me since he was about to go down on his knees.
"You're the best, you know?" Elijah chuckles, leaning his forehead on mine, brushing our noses together.
"Oh, I know. Tell me something new," I chuckle as he pulls his face back.
"Mhm, later," he mumbles before brushing his lips against mine and I'm about to wrap my arms around him but he pulls away before that could happen.
"Catch me if you can," he whispers in my ear, trailing his fingers down my arm before smiling at me one last time and running away.
"Brat," I grumble under my breath but nevertheless, a smile makes its way to my lips.
I take a deep breath in before I start to run behind him. I grin when I see the rest of them, all gasping when they see me running towards them.
There was only one boy who I wanted to catch the most since he was the easiest target.
"Kota, I'm gonna catch you!" I shout as I start to run behind him. He continues to dash away from me, stealing quick glances at me.
"Annie! I swear to God, I'm running faster than Bolt right now," Kota screams as he continues running and I'm a few inches away from grabbing his collar.
But I hear my name being called and I halt in my spot, turning around to look back to see who had called my name but there was no one there.
Theo, Elijah and Nico weren't there. God, I must be hearing things thanks to the sky roaring. It was thundering pretty bad and I could feel a droplet hit my arm. It was about to shower so fucking bad any second.
I turn around to see where Kota was but he was nowhere in sight. I narrow my eyes as I look around the place. Great, I had no clue where I was right now and I'm pretty sure that I was standing far away from that oak tree.
"Lovely," I mutter under my breath as I feel the rain hit my skin, the liquid making its way to my clothes, drowning my clothes in cold water.
It didn't even feel terrible that I was drowning myself in this rain since this was needed. I was thirsty for this coolness to hit my warm skin. The temperatures here were still high despite the rain pouring down.
This was all I needed before I left for New York City. This was the rain I needed before the air of the busy city suffocated me.
I close my eyes and smile against the rain, feeling my energy rise again. By now, my dress was fully soaked, hugging my body like second skin.
"Christ, what are you doing here? I've been searching everywhere for you."
He grabs my arm and turns me around, pulling me towards him. I grin at him once our eyes meet, both of us soaking under the stormy-grey clouds, droplets travelling down our cheeks, damp hair covering our eyes.
"Hey, Eli." I muse as he holds my face in his hands before moving my hair away from my eyes.
"Hey? That's all you have left to say while standing in this rain? You're crazy," he murmurs, shaking his head at me.
"Crazy for you," I tease, grinning at him and he looks into my eyes before grinning back at me.
"Can't be crazier than me," he murmurs, tracing his fingers down my arm while gazing into my eyes.
This rain was affecting my rationality right now because I could not think straight. He was driving me crazy. His words, his eyes - everything about him was driving me crazy.
I had fallen for Elijah Winchester quicker than it took for the rain to hit my skin.
"Oh, you wanna bet?" I smirk, biting my lip as I hold back my smile. l watch him grin at me before he moves his hands towards me.
I widen my eyes in surprise when he puts his hands on my back and under my thighs, lifting me in his arms. I let out a squeal as he adjusts me into his arms and I wrap my arms around him, keeping myself steady.
"Oh my goodness. What are you doing, Elijah?" I laugh, looking into his eyes as he smiles at me.
"Make sure not to close your eyes," he grins, tightening his hold around me.
I arch my eyebrow at him, "What do you me-." I start squealing and tighten my hold around him as he starts to spin me around.
I start to laugh when he quickens his pace, I look into his eyes and watch him laugh along as well, his eyes were squinted due to the wide smile on his face.
"Oh my God! Please, I'm begging you, put me down," I groan, resting my head on his shoulder.
"I won, didn't I?" He lets out a chuckle as he keeps me down on the ground, keeping his hands on my waist, steadying me.
"Mhm, not yet. I didn't give up yet," I grin at him, leaning my body on his, resting my forehead on his chest.
I close my eyes and smile when I feel his heart race against my touch.
"What are you so nervous about, Eli? Your heart is banging against your chest," I murmur, smiling as I trace my fingers over his heart.
"I think you already know the answer to that," he mutters, tightening his hold around me and I have the urge to hold my stomach to stop the giddy feeling spreading all over my body.
"Mhm, you see I'm clueless right now, so please do the honour of telling me," I nudge him, holding back my laughter.
"You're so annoying, you know?" He mutters, flicking my forehead as I laugh, lightly punching his arm.
"And what about it?" I finally look into his eyes, noticing his softened gaze as I smile at him.
"And I still love you despite your annoying ass."
I blink, biting my lip to stop my smile from growing, "Could you say that again? I think there's water in my ears," I murmur, putting my hand on my heart, trying to control my heart which has been erratically beating against my chest.
He laughs, moving the damp hair away from my eyes before planting a chaste kiss on my forehead.
"I love you. I had always loved you. Although, the love I held for you when we were little was different. I grew to love you for who you are now. I love you, your smile, your stupid jokes, your annoying ass and everything about you. I want you to be next to me every second," he smiles at me, intertwining his fingers with me.
"My jokes are still better than Kota's stupid ones," I smile at him, "But you know what? I have something to tell you as well."
"Mhm, and would that be the answer to my confession? Please have mercy on my heart because it's gonna explode any second," he murmurs, biting his lip as he tries to hold back the grin.
"God, you're so dramatic," I mutter, rolling my eyes in amusement at him.
"Guess I'll have to learn to live with your dramatic ass as well," I smile, wrapping my arms around his neck.
"And that means?" He murmurs, raising his eyebrow at me, biting his lip to hold back the grin.
"I love you too, stupid."
"I think my heart is going to explode any second right now," he murmurs, grinning at me, "Am I still dreaming?"
I pinch his arm and he lets out a laugh, "Come on, let me kiss you out of this dream," I murmur, brushing my lips over his.
I smile against his lips before he starts to deepen the kiss and I let him devour my mouth, our hands roaming all over each other's bodies, hearts racing. He tightens his hold around me until our bodies are crushed against each other.
This kiss in the rain brought more warmth to me, inside and out, than sweaters and umbrellas could ever.
We break the kiss before our lungs ran out of air and we lean our foreheads against each other, eyes closed as we smile to ourselves, not caring about the fact that our clothes were drenched in this rain.
"Want to do the honour of being my girlfriend?" He muses, pulling his face away from mine, smiling down at me.
"Hmm, do I have a choice?" I raise my eyebrow at him, biting my lip as I try not to smile.
"Fortunately, you don't," he grins, "So do you want to be my girlfriend, Ria?"
I hum, staring into his lush green eyes as I graze my fingertips down his arm, "Yes, I want to be your girlfriend, Eli," I smile.
"You have no clue how happy I am feeling," he grins, putting his hand on my back and under my thigh, pulling me up into his arms.
I groan, narrowing my eyes at him, "Oh, God. You're gonna spin me again? I swear to God, I'll chase you with a knife- you asshole!" I scream, holding onto him as he starts to quickly spin me around in his arms. A smile manages to break out on my face when I hear his deep laughter echoing in my ears.
I glance at his face, his whole face was glowing in happiness, brighter than the skies above us. For all that mattered was that we were now together.
"You're crazy," I murmur, shaking my head at him as he finally stops spinning me around but he was still holding me in his arms.
"Only for you, my love," he murmurs, placing a soft peck on my lips before letting me down.
"Good, as you should be," I nod, letting out a laugh as we intertwine our fingers together, swinging our hands together as we start walking towards the oak tree where all our friends were waiting.
"Am I dreaming? I still can't believe this," Elijah murmurs, glancing at me before looking at our locked hands.
I groan, rolling my eyes at him, "That's the tenth time you've asked me now. No, this is not a dream."
He starts to grin to himself again, shaking his head, "I still can't believe this. This feels like a dream-."
"Say that again and I'll punch you out of this sweet dream," I smile at him, patting his cheek, fluttering my eyelashes at him.
"You're threatening me in this rain?" He chuckles, shaking his head at me.
"I'll literally do a full-on roundhouse kick and shove you on the floor," I scoff, rolling my eyes at him.
"And I thought making you my girlfriend would make you a bit nicer towards me," he teases, smiling at me.
I laugh at his words, "You have no clue what you're in for. Let me just warn you for everything that you'll go through."
"I know what I'm in for," he smiles, moving his face closer to mine, "Don't worry about me because I'm not afraid of anything. I'll manage everything because it's you."
I smile, impressed by his words, "You sound confident. I like that."
He laughs, pulling his face away from mine as we continue walking, "I know I'm -."
"Why the fuck are you guys walking like toddlers? Both of you are fucking drenched!"
We look in the front at the sound of the voice, knowing very well who it belonged to. Kota, Nico and Theo were all standing in front of us under the oak tree, not too far away from us. Theo was leaning back on the bark while Kota and Nico stood next to him.
Kota groans, narrowing his eyes at us, "God, you two look like you jumped into the Atlantic. Where have you - no fucking way!" Kota gasps as his eyes land on our locked hands.
He looks up at us, only to see us smiling at him, "Is it what I'm thinking it is? Please tell me it is!"
Theo gasps as he watches Elijah nod, "Holy shit," he whispers, walking towards us.
"We're dating," Elijah smiles, bringing my hand up to his face and placing a kiss on it, watching me smile at him from the corner of his eyes.
"Yes, we are," I chuckle as Elijah pulls me in his arms and I look over to see Kota squealing in joy before he hugs Nico while Theo walks towards to us with a grin on his face.
"So who confessed first?" Kota laughs, glancing at us with a grin. Elijah and I share a look, smiling at each other.
"Pretty sure that's very obvious," I tease, glancing at Elijah from the corner of my eyes.
tell me that you enjoyed this chapter 😤👍🏽
ps. something big is going to happen next chapter as well 😝