XVIII
• • •
Layla's POV***
"Wait okay okay okay," Kevin said. He had sat down in Eli's desk chair while we explained everything to him. "So you," he pointed at me, "and him?" He pointed at Eli. When I nodded, he shot me a confused expression, "why though? He's just Eli he's nothing special." I chuckled when he said this.
"To you, maybe," I replied. He sat back in the chair and let out a 'huh', still taking it all in. After the initial shock, he was actually taking it really well. I mean, I don't blame him for being so shocked- we were probably the last two people he had ever expected to get together. And it was somewhat of a sticky situation.
"You two are sneaky little cookies," Kevin commented and I bit back a laugh, "I mean I guess I see it, but I'm usually better at picking up on this stuff.. kudos to you guys for hiding it so well."
"Yeah, uh, speaking of that," Eli chimed in. "Are you gonna..."
"Tell Ash-y-poo? Nah. I'll let you two figure that out.. I mean, not to freak you out or anything but if I reacted like that when I first found out..." he didn't have to finish the implied sentence- imagine how bad Ashton is going to react. I swallowed the lump in my throat at the thought.
"This has been a very strange night," Kevin said and stood up from the chair. "I'm gonna go make sure Savanah hasn't proposed to anyone else."
"I don't even know where to begin asking about that statement," Eli spoke the words before I could say the same thing.
"I'll tell you tomorrow. Maybe if I get drunk enough I won't remember you two ever happening," he joked, "have a good night, lovebugs," he finished and left the room, shutting the door behind him.
"Well, that happened," I said and looked up at Eli.
"That was fine, right? Like he seemed fine?" Eli asked, clearly a little flustered. I chuckled.
"He's Kevin. He's fine," I assured him, "I thought you said you didn't care if everyone found out."
"I don't, but Ashton would explode if he found out through Kevin."
"He'll probably explode, anyway," I said and tried to shrug it off.
"He shouldn't be possessive over you though, like, that's simply not how love works. He can't hold you back from shit," he commented, rolling his eyes at my brother.
"He's not, he just," I paused, trying to find my words, "he lost me once before, for a long long time. And he's scared of losing me again, and losing you, too."
"That's not an excuse," he insisted, and I wasn't sure what else to say. "I'm gonna go check on everything and make sure nobody's set the house on fire. I'll be back in a bit, yeah?" He asked, getting up from the bed.
"Yeah, I might come back out in a few," I offered up.
"No pressure, feel free to make yourself at home here," he added with a smile and a wink. I chuckled and nestled into his comfy bed.
"Will do."
• • •
Eli's POV ***
Once I closed my door and started walking, I saw Kevin down the hall look up to me. I tried to force a smile, despite the nerves testing me.
"Why were you looking for me in the first place?" I asked when I reached him.
"I was gonna ask if Ali and I could crash here but it looks like we'll be finding different plans," he answered, referring to the fact that Layla would be staying over.
"Of course you guys can stay here," I retorted, but when he looked up at me, he's expression seemed pretty heavy for Kevin. His mood had shifted a little since his joking demeanor just a few moments ago in my room- or maybe he had just been putting on an act. "What?" I asked him when he didn't talk.
"What are you doing, dude?" He asked, an almost disappointed tone wrapped around his words. It punched me right in the gut.
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean," he wasn't being aggressive, or judgemental. Kevin rarely was. But that almost made it worse as he said, "that's Layla. Layla. You can't break her heart."
I was taken aback, not quite sure how to respond. Even though he was just looking out for Layla, it still was a casual stab at me for thinking I would do that. He said it as if it was inevitable.
"I'm not."
"I'm just trying to look out for you both. I don't want to see you guys get hurt, I care about you," Kevin went on. "She's not just another girl, bro."
"How would you feel if I was saying this shit to you about Ali? Huh? Do you think she's just another girl?" I tried to go back at him.
"No offense Eli, but we don't exactly have the same history with girls. I never thought of any of my ex's as 'just another'," he replied, and I scoffed.
I knew it was true, though. I'd been a shitbag for so long... letting myself use countless girls for a distraction from my family, not caring about what they thought we were, or how my actions affected their feelings. That was a while ago, but it still made me sick to think about. It made me hate myself. I knew that I had changed, but maybe I didn't deserve a second chance, maybe I didn't deserve forgiveness for that. Maybe me falling for Layla was just meant to be a death trap from all by my built up karma.
Maybe this would end in my demise, but I'd be damned if I didn't fight for it. For her. Call me selfish, but I'd screw myself over a thousand times before I'd let her go. Unless she wanted to go. Then there would be nothing much left of me to fuck over, anyway.
"You don't think I know that?" I responded, "I," my voice lowered and I paused, catching myself a little off guard with the truth I was about to confess. I didn't even think about it as the words came out of my mouth, seeming so right, seeming like it's something that I had known all along...
"I love her."
Kevin didn't say anything as he met my eyes, but I saw them widen slightly. I looked down at the floor.
"I've always loved her, so have you, but now for me it's just.. different. And so much more. It's everything all at once. I- I can't explain it, but, it's like my soul was a puzzle and she was the missing piece, and when she came back I was so fucking happy, and now I know why. Because she's a part of me, and one that I don't intend on letting go. Ever," I rambled, each word tumbling out of my mouth like rapid fire. He looked speechless, and then after a long while, he responded.
"Well then," was all he said, and I scrunched my face in slight confusion before he looped his arm around my head and ruffled my hair as he brought me in to him. I quickly shoved him away and chuckled as he said, "looks like my little Eli is all grown up."
"Shut up," I laughed again.
"Just so you know, though, if you do break her heart I'll beat you up before Ashton can get to you," he told me, and I knew that he meant it as a favor.. considering Ashton very well might actually murder me if he was the one beating me up.
"Thanks, but that won't be necessary," I replied and we started walking, but he stopped me and shoved me back towards my room. "What?"
"Go have a good time, you don't want to be at your party without her, anyway. I'll make sure everything's fine down there," he said, and I went to object before realizing that he was Kevin and wouldn't stop annoying me until I gave in and went back to my room.
"Thanks," I said and offered a smile before turning to walk back down the hall.
"Anytime, Romeo," he yelled over as he started down the stairs and I *lovingly* flipped him off.
When I got back into my room, I couldn't help but smile at her when she looked up at me.
"Back so soon, loverboy?" She mused and sat up against the headboard.
"How could I resist?" I replied and didn't stop my eyes from trailing all over her. She had changed into one of my T-shirts, her makeup a little all over the place from the crying, and her hair in two cute messy buns on the top of her head. She looked beautiful.
And now that I said those three words out loud. Now that I admitted to myself that I loved her... it was as though I was looking at her for the first time. And I wanted her, all of her, in any way that I could have her. She must have noticed this, because she cracked a grin.
"Feeling flustered, are we?" She moved to the end of the bed, her legs dangling off the edge. She chuckled when I didn't respond and instead just met her eyes again.
She hopped off the bed and strolled up to me, amusement had left her eyes, replaced with a dark, seductive smolder that came so naturally to her. She never even realized she was doing it when she did it, but boy did I realize every time.
"Because I certainly am," she admitted, and I leaned in closer to her, reaching behind me and dimming the lights all the way down. She grabbed my jumpsuit by the front and bit her lip with a smirk, looking down to my lips.
Goddamnit she was hot... and she knew it, too. She was the only girl I'd ever been with that knew how to get me this riled up. It seemed to come so naturally to her.
"I'm gonna tell Ashton next time I see him," I told her, then realizing that I might have just killed the mood, I silently cursed myself. She just leaned in further, our breaths mingling as she lingered mere centimeters from my lips.
I shuddered slightly as she chuckled low in her chest and brought her hands up to my hair, sliding them down to my neck then chest. She bit her lip as our bodies pressed against each other. How was she this good?
"Good," she breathed and gently closed her lips on mine, the sensation shooting fireworks all throughout my body. Not being able to help myself, I disregarded the slow, sensual nature of that kiss and leaned in to her, grabbing her waist and pulling her into me. She chuckled into my mouth at my eagerness as I moved a hand to the side of her neck.
Without breaking our kiss, I reached behind me and locked the door, and she pushed me against it one second later. I grinned into the kiss as she held me against the door, then released her lips from mine to kiss down my neck as she continued to unbutton my jumpsuit.
Needing her under me, I spun us around so that she was the one pinned against the door, and she grinned up at me as I aggressively returned my lips to hers. Lifting her chin with my hand and kissing along her jawline then to her neck. One moment later I picked her up to bring her over to the bed as she kept her legs wrapped around my core.
When I placed her down on the sheets, she smiled up at me with a playful glint in her eyes that made my heart beat 100 x faster. I couldn't help but just stare at her for a quick moment, taking in her beauty.
I pulled my T-shirt off of her and crawled on top, leaning on one arm while my hand was in her hair and the other feeling along every inch of her. I gripped her waist hard as I kissed along her collar bone and she sucked in breath, the small noises of pleasure she was making were almost too much for me to handle as I pinned her down.
Her body subconsciously arched into me as I kissed her, pressing up against my front. Oh god..
She breathed out my name in pleasure as I let my hands wander lower. Biting her lip, she tilted her head back against the mattress, and I leaned back in to kiss down her neck as her breathing remained thin.
I love you I thought, and moved my lips back to hers as I unclasped her bra.
And for that whole night, it was a good thing the music downstairs was as loud as it was.
• • •
Crystal's POV ***
The bright morning sun shown through the windows, lighting up the hotel room and the gorgeous human I was sharing it with. As he moved to get out of bed, the sleets slid off of me, but I quickly grabbed them back and held them to me to cover my naked chest. Ashton chuckled as he stood up and walked into the bathroom.
"Why do you always do that?" He asked from inside.
"Do what?"
"Cover up so quickly. You act like it's nothing I haven't seen a bunch of times by now, in a bunch places, in a bunch of positions-" I cut him off before he could finish.
"Don't be crude," I laughed and got out of bed, marching over to the open bathroom door, where he stood in his underwear, brushing his teeth.
"You know you're talking to me, right," he said but when he looked over at me, his eyes quickly went from my eyes to the rest of my, still bare, self. I was too stubborn to let him think I was self conscious about this, so here we were at my weird solution.
"Brush your teeth, don't let me distract you," I said to him as I began brushing my own teeth.
"It's impossible to not be distracted by you," he replied and continued.
"But I thought this is something you've seen a bunch of times?" I gave him a side glare, grinning smugly.
After we rinsed, he looked at the clock on the desk.
"What time do we need to be checked out by?" He asked.
"Like a half an hour," I told him, putting my tooth brush back in its holder and walking back out of the bathroom.
"Sounds good to me," he caught me off guard and brought me down onto the bed, his face hovering right above mine as I chuckled.
"You're hopeless," I commented and put my hands on the sides of his neck as he grinned down at me.
I was hopeless, too, though. It was sort of our thing.
No amount of wishing we could stay in Boston and live in this moment forever would actually make it come true, so I just did my best to live in these last few moments before we went back to California.
I pushed the looming feeling of this being the calm-before-the-storm aside, and just embraced it while we it lasted. Ashton leaned down and placed his soft lips on mine.
• • •
Hey guys!
Both the Monroe sibling are really out here getting lucky..
I decided to give you guys another chapter to make up for all the times I've left you hanging for too long. Next chapter will be up by the end of the week :)
QOTD: What is something you're passionate about??
>>> besides writing for you beautiful people, I'm very passionate about music and singing :)
Wash your GODAMN hands! And be nice to people.
Stay beautiful,
Briella<3