“Miss me that much, hey?” He laughs, his breath warm against my icy face.
“You’ve got no idea,” I say, going in for another peck.
“As much as I love a beautiful girl jumping into my arms, what do you say we get my shit inside before we freeze to death?”
We grab his things and quickly get back into the house and heating.
“How was the train ride over?” I ask him, making us both a cuppa. He takes off all his layers until he’s only in jeans and a long-sleeve shirt. I can’t help but grin at the sight of him. Just being with him automatically brightens my world a bit, even though I’ve only been apart from him for a week. That shit is scary as hell.
“What?” he asks, catching me drifting off and staring.
I brush it off. “I was gonna make some lunch. Can I make you a sandwich?”
“I’d love that, Em.”
I get to work, quick to busy myself to keep from jumping him, knowing Ali could be back any moment.
“How was your Chrissy?” I ask as I throw some random ingredients onto bread.
“Yeah, not too bad. Things are still frosty between Mum and me, but I put on a good show for Louis. Ruining his day when I don’t get to see him a lot was not on the agenda.”
“And, um, did you hear from your dad?” I ask. I place the sandwich in front of him, then round the table to sit beside him.
His eyes are tight, no smile in place. Not filled with anger—no, never at me—but something else…regret?
“He called a few times,” Reeve confirms. “But I didn’t pick up. Sent him a text to say happy Christmas, but that’s about it. I’m still going to wait until the new year to figure it all out. It’s too much to handle right now if I’m being honest, Em.”
“Of course,” I say, placing my hand over his. “But you know I’m here for you, right? Anything at all, I’d drop it to be with you if you needed me.”
Some of the tension leaves his face as he looks upon me. I can’t help but smile back at him softly.
“I know, Em. Thank you.” He leans forward, connecting his lips with my own just as we hear a key turn in the door. I break away from him in an instant, suddenly halfway across the kitchen.
“Reeve, you made it.” Ali says, leaning in for a hug from his best mate. Stana smiles from next to them, the tip of her nose red from the cold.
“Get here okay?” Ali asks Reeve, the two of them going into small talk. Stana comes over to me, nearly choking herself trying to pull off her scarf.
“So, Reeve spent Christmas lunch with his family. He didn’t end up going to Owens,” I tell her as I move back to the bench to make myself some lunch.
Stana’s eyes light up. “Do you think he knows what’s going on with Lottie?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think so. I reckon he’d tell one of us if so. Lottie and Reeve may be friendly, but they’re far from best friends.”
“But maybe Owen said something to him?”
“And break Lottie’s trust? We’ve both seen the way he looks at her. There are a whole lot more feelings there than he wants anyone to catch on to, and that includes Lottie.”
Stana lets out a harsh breath. “It’s driving me crazy not knowing, not being able to help her, but I know her, Em. We push her and she might never tell us. I’m just so worried.”
I place my hand over hers and squeeze tight. “I know you are, Stan. I am too. This whole thing makes zero sense, and it’s so out of character for her to be keeping secrets from us.”
“That’s what confuses me. Lottie’s known Owen for less than five months, and I’ve known her her entire life. How bad can whatever it is be to keep it from her own family?”
“I know it’s hard not to take personally, especially because you’re her blood, Stan. But we know Lottie. She adores you, thinks of you as a sister. There has to be some sort of reason she hasn’t told us what’s going on.”
Stana nods a few times, as if trying to somehow convince herself that I’m right.
“Let’s just enjoy the next few days. For all we know, we might be reading into it too much.”
We both know what I’m saying is utter bullshit, but at this point, I’ll do anything to remove the sadness from Stana’s eyes.
“We’re gonna head to the pub for dinner,” Ali says, walking over to us. Stana gravitates to his side instinctively. I never really understood that until I felt it with Reeve. Looking over their heads, I spot Reeve digging through his bag for something. He shoots me a wink, letting me know he feels the same way.
“The pub sounds amazing,” I confirm, already needing a strong drink.
“Em, do you mind helping me with my stuff?” Reeve calls out. I try to hide my smile at the request.
“Sure, I’ve gotta get something from my room anyway,” I tell him, grabbing his small duffel. He follows behind me, his cologne filling my lungs the farther we get from Ali, the closer Reeve gets to me.
“Dare I say I’ve missed you, Emilia Ronan,” he whispers in my ear as we stop in front of his bedroom. I lean my head against the wooden door as he wraps his hands around my waist, nuzzling his head into the crook of my neck. “I hate saying this, but I wish it was just us this week. Staying in separate bedrooms is going to be so shit.”
“We both know they all sleep like logs. I’m sure you can sneak into my room at night,” I reply, turning in his hold, my arms now around his waist.
“You’re playing a dangerous game, Emilia. Someone could see.” His words warn of caution, but his actions say otherwise. As we lean forward, our lips connect and I let out a soft moan.
“Emilia,” he says gruffly, “Ali could walk up any moment.”
“Isn’t that part of the thrill of it all?” I reply, not knowing what has gotten into me.
“Every moment with you is already a thrill, love.”
My mouth perks up at the sides. “Come on. There’s less of a chance of us getting caught in your room than in the hallway.”
I clearly don’t have to tell him twice, because Reeve pushes open the door and half-heartedly tosses his bags in before taking my hand.
I think about my group of friends a lot. About who are the introverts and extroverts, and how we all fit together to make our own little makeshift family. Without a doubt, Stana, Ali, and Reeve are on the quieter side while Owen, Lottie, and I are more outspoken, yet when we all come together, we manage to click. Like a puzzle, each of our pieces fit together to make an image. It’s by no means a perfect image, but it is one, nonetheless.
That’s why a few days after Reeve’s arrival, as we sit in the pub, Ali, Stana, Reeve and I, I can’t help but feel that parts of us are missing. Lottie’s and Owen’s absences are felt by all of us. Despite us not even knowing Lottie for a year, she was the final missing piece to it all.
It’s strange to me, thinking about that day a year ago when I first met Stana. I was perfectly content living with these three boys, but the thought of one day having another girl in our little gang always drifted in and out. Now the thought of ever losing either one of them terrifies me more than comprehension.
So even though we are on a mini holiday and in the grand scheme of things, Lottie’s and Owen’s absences aren’t a big deal, I can’t help but think about it. About the what-ifs in life. What if Stana never walked into our lives a year ago? Would I still be pining over a guy I’ve loved my entire life? Would Ali continue to be a lone wolf in his walk-through life?