July 4, 2020. 10:10 P.M
Cloe's POV
"Hey guys!" Mully yells from the tables. "What's up, Mul?" I say, getting out of the water, dripping wet. (Ew, I hate that-) I head over to him an grab a dry towel. I wrap it around me as the others gather too.
"Fireworks are starting soon," He tells us. I nod and dry off quickly. I toss the towel with the others, picking my jacket and shorts, putting them on my now, somewhat dry body. I feel myself pulled into a hug by my waist, making me jump. I look down and recognize the arms. "Hello, Ant," I smile and attempt to get away, despite me enjoying it.
"You love me," He mutters, pulling me closer. My back presses against his clothed chest. "Sure," I mumble, pouting. He rests his face in my shoulder.
"What was that?" He asks, making me look at him. He looks up, head tilted slightly. His hair is still wet and sticks to his face. He looks through me with blue orbs, sending shivers down my spine. A small smile dances on his face as he just stands there, hugging me close. "You alright, mate?" He asks, bringing me out of my trance. I brush my staring off by squinting my eyes at him.
"You tryna staring contest me?" He asks, letting me go and standing to his full height again. We stare into each others eyes, smiling at each other. "I know what'll distract you," he smirks, continuing his gaze.
"What will?" I ask, getting slightly lost in his eyes. He comes closer, causing me to shrink a little. I can feel his hair tickle my face, he's that close. I feel his soft hand grip my jawline, making me blush deeply. I will not loose this contest. He comes closer to my lips, making my heart jump in my throat but I maintain eye contact. In a second his face goes to the side, but I continue watching. I feel him kiss my cheek right under my eye, causing me to blink. I turn even more red as he pulls away and just smirks. "I win!" He says, making a pleased face. I stand there stunned at what he just did.
"Hey, lovers, come on!" I hear Gaege yell to the two of us. I'm still stiff so Ant grabs my hand and pulls me over to the group. Josh and Mully's trucks are set up with the bed of it facing the ocean. Narrator, Eddie and Gaege are in the back of Mully's truck while Josh and Mully are on the sand in front. "Josh, Mul, are you two good down there?" I ask, motioning to the bed of Josh's truck.
"Yeah, the sand is soft anyways," Josh chuckles. I shrug and climb onto the back that is covered in blankets. I sit with my back against the other part of the truck as Ant crawls beside me. He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me close to him. I blush a shade of slight pink and lay my head on his shoulder. He lays his head on mine and lays his other hand on his thigh. I stare at the empty sky across the ocean and wait. I hear slight snickering from the other truck, but I ignore it, I'm comfortable. I snuggle deeper into his shoulder as the first flare shoots up. I watch in awe as the flare explodes into a crimsion, glowing red then fades away. The next one bursts into a beautiful sky blue quickly, the sound of the first one just reaching us. I flinch slightly at the noise but enjoy this. A bright white one explodes and fades away quickly as well.
This is really fun.
I think. Being with friends and having a fun time. I really am glad that Josh took me into custody after my parents, otherwise I wouldn't be right here, right now. I would probably be fighting with my mother about something stupid, but I'm not. I'm here with the greatest friends and brotherly figure in the world. I have so much fun here in Australia, despite the boys not coming here much. I still have Ant, Josh, Mully and even Smashing! Smashing couldn't come to this event, but he's still like a brother to me as well. The boys want to protect me, even when it's nothing serious. One time, Grant actually broke out in a fight because some dude was hitting on me. Eddie has threatened people over me. Gaege has stood up for me. Josh has had his arm broken just protecting me. Mully has caused a ruckus. Ant has fought many people just in protection of me, mainly in school. These guys love me and I love them right back. I sometimes think they do too much for me, and that I don't do enough for them. But I finally feel loved with these guys, I feel safe, protected, happy...
"Hello," I hear a little girl voice. I look around, snapping out of a trance and see nothing but darkness. "H-Hello?" I echo back. A small girl, maybe 6 years old appears out of the darkness. Confusion fills me as questions race in my mind.
Where am I? Where are the boys? Who is she? Where's Ant...?
"You must be confused," She says with a small chuckle. She has long brown hair with green eyes. She's dressed in a tght purple dress that flows down to her knees. She's holding a little teddy bunny as she smiles at me. "Very," I reply.
"I cannot answer any questions for now, but I can show you something," She tightens her grip on her bunny. I arch my eyebrows and look at her. She points to a place which I look. It has a projection of my mother. She's smiling evily. "Don't go back to her, don't let her find you," The girl explains.
"Why? I mean, I won't b-but, why?" I ask. "She's looking for you, Cloe," She says.
"How do you-" I start. "I cannot answer any questions for now, but I can show you something," She repeats from earlier. I shut my mouth and look back at the projection.
"They love you, Cloe. They don't want anything from you except your love and exceptance," She says, her voice ringing in her ears. "Especially the blonde one," She mumbles after. I assume I wasn't meant to hear that.
"Go," Is all she says before my eyes flutter open slowly to see Ant with a small smile, carrying me. "Shh, go back to sleep," He rubs my neck gently with his hand, making me close my eyes again.
