16 Feet Under

Chapter 6/ Sophie's pov

I finally peel open my eyes at around two pm. The bright-light blinded my cornea creating a ray of white stars making up my view. Droll sticks my face to my pillow like glue. Wait, that's not my pillow! Last night's events flash through my brain. Shit. Two large bear hands grip me closer to Ben's warm chest. "Are you staring at me Bentom?"

"You're cute when you sleep." Ben replies "I couldn't help myself."

I can already tell I look like shit

"How long?" I question

"Come again?"

"How long have you been staring at me like a creep?" I reword

"Half an hour." he quietly mumbles, not wanting to admit it fully out loud "God I am so tired!" he moans deflecting the subject 

"Do you remember anything from last night?" I question curiosity getting the best of me.

"Absolutely everything." Ben beams pulling up the sides of the white guest room duvet cover and climbing out of the singular bed. That would have been one uncomfortable night for him "Need a piss."

I walk over to the vanity mirror on the other side of the room

I look as bad as i feel

Mascara smeared, masking up my brown eyes. Black tier stains trail down my cheeks and my hair sticks up in a straw like matter, the front pieces glueing down with sweet. I eternally grown and I look a state.

The group chat text messages pings off my phone:

Maya: Made pancakes helps with the hangover also we have news :)

Finn: What are y'all doing up there fucking? You better not be Sophie May, that's my parents' guestroom!

Clay: Do I even wanna know how I got into the bathtub?

Me: Will be down in a second save me a pancake pleaseeeeee :p

The staircase feels a lot longer than last night as I enter Finn's kitchen trash. That's what the kitchen looks like. A waste land of beer bottles and red plastic cups. "How do you feel?" Maya tilts her head in my direction.

"How this kitchen looks." I wince, hopefully that didn't come out as rude as it sounded in my head. I inhale a deep breath wondering how long this kitchen is going to take to clear up. Finn passes me a plate of my favourite pancakes (plain with strawberry syrup) and gives me a knowing look. I can't help but smile at my heaven on a plate. "How was the bathtub?" I ask Clay, noticing that he's sat on a bar stool lost in his own train of thought.

"I slept like a log even with a rubber duck up my ass, is that the saying?" he slurs "Anyway what's this news that made me get up then?"

Finn and Maya share a look. "Well me and Maya have decided to.." he begins looking towards his girlfriends

"Holly shit , you're not pregnant are you Maya." I ask, face pale and eyes wide. They share a second look. I scan through my memory. Did she drink last night?

"No, of course not." Maya interjects and I can officially breathe again.

"As i was saying me and Maya have decided to move in together closer to campus and we were wondering if you and Clay wanted to move in with us that way the rent is split four way and it wont work out to expensive for anyone."Finn paulses to catch a breath and I am officially wide eye again. "We found an apartment with four bedrooms so we will even have a guest room. It even has a huge bookshelf for us all minus Clay of course."

Ben waltzes into the kitchen. It still makes me laugh how he still remembers the lay out of this rich ass mansion. Everything makes me laugh.

"Morning campers!" he half shouts. I think he can sense we are halfway through a conversation when he slowly backs away towards the door.

"Even you Ben." Maya exclaims suddenly excitedly. This makes Ben's head rise.

"Wait sorry what did i do?" he questions

"It's perfect we have a spare room, a five way rent split between all of us and it will be like old times plus Clay!" Maya's voice raises in pitch the more excited she gets at this prospect. Clays jaw twitches at the last part of Maya's mini speech. I think it upsets him that we all have more history with each other than we do with him. I always am sure to include him but it's still shitty in moments like this for him. "Will you move in with us Ben?"

Ben on the other hand looks physically shaken by this exclamation. His pupils are dilated inside the deep emerald of his eyes and his jaw may as well be on the kitchen tiles. "Umm." he clears his throat "you want me to move in with you?" The way he says it fills me with some kind of sadness. He says it like he's just some randomer we picked up in Massachusetts last night.

"I mean it makes sense to have a place to live, freedom, and great parties. Also, aren't you teaching Sophie to swim?" Finn says

Mayas quick to interject "Oh yea the apartment complex comes with a spa and indoor swimming facilities it's perfect that way you don't have to train at the school until you're ready to fully swim Sophie plus your an old friend and last night was the happiest i have seen Sophie in a while." my cheeks flush some shade of red as Mayas words truly sink in. That is the happiest I've been in a while.

"I don't know i've only just come back into Sophie's life and i'm pretty sure she strongly disliked me until last night and maybe that was just the alcohol and well ......" he rambles clearly at war with himself i know that his home life has been a bit of a war zone at the moment. His parents ,both separately great people, haven't been getting truly along how they used to. It has to be straining for Ben. The word home has only four letters. It seems like the simplest concept in the world but home isn't always walls and a roof. Sometimes home doesn't feel like home.

I decide to make the choice a lot easier. "I think it's a great idea Ben, it could be fun old times sake huh." I smile, locking my brown eyes to his rich emerald treasures.

He searches mine before simply nodding his head and saying "So when do we move in?"