"May I kiss your forehead, Crimson?" She doesn't recoil or say a word, so I press my lips gently against her forehead. It's a tender and fleeting moment, but it fills me with a warmth that I can't explain.
"Just because a relationship has an expirat...
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CRIMSON DONOVAN
"A sleepover?"
I nod enthusiastically and clasp my hands together. "Yes, a new friend of mine invited me over to her house for the night. Can I go, please?"
My Dad thinks for a while and breaks into a grin. "Of course, honey! I'm so glad that you've made some friends!"
I refrain from openly displaying my satisfaction. Up until now, the girls have been completely unaware of the boys' nighttime activities for over a month. However, yesterday, thanks to Rowan's eavesdropping, we discovered that Drexel had instructed Archer to be ready for something at midnight tonight. We took that the go for Ayla's stakeout. With a sense of anticipation building inside me, I prepare myself for the stakeout that Ayla has planned.
As the evening settles in, I take a moment to look around Ayla's room with a sense of curiosity. The books on her shelves and desk are arranged with precision, while the warm glow of fairy lights adds a touch of magic to the space. Little pots of plants dot the windowsills, and posters of various sizes adorn the walls, creating a colourful and lively atmosphere. Ayla closes the door behind me and springs onto her bed with a grin. "Welcome to my humble abode! Feel free to get cozy and make yourself at home."
We settle on watching a sitcom, waiting until we get a call from Rowan. By the time her call reached us, it was nearing midnight and we were dozing off to our third movie. Ayla sleepily answers the phone and her eyes instantly widen the next second into a hurried frenzy.
"Okay, we'll be there soon." She hangs up the call after a few seconds and looks at me, "Archer is at Rowan's house right now, and they won't be there for much longer. We have to get there quickly if we want to catch them before they leave. Let's go!" And without taking a breath, she was out of the room.
"How are we stalking them?" I jokingly ask as we reach her backyard in the pitch dark. It was deadly silent and there was no moonlight to guide us, hence we were forced to rely on Ayla's flickering torches.
She shines her flashlight on me making my eyes go blind for a second. "We can't obviously take my car as it would give us away. Can you ride a bicycle?"
"Yeah. Do you have two?"
"No."
"I will not walk the whole way. Bye. "
"Crimson, don't be dramatic! The neighbours have three bicycles. We'll be 'borrowing' them," she emphasizes as she places her torch in between her teeth and tries to climb over the fence separating her house from her neighbours.
I roll my eyes at her unpreparedness and start to climb a tall tree in which the branches had grown towards the neighbouring house, "Come on." I hear Ayla huff and reluctantly follow behind me. After inspecting the ground below me, I jump onto the ground and Ayla falls with a painful grunt afterwards. I shush her and help her up. "Are you a ninja or something?" she asks as she shrugs the dirt off her clothes.
