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CHAPTER FORTY! . *. ⋆ THE DAY AFTER⋆ . * .
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The Joza's House, Bel-Air (Saturday, September 23rd, 2023 - 11:30am)
the theater was bathed in a warm, soft glow as the early morning light peeked in through the heavy curtains. bodies lay sprawled across the plush seats and floor, blanketed and pillow-strewn from the night before.
i blinked awake, feeling the steady warmth of austin's arms around me, his head gently resting on top of mine. we'd fallen asleep tangled together, my back against his chest as his arm wrapped around my shoulders, his hand still loosely intertwined with mine.
a gentle murmur from somewhere in the room made me shift slightly, looking over to see mackenzie awake and quietly giggling as she nudged nicole, who groaned and pulled her blanket tighter.
"good morning, sleepyheads," mackenzie whispered, trying to avoid waking everyone all at once.
i sat up a little, careful not to disturb austin, who was still asleep, his face turned into the crook of my shoulder. my movement must've stirred him, though, because he blinked, looking down at me with a drowsy smile.
austin blinked a few times, his smile growing a little wider as he registered where he was and the warmth of our cozy setup. "good morning," he murmured softly, brushing a sleepy kiss against my shoulder.
"did everyone survive the in-n-out coma?" mackenzie asked, giving the room a once-over.
"barely," brady groaned from somewhere in the back, buried under a pile of blankets, his hair sticking up in all directions. "but i'm not moving until someone brings me a donut."
"you and your donut obsession," daniela laughed, tossing a pillow in his direction, which he half-heartedly batted away.
a few more groans and laughs erupted as everyone started to stir. jake and mackenzie were huddled together in the corner, sharing a blanket, while camila, ashlee, and ana stretched and yawned, clearly not ready to be fully awake just yet.
i shifted to sit up, still wrapped in austin's arms as i looked around at our chaotic, sleepy friend group. "okay, so who's making the coffee run?"
"oh, no, no," sky mumbled, waving his hand dismissively. "if anyone's getting coffee, it's the guy who insisted on leaving homecoming early for 'this incredible sleepover experience.'" he pointed dramatically at brady, who rolled his eyes with a grin.
"first of all, i saved you from endless boring speeches and terrible music," brady shot back, still half-asleep. "you're welcome."
"you did do us all a favor," gabriel agreed, stretching out with a sleepy grin. "but now we're all in desperate need of caffeine."
