By the Playbook

By the Playbook (15)

"Addie," Ryder's voice was barely above a whisper, his lips brushing my ear. "Baby, wake up."

I ignored him. It was Saturday, and post-party Saturday to add to the general misery of waking up. The more I pretended he wasn't there, the faster he'd go away.

"Addie," Ryder insisted, pressing his lips to my cheek. "It's time to get up, babe."

I yanked the blankets over my head and fought the urge to scream as he burst out laughing, way too loud for the quiet of the room. The bed dipped as he sat next to me, clearly holding back laughter. "Addie-"

"Oh my God, Ryder, shut up!"

He laughed again as I snuggled under the blankets. "I can't."

"Why the hell is this taking so long?" A tinny voice demanded. I groaned, wrapping my arms around my head and tangling myself in the blankets as Ryder chuckled. "Addie, Em's getting snippy."

"Tell her I'll call later," I pressed my face into my pillow. Ryder probably rolled his eyes, judging by his exasperated sigh, and shoved his feet under the covers next to me. I yelped, rolled away quickly with a squeal. "Your feet are freezing!"

He laughed, shoving himself under the blankets and hugging me tightly. I squealed, throwing myself closer to the edge of the bed and shoving him away, all awake. "What the hell?"

He was soaking wet. His shorts, his bare chest, his hair. He laughed harder as I wriggled, trying to get away, burying his head in my neck. His wet hair pressed against my skin and made me shiver as I let out a moan of annoyance, aiming a swift kick at his leg. "Why aren't you hungover?" I raged. "I wish you were hungover!"

He laughed into my neck. "Ouch," he mocked. "You're grumpy, are you hungover?"

"No shit I'm grumpy! You come storming in here and get me and my sheets all soaked-"

I lost him a few seconds after that as he killed himself laughing at my wording. Waiting impatiently so he would actually listen to my yelling, I sighed after about a minute of him giggling like a schoolgirl at his own mind, pushing at his chest to get him off of me. "Shut up," I said decidedly, wriggling out from under the sheets and grabbing the laptop from the nightstand. Emily's face peered at me out of it, eyes shining with amusement. "What, you're not going to have sex to go with the morning cuddling?"

"We can," Ryder said, his head resting on my stomach under the sheets. His voice was muffled but still audible, and both Emily and I rolled our eyes as he laughed at himself. "Happily, really."

"Didn't know you were into voyeurism, Em," I remarked, giggling as she winked at me. She smiled, her pretty face glowing with happiness as she stretched out on her stomach on her own bed. The sheets were striped navy and blue, familiar – it was Oliver's blanket that he brought in every hotel with him. Caleb and Kasey had gotten it for him when they were only eight, made themselves with horrible stitching and crooked edges, but he loved it. I smiled at the sight of it as Emily kicked her feet up behind her, resting her cheek against her hand. "How's school?"

I gagged instantly, making her laugh. Ryder popped his head out from under the sheets and rolled his eyes for the camera. "It's not nearly as bad as she makes it out to be," he said, then rested his head against my chest and closed his eyes. My shirt was already soaked from his hair so I simply rolled my eyes, leaning against my pillows. "It is as bad. I don't exaggerate."

Emily rolled her eyes at me. "You? Not exaggerating? Since when?"

"Ha ha," I said dryly, making her grin as she dropped the mock surprise, letting the hand she'd pressed to her heart fall back to the bed. "It's annoying, and you have to wake up at the ass crack of dawn every morning and my Anatomy teacher hates me-"