My best friend's brother

(3) A Sleepless Night

A/N

I hope everyone is enjoying this so far! I know this is kind of a short chapter, but a lot happened and I promise the next one will be longer. Thanks for reading! Vote/comment if you like it!

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The next week flew by. Every morning I would sleep in until about 8, when the morning sun was in just the right position to shine through my window and hit my face. I would get up and go for a run on the trails surrounding the cottage, enjoying the beautiful scenery and fresh air. Every day I would take a new route, exploring the land one bit at a time. Once I got home, I would quickly change into my bathing suit and Sadie would meet me on the dock, two steaming cups of coffee in hand. I would go for a quick swim to cool down while Sadie read her magazine. After finishing our coffee, we would head up to the cottage to eat breakfast, and start our day.

The weather had been fantastic all week - sunny but not too hot. This meant we were on the dock for the most part of our days, swimming and tanning, chatting and reading. We had even gone out canoeing a few times. It's not as if we were doing an awful lot, but the company was great. Sadie and I were having an amazing time together. Like with any best friend, we never ran out of things to talk about, from old memories, to cute boys, to good movies. Except for running and sleeping, we never spent a second apart.

One thing Sadie kept repeating was how happy she was that Declan and I were getting along. We were the two most important people in the world to her, and I could tell how much it meant that we were playing nice. Honestly, although Declan was around a lot, I never really engaged in conversation with him. If we did speak, it was always just small talk, or group conversations with Sadie or their parents. I didn't mind.

I kept trying to tell myself he seemed a lot nicer now, but a part of me still though of him as that cruel little boy who brought me to tears so many times. The other part of me wanted to rip off his shirt and make out with him, but that was just the teenage girl in me talking. To help keep these conflicting feelings at bay, I just kept the conversation minimal and casual.

That is until one night.

I rolled over in my bed so I was facing the bedside table. I grabbed my phone, pressing the power button as the screen came to life. I let my eyes adjust to the bright light so I could check the time. 1:02 am. I had been lying in bed since 11, trying desperately to fall asleep. Seeing as it had been two hours and I still wasn't tired, I grabbed my big fuzyy blanket and slipped out of bed. Trying not to make a sound, I tiptoed into the kitchen where I filled a glass with water, before making my way out to the front porch. I settled in a large cushioned lounge chair, big enough to fit about three people. The air was chilly, but my blanket kept me warm. I downed the water and placed my glass on the table before pulling my knees up to my chest. I sat there in silence for a few minutes, admiring the stars, until I was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. I was surprised to see Declan stick his head out the door.

"Hey" He said, pulling the door shut and plopping down on the chair beside me. He also had a glass in his hand, although I was quite sure it wasn't water. "What are you doing up?"

I gave him a small smile before replying. "Couldn't sleep, you?"

"Same. Here, this usually does the trick for me." He said while pouring half of his cup of what I had decided was whiskey into mine.

I thanked him before downing the liquid in one gulp. The alcohol burned in my throat, a sensation I loved. He raised his eyebrows, seemingly impressed at how well I took it, but didn't say anything.

"Listen," he spoke after a long silence. "I'm sorry for how I treated you when we were younger. I was a complete jerk." His words took me by surprise, but I played it off casually with a shrug.