Otherside

Chapter 3

Elle woke with a strong pair of arms around her waist and a face pressed into her hair. She was lying on her back, with one of her legs twisted in Chad's and the other tucked under her. Her right arm rested on the pair around her waist and her left was pulled up beside her head, her fingers tangled in someone's hair. She pried her eyes open, thankful that she had invested in blackout curtains for her room, and was greeted with a quite hilarious image of Chad to her right. He lying on his back as well, with his head turned to her, mouth hanging open and a small puddle of drool forming on the pillow beneath him, snoring loud enough to wake the dead. Elle couldn't help but smile at the apparent innocence of this large, goofy man as he slept.

She turned to her left now, the other body next to her shifting and grunting as their comfortable place in the crook of Elle's neck was disturbed. If Chad looked innocent in his sleep, Anthony looked like an absolute angel. Elle untangled her fingers from his hair and brushed it away from his face, enjoying the sight of this godly man. They had all undressed to an extent before climbing into bed, and she enjoyed the sight of him clinging to her in his sleep. She gently traced the tribal band on his left arm with her finger, admiring how it looked against his smooth, tan skin, and he began to stir. His eyes slowly opened, and as he saw Elle, a smile spread across his face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Elle whispered.

"No worries, love." Anthony mumbled, his gaze darting momentarily to Elle's lips before returning to her eyes. Her eyes did the same, and an unspoken communication went between them. Anthony closed the distance between them and pressed his lips gently to hers. It was a beautiful, gossamer touch, and once Anthony broke it off and pulled back slightly, all Elle wanted was to feel it again. It was she who leaned in to him now, and this time the kiss was deeper and more sensual. Elle felt Anthony's arms tighten around her waist.

"You two look like you're getting a good start off to the morning." Chad grumbled next to Elle, and the two broke apart. She giggled nervously and detangled herself from the two men, scanning the room.

"Hey, where's Cassie? And Flea..." As soon as she said it aloud, it clicked instantly in her head. She shrugged. At least they had the courtesy not to do it in my bedroom. Chad propped himself up on his elbows, grinned, then puckered his lips.

"Got any sugar left over for little old me?" He joked, and received a playful shove from Elle. She hauled herself up from the bed and made her way to the bathroom. As she closed the door, she checked the mirror. She looked like a hot mess: last night's makeup stayed on well enough, but her eyeliner was slightly smudged below her eye, and her hair was all sorts of messy. She did her best to rake through it with her fingers, did her business, then strode back out to her bedroom. Both of the boys were now sitting on the edge of the bed closest to her, and as she approached them, Anthony held his arms out. Elle popped down on his lap and threw an arm around his neck, propping her feet up on Chad's gangly legs.

"You boys hungry?" She received eager nods from both of them. "Alright, then let's collect our two missing companions and I can whip something up downstairs." Chad let out an excited "whoop" and Anthony picked Elle up and carried her bridal style down the stairs, where they quickly found a sleeping (and naked) Cassie and Flea embracing on the couch. Chad didn't hesitate to hop on the couch and sit right on top of Flea, immediately waking him, which in turn woke Cassie. Once Chad left to take a seat at the table, the two quickly dressed, and Elle caught Cassie's glance. She gave her a congratulatory wink and Anthony proceeded to the kitchen.

Elle cooked the biggest breakfast she'd ever made. Even with an older brother and a bottomless pit for a father, she never remembered making this much food back home. Within an hour, eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes were being devoured by everyone, and a hush fell upon the group.

That day, the five of them hung out all around L.A., and eventually even Dave joined them. It took him a little while, but after a bit he opened right up and was very friendly to the two girls. During one of their various shopping escapades that day, Anthony pulled Elle off to the side into a dressing room, pulling her arms up and around his neck and looking softly into her eyes.

"Eleanor, I have a very important question for you." She raised her eyebrows, urging him to continue. "Okay, so the guys and I are going back on tour soon, and I- I was wondering if you'd like to come with us. I know it's a huge thing to ask, and Flea's asking Cassie the same thing right now, but I think it'd be really fun and-"

"Anthony." Elle interrupted. "I'd love to, I really would." She beamed, and Anthony returned her smile. He wrapped an arm around her waist and placed another at the back of her neck, guiding her lips to his. The excitement from both of them was almost palpable through the kiss, and at one point his tongue slid into her mouth. She smiled into the kiss, and they had a good minute or so into the make-out before there was a knock on the fitting room door. Anthony pulled away, an unamused look on his face, and pulled the door open, allowing Cassie to fly past him and tackle Elle.

"We're going on tour!!" She practically screamed into Elle's ear as they jumped up and down in excitement. Elle cast a glance toward Anthony, who smiled warmly at her.

This was going to be one hell of a ride.