Never My Intention

sleepover.

Everything felt normal again. The people I held closest to my heart were all back under the same roof in the city of sin. Despite the city's known reputation, the crew wanted nothing more but a laid back night, especially before the Drais performance tomorrow night. I couldn't agree more after the last few days I had getting ready for this weekend.

By the time we had stopped at the nightclub to go over a few last minute things that concerned Kells' personal attention, I had received a text from Dre stating the rest of the guys had arrived in Nevada and were headed back to where we were residing while in Vegas.

Strong reunion vibes were present every time we were all separated for longer than a few weeks; the guys always got way too excited to see each other as if it had been three years since their last encounter. It drove Ashleigh and me crazy, but at the end of the day, they all treated each other like brothers and that couldn't have made us happier.

While the guys were still lingering in the middle of the hall, talking animatedly to each other, I excused myself, worming past their bodies to my room. I desperately needed a quick shower to wash away the Vegas sweat that had perspired throughout the mandatory outing. I wasn't going to complain; I rather enjoyed seeing places I had never thought I was going to be able to see before.

Once in my room, I grabbed a dark hoodie, a white tank, and a pair of black leggings along with a few clean towels. Ashleigh and I had the only rooms in the apartment with an adjoining bathroom that we shared, which left the boys with the other two communal bathrooms in the hall. It worked out sort of perfectly.

After I stripped off my sweaty clothing, I pressed shuffle on my Spotify playlist and immediately smiled when Location by Khalid began to blast from my iPhone's speakers. I sang along as I scrubbed my hair with my favorite coconut-smelling products and quickly finished my shower in record time. As I wrapped the towel around my body and stepped out onto the lavender bath rug, Ashleigh's door to her room opened.

She sighed, looking relieved when she found me. "Thank God. Hurry up and help me finish dinner. The guys keep complaining."

I rolled my eyes, detangling my hair with my fingers. "Give me like ten minutes and I'll come help."

She grinned. "There isn't much left to do - but Ace keeps complaining how he hasn't eaten since before his flight." It was her turn to roll her eyes, which made me laugh; he could be a bit dramatic sometimes.

"Alright, I'll meet you in the kitchen," I smiled as she quickly nodding, leaving the room. I sighed glancing in the large mirror. My blonde hair was starting to dry, soft waves slowly becoming apparent in its texture. I pursed my lips for a moment, pausing the music finally; it was silent for a second before I heard Slim's laughter thundering from the hall followed by Rook's, which automatically caused my lips to spread across my face.

Felt good to have family around again.

• • •

After some dinner and time spent together, one by one, everyone began to retreat back to their respective rooms. Ashleigh was the first to call it a night, mentioning how she and Dre had a ton of errands to run in the morning, while I, for one, couldn't get my leg to stop bouncing. Maybe it was all the wine consumed during the course of the evening, or maybe it was just my nerves preparing for tomorrow, either way, I knew I wasn't headed to bed anytime soon.

I watched as Slim walked across the kitchen to the living room, toward me, with a dark wine bottle in his grasp. I held up my large glass, a smile spreading across my lips. "You should really be heading to bed soon, Nilla," he said as he slowly poured me another drink.