Miserably Delightful

chapter 5

 I held my breath as I carefully maneuvered my car into the gravel parking lot and studied the building where the boys were supposedly waiting for me inside. I turned off my car and leaned back in my seat, staring at the building, as if searching for a reason to hightail it out of there. It look unassuming and completely safe, though a bit creepy, due to the fact that it resembled an abandoned church, which I assumed, in a way, it was.

I chewed on my bottom lip and sat up slightly, slipping my phone from back pocket and opening up my messaging app. I clicked on the group chat that was for the boys and I. The group chat had been rather active the night before, and surprisingly even during school today, the boys apparently having a lot of thoughts about us hanging out today. My lips quirked up at the last texts that had been sent.

Gabriel: Who the fuck is paying for pizza this time?

Me: I can.

Nathan: How sweet of you, but no. Vic's got it.

Me: You're aware I'm rich too, right?

Luke: Cupcake, shhh, just let us be gentlemen, okay?

I took a deep breath before sending them off a text, letting them know that I had arrived and just wanted to make sure that I was in the right place and it would be great if someone could come out and confirm I was at the right place. After I sent the text I dropped my phone into my lap and zoned out, twirling my key chain ring around my finger mindlessly.

A tap at my window startled me enough to screech and drop my keys. My heart beat raced, but then gradually began to slow when I saw who was staring at me through the window. Victor raised his eyebrows at me, a kind smile on his face. My face flushed bright red and I unlocked the door, pushing it open.

"Hey," I muttered, smoothing down my hair and leaning down to retrieve my keys off the floor of my car.

"Hey yourself," he said, still smiling. I was grateful he didn't make a comment on how skittish I was and made a mental note to hug him for it later. "Has North seen your car yet? I think he might love it."

"Everyone loves my car," I deadpanned, climbing out of my car, wearing a small smile. I tucked my keys and phone into my pockets then gestured to Victor that we should head inside. "Lead the way."

We walked across the gravel and into the old church in complete silence. The inside of the building was chaos and I couldn't help but stand back and just gape. The boys were spread out, making an abundant amount of noise while they worked. Somewhere, someone was playing music but it was mostly drowned out by the boys' voices and laughter. I caught sight of Gabriel and Luke, who both had paint on their clothes and faces. Giggles bubbled up inside and I leaned against the wall, only to squeal.

"Wet! That's wet! Wet paint!"

Victor who had still been standing beside me burst into laughter as I began to turn in circles like a dog trying to catch it's tail. I was trying to see the damage the paint had done to my shirt, but it was apparent that I couldn't accomplish it. Giggles continued to pour out of me, even if I did just ruin my shirt.

"You've been here all of three minutes," Victor said, calming down from his laughter. "How did you manage that?"

Before I could answer, I was scooped up into a tight hug, the scent of the ocean washing over me. I let out yet another squeal and tried to squirm out of Silas' grip, the only thought on my mind being that I didn't want to get any paint on him. I looked over at Victor, silently pleading with him to help me, but he just shrugged, amusement flickering in his fire eyes.

I sighed and pressed my face into Silas' chest to hide my smile. "Silas," I said softly. "You're getting paint on yourself."

He released me to send me a confused look, and I gently gripped his hands and lifted his arms so he could see the paint that now coated them. He looked between me and his arms a few times, then promptly burst into laughter. A blush colored my cheeks, and I looked over at Victor, who must have noted my embarrassment.