Involved

sixteen

isabelle langa

I ran fingers along Killian's face, admiring the feel of his stubble under my fingertips. I don't know how long I stayed in his arms like this just watching him sleep, but I was in no rush to get out of this bed. When he's like this he looks gentle and harmless and it made me forgive how loudly he snores at night.

Getting out of the bed, I left a few kisses on his face before placing my feet on the cold wooden floor. Today was one of the few mornings where Killian didn't have to wake up early for basketball. Before he leaves, he usually made me whatever he made himself for breakfast. I figured today I would do the same for him.

I went to his closet to find a hoodie that I could quickly pull on. Inside the pocket I felt a hard paper. When I pulled it out, my eyes softened on the photo of me. It was a portrait of me smiling at the beach. It belonged in my room and hadn't even noticed that it was missing. I couldn't believe that Killian had stolen it. But I placed it back in its place then chose a different hoodie before I went downstairs. As expected, no one else was awake because these guys are never awake early unless they have to be. I was thankful because interactions with them are always weird.

I was down here on my own for a while before one of the guys came and sat at the island. We didn't say anything to each other and he just watched me cook breakfast. I rarely talked to the guys unless Killian was there. Other than that, the house had been like an Airbnb for me. I realized that I should probably start attempting to get to know them. But Junior's words of not getting involved with frat boys was engraved in my head.

"Ian right?" I pulled out two plates.

"So you talk?" I heard him laugh from behind me. I didn't bother getting offended by his comment because he was not wrong. Although I didn't talk to any of them much, almost every time I saw them it was when they were sucking faces with their girlfriends that weren't actually their girlfriends but were always at the house.

"Do you want breakfast?" I questioned.

"Breakfast would be great. Thanks," he smiled as I put the plate in front of him. "I heard your brother got arrested." I washed all the dishes that I used and put them away.

"You're terrible at making conversation, you know that?" I said making him chuckle.

I knew amongst the guys he seemed to be the most normal and least sarcastic. The other guys were just like any other frat guy. They were all douches and I hated that Killian saw them as his brothers. Deep down, I questioned if he got along so well with them because he was one of them and was just showing me this false side of him.

"Do you...like being in a frat?" The appeal of being in a frat or sorority never registered to me. It seemed like you were just paying for your friends and to party.

"I always wanted brothers," he plainly answered. I've always wanted sisters and joining a sorority had never been a thought in my mind. "I know what people think of us—just a bunch of douches who throw parties and fuck girls." He was spot on on his description because that's what I've always thought.

"You don't?"

"No we do. But it's not the only thing we do. We do a lot of charity work. We give back. Kill doesn't have as much time since he plays basketball. But the rest of us volunteer our time to different programs around the city. I'm at the seniors centre every Sunday. I don't do it because I have to. I do it because I enjoy giving back. Aside from the parties and the girls, we all give back to the community in different ways," he gave an explanation that was fuelled with passion. I stared at him in attempt to look past his layer of douche and see a genuine guy. Killian has his normal side where he's not an alpha male. It was stupid to assume he's the only one.