THE GUYS' girl

Chapter 7

A/N: Is there anyone else out there that thinks they made a huge mistake when they didn't keep The Carrie Diaries going? 

(above) Sebastian Kidd... 😍 

Song Vibes - It's Gonna Be Me - NSYNC

"There are leftovers in the microwave for you, Avery. I just barely managed to save you a plate from those ravenous boys earlier tonight." My mom shook her head, emptying her arms of her car keys and my bookbag she'd offered to carry in from the car.

"Are you going to join us for our movie night?" I asked, poking the cold stir-fry with one finger to test its temperature. I set the microwave for one minute and turned to see my mom's reply.

"No, you kids go ahead. Your dad and I will be in our room if you need us. He has some programming to complete before the office in Dubai opens." I nodded as though I understood even an inkling of the IT work that my dad was able to do from home for just about anywhere in the world. 

"What about you?" I asked.

"I have about fifteen emails pertaining to the farm that I need to deal with. Trust me, I would much rather watch whatever mindless action movie your brother has picked for the night." She sighed and retreated upstairs to her bedroom. 

The farm had been my mother's burden for my entire life. We were lucky to have found tenants to move into our home rent-free and agree to do the farm work while we were in Florida for the unforeseeable future. Of course, my grandparents lived on the same property back in Kentucky, but couldn't handle the day-to-day operations like they once had. I thought fondly of my grandad, realizing that he would probably rise at 6:00 am to tend to the chickens even to his very last day. 

I could already hear Aiden starting the previews since he'd heard me come in. Part of me wanted to ignore the fact that he'd waited for me and just go up to my room. Truthfully, curling up in my bed with a good book sounded much more appealing. After a long day of school, driver's ed class, and the community service project I'd recently signed up for, I was exhausted.

But Aiden and Cam had designated Wednesdays as movie nights. Even if I still had math problems to complete, I wasn't about to bail on my two favorite guys.

We'd fallen into a rhythm over the course of the last month. All five guys came to dinner every Sunday night. We hadn't repeated the games or our impromptu dance party, but my birthday had clearly broken the ice for all of us. Even I could say that I was beginning to feel more comfortable with each of them...for the most part.

Cam joined us for dinner at least one other night of the week, sometimes two or three times. Wednesdays were reserved for movie nights, like the one I was about to head into the living room for.

But the best part of every week was the weekend. Aiden and Cam had gotten into the habit of spending the night at our house on Saturdays. Aiden slept in his bedroom and Cam on the living room couch. The first time I'd stumbled upon a barely awake, shirtless Cam on a Sunday morning felt like a gift from God himself.

Once the initial shock had worn off, I'd observed that Cam was staring at my heels and floral dress. If I was a girl that Cam had been romantically interested in, I'm sure I would have interpreted his lingering eyes and purposeful swallow as confirmation that Cam was checking me out. As it were, I knew he was staring out of grogginess, wondering why I would be dressed like that so early in the morning.

"We're going to church," I'd offered.

His eyes widened. "Can I come with you?"

Yes! Always! Anywhere!