Always You || Simon Minter (miniminter)

Chapter 33

I quieten my steps as I pad down the stairs, rubbing sleep from my eyes and praying Simon is already in the kitchen with a coffee. Waking up alone after last night wasn't exactly reassuring. As I get closer, voices drift through the hall — low chatter, then a sudden burst of Ethan's laugh.

Great. The whole circus is awake.

I push the door open and instantly regret it when every head snaps toward me. My face flames as I lift a pathetic little wave.

"Morning," I mumble.

Josh is perched in front of his laptop at the island, Ethan, Vik, and Tobi crowding over his shoulders like nosy vultures. Simon is leaning against the counter, arms folded — until he sees me and immediately reaches out with a mug.

Bless him. I take it without hesitation.

"Millie, get me your passport, will you?" Josh asks, not even blinking away from the screen.

I stare at him, then at Simon, who only grins.

"What for?"

No answer. Typical.

I sigh into my coffee and trudge back upstairs, tearing through my drawers for the little burgundy booklet I haven't used properly in years — America with mum when I was still practically a kid, and that was it. I rush back down, excitement and dread mixing weirdly in my stomach.

The boys haven't moved an inch.

"Is that you?" Harry asks, immediately grabbing the passport before Josh can even finish flipping pages. He squints dramatically at my eighteen-year-old picture, rosy-cheeked and painfully innocent.

"Oh, give that back." I lunge forward and snatch it out of his hands. He pouts like a scolded puppy.

"Well... we have a villa in Ibiza," Josh starts.

"We need a holiday!" Jide yells as he explodes through the kitchen doors, making all of us jump — me the most.

"So Ibiza then?" I glance around before catching Simon's eyes.

"Ibiza it is," he says softly, sliding an arm around my shoulders and pulling me into his side like it's the most natural thing in the world.

⸻

"We leave tomorrow?" I practically shout twenty minutes later.

Simon, utterly unfazed, sits on the edge of the bed eating a packet of crisps while I run around packing like a woman possessed.

"Josh said he wanted to go soon," he shrugs.

I glare at him, then yank open his drawers. Clothes go flying everywhere — hoodies, joggers, socks that definitely aren't clean.

"Hey!" Simon yelps. "I'll need to put those back!"

"Let's be real, Simon..." I stop in front of him, stepping between his knees, palms settling on his shoulders. His hands slip instinctively to my waist.

"I'll be the one who puts them away."

He laughs, leaning up to kiss me. It's slow, warm, and somehow still catches me off guard. When we pull away, I rest my forehead against his.

"Get your fat ass up and help me pack," I murmur, kissing the top of his head before turning away.

A soft knock interrupts us. Ethan pokes his head into the room.

"Hey guys?"

I gesture him in... which apparently is an open invitation, because within seconds they all pile in, finding places to sit like we're hosting story time.

"Okay, just invite yourselves in," Simon mutters, rescuing a t-shirt from beneath Tobi.

"We thought we'd keep you company!" JJ announces proudly.

As we pack, they devolve into telling the most chaotic stories from their early YouTube days — mistakes, disasters, drunken memories. They're trying to distract us. Badly.

I catch JJ's eye mid-fold. He's smiling at me. That smile. The one that means he's about to cause trouble.

"You're up to something," I say slowly.

"Wh—what do you mean?" JJ tries to look innocent. He fails immediately.

"You didn't..." I stop. My stomach flips.

He knows. Somehow. He knows when my birthday is.

"I'm sorry," JJ says, not sorry at all.

The room goes dead silent.

"What?" Simon asks, brow furrowed.

I exhale heavily and sit on the end of the bed. "So this is why we're going away?"

"We wanted to surprise you," Josh says gently. "You've been so kind to us."

I blink, overwhelmed. Simon looks at me like he wants to pull me into his arms but isn't sure if he should.

JJ crouches down in front of me. "Millie, you've basically put your channel on hold to help us edit and film. You moved here for us. Let us do something for you."

I swallow hard, emotions twisting tight in my chest.

"...Fine. But at least let me take everyone out for dinner while we're away."

A chorus of cheers erupts, breaking the tension instantly.

And for the first time in a long time, I can't stop smiling.