Are you mine?

Chapter 4

"GOOD MORNING SUNSHINES!" is the first thing I hear before the sunlight coming in from the window blinds me. As my eyes adjust to the brightness, I can make out Syd standing at the foot of my bed with a huge smile on her face, after having opened the curtains.

She looks refreshed as ever as she bounces up and down on the bed "Come on guys wake up! It's a beautiful day outside! The sun is shining, the birds are singing and so am I!" she starts belting out to a song she's making up on the spot and my head starts throbbing. I hate that she's a morning person.

I throw a pillow at her and she stops to glare at me, as I hear Tyler groan from the floor, covering his face with the comforter to block out the light. I sit up feeling like I got no sleep at all last night, but looking at my phone I note the time: eleven o'clock. Which means I got at least a few hours of shut eye.

I try to rub the sleep off my face and glance at Syd who holds a mischievous smirk and silently points at Tyler. He's wrapped himself into a cocoon of sheets and only a few strands of his platinum hair peek out from under the covers. I know exactly what she's hinting at. I very quietly stand up looking down at Tyler while Syd holds up three fingers, then two, then one.

We both scream at the top of our lungs as we jump on poor Tyler and start tickling him. Despite being lean, he's strong enough to overpower both of us. But right now half of his brain is still half asleep, so he stands no chance against Syd and I. "Okay, Okay I'm up!" he holds up his hands in surrender while he sits upright and we stop tickling him. Syd and I high five as he runs a hand through his messy hair. I regret our plotting immediately, as my head throbs and I'm reminded of the amount of drinks I downed last night.

We all get dressed casually for a day in and jog downstairs for breakfast. As I step into the kitchen, the delightful smell of freshly brewed coffee fills my nose. My mom is standing near the stove flipping something on a pan and I can see my dad through the window sitting at the garden table. Lazy Sunday mornings have got to be my favorite thing.

"Morning," I say kissing my mom's cheek.

"Good morning sweetheart. I was wondering when you guys would come down. Did you get home very late last night?"

Ty, Syd and I exchange guilty glances before saying "No..." in unison.

"Mhm, sure you didn't." She smiles and rolls her eyes.

Over the years I feel like I've built a pretty good, trusting relationship with my parents. They used to be pretty strict, especially my mom. For example, I wasn't allowed to have sleepovers with my friends until I turned sixteen. If I wanted to go somewhere I had to let them know days in advance and I had to have all the information: where was going, what time, who was coming with me, how we were getting there, how we were coming back, the list goes on. I've never, ever dared to lie to them about any of these things, and apparently it paid off, because for about a year now, they've been more laid back. They trust me enough to know that wherever I'm going I'm being responsible and that I won't lie about my whereabouts. So now that I'm almost 18 and close to being legally considered an adult, they allow me to do pretty much anything I want, as long as they can be sure I'll be safe. They are still my parents though, so sometimes I do leave out some details, for their sake.

"I made french toast, you guys can go sit out there and I'll bring them right out."

"You are the best Meredith." Tyler says as he pulls the milk carton from the fridge and I take the coffee pot to bring outside.

"Oh, please don't make me blush Tyler." She smiles while she plates another one of her sweet treats. That's just the way she is, humble, caring, and loving without expecting anything in return.