The next few days I had slept normally. No nightmares, and I was faring very well. I had decided to kill time by rereading the Harry Potter series. Despite always liking Percy Jackson in my preteen years, the idea of magic being real was nice to believe in when times were kinda hard.
That, and Draco Malfoy was a goddamn snack, and you couldn't tell me otherwise. Jaren giving me jealous pouts every time I bring it up was adorable though. That being said, I was adjusting just fine.
At this point, summer was passing by quickly, and the air started getting a bit cooler with each passing day. Of course the heat wasn't entirely over yet, but the idea that fall and winter were just around the corner brought joy to my thoughts.
As I sat at the little window that illuminated the spare room that I had used for my own personal space, I decided to set the book down for a bit and head downstairs for something to drink. The floorboards creaked gently as I came down and into the quiet kitchen.
I made my way into the fridge to see what I was in the mood for. In the end I finally decided on a cup of hot cocoa. I peered into a cabinet and pulled out a mug, quietly contemplating a thought before grabbing a second one. I placed them onto the counter and poured warm milk into both of them, soon pouring the powdered cocoa into the mugs. After stirring gently, I found some small marshmallows and put about four or five into the mugs.
Finally, I placed the two mugs on a tray, alongside with a plate of oreos that we happened to have lying around. Steadily, I climbed back up the stairs, tray in hand, and down the hallway into Jaren's office. I listened against the door and didn't hear any voices, he wasn't recording, most likely editing.
I knocked gently before he responded with a quiet, "come in." I managed to open the door and came in with the tray, setting it down on a nearby table.
"What's this?" he asked, smiling.
"You've been in here since this morning and didn't come down for lunch, so I figured you needed a snack." I replied.
He promptly took one of the mugs and took a sip from it. "Thank you, love."
I smiled and pecked his cheek lightly, his cheeks tinted a light pink. I laughed softly at his reaction and he seemed to blush a little deeper. Seeing him flustered was rare, but when it happened, it was goddamn adorable.
As I turned to leave, mug in hand, Jaren pulled at my other free hand. I turned to face him questioningly.
"Yes?"
"Would you stay here with me while I edit? Octavia is napping and I want to spend some time with you." he says.
I nod, "Of course I can." Jaren's eyes lit up as I responded and I smiled again.
I brought the book in from the other room and a blanket, the AC making it just a tad colder than the rest of the room. Music was playing in the background whilst Jaren edited, it was gentle lo-fi that both kept us in concentration with our activities.
Humming quietly as I read, I didn't see Jaren staring at me, a smile pressed onto his lips. I looked at him.
"What is it?" I ask.
He continues, "nothing. You're just really pretty, and I can't help but admire that."
I blushed a deep pink, unable to form a proper response to his compliment. He simply chuckled and stood up from his desk.
"Come on, let's go downstairs. I'm done for the day. What do you say to a game of uno?" he hums.
"Are you kidding? Prepare to get your ass whooped." I reply cockily. He simply smirks and we both head downstairs for a few rounds.
—
Seven rounds later, I had acquired six wins and one loss, Jaren's first win at the start of the game sparked a bit of an ego, which became his downfall after numerous +4 cards. After an unfortunate "forfeit" from the game, Jaren gave up and decided to save himself the pain from more losses.
Afterwards, we decided to watch a few meme compilations for a couple hours along with some other videos from the rest of the boys. Finally, around some 12:30 a.m., we decided to turn in to bed.
By that, we meant, get in bed and look at memes on our phones together until we got bored or fell asleep. Whichever came first. Jaren had taken a liking to some particularly offensive minion memes, to which he would let out giggles and show them to me as well, and vice versa.
We went to sleep, eventually, and things were particularly normal tonight. Until we got a knock on our door at 4 am.
I murmured tiredly to simply ignore it, but the repeated knocks soon turned into banging, forcing me to go see what the ruckus was. I prayed it wasn't important, so I could at least sleep for a few more hours.
Fuck, was I wrong.
I opened the door to find a rather shaken up Raven. Her eyes were bloodshot and she had dark shadows under them. Her skin was pale and dirty, minor bruises and cuts could be seen all over.
Before I could ask what happened, she sobbed out one thing.
"He took Avery, (Y/N). And he's coming for you, next."
