Always There

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Songs for this chapter:
• Love Is Everything - Ariana Grande

Chapter Twenty-Seven:

Lexi's POV

"Lexi! Wake up! It's Christmas!"

The door to my bedroom bursts open and my brother comes running in, looking like a complete and utter idiot.

It's sometimes hard to believe that he's turning nineteen in less than a week and yet he acts like a little kid the majority of the time.

"It's too early. I desperately need my beauty sleep," I retort, yawning as I sit up in bed.

Charlie rolls his eyes at me as he walks into my bedroom, inviting himself inside. He leisurely takes a seat down on the edge of my bed beside me, and I scowl at him as he picks up my ring from where it's resting on my bedside table.

"Do you know what Bryce got you for Christmas?" Charlie asks me innocently, chuckling, and I snatch my ring out of his hand.

I slip it onto my ring finger, a smile suddenly growing on my face as I examine how the beautiful pink diamonds sparkle in the light slipping in through the curtains.

Perhaps it isn't as early in the morning as I had assumed.

The fact that Bryce somehow manages to find me a ring that looks to be a cherry blossom branch is almost enough to make me tear up due to how thoughtful he always is.

I love this man with my whole heart. I know that I'm never going to be able to love anyone else.

"I told Bryce not to buy me any gifts, actually. I don't want him to spend any money on me for unnecessary reasons," I answer my brother, pulling the long braid that my hair is in over my shoulder before unfastening the elastic.

I begin to run my fingers through my hair, loosening the braid. When I look back to my brother, I find him watching me with a knowing smirk on his face.

"What?" I ask him bluntly, and he laughs some more before he now decides to reach for my cherry blossom necklace, resting directly beside where my ring had just been.

I slap him in the arm before he touches the necklace.

He chooses to ignore the fact that I had just hit him, instead answering my question by saying, "I don't understand why you're so opposed to the idea of your rich ass boyfriend buying you a Christmas present, Lex. Did you buy him anything?"

I can't help but to scoff at his question, slipping out from under my duvet and standing up from my bed. I drop the elastic that had just been in my hair onto my bedside table, heading towards my vanity to retrieve my hairbrush.

"Of course I bought him stuff! Who do you think I am?" I ask, running the hairbrush through my hair as I glare at my brother.

He's staring at me intently once again, and I'm still trying to come up with some snarky reply before he asks, "Are you seriously wearing his clothes right now?"

I glance down at my body, looking at the clothing that I had slept in last night. Sure enough, I'm wearing a pair of Bryce's grey sweatpants and the white hoodie that I had stolen from him nearly a year ago, during that trip in high school.

I stick my tongue out at my brother, setting my hairbrush down on my vanity before heading back towards my bed. I retrieve my cherry blossom necklace from my bedside table, and I watch as my brother stands up from my bed and makes his way back across the room as I fasten the necklace around my neck.

I consider changing into my own clothes before heading downstairs to face my family, but once I consider the impact that wearing Bryce's clothes in front of Adriana and Addison may have on them, I swiftly decide against the idea.