Ephemeral

C H A P T E R 1 2

"Good morning sleepyhead." A hushed voice whispered into my ear, my body jolting at the way their breath tickled my ear. I lifted my head back to stretch my neck, a long puff of air leaving my nose when a soft crack filled the room.

Much better.

I opened my eyes into a squint, blinking multiple times until I could actually register the body that was on me. "Z-Zen?"

"Not quite." The same voice whispered, my head pivoting to the left to see Robyn smirking. I rolled my eyes, moving to sit up, only to be stopped by the still sleeping body.

My eyes widened as I looked at Rob, whispering through gritted teeth. "You said not quite!"

She snickered. "Exactly. I was the person who said good morning. She is the person cuddled up on your chest and Royal is in between you two."

Sure enough, Royal and Zen were sound asleep, Royal snuggled up in the center.

I huffed, rubbing my free hand down my face. "Did y'all sneak in or something?"

She frowned playfully. "One, this is my house. I didn't sneak anywhere. I just came in."

"You're such an asshole."

She smacked her lips, turning her head. "I guess you don't want to know how we got in here."

"Wait. Please." I poked my bottom lip out, "I won't interrupt anymore."

"Nah, I think I wanna talk about breakfast."

"Rob!" I pleaded.

"Fine, fine. Royal asked if the girls could all sleep together, so we snuck in here when we were sure you were asleep."

"And I didn't hear you?"

"Nope, you had your headphones in."

"Oh yeah. . . . Where are they, by the way?"

"Zen put them on the dresser."

"Yeah," Said girl murmured into my neck, "They were wrapped around your throat."

The laugh I let out was small. "Guess I gotta get Airpods."

A small poke made me catch Robyn's evil smile. I shook my head discreetly.

Whatever her crazy ass was planning, it couldn't be good.

She opened her mouth so I faked a cough. Royal stirred slightly, but remained still nonetheless. Rih tried to talk again and I gave her the most pleading look.

When she rolled her eyes, I knew there wasn't any stopping her.

"Maybe you and Line should go together to get her some." The suggestion made me pout at Rih, my face quickly changing to one of hope when Zen turned to look at me. "I'll even let you borrow my Lincoln if you bring me back some Hot Cheetos."

"Deal." Zen grumbled after a few seconds of staring at me.

I couldn't stop my mouth from dropping as Rih grinned. "Cool. After y'all little date, Line and I can talk about our tour."

"Mhmm, more sleep first." The young actress mumbled, her head nuzzling my neck as her breathing slowed.

When I was sure she was asleep, I slid from under her, placing Royal in her arms. Her arms automatically latched onto the little girl, the two adorably cuddling with each other.

Giving Robyn a simple head nod towards the door, I began my trek to the kitchen. When I got to the top of her stairs, I could see Chris in the kitchen, flipping pancakes expertly.