Ariella never saw Mike like a brother; she only loved his goofball personality and flair for creativity. Mike never dreamed that bubbly and fierce Ariella would be interested in him. Once she confesses she's crushed on him for years, Mike staunchly...
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Luke growls lightly behind me, and I tip my face back, finding him texting. Neon blue lighting from my brother's cell phone bathes his quizzical face. "Are you texting Ellie?" I ask, poking his sock-covered foot.
Nodding his head, Luke smiles, then glances at his phone again. "Yeah. I think she's annoyed that I'm at a party without her."
I furrow my brow, running my fingers over the textured fabric of the soft couch. "At our house with five of our friends?"
"Yeah...I don't know. Girls are confusing."
The cream-colored throw slips off Riley's shoulders as she sits up from where she's been prostrated on the floor all evening. "No, we're not. We're very simple creatures." Her high bun quivers and she ticks off on her fingers while continuing. "Attention, food, attention, affection, the perfect amount of space, attention, and fun. That's the formula."
Luke squints an eye while wrinkling his nose. "What's the right amount of space? Who defines the fun?"
"Well, you have to read the situation."
"Can't you just tell a guy what you like?"
"Please don't ask my cousin to be logical," Ella says with a yawn. She turns and clambers onto the couch next to Grayson. He pats her head, and she closes her eyes with a sleepy smile while the rom-com movie drones on.
"What time is it?" Maggie drags her hair back while her groggy voice rasps the question.
"11:30 or so," Luke answers.
"Curfew," Maggie grumbles, tugging on AJ's arm. "Come on, we've gotta go."
"Boo, we hate curfews," AJ says, towing her back to sit on his lap.
"We hate being grounded more. Then there's no curfew. Only four white walls and boredom." Maggie climbs off the couch and holds her arms out to me. "Bye, sweets."
I stand. "I'll walk you out." We exchange bear hugs at the side entrance, shifting my weight from foot to foot and holding on too long. "Love you guys."
"Love you, too," AJ says, tweaking my nose.
"See ya Monday," Maggie says, turning the doorknob. "Love ya."
AJ turns his collar up, then leans to catch a glimpse of the room where the rest are. "Be nice to Gray, okay?"
"When have I ever been anything but nice to Gray?"
"He's going through some hard shit, and he could use some extra Ariella goodness."
"Maybe he can give you a birthday kiss," Maggie says. "Because I like, need you to fall in love and make my life better. It's better than any romance novel I could pick up."
