Lila ✔

34I Miss You

"I'm going to miss you," I sighed.

Today was the day my cousins were leaving. Although we had expected them to be staying for another month or so, their parents had called and said they were going home early. They had everything packed and would be leaving within the next five minutes.

All of my cousins were stood by the door, suitcases and bags already packed in their car. My brothers, Jessica and I were stood around them to wish them goodbye. My dad was also there but he hadn't said anything so far. Probably because he had barely been around over the last couple of months and had spoken about one word to each of them.

Ethan smiled at me before reaching over and pulling me towards him, wrapping his muscular arms around my back. My arms circled around his torso in response and I buried my head into his chest.

It was definitely the sort of hug where you knew you weren't going to be seeing each other for god knows how long, so I wanted to make the most of it. I had to admit I had only been living with the Bradley's cousins for a month, but they had begun to feel like brothers to me. They were just as annoying and protective. I knew for a fact that I would definitely miss them when they left. Despite them leaving me with six other boys, the mansion would still feel empty to me without them.

"Alright. That's enough. My turn!" Joe suddenly exclaimed from beside us after a few moments, so I pulled away from Ethan with a smile on my face and turned to face him.

Joe immediately grabbed my shoulders and practically shoved my body into his chest, wrapping his arms around my back like Logan had done. I chuckled slightly at his antics but happily responded to it and hugged his torso tightly in return.

"I'm going to miss you Li Li," he mumbled into my hair as he buried his face into the top of my head. I gave him a gentle squeeze in return and pushed my face even further into his chest.

"I'm not," I teased in response. I was going to miss this.

Joe let out a small chuckle before playfully pushing me away lightly with a mock offended look on his face. He was like an innocent puppy, really.

"Well this is cute but I still haven't had a hug," Zac said from behind me. I could practically hear him pouting.

I rolled my eyes playfully but turned around anyway and launched myself straight at his tall body. Zac didn't even stumble as I crashed into his chest, instead firmly wrapping his arms around me and keeping my pressed to his muscular frame.

"I- can't- breath," I managed to choke out, considering Zac had shoved my face into his top and I was practically suffocating. My cousin chuckled slightly but listened to me anyway and eased up on his tight grip, allowing me to take in a large gulp of air.

"Dramatic," he scoffed playfully, bringing one arm up to the top of my head and mercilessly messing up my head. I let out a yelp and tried to pull away from his grip. However, he was a lot stronger than me and managed to keep me pinned to his chest.

"Get off me you big oaf," I grunted, trying to push at his stomach since I was unable to pull away. I could feel Zac's chest vibrate as he chuckled and, despite him not being able to see me, I rolled my eyes at the enjoyment he received from my torture.

This caused me to struggle harder, but still at no avail. In fact, it just meant more pain for me as Zac suddenly dug his two fingers into my side.

I let out a not at all lady- like squeal and attempted to twist away from him even more.

"Alright, alright. That's enough. My turn," I heard Carter say from my side. There was an obvious grin on his voice that made it apparent he was trying not to laugh at my pain.

"Thank you," I breathed out as Zac finally released his grip on me and left me stood a few inches away from him. I spared no time in practically jumping at Carter, wanting more than anything to distance myself from the devil behind me.

My cousin let out a chuckle but obliged to my obvious desperation and firmly wrapped his arms around my back. Just like his brothers, his tall frame towered over mine and I could only reach his chest. Their broad, muscular bodies meant that they gave great hugs.

"Bye Carter," I said into his top although my voice was muffled by the fabric. He held me for what felt like slightly longer than necessary, and I knew he was cherishing this moment like I was since who knew how long it would be before we saw each other again.

After a few moments, we pulled away and I took a step back.

I was going to miss these boys.

LILA

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get to sleep.

I had been lying in bed for the last hour and an half but no matter what position I lay in or how hard I tried to force my mind to relax, I just couldn't find myself to fall asleep. I partly blamed it on the departure of our cousins considering how despite only knowing them a month, I felt like they were just as much my brothers as the other Bradley's.

I realised that I probably wouldn't be able to get to sleep at all, so I decided on going downstairs and watching a film to see if that would make me sleepy.

Just like I did a month ago after I had that nightmare of those men, I crept out of my room and down the hall as quietly as I could, careful not to make a noise. The hall was dark and I could barely see where I was going but I managed to reach the living room fairly easily.

I was about to walk into the room when I noticed something strange. Although it was closed, I could see a slither of light under the kitchen door. This made me pause what I was doing and, with a slight frown on my face, I listened out for any noises coming from the room.

There was the muffled sound of footsteps as they thudded around the room, but that was all I could make out. Well, it was at least, until after a moment I heard a fairly loud bang of something knocking against something else which was softened by the barrier the door provided.

"Shit," I voice cursed. A voice I recognised as my dad's.

But why was he in the kitchen at 12:30 am?

Deciding to find out, I cautiously walked over to the kitchen door and softly pushed it open to reveal my dad stood next to the sink, rubbing at his wrist which he appeared to have bumped against the counter.

But my attention was drawn to something else. For the first time since the wedding, my dad was wearing a suit. His hair was slicked back and his black boots where polished until they shone. A leather case was resting on the floor next to him and his crisp white top was ironed until it had no crease in at all.

But why was my dad looking so neat? Why was he dressed in a suit at midnight? Why did none of the family appear to know about this? And why was there a slight bulge in the side of his waistband, hidden under his jacket.

"Dad?" I called softly since he didn't seem to have noticed me. Instantly, his head shot up to meet my gaze from where I was stood in the doorway, the dark hall behind me.

"What are you doing here?" he snapped angrily, making me shrink back slightly. I didn't want a repeat of the other day. It was something I still hadn't gotten over.

"Sorry," I mumbled shyly. "I just wanted to know what you were doing."

My dad didn't say anything, instead continuing to glare harshly at me. "I didn't realise it was any of your business," he hissed coldly.

I diverted my gaze away from his annoyed expression and found myself taking a small step back. Did my dad now really have that affect on me?

"Sorry," I muttered pathetically.

My dad didn't reply, instead continuing to stare down at my coldly. I kept my gaze on the floor but could still see out of the corner of my eye as he bent down and grabbed the case next to him, standing up straight and striding passed me out of the room.

My heart sunk as he walked through the other side of the door as to be as far away from me as possible. That hurt more than anything he could say to me.

What was going on with my dad?