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The annoucement

"Good morning . . . to the both of you," mum says, bemused, blinking up at me and Will as we enter the house, then a smile finally reappears on her puzzled face.

"Morning," we respond in unison. "Why aren't you sleeping?" I frown, observing her actions in the kitchen.

"It's half seven, darling," she explains, her alike to mine, green eyes fall upon my companion. "Did you have a good time?" she asks the both of us, putting the kettle on, reminding me that I spoke to her on the phone during the party when I was still drunk, for some reason wanting my mother to know how amazing the surprise was.

"Sure," I murmur evasively, not really wanting to bring up Rayna's nearly successful attempt of ruining my birthday along with my reputation, but also, I'd rather keep the fact that Will had a temporary breakdown to myself.

"Do you want some coffee?" mum asks, her stare is questioning.

"Do you?" I divert my face to Will, peering up at him.

"Yeah, would be great. Thank you," he mutters in an appreciative tone, and paces after me towards the kitchen.

"Where's dad?" I ask, curious, sitting down at the table.

"Buying flight tickets," she responds enigmatically, glancing up at me as she pours the boiling water into the mugs.

"What?" I shift uncomfortably in my seat.

"There is something we want to tell you, honey, but let's first wait for your father," she replies kindly, bringing the mugs and a sugar bowl to the table.

My stomach churns in sudden nervousness. Please don't tell me that we're moving out.

"Thank you." Will nods his head at my mum, reaching out for sugar. He seems kind of worried, less than I do, but he still does.

"Simon!!" my mouther shouts in an impatient and demanding tone. "Just come downstairs already!" she yells again, apologetically smiling at us.

"What's the rush-" My father emerges in the kitchen, his face distorts in exasperation, but then, as he sees me, his expression promptly changes. He looks excited.

"Good morning," Will mutters, getting up from his chair to shake hands with my father.

"It's been a while since we last saw you, hasn't it?" My father chuckles but pats Will on his shoulder in a friendly manner. "You okay?"

"I'm as okay as one can be after a sleepless night, sir" he says jokingly, eliciting a short fit of laughter from my father.

"I remember when I was your-"

"Just cut to the chase, Simon," my mother chides him, impatiently tapping her finger against the mug that she's holding in her hands. "Sorry. I just can't wait so see her reaction." Her tone is excited, her eyes dance with anticipation.

I briefly look over at Will, his face is impassive. He silently observes my parents, his mug is at the level of his lips as he seems to be deeply in thought, and I wish I could know what he's thinking about.

I draw my eyes back over to my elders, my insides tangle into knots. "Okay, what's-"

"We're going to Austin!" my mum gushes, her abrupt statement renders me speechless.

With the corner of my eye I can see that Will's mug froze at the level of his mouth.

"What?" I breathe nervously.

"For holidays," my mother explains, still beaming.

I exhale in relief.

"You know, to visit aunt Jade," she chirps, her enthusiasm somehow doesn't match mine.

Aunt Jade is my mother's sister who last summer moved to America with her husband Lucas and their son Timothy. We haven't had the chance to pay them a visit yet because they needed some time first to sort out their flat, jobs and all the adult matters that would allow them to stay there and live their happily ever after.

"For how long?" I ask, a bit concerned.

"A month. Your school ends on the fourth of June, so we will be flying out on the seventh."

"And when exactly are we coming back?" I mutter, the realization of not seeing anyone I know for nearly a month makes my chest constrict.

"First of July," my father explains, his smile fades once he notices the way my shoulders slump. "What's wrong, honey? Are you not happy? Me and your mother thought that this is what you wanted because you always talked about how much you'd love to go."

"I do." I force a smile. "That sounds amazing."

"America is beautiful," Will pipes in, his tone is approving. "You'll definitely enjoy it."

"Oh. Have you been to America before?" mum asks, intrigued.

"Yeah, a couple of times." He gives a listless shrug of his shoulders.

"Where to?" my mother carries on with another question, and frankly, I am very pleased that she does.

Her conversation with Will lets me remain silent as I endeavor to process the thought of being away for a month. A month away from Will. Why does it suddenly hurt me?

"Seattle, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Diego, and many more." Will looks over at my parents' shocked faces, their mouths literally plummet down to the floor. "I've never been to Austin, though."

"Well, Davina can surely take some pictures for you." My father smiles warmly, his eyes lock on me. "She might even bring you a souvenir back if she doesn't forget to buy one after being sucked into the world of the books that she reads." He chuckles, and so does Will.

"I'll make sure to remind her," he responds, his tone is mild, his black eyes warm when he lays them on me.

"Do you want some breakfast?" mum chimes in.

"Actually, I think that we should get some sleep, unless you're hungry or want to finish your coffee?" I ask politely, glancing up at Will. Now as I think about it, I don't even know why we decided to drink it in the first place.

"I'm good, but thank you." He shoots my parents a brief smile and stands up from the table.

"There are some blankets and pillows in the guest room-" my mum utters, but I quickly speak up.

"He'll stay in my room," I declare, my brazen statement causes Will to knit his eyebrows in surprise and my parents to give each other a knowing look.

"Okay then. Just use a condom, alright?" my father mutters, and I immediately flush scarlet.

"Dad!" I scold him, embarrassed to the core.

Will however, he chuckles quietly and covers his eyes with his hand.

"Why would you even think that I'd have sex, especially with you two being in the house?" I ask.

"I'm just saying," my father defends himself, midlessly shrugging his shoulders. "Better safe than sorry."

"Don't worry, Mr. Nash. We are literally going to have some rest," Will clarifies, his confidence shocks me.

"That's exactly what I told Davina's grandparents-"

"Okay, enough," I cut in, my cheeks turn crimson red. "Let's just go," I mutter under my breath, dragging Will out of the kitchen. "How can you even find it hilarious?" I question, trudging up the stairs.

"Cause it is. I like your dad. He's funny."

"Yeah, if only he could spare me the embarrassment," I complain, swinging the door to my room open. "It's not as sumptuous as yours, but it's enough to have some rest," I mutter, suddenly questioning the quality of my place.

"What are you talking about? It's lovely," he states, walking inside, his eyes wander all over the room, examining the interior and my belongings. "You've got lots of books in here," he points out, peering over at the bookcase.

"Yeah, I do," I mutter. "I don't have any clothes that you could change into, though," I murmur awkwardly once I realize it.

"Don't worry about it. I can sleep in my boxers unless you want me to keep my clothes on?" he asks, his tone is neutral.

"Utterly up to you," I respond, however, the thought of him being almost naked in my bed makes me molten inside.

"No clothes then," he announces freely, and starts undoing his belt.

My mouth dehydrates. I swallow hard at the sight of his pale hands unbuttoning his jeans.

"What?" He chuckles, his laugh is angelic.

"Nothing." I clear my throat and remove my jacket.

"You're not intimidated, are you?" He smiles, his eyes dance with mirth. "You've already seen me naked. Well, more than that actually," he points out, and I start to think that he does it deliberately, teases me with his words.

I haven't got a clue what to say. I just scuttle over to my chest of drawers and start rummaging through my clothes in order to find a T-shirt and some shorts that I can change into.

When I finally do, I turn around, Will's almost naked body on my bed makes my breath hitch in my throat. His long legs barely fit into the length of the mattress, the snow-white waistbad of his boxers contrasts with their black fabric. His dark eyes are alive with amusement when he stuffs his hands behind his head, the muscles of his arms tense subtly as he does.

"Are you going to join me at some point?" He chuckles, a lopsided smirk stretches his mouth.

"Mhm," I mutter, feeling oddly unclad under his stare, even though I remove my bra only then when I'm already changed into my T-shirt. "Are you not going under the duvet?" I ask in a shy voice.

"It's really warm in this house. Do you mind sleeping under the blanket?"

"No, not at all. You're right actually," I respond, knowing that the swelter I'm feeling has nothing to do with the central heating. Then I scurry over to my ottoman and fish out a very soft, red blanket that I spread on the bed and Will's body.

"Hop in," he says, holding it open for me.

I readily slide under the pleasant in touch fabric and stupidly stare at the ceiling.

"What are you thinking about, hm?" he asks softly, shifting to the side to look at me. One of his elbows is propped on the bed, his temple rests against his palm.

"I don't know," I mutter. "A little bit of everything, I guess." I turn my face to him, his eyes gaze into mine, hooded.

"And what exactly is everything?" he questions, his practically naked body next to mine hinders my ability to stay focused.

"The holiday."

"Why?" he asks neutrally.

"I don't know. I really want to go but it means that I won't see Anaya and you for the whole month." I bite on my lip, wandering my sight all over the ceiling.

"Aw, did you just admit that you're going to miss me?" he teases mockingly, a crooked smirk spreads on his lips when I shift my head to the side.

"Maybe a little." I smile.

"Just a little?" he pesters, starting to play with a strand of my hair.

"Are you going to miss me?" I ask, quite interested.

"Maybe a little," he says cheekily, copying my words. "I could always book a hotel in Austin and annoy you for a month." He wiggles his eyebrow at me, and I only roll my eyes, knowing it's just a joke.

"Can I ask you something?" I look at him, wanting to hear the answer before this thought fleets from my mind. Something that I've wondered about for a while now.

"Yeah, sure."

"Why didn't you beat Connor up? You punched him only once," I blurt out, my stomach churns in nervousness. When I retrieve my sight over to Will, his lips are puckered to the side in musing. He doesn't seem upset. Thank god.

"He cheated on Beverly, yeah, but it wasn't his fault that she killed herself. He had no choice in this, if you know what I mean." He sighs and thinks deeply for a moment, his bottom lip sucked in between his teeth. "My mother got cheated on, too, multiple times actually, but she didn't do anything as drastic. Connor didn't push Beverly off that ledge. She jumped herself. It was her decision," he continues in a calm tone. "The reason why I punched him, though, is because he deserved it. For cheating."

"Understandable," I mutter, not knowing what else to say. "Shall we have some sleep now?" I look over at him, his eyes close in tiredness.

"Yeah, I'm knackered," he responds, but doesn't shift back onto his back. After a few minutes of silence, his voice resounds anew. "Davina?"

"Yes?" I frown, my sight remains pinned to the ceiling. Then his next words render me nonplussed.

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