Chapter forty-three: Summer nights (Emma's POV)

It was now the next day after we got home and Landon was hosting a party tonight in his backyard. A little bonfire if you will. Like the classic ones, you see in movies on summer nights. 

At this very moment, Zo and I are getting ready at her house since her place is closer to Landon's house than mine is. 

"So, remind me again how many people are coming to this thing?" I asked out of curiosity. 

"Like, majority of our grade," she shrugged nonchalantly. That's a lot of people. Just saying. 

I finished getting ready way before her so I collapsed on her bed while she finished getting ready. My phone began ringing on her nightstand and I answered it without reading the ID. "Hello?" I asked while assessing my nails. 

"Hey." I could hear the smile in his voice. 

"Hi," I grinned to myself like an idiot. 

He began talking to me about how he was excited to see me until I heard Landon in the back. "Oh, right!" he exclaimed, "I was supposed to call and ask if you guys have left yet," he chuckled sheepishly. 

"We're about to leave in like five minutes, I think," I replied while standing up and gathering my things so I was ready to go. 

"Okay, cause it's beginning to get a little crowded," he said while I heard shuffling in the background. 

"Really?" I asked since I couldn't hear any music or anything. 

"Just let me stick the phone out of the guest room for ya," he said. 

The next thing I know, I'm partially deaf. "Jesus!" I exclaimed while pulling the phone away. "Zo, we have to go," I said while she stood up and threw her shoes on. 

"Hear that?" he asked. 

"Yeah, I get it. We're leaving right now, see you in a bit," I said while heading downstairs, to her front door. 

"See you, I love you," he said. 

"I love you too, bye," I said before hanging up. "So, how far is it?" I asked as we stepped out onto her porch. 

"Like a block away," she shrugged. 

"Are you driving?" I asked. 

"Nope, you are," she tossed me her keys. 

I sighed while unlocking the car and getting in while she did too. I started the car and backed out of the parking spot before driving right down to Landon's. I think we could have walked, to be honest. She's planning on getting hammered and spending the night at Landon's and I'm going home with Nick so there was really no point of me driving. 

We got there pretty fast and I parked smoothly before we hopped out and went inside. 

"Hey," Landon grinned, already seeming a little tipsy while he kissed Zoey. 

I didn't bother pulling them apart while grabbing Landon's hand and placing Zoey's keys in it before heading into the kitchen. I'm not drinking that much tonight, just a little probably. I opened the fridge and looked around to see if I could find some coke. "Great," I mumbled while rolling my eyes. No coke. 

I felt hands on my waist before someone whispered, "Boo!" in my ear. 

I would have jumped and I did a little but I knew who it was almost instantly. I turned around with a grin. "Hey," I sang while wrapping my arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. He pulled away from the hug and pressed his lips to mine. I smiled against his lips before pulling away when Landon's voice broke through the crowd. 

"Backyard!" he announced. 

"Fire?" I asked Nick. 

He nodded while grabbing a glass from one of the cupboards. He opened the fridge and pulled out a can of coke. "Saved you one," he smirked before pouring it out, adding some vodka and ice to it before handing it to me. 

I pecked his lips before following him outside while we held hands. We grabbed our seats and sat around the fire, everyone talking and laughing, having conversations amongst themselves. This might be a long night. 

-----<3----- 

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom, I'll be right back," I said while getting up from my spot beside Nick. 

"Why?" he asked, pouting up at me. 

"I'll be right back, Nick," I chuckled before going inside and upstairs to use the guest bathroom. I went in there, bumping into a few people on my way up before finally getting there. I walked in there, immediately smelling a vape that someone had used. I coughed before waving my hand in the air. 

I didn't even need to use the bathroom, I just needed to get inside because it was hot out there. 

I opened the door and stepped back out, coughing a little as I made my way back down and to the backyard. I saw someone else sitting in my seat. It was another girl, I think her name is Melody but I'm not sure, I think I've seen her around because I don't think I have any classes with her per se. 

Just by standing here, I could see the way she leaned in, her hand rubbing up and down Nick's arm while she shifted uncomfortably. He tried pushing her off multiple times but she seemed to be determined. 

I huffed and ran my hand through my hair before walking over there and standing behind them. "Hey," I grinned down at Nick. 

"Hey," he sighed in relief. 

"Can we help you?" she asked looking up at me with an underlying glare. 

"It's Melody, right?" I asked just to be sure. She nodded in response. "Yeah, actually. You can help me," I nodded, plastering a smile onto my face. 

"What do you want?" she asked in confusion. 

"For you to leave him alone," I said bluntly. I could see him watching me, biting back a smile. 

"Excuse me?" she scoffed. 

"You see, we came here together, and I would really appreciate it if you found someone else to hit on because he's not available," I explained. 

"Well, he doesn't seem to mind. Plus, he hasn't mentioned being off the market," she batted her lashes at him. 

"Well, I would assume him pushing you off as you leech onto him would be a big enough hint for you to take, but I guess not," I shrugged nonchalantly while the words poured out of my mouth. 

She looked between us before rolling her eyes and then standing up, leaving us alone. 

I rolled my eyes and mumbled curses while sitting back down in my seat, staring at the dancing flames. This is not how summer nights in movies go. I could feel his stare on me and I turned to him to see him smirking at me. 

"What?" I rolled my eyes. 

"I didn't say anything," he chuckled while shaking his head. 

"Why are you staring at me?" I asked in confusion. 

"That was a little possessive, don't you think?" he teased. 

"It was protective," I corrected. 

"Same difference," he shrugged. 

"Not really. There's a difference between demanding someone's love and attention and claiming them, and protecting what's yours," I explained.

"Oh, so I'm yours now?" he smirked, arching a brow at me. 

"Are you not?" I arched an eyebrow back at him. "Does that mean I'm your boyfriend?" he questioned. 

I shook my head, "No, it just means you're mine. You may not be my boyfriend but we're still committed to each other, aren't we?" I asked. 

He nodded slowly, "Yes we are," he smiled before pulling me into a kiss. 

"I don't like her," I mumbled when we pulled away. 

"Yeah, just how I didn't like Liam, now you see?" he arched an eyebrow at me. 

"Jesus, he was never so head-on with me," I sighed while holding his hand in mine, resting my head on his shoulder. 

"Yeah, he was. You were just naive," he shrugged lightly. I rolled my eyes while watching the fire. "You wanna get out of here?" he asked, giving my hand a light squeeze. 

"Where are we going?" I asked while watching as he stood up, his hand still latched onto mine. 

"My place," he shrugged. 

"I thought you were gonna stay for the party, aren't you like co-hosting it?" I voiced my thoughts. 

"No one cares, let's go," he pulled me up before leading us out of here and to his car. 

"What are we gonna do at your house?" I asked as he started driving. 

"We're gonna cuddle, watch movies, talk all night, and eventually doze off. Sounds good?" he asked, glancing at me for a moment. 

"Yeah," I laughed, "Sounds good. But wait, I didn't bring a change of clothes, they're in Zo's car," I facepalmed. 

"I think we're past that," he smirked. I smacked his arm before he chuckled, "You can wear something of mine," he shrugged while pulling into his driveway. 

"Are your parents home?" I questioned. 

"I don't know." He opened the front door. "Let's find out," he smirked.

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Chapter forty-three

So, I know I said I'll end this book at forty-five chapters, but I may cut one chapter off and just end it at forty-four because I have a plan for the next chapter but no plans for anything after that, so I'll be putting out the next chapter and then it's a wrap.

Next Chapter (the final one)- Struck by lightning