As soon as they were all safe and on my balcony, they shuffled inside my room. Hayley pulled me in for a hug, and I squeezed her.
“You okay?” she asked quietly.
I nodded before letting go. “I love you guys! I can’t believe you just snuck into my room!”
Ollie stood back along the wall and just gazed at me. I couldn’t help but smile.
Christian flopped onto my bed and acted as if he owned the place, per usual.
Hayley fell down beside him. “Are you kidding? These two are pros at sneaking into places, and believe it or not, it was their idea.”
“So, you missed me, huh?” I placed my hands on my hips and looked up at Ollie. He shrugged coyly. “You can admit it, you know. We no longer hate each other.”
His tongue darted out to lick his lip. “Oh, trust me. I have no problems admitting it. I just wish I could show you how much I miss you, instead of saying it.”
Christian groaned. “No sexual innuendos allowed. Breakin’ the rules.”
“What rules?” Hayley asked, looking between them.
Ollie pushed off the wall and went over to sit in the chair by my desk. It only took one tip of his chin for me to follow after him and to sit on his lap. His arms went around my middle, and I sighed happily, leaning back into his hard chest. “When Hayley and he had started dating, and we’d hang out, I had a little heart to heart with my brother here.”
“About what?” I asked, tipping my head back.
“I told him he couldn’t eye-fuck his girlfriend while we were all hanging out as friends. Or make out with her, because it always turned into something more, and I was forced to leave the room.”
I busted out laughing before Ollie slapped his hand over my mouth. “Shh,” he whispered along my ear. “Your parents will hear.”
Goosebumps broke out along my skin, but I shook them off. He was right. My parents would likely come investigate. I whispered, “Do you remember that time we were at Eric’s and they started to make out so intensely that the three of us were forced to go out onto the deck for the rest of the morning?”
“How could I forget?” Ollie asked. “It was chilly. You didn’t have a bra on.”
I smacked his shoulder, causing Hayley to snicker.
Just then, a loud bang came from somewhere in the house.
“What was that?” Hayley asked, sitting up a little taller.
I jumped off Ollie’s lap, fear taking away any bit of calmness I had felt seconds ago.
My ears strained, but I didn’t hear a single thing. “I don’t know,” I hesitantly said. I walked a little closer to my bedroom door. That was weird. “I’m going to go make sure everything is okay. Stay here.” I glanced at Ollie once before opening the door and peeking my head out. The long hallway was dark, but I saw the light from underneath my brother’s door on the carpet. I shoved away the apprehension and mouthed, “I’ll be right back,” to Ollie, Hayley, and Christian. Ollie’s brows were knitted, and his perfect, pale lips were set in a firm line, but he gave me a nod.
Once the door was latched, I crept down the hallway, still listening. I didn’t even hear my parents downstairs. Were they in bed? It was sad that I didn’t know my own parents’ sleeping schedules.
I didn’t know them at all.
My hand lingered in front of Jason’s door with my heart stuck in my throat. It had been at least a year since Jason lived here, but it felt like yesterday that I was standing here, afraid to go into his room to see him passed out from partying.
A heavy breath of air left my lungs as I flipped my hair over my shoulder and pushed through the door. His bed was messy, the covers thrown halfway across the room. My eyes quickly went to the bathroom where the light poured out onto the floor.
“Jason?” I half-whispered, waiting for a response.
Nothing.
The nerves picked up in my stomach; the bile in my throat was rising slowly.
I shook my head. He’s fine. Relax.
There was no way he could have gotten drugs since he hadn’t left the house since he got here. My parents made damn sure of that, I was sure.