Page 4 of Quiet Longing

I almost drifted off when I became aware of low rock music playing somewhere down the hall. I suspected it was coming from the rec room, or whatever they called it here. Male laughter filtered through as I tossed and turned, trying my best to ignore the noise. Eventually, I gave up, turned the lamp back on, and sat up.

I guess it was time to meet the male cousins, then.

Padding down the hall in my socks, I pushed open the door to find a bunch of guys hanging out. There was a pool table in the middle of the room, plus some lounge chairs and a couch. I spotted Derek first, the eldest. He was very tall, just as in the picture from earlier, with dark brown hair and the same brown eyes as his sister. Tristan was fair, like his twin, but his eyes were a lighter brown. Both boys were conventionally good looking.

A guy with auburn hair leaned over the pool table, taking a shot, while another with dark hair, who looked part Asian, stood back holding the cue and watching his opponent size up the table. There was one more guy who sat on the couch. Even though he was sitting down, I could tell he’d be tall if he were standing. He seemed to be the least outgoing of the bunch and was a little on the chubby side. He was handsome, though, in a husky bear sort of way. His hair was sandy brown, a bit shaggy, and he wore aFallout 3T-shirt.

Immediately, I knew we could be friends.

As soon as my presence was noted, the boys all fell silent, each of them taking me in. Derek was the first to step forward, holding out his hand with a polite smile.

“You must be Charlotte,” he said warmly. “The last time we met, you were a lot shorter.”

“I could say the same of you,” I replied, shaking his hand. “And it’s Charli. Only my mom calls me Charlotte. And you’re … Derek?”

“That’s right. This here’s my brother, Tristan.” Nuala’s twin gave me a nod and a wide smile before striding across the room. Instead of shaking my hand, he pulled me into a hug, just as his sister had done.

When he pulled back, his eyes were alight. “Charli! Do you remember playing hide and seek when we were little? You’d hide behind the curtains, and even after I found you, you’d pretend to be invisible.”

I laughed because I did remember. “Yes, actually. I’d completely forgotten about that.”

“Good times! Well, I’m glad you’re here. Our sister has been talking about you non-stop.”

“Oh? What’s she been saying?”

“Now, now, nobody likes a compliment fisher. Just know it was all good.”

The auburn-haired guy, who appeared to have taken his shot, put down his pool cue and approached. He was by far the best looking of the group and by the way he held himself, he knew it a little too well. “This is our friend, Aidan,” Derek introduced.

“We all go to school together,” Tristan put in.

“Hi, Aidan,” I said, not giving him too big a smile since I sensed this guy received far too many flirtatious smiles from girls as it was.

“And I’m Theo,” the dark-haired guy said. He was cute and shook my hand politely before returning to the pool table.

“The quiet one over there is Rhys,” Tristan said, motioning to his friend over on the couch. Rhys’ eyes flicked up, meeting mine.

“Hi, Rhys,” I said, shooting him a bigger smile than I’d given the others, mainly because he was a fellow fan of my favourite video game. “I like your T-shirt.Falloutrocks.”

At this, he blinked, seeming surprised when he looked down at what he was wearing. He glanced up. He had gorgeous eyes, a deep ocean blue. His eyebrows lifted slightly. “You play?”

“Hell, yeah. But if there’s a console around here, it’s probably best not to tell me. I’ll end up spending half the summer in front of a screen.”

Rhys rubbed the side of his head. “It’s fairly addictive, all right.”

I bobbed my head, and a silence followed. I was all out of small talk, so I returned my attention to Derek. He seemed to be the unofficial leader.

“I hate to complain, but do you guys mind keeping the noise down? I’m trying to sleep, and my room’s just down the hall.”

Derek’s eyes widened like he hadn’t even realised they were being loud. “Right, sorry! Yeah, we’ll keep it down.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

With one last glance in Rhys’ direction—who was no longer looking my way—I left and returned to my room. I pulled off my sweater and leggings, wearing only my undershirt to sleep in. To their credit, the boys did keep the noise down, though I could still hear them a little.

After tossing and turning a few times, I eventually drifted off to sleep. Unfortunately, I only slept for about an hour before I woke up again. It was probably the new environment. I hadn’t had enough time to get settled and relax into it yet.

My throat was dry, so I got up, pulled my leggings back on, and went in search of water. I could hear the boys still playing pool in the rec room. Continuing on socked feet to the stairway, a door opened, and someone emerged. It was Rhys, the guy with theFalloutT-shirt, and the room he’d left appeared to be the main bathroom. I’d been right about him being tall standing up. He had to be a few inches above six feet.

---