Page 87 of Endless December (Sleepless November Saga 2)

“What’s got you all cheesy?”

She rolls her eyes. “Lauren commented on the picture of the four of us. Apparently, us dating two brothers surprises no one.”

“Eh, yeah I can see that.”

I agree. “How are you and Bran doing?”

Clicking her screen off and putting her phone to the side, I can see the glimmer in her eyes. “He’s amazing.” She gushes. “He’s so thoughtful and caring, and he makes the three-hour drive to come see me if I’ve had a bad day. I’ve never met someone like him before.”

“Oooh. Someone sounds in love.” I tease.

“Not quite, but I definitely think I could get there.” An alarm on her phone sounds, causing her to groan and whisper profanity. “I forgot to bring my birth control pill. It’s in the hotel room.” She explains as she gets up.

“Do you want me to go back with you?”

She shakes her head. “No, don’t be silly. It’ll only take me a minute. Besides, if we both leave they may think we’re mad at them.”

“Good point.” I chuckle.

A few minutes after she walks away, Brandon and Holden come out from the water – carrying their boards and looking exhausted. Holden drops his in the sand and moves to give me a kiss. The water drips off his body; the cold feeling making me shriek.

“Where’d Em go? She okay?” Bran asks, concerned.

I wave him off dismissively. “She just forgot something. She’ll be right back.”

He reaches down and grabs his phone, nodding when he sees the time. “Ah. Birth control.”

Holden’s eyes widen at the mention of it, and turns toward me in a panic. It makes me laugh. “I got another round of the shot in February. It’s good until next month.”

Brandon and I watch as the tension flows out of him and he lets out a breath. I can’t say I blame him though. We’re still in college, and that’s the reason I got on birth control in the first place. The two of us are in no position to have a baby right now.

THE CLUB/POOL/BAR COMBINATION is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. You can swim up to an in-water bar and drink throughout the water. Meanwhile they have a DJ on a high platform playing music that only seems to get more amped up as the sun goes down.

Emily and I are in floating lounge chairs, drinking Malibu Bay Breezes as the guys stand next to us. I must say, out of the few places I’ve gone with Holden, this is by far my favorite. Though, that could have a lot to do with the fact that my best friend is here enjoying it with me.

“I swear, I could stay here forever without a single complaint.” I murmur, basking in the energy that radiates through the place.

Holden’s eyebrows raise. “Oh yeah? Does that plan include me?”

“Meh.” I reply jokingly. “I guess. You’re not the worst person to have around.”

He cups his hand and runs it through the water, effectively splashing me. I gasp as the cold hits my sunburn heated skin. When I glare at him, he’s trying desperately to hold back his laughter – but ultimately fails. Emily and Brandon chuckle along with him, causing my hard shell to crumble and the smile to break through.

As it becomes darker, lights come on around the area and people stop just hanging around. It’s almost as if the entire environment shifts into something so much louder. You can feel the vibrations to the beat of the music in your bones.

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see someone passing a little white baggie to his friend. I turn away to take my mind off it, but I’m only faced with a few other people popping ecstasy pills. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, reminding myself of everything I learned in rehab.

“You okay?” Holden questions, seeing exactly what I was looking at. “We can leave if this is too much for you.”

Just seeing how understanding he is gives me a feeling of empowerment. “No, it’s okay. I’ve got my best friend and my boyfriend by my side. I can handle this.”

He smiles proudly and Emily grabs my hand. “Come on, let’s go dance.”

The four of us push our way into the crowd of people moving to the music. There’s barely any room, but we make do. Holden places his hands on my waist as I grind back against him. The feeling of his body pressed against mine is heavenly.

Still being in the honeymoon stage, it only takes a few minutes before Brandon and Emily have their tongues shoved down each other’s throats. I laugh as Holden points it out.

“We’re we that obnoxious?” He asks, mocking disgust.

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