As I slowly sit up, I look down at Tyler. I smile as he snores softly. I missed this. Living for the feeling of waking up next to the most gorgeous man in the world.

The days of when I was twelve just sitting in my best friend's princess room while we talked for hours on end about The One. I can't even remember the names of the other girls. Maybe Carmen was one of them. Either way, I lost them when Mom first moved us. I don't even remember saying goodbye to them. They're all just huge blurs in my mind now.

But how jealous they would probably be to find me lying in a bed, granted it's a hospital bed, next to The One. My One.

I lay the back of my hand against Tyler's cheek. He murmurs something quietly before I pull my hand away. I slowly turn around, most everyone is in a chair sleeping. Including Harper. Harper looks set out from everyone else. He didn't go to school with us like Mark, Sean, Felix, and Ethan. And he wasn't in the family like me, Mom, Henry, and Tyler. So he was basically just a sore thumb. I quickly step out of the hospital bed before walking over to his chair.

I cover his mouth with my hand and his eyes shoot open. I shush him before he has the chance to let out his surprised yell. "Harper, it's me," I whisper. He studies my face in the dark a second before he nods. I grab his arm and pull him out of the chair. I pull him out the door and into the hallway.

"Hey, why the surprise?" He asks in a whisper.

"Because we need to talk." I lay my hands on his wrists.

He nods, "We do."

I look up at him with the stupidest look. "What do you think we need to talk about?"

"Well..." He reaches back in his jacket pocket. A second later, he pulls out a small blue box. I widen my eyes and look from the box to his face. "A future maybe?"

"Harper, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" I yell in a harsh whisper.

"I love you, Andrew. We've been together for about a year and a half and I mean... life is so short." He looks at me with big light brown eyes.

"Harper, you seriously do not want this. Trust me." I push his hands down. To his side.

"Well, this box will be in our drawer. It'll stay there until you pull this ring out and slip it on. I can wait until you're ready." He leans forward, laying a kiss on my forehead. "I'm so glad Tyler got you to bed safely last night."

I widen my eyes, thankful Harper can't see. I nod quickly. "Yeah. How did you even know to trust him anyway?"

"He explained he was your step brother after you left. Which makes much more sense as to why you were acting weird around him. I was beginning to think that you'd slept with him at some point." Harper laughs.

"God that's such a stupid thought." I laugh as unsuspecting as I possibly can.

It seems he doesn't notice because he smiles softly and asks, "You want to get some food?"

"Sure." I shrug. He grabs my hand and walks me through the hospital. He finally stops in the almost empty cafeteria. I quickly make my way to a vending machine of chips and candy bars. "PayDay!" I point to the glass. Harper chuckles as he walks over. He hands me a dollar. I take it and hit the buttons G and then 5. I watch the coil turn and I giggle giddily.

"You really like that candy don't you?" Harper leans up against the side of the machine.

I nod as I grab the candy bar from the door-thing and rip it open. "Have you ever had one?" I ask as I look up at him. He shakes his head. "Oh my god! You stupid fucking Australian! Take a bite!" I hold the candy bar to his mouth. He hesitantly takes the candy bar into his mouth and takes a bite.

I watch as he chews slowly. When he finally swallows I see him ponder a moment. I raise my eyebrows in anticipation. He smiles. "I like that!" He reaches for the bar in my hand.

I slap his hand away. "Get your oooowwwwn."

"My money got you that!" He argues.

"And you got a bite. Now get your own before I bite you!" He rolls his eyes before a chuckle passes his lips and he turns around to use the machine.

I quickly sit down at a table near him and I pull out my phone and look at it. Four missed calls from Tara. I sigh before I click it and hold the phone to my ear.

She answers almost immediately. "Thank god you're alive! I heard there was a crash and-"

"Tyler was the one in the crash. Tyler, Ethan, and Felix. Ethan and Felix were lucky though. Tyler had to have surgery," I tell her before I take a bite of the payday.

"Oh no! Do you guys need me to come? I don't think Alana would really mind... we were talking for hours and I can leave my number..." I can hear Tara rustling around.

"Are you still in bed from last night?" I laugh quietly.

"Yeah, Alana's in the bathroom now... I think." I hear Tara knock on a door, I think it's a door anyway. I hear the door open. "Hey, I've got to head to the hospital. I'll call you later, yeah?" I hear Alana approve and then the door shut. "I'll be there in a couple of minutes."

She hangs up and I look over at Harper, who now has an empty payday wrapper in his hand and is leaning over to take a bite of mine. I quickly pull it away. "Bad!"

He laughs before he leans forward, pecking my lips with his. In the midst of it all, he snatches the candy from my hand. I let out a loud whine as he pulls it away. I reach for it, damn near laying flat on the table as I squirm.

He laughs before taking a bite of it. I growl and sit up, crossing my arms over my chest as I pout. "I didn't realize how big of a baby you are." He holds the candy bar to me. I pluck it from his hand before I hop off the table and start walking back to Tyler's room. Harper follows. I look over my shoulder at him. He seizes my hand in his when he finally catches up to me.

As we turn the corner into Tyler's room, a nurse sitting in my chair next to the bed catches me. She smiles as she talks to Tyler. I freeze when I see her hand lay softly on his arm. He pulls his arm away within a second of her hand being placed. He plays it off like he's got a scratch. She then moves her hand up and twirls a loose strand of strawberry blonde hair around her finger. I see Tyler's eyes advert to me before looking back at her.

He leans close to her ear and when he pulls away she turns her head and scowls at me. I raise my eyebrows and she scoffs, scooting the chair back and standing abruptly. She walks out of the room with her nose in the air. Harper and I both turn our heads to watch her before looking back at Tyler.

"You can't possibly be anywhere without being hit on by someone, can you?" I giggle as I slip from Harper's grip and sit back in my seat.

"Why is it that people hit on me?" Tyler looks at us.

"Because you're one of the sexiest men on the planet," I hear Tara's giggle as soon as the words are out of her mouth.

Tyler laughs. "Hey, lesbo!"

"Hey, breeder," Tara says as she comes up and stands next to me. Tyler raises his hand and she high fives him.

"Why the sexy dress?" He looks her up and down before he raises an eyebrow.

"She met someone at the gay bar and didn't come home at all. Came straight from the girl's house." I roll my eyes as I look up at her.

"She actually lives in an apartment. Really close to you guys actually." She points to me and Harper.

"Really? Maybe we should invite her over sometime, yeah?" Harper smiles at me.

I shrug and look back to Tyler. "Have they told you how much longer you're in the hospital for?"

Tyler opens his mouth to speak, but before he can say anything, another voice speaks. "I was just coming in here to tell you that," a low chuckle makes me turn around. A doctor with shaggy brown hair is walking to the bed, his blue eyes focused on the clipboard in his hand as he flips through the papers. "I'm going to check for any post-op infections from the surgery and if there are none... you should be good to go home. But you will need to be strictly bedrest for... about 6 weeks. That is, for the time you aren't here getting a checkup. That needs to be every 2 weeks."

"Well, where am I going to be staying?" Tyler looks around the room.

"You can stay with us!" Mom jumps into the conversation. "God, I've missed having kids in the house. What do you think, Henry?"

"I think that you need a dose of our children in the house. That way you can actually clean up a mess and not the same damn thing over and over again." Henry laughs.

"Yeah, we can stay with you guys so if there's another emergency we can watch him," Harper suggests, laying his hand on my shoulder. Me and Tyler look at each other with the same look. The Omg-We'll-Get-So-Much-Privacy-look.

"I guess it only makes sense," I say as I look over at Mom and Henry.

Mom smiles and claps her hands, "Oh! It'll be just like it used to be!"

Tyler and I both laugh at her enthusiasm. It's kind of odd that she wants it to be how it used to be. Where I was a nosy, ass-kicking, emotional, and actually kind of horny teenager.

I feel Tyler's hand grab mine. I look down at his hand holding mine in its grasp and I can't help but smile.

~~~~~

Word Count: 1790

Ugh I'm sorry for this being late or whatever. It was supposed to go up the other day but I got distracted, then I just was not in the mood yesterday. But now I'm kinda in the mood so idk. Anyway, I'm on the bus as usual and I went to bed super early last night but I think I slept too much.

Either way, I've got so much planned for this story. Y'all just have to bear with me on how slow this might be.

I mean I'm trying to do all the um stuff but there's a lot.

-

Also the school blocked Wattpad on our chrome books so now it's gonna be hella hard to write during my free time in class.

But now I'm watching TØP music videos soooo yeeee.

-

Fuck I have to pee so bad. Omg. I'm on the bus again now 😂😂😂😂

I think I'm going to die. This drive is so bumpy. Ugh as soon as I'm home I'm taking a straight-line to the pisser.

I'm really open about this stuff. Why? I do not know. I'll probably end up posting this chapter before I pee.

So yeah.

Anyway. I should be updating sooner this time because it's the weekend so like... yeah.

Comment your thoughts please! I love reading Y'alls comments when you read certain paragraphs or sentences or like dialog and y'all comment like what y'all think and stuff or you're like "Omg. That is like (insert whatever word)"

Also I love you guys. Y'all are my lovelies and dudos and like fr. *smooches* I love you guys!

Shoutouts:
oceans_atehxpe