“I don’t deserve you. You’re an angel,” I slur, cuddling him back. Elijah pretends to gag.
“You guys are gross,” he jests.
We continue to stumble into the house. Cat, Daisy and Kai are on the couch talking between themselves before looking over at us.
“Do you guys have any food? I’m really hungry,” I ask, going into the kitchen.
“Yeah there’s pizza on the?—”
“Pizza?” I exclaim, interrupting Elijah. Teddy follows me and grabs a slice. We start stuffing our drunk faces with cold pizza, cuddling and poking each other while laughing hysterically. Everyone watches us, sniggering between themselves.
“Do you guys want?—”
“I think they’ve had enough alcohol Eli,” Cat laughs, telling him to put the Cider away.
“I agree, to be honest, I’m like… a bit tired,” I say through a mouthful of pizza.
“Noah, you say ‘like’ a lot, you know that?” Teddy says, poking me repeatedly in the shoulder. I grab his finger and use it to poke his cheek.
“Stop saying my name it sounds weird,” I say.
“Why?”
“Call me baby,” I reply with a grin on my cheeks.
“This guy thinks he’s Carly Rae Jepsen over here,” Elijah groans. Kai and the girls laugh at him.
They correct him in unison. “It’s call me,maybe.”
“What? I always thought it was baby?” He says, looking at Kai.
“I’m sorry to say, but it’s definitely maybe,” he laughs. Elijah puts his face in his hands.
“I’ve been lied to all this time?” He cries sarcastically. Kai puts an arm around him and pats his back until the two dissolve into laughter.
“Hi baby,” Teddy whispers into my ear.
“Hi, pumpkin.”
“Pumpkin? It isn’t even Halloween, idiot.”
“You’re the idiot, I’m just trying new things leave me alone,” I say, playfully punching him in the arm. We all laugh before we start to head into Teddy’s bedroom, saying goodnight on our way out.
We fall into his bed, our drunken brains weighing us down. I’m in love with everything about him. The way his eyes remind me of the ocean. The way his smile lights up a room. The way his chocolate hair falls over his face, and how he fixes it all the time. And how?—
“You’re deep in thought again,” he says, his voice vibrating through me. I think I might start hiding under a table because of the earthquake in my heart.
“I’m thinking about how pretty you are,” I say, my eyes staring into his.
“Says you,” he replies, winking. “You’re the prettiest boy I’ve ever met.” He kisses me on the forehead and accepts his fate as he begins to fall asleep. I lie there, staring at him. It sounds creepy but I just want to watch him sleep. The way his chest rises and falls with his breath. Then the low sound of his breathing that escapes his nose. The look he has, indicating how at peace he feels.
“Teddy, I think… I love you,” I whisper, causing the boy beside me to smile with his eyes closed. He holds me closer.
“I love you, too.”
It isn’t long until I accept my fate too. I drift off to sleep in his arms.
We sleep in bed for most of the day to sleep off the hangover. I’m in love with the warmth radiating off the beautiful boy next to me. I snuggle in more and more until there is no space between us.
