She's back. For good. Layla is back home for good. And I am about two seconds away from just grabbing her and kissing her like I so desperately want to.

After a lot of convincing, I ended up staying in school for the rest of chemistry class which was my last class of the day. I wanted to just go home with her and forget about school. My best friend is back for good and I don't want to waste a second of it. But Layla was having none of that and basically forced me back into my chemistry class.

Once she left, Ella started bombarding me with questions.

"Was that your friend that moved away?"

"Is she just visiting?"

"When will she be going away again?"

"She looks different in person, doesn't she?"

"Are you guys still really close?"

"Is she just a friend?"

I wanted to scream honestly. I ended up just telling her the truth, short and simple.

"She's moving back here."

Soon after that the bell rang – thankfully – and I was able to escape her questioning. The end of the day couldn't come quick enough, but as soon as that last bell rang, Liam, Anna and I were off towards Layla's house, Amanda and Mark just behind us in his car as well.

There were heaps of hugs that went around as everyone welcomed Layla and Bella back. My parents soon came around as well with Cody, Macy and Sophie and there were even more hugs and a few more tears shed. For a good ten minutes, Layla, Amanda and Anna were basically just a sobbing heap on their living room floor. Then the next twenty minutes were spent with them talking about everything that had happened while she was gone, even though they talked on the phone every day.

Eventually we decided to order some pizzas and have dinner together. My parents and Layla's dad moved into the dining room for tea and coffee after, while we all spread out across the living room and watched an episode of Friends.

Unfortunately, Layla and I didn't end up having a couch to ourselves, so we weren't able to do our thing. But I was more than content sitting on the floor with my back against the couch, Layla sitting on it behind me with her hands in my hair.

One episode of Friends soon turned into three and the three kids ended up passed out on the other couch. My parents decided to take them home and let us stay a while longer and I would drive us home later. Amanda and Mark left soon after that as well.

Bella, Claire, and Max moved up onto the couch that the kids were occupying before and soon ended up asleep as well. Max sits on one end of the couch, his head tilted to the side as he sleeps while Claire is on the other end, curled up in the corner. Bella ends up spread across the couch, her head in Max's lap and her feet in Claire's.

Anna and Liam take up the armchair, cuddling on that together while Layla and I finally end up with a couch to ourselves. So now, my head rests in her lap and her hand is in my hair. I feel really, truly at peace.

As the night goes on, I begin to get more and more tired. I end up shifting my head and arms so that my face is pressed into Layla's stomach and I have my arms wound around her waist. I feel her body shake with silent laughter once I have done so, her hand moving to scratch up and down my back soothingly. No one that isn't in my family has ever made me feel so loved. Too bad it's only platonic on her end.

I feel myself getting sleepier and sleepier the longer I lie in her lap. And I know I will have to take my siblings home soon, but I can't help the absolute serene feeling I have with her. It calms me right to my core and my eyes fall shut before I can stop them.

~

"Wake up, dipshít."

What lovely words to wake up to.

I groan, squeezing the person I'm holding in my arms. I don't have to open my eyes to know that it's Layla and I won't open my eyes because I want an excuse to hold her for longer.

"It's okay, Liam, I'll wake him up. Do you know where his keys are?" The voice of an angel speaks right next to my ear although the words are not directed at me. I realise I have my head resting in the crook of her neck and I'm literally lying on top of her. Oh well, she doesn't seem to mind.

"Yeah, I got them. We'll see you at school?" Liam's voice sounds like he's walking away, and I'm happy I will get some time alone with Layla.

"See you soon!" Layla calls back cheerily before the room falls silent. Her hands slowly rub up and down my back soothingly and I know I could easily stay like this forever. "Wake up, Reece." She whispers softly next to my ear.

"No." I grumble, circling my arms around her waist even tighter. She's so tiny.

"Too late, clearly." She giggles.

"Let me sleep." I mutter into the skin of her neck as I nuzzle my nose closer. She's so warm.

"But you're heavy." She grumbles.

I lift my head up slightly and raise an eyebrow playfully, "You calling me fat?"

She shrugs, "If the shoe fits."

I huff, resting my head back down on her shoulder for a moment longer before lifting it again. "Give me a kiss and I'll get up." I tell her, angling my head to the side so that my cheek is available to her. For a second, my mind wanders to the possibility of her grabbing my face and turning it so that she can kiss my lips instead, but I quickly squash that idea down. My heart stutters when she cranes her head up and kisses my cheek, a smile lifting my lips. I get up, as promised, stretching out my stiff limbs.

"Okay, I'm going to go upstairs and get ready. Grab something to eat, then we'll stop by your place so you can get ready before we head to school, alright?" She looks up at me with a small smile, her head tilted slightly.

I nod, just looking her over for a moment. "I am so fúcking glad you're back."

Smiling wider, she steps forward and hooks her arms around my waist, squeezing me into a tight hug that I happily reciprocate. "I'm glad to be back." She pushes up onto the tips of her toes and gives me another kiss on the cheek before pulling away quickly. "I'll be down soon." She tells me before skipping away and upstairs.

Sighing contently, I stretch my tired arms out above my head before walking through to the kitchen. As soon as I walk in, I spot Bella sitting at the dining room table, eating a bowl of cereal. She smiles at me and nods towards the cereal box on the bench. "You can have some of my Cap'N Crunch so you don't have to suffer through a bowl of Layla's Cocoa Puffs."

I smile, taking her up on her offer and pouring a bowl of the cereal for myself. "Thank God. Who eats Cocoa Puffs? They're gross."

Bella's eyes widen, "I know! It's her favourite and I just don't understand it. Cap'N Crunch is way better."

"I'm more of a Cinnamon Toast Crunch kinda a guy, but Cap'N Crunch is definitely up there." I sit down next to her at the table and take a bite, nodding my head, "Cocoa Puffs come nowhere close to this."

She laughs, nodding her head in agreement. She swallows her mouthful of cereal before looking at me with raised eyebrows, "So you and my sister looked quite cosy this morning."

I only raise an eyebrow, "So did you and my brother last night."

Her cheeks flush and she looks away, "Touché." Then her lips turn up into a smirk, "But at least mine's just a crush." She eats another spoonful of cereal before pointing her empty spoon at me, "You're in love with my sister."

I scoff, shoving a large spoonful of cereal into my mouth before grumbling, "No I'm not."

"Deny it all you like, Reece, but I know about the tattoo. I mean, come on?" She raises an eyebrow, "The tattoo, the necklace, the nickname. It's blatantly obvious."

"Not to her." I mutter with a sigh.

"Yeah, well, you're both blind." She mutters and I furrow my brows.

"Who's blind?" Layla skips into the kitchen then, looking as happy as every with her hair tamed into a high ponytail and a fresh pair of clothes on. She's now wearing a button-up sweater and some blue jeans. She always manages to look gorgeous in anything she wears.

"My pet fish." Bella blurts, shoving more cereal into her mouth.

Layla pauses halfway to the kitchen, looking back at Bella with furrowed brows. "What pet fish?"

"You know, Bubbles. I've been thinking about it and I think he was blind. Y'know, before he died and stuff. He was always swimming into the glass like an idiot." Bella rambles, and I have to say, she's good at diverting conversation.

"Right..." Layla drags out the word, slowly making her way into the kitchen and grabbing a box of Cocoa Puffs from the cupboard. She turns back around and frowns when she sees what I'm eating, "You didn't want my cereal?"

"Sorry, Sunshine," I mumble around a spoonful of Cap'N Crunch, "Your cereal sucks áss."

A pout forms on her lips as she pours her bowl of cereal, "You're mean."

"Not mean, just honest." I argue.

Once she has finished pouring milk into her bowl, she comes and sits beside me, her eyes narrowed, "And mean."

Leaning in closer to her, I gently nudge her arm with mine, "I'm sorry, Sunshine."

She looks up at me and nods, "So am I," She grins, "I'm sorry you have such terrible taste in cereal."

"Ooh, that's way harsh." Bella comments, "Reece and I have much better taste, Layla, just admit it."

"Nope." Layla grins, eating a spoonful of cereal. Then her eyes brighten, and she wiggles her eyebrows as she looks at Bella. "So, you and Max looked pretty cosy last night."

"You've got to be kidding me!"

~

For once I'm actually excited to go to school. I know, crazy, right? But Sunshine is back, and she makes me crazy. I'm looking forward to sitting next to her in classes and having lunch together again. I've missed her.

My first and last classes today are with Layla and I honestly can't wait. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself in the rest of my classes knowing that she's in the same building with me. I might go insane.

Layla dropped me off at my place before school so that I could change and then I caught a lift to school with Liam and Anna because my dad took the seven-seater to drop off the kids. Now that I'm at school I'm heading straight to her locker because I already feel as though I've been away from her for too long. Am I getting clingy? Probably.

"Reece!" A female voice calls out and I spin around, thinking it's Sunshine. But I'm disappointed when I come face-to-face will Ella instead. She grins, falling into step beside me and my lips fall into a scowl. "How are you this morning?"

"Fine." I grumble. I'd be better if Sunshine were with me.

"Just fine?" She pushes.

I turn to her with my eyes slightly narrowed, "Yes."

When I look ahead of me again my eyes instantly find the person I'm looking for. She's standing at her locker, putting all her books and things back into it. It's great that the school was able to slot her right back into where she was before she left. Her locker, classes and everything is the same.

A small smile lifts my lips as I approach her but when I reach her, I stop. I want to pull her into a hug, but I don't want to make her uncomfortable. Just because I love being affectionate with her, doesn't mean she does.

She quickly notices me now standing beside her and she grins, lifting up onto her toes and giving me a kiss on the cheek in greeting. That relaxes me slightly. I overthink too much. She has always been affectionate with me as well.

"Hey, Reece. You just get here?" She asks sweetly, continuing to organise her locker.

"Uh huh. Just a minute ago." I reply.

Her eyebrows furrow and I find it adorable. "Don't you need to go to your locker?"

I shake my head, "Nah, I've got everything I need already."

"Um, I don't think we've ever actually met in person." Ella speaks up then and my face falls again. I forgot she's here too. Sunshine turns to her with a small smile though and takes her hand when she's offered it to shake. "I'm Ella."

Sunshine smiles warmly, "I remember you from some of my calls with Reece. I'm Layla."

"I remember. You used to be in the chemistry class that I share with Reece now, right?" Ella tilts her head and something about her words ticks me off.

"Yeah, I'm actually going back to all the same classes, so I'll be joining that class again." She turns to me then and her smile widens, "We'll have calculus and chemistry together again."

I smile, "Looking forward to it, Sunshine."

"Hey, hoes." Amanda walks up to us with a smile, immediately moving forward to embrace Layla in another hug. "I'm glad you're back."

"So am I. Where's Mark?" Layla asks, releasing her from the hug so she can continue with her locker sorting.

"Not here yet." Amanda replies before turning to me, "Where are Liam and Anna?"

"They're stopping off at Anna's locker before they meet us here."

"Party at my locker, huh?" Layla grins, shoving the last book inside before closing it and turning around. "Maybe we can meet them halfway?"

I nod, "Let's go." I automatically lift my arm to rest around her shoulders and she nestles into my side like she never left.

"So, Layla, what made you decide to come back to California?" Ella asks Layla, looking over at her from the other side of me.

"My dad still lives here with my dog and I really missed him. My life is here, school, friends, everything. My mom wanted my sister and I to live with her, but we all knew it wasn't working. So, I came back." Layla shrugs with a small smile.

"Does it feel weird being back after you missed so much? I mean, it must be hard transitioning back into life here, right?" Ella keeps the sweet smile on her face, but her words seem to have a bit of bite to them. I don't know what she's trying to get at.

Layla only smiles, "I don't think I've missed too much, my friends have kept me pretty in the loop while I was gone. And the transition hasn't been hard so far, I'm going back to the same classes and everything and I have my friends to help me get back into the swing of things." She looks up at me and I squeeze her a little closer, giving her a smile.

"Blondie!" Liam calls out from Anna's locker when we round the corner and he starts bounding towards us. Shaking my head, I let Layla slip from my hold so he can pick her up in a bear hug. "Have I mentioned how glad I am you're back? Reece isn't going to be grumpy at school anymore!"

"I'm not grumpy." I frown, folding my arms across my chest.

"You've been grumpy with me away, have you?" Layla smiles, walking back up to me.

"Not because you were away." I argue.

"Oh really?" She grins, standing right in front of me now.

I sigh, holding my arms out, "Stop playing and just give me a hug, Sunshine."

She falls into my embrace easily, squeezing me tightly before turning in my arms to face everyone else. No move is made on her part to separate herself from me, so I keep an arm around her shoulder, holding her back to my chest.

The conversation continues, but I admittedly am not really paying attention. I'm more focused on the spirals and patterns Layla is tracing over my forearm with her nails. I've missed her presence.

"Are you and Bella coming over after school?" I ask softly in her ear, hoping she will say yes.

I get an immediate nod in response, "Definitely. We're talking about that now."

"I'm not really listening, if you haven't noticed, Sunshine." I chuckle softly.

"I know." She looks up at me so I can see her grin. "We're all going to the diner after school, then I'll go home and get Bella and we'll go to your place for dinner. That's what Anna said anyway."

Layla jumps slightly when the bell rings and I have to hold back a smile. "You ready for Chem?" She asks.

"Now that you're here? Definitely."

We say goodbye to everyone else and start walking towards our classroom. Ella stays beside me and I have to hold myself back from telling her to go away. I forgot that she's in my Chemistry class as well.

Walking inside the room, a problem dawns on me. Ella has started sitting in Layla's seat since she's been gone. Now Layla is back. I doubt Ella will move without a fight. She's weird like that.

Once we get to our usual seats, I watch the frown form on Layla's face when Ella immediately goes and sits in her seat. I hold back a sigh, wishing Ella would just leave. I step forward and pull out my usual seat, looking to Layla expectantly. When she only stares at me in confusion, I nod to the seat. "Take my seat, Sunshine."

"But where will you-"

I don't worry about letting her finish her question. Instead, I turn to the guy sitting in the desk beside mine, glaring down at him. "Move." I state, rather than ask. It's times like this that I'm glad I come off as scary to other people. Because the second he looks up at me, his eyes widen and he darts out of his seat.

I turn back to Layla with a smile, expecting a smile in return. She only shakes her head at me, sitting in the seat I pulled out for her. "You should have been nicer to him, Reece. I'm sure he would have moved if you had asked him nicely."

Frowning, I hesitate before sitting in the now free seat. "But-"

"No buts. Be nice." She cuts me off before looking towards the front of the room, not sparing me another glance.

Ella looks over at me, leaning forward to see me over Layla. She frowns. "You're so far away now, Reece."

I shrug, looking away from her and back to Layla. "What a shame," I mutter before reaching out and stealing one of Layla's pens.

"Hey!" She exclaims, turning to me with furrowed brows.

"I'm sorry." I tell her immediately, not talking about the stupid pen.

Her face softens and she reaches out to cup my jaw, brushing her thumb over my cheek soothingly. "It's okay, Reece. I know that you try. I understand."

I let out a breath, relaxing, "Thank God. I thought you were actually angry with me."

She shakes her head. "I could never be actually angry with you, Reece."