We'd stayed at Lelands for just over two hours. It was nice to hang out with her again and just talk. Things have been so crazy around here that I haven't have the chance to just sit and talk with someone about life.

Both the boys told her, Sage and Ashley, embarrassing stories about me. I'd told some about them too, making everyone laugh.

I loved Texas, and I loved everyone there but damn I forgot how much I love it here too.

"So what are you guys going to do now?" Rick asks just as we're getting ready to leave

"Well, mom wants to see you pronto," Sage grins at me. Her mom was awesome, she was always making food or yelling at one of Sage's little siblings, it was comical actually. But she was also the sweetest woman you could ever meet.

"I guess we're going to sages house then" I laugh looking back over at Leland and Rick

"Okay well be careful, have fun and we expect to see all five of you back here tomorrow" Leland smiles at us

"We will!" I call back as we walk out

"It was nice meeting you!" Both Jordan and Co tell them before we're out of the diner.

"Okay so, be aware, my little sisters are going to be all over you" Sage warns both Jordan and Caleb who just laugh in response

"They're used to it, don't flame their egos anymore or else they may explode" I laugh, looking at them both. I feel a pang of sadness shred through me.

Normally, Caleb would make a smartass comment. It would be something that would make me roll my eyes yet smile the widest smile, but he just stayed quiet, and looks up at the skyscrapers towering around us.

Thankfully, Jordan, Sage and Ash has been getting along just fine. Though I'm not surprised, Jordan can get along with anyone if he wants to, and the same is said for Sage and Ashley.

"After we go to Sage's house what are we gonna do?" Caleb breaks our silence as he and I walked behind our three other friends

I didn't even realize he was talking to me at first until I looked over at him to see him already looking down at me

"Oh, well I was thinking on doing some touristy stuff, there's no point in going to Chicago if you aren't going to take stupid pictures in front of the bean" I shrug, I notice his lips quirk up as he nods his head

"Could we go to Navy Pier?" He asks, like a little kid asking permission "I don't know I've heard a lot of people talk about it and they say it's pretty fun"

"I was planning on that after your guys' meeting with the coach, Navy Pier late at night is the best, you'd love it" I tell him "Especially the Ferris wheel, you always loved things that scared the shit out of me"

"That's true" he chuckles looking out to the lakefront. That was another thing I'd loved about Chicago, the summer was one of the best times of the year, there was always something to do on the lakefront. "Remember the circus?"

"Yeah, and you guilt tripping me into taking a picture with the clown" I huff as he laughs

"I don't understand why you hate them! They're just dudes with makeup on, that's it" he grins, nudging my are with his

"Okay, they are not, they are evil and nothing you ever do will change my mind" I reason. Fuck clowns. I hate them with a passion.

"Fine" he huffs dramatically "You're gonna do a ropes course one day though, even if I have to drag you through one myself" that was another thing I was terrified of. There are these ropes obstacle courses suspended high off the ground, all of my friends and brothers loved them, I was for some reason terrified of them. It was always an irrational fear of mine.

"Fine. Then you're gonna have to fly without me holding your hand" I smirk at him, he just rolls his eyes in response, but I don't miss the grin that's on his face.

This right here was what I missed. He was my best friend before anything, and this was what I needed. I could go without kissing him, sleeping with him and all the romantic shit, but I couldn't bear not talking to him. Not laughing with or teasing him.

I'd noticed the three in front of us had gotten quiet, and I know Caleb had too as they all whip their heads back around to look in front of them, giggling like preteen school girls.

"Shut up" Co and I yell them simultaneously

"Didn't say anything" they all respond, equal amusement in their voices

"Okay we're here!" Sage smiles "Mom's excited to see you"

"I'm excited to see her" I can't help but grab as we all in "Mom I'm home!" I yell

"BELLE!" I hear from somewhere in the house before the pounding of stairs is heard and three of Sages five little siblings reveal themselves. Like me, she too had a huge family, I think that's one of the reason we'd clicked so quickly, both coming from loud obnoxious backgrounds.

"Hey guys!" I open my arms as they all come running down the hall to me. Sage was the oldest of six, her being one of three girls and then having three other little brothers.

Her brother, Mateo, who had grown taller than me despite only being in eighth grade, wraps me up in a hug first just as her other little brother, Sterling, the sixth grader, joins him. Her youngest sister and baby of the family, Sophia, wraps herself around my leg.

"What's up guys?" I laughs as they release me "Wheres the other two?"

"Madi and Mikey will be back soon, ma sent them to the store a few minutes ago" Mateo tells us

"Where's Ma?" Sage questions

"I'm back here and you better have my Bebe with you or I'm going to beat your ass!" She calls from the kitchen playfully

"I'm here!" I yell as I run to the back of the house, straight into the kitchen to see her mom, in an apron with a plates of flan spreading the countertop.

"Ah mi novia!" Her mom yells before wrapping me up in a hug "How has Texas been? The sun looks to be treating you well, you look so tan! And look at that hair! It's gotten so long! And lighter too!" She talk quickly as she inspects me

"Texas has been great! I missed my family so it was nice being back with them" I tell her "How has everything been here?" I ask sitting on a stool at the island. I hear Jordan's and Ashley's laughs along with Sophia's cute giggle from the hall as I do so.

"Everything been great! Madi has been driving me insane with her annoying teenager attitude, Mateo shot up out of nowhere, he's on a new team for baseball now too, got on the Rebels." Mateo was an amazing pitcher and the rebels were one of the nets travel teams in northern Illinois, I was proud of him. "Mikey is working now down at the restaurant with Madi,"

"Really?" I can believe he was working, I forgot he's old enough to drive now

"Oh yeah, he shot up too, almost taller than Miguel now" Sage smiles, Miguel was Sages dad, he was the co-owner of their restaurant further in the city, he was probably there now.

"That's insane" I laugh

"And I am great as always" Sterling states, entering the kitchen "I'm top of the gymnastics team at school,"

"Damn, you gotta teach me to do some tricks, I need to be more flexible" Jordan says entering the kitchen behind Sterling.

"And who might this young man be?" Sages mom smiles at Jordan.

"This is my friend Jordan from back home" I iontorducs Jordan to her "and Jordan, this is Sages mom, Stephanie."

"Nice to meet you Mrs.Mendoza"

"Please, Stephanie," she laughs "You call me Mrs. Mendoza again and I just might have to kick you out with no dinner."

"Note taken" he laughs,

"Es guapo Bailey Ryanne" Sages mom smirks at me, Thankfully Jordan took four years of German, not Spanish.

"Oh no no, él es mi mejor amigo solomente" I grin, Jordan and I are best friends and that's it and all it will ever be. I love him, and I'd die for him, but I'm positive that we're both repulsed at the thought of having to merely kiss the other.

"Mhm," she smirks and I roll my eyes

"Mama!" Sophia yells as he runs into the kitchen pulling Calebs sleeve. She's followed by Caleb, Sage and Ashley who were laughing their asses off "This is Caleb Kazer and Jordan Moroney and they're going to be in the NFL Draft" she says almost breathless from running through the house "These are the two teenage guys I was telling you about, Belle why didn't you tell me you knew them!" The fourth grader yells at me. I knew she was obsessed with football but I wouldn't have thought she'd know them.

"Oh really?" Her mom laughs

"No ma she's not joking" Sage laughs "They have a meeting with the coaches for the bears later today"

"Damn really?" Her moms eyes now wide "That's amazing"

"Thank you" Caleb smiles at her "Oh and I'm sorry, I never introduced myself, I'm Caleb, one of Belles friends back from Texas" he smiles, as she, much like Leland, ignored his hand and pulls him in for a hug

"Nice to meet you hon, I'm Stephanie, and like I told Jordan, if you call me Mrs.Mendoza, I just might have to kick you out without any food"

"Note taken" he smiles just like Jordan had

"Oh now Él es muy muy guapo" she grin making me laugh

"Yo sé" I grin at her "Nuestras relaciones es una historia larga" I was by no means fluent but I knew a little Spanish. I didn't have to know much to know what she was getting at.

"Me contarás toda la historia más tarde.¿entiendo?" She raises a bow at me, giving me her sternest 'mom' look that makes both Sage and I laugh

I just laugh

"Okay"

"Good" Stephanie goes back to her smiling face as Co just raises his eyebrow, looking between us.

"Nothin" I tell him, knowing what he was thinking

"So mama what do we have here" Ashley grins, plopping her ass beside me, but before Stephanie can even answer, she's cut off by her second and third oldest children.

"Kalanski!" Both Madi and Mikey burst through the door before tackling me, just like their siblings had.

Madi and I were the same age while Mikey was a year younger than us. Mikey and Madi were the same amount of time apart as Colton and I. Mikey was basically another little brother to me.

"Hey guys!"

"Did you bring me any presents from Texas?" Mikey questions with a grin

"My presence" I laugh, pushing his head away before Madi pulls my attention back to her

"Dude have I missed you, I need another girl my age around here, Sage is never home anymore" Lina huffs Before looking around, her eyes landing on Jordy and Caleb and widening slightly.

"So Madi, remember my best friends from home that I was telling you about, well this is-"

"Jordan Moroney and Caleb Kazer!" She yells "I follow you both on Instagram holy shit Bails!" She yells looking back from them to me and then back to them

They both just laugh as they wave across the kitchen.

"Holy shit they're hotter in person" she whispers to me

"Sorry, Jordans taken" I laugh

"Oh I am too, doesn't mean I can't look" she smiles at the boys who just laugh at her response.

"It's nice finally meeting all you guys, Bails has told us so much about you guys" Jordan grins

"You guys too" Mikey laughs doing the guy handshake with them. It was crazy, him and Mateo were both almost as tall as them now.

"Okay can I teach you flips now?" Sterling questions excitedly looking up at the boys

"If it's alright with your mom" Caleb grins looking up at Stephanie

"Be my guest" she laughs, but before she can even finish the phrase, Sterling and Sapphire are running out back with all of us on tow.

The next two hours consisted of the two trying to teach Jordan and Co how to do a backflip, it took a while seeing as the two giants, for as athletic as they were, had little coordination with these things. Co was eventually able to get ahold of it for the most part. Jordan on the other hand had absolutely no idea what he was doing, so instead Sterling taught him how to do one of those hand back flip thingies. I don't know what they're called, back handspring maybe? I don't know, but it was fun to watch.

"Okay we gotta go, our meetings at six-fifteen and it's already four thirty" Jordan says after stuffing his phone back into his back pocket,

"Aww" the younger two pout

"We'll be back though, if not later tonight, definitely Sunday" Caleb grins, messing up Soph's hair

"Okay" she just giggles, looking up at him

"Good luck at your meeting guys" Ashley grins giving both of them hugs as Sage follows. I give Jordan a hug as Caleb hugs Sages mom, and I almost give Co one, but I didn't know if I should. I didn't know if we were at that point.

"Uh thanks guys" Co smiles "We'll see you guys in a bit" he says to Ash, Sage and I

"Yep" I nod awkwardly

The both walk to the front of the house as the three of us sit back at the kitchen table, the two of them looking at me.

"What?"

"Why didn't you give him a hug?!" They questions are the same time

"Well- I-I don't know" I try to come up with some sort of reason but I got nothing. I was just unsure I guess

"Go" Sage says

"Just give him a hug, after spending hours with that boy even I can't be mad at home" Ash tells me

I just nods before running to the front of the house and out the door, they had just started the walk back to the hotel when I call Co.

"Yeah?" He asks as I approach

I don't say anything, just wrap him up in a hug. He hesitates, before wrapping his arms around my waist.

"What's this for?" He questions quietly just after we release eachother.

"Uh- just-just good luck at your meeting" I whisper back so quiet I didn't know if he could hear it. He's quiet for a second as a grin makes its way to his face and butterflies explode in my stomach.

"Thanks princess"