My eyes wander lazily over the T.V. screen, the coloured pixels offering an optical distraction for my running mind - the couch cushions silhouetting under my slumbering body. I try to resist, but my eyes stalk up the staircase - fixating on Harvey's closed bedroom door. They're in there. He's in there. Do I really not care about him? I know he's an asshole but do I really not car-

My mental conversation is disrupted by the door opening, my eyes withdrawing from the staircase - awkwardly manoeuvring back to the T.V. I steal a glimpse of Casey's face, his eyes darting to mine before I retract them back the screen.

"If you wanted to see my pretty, sexy face before I left, you could've just knocked on the door." A playful tone dances around his slurred words, his previously cold demeanour replaced with a mellowed expression - the emptiness gone.

He saunters over, swaying as his legs stumble him towards me - his arm grabbing the couch for support. I roll my eyes over him, his disheveled uniform hanging loosely around his torso - the unbuttoned shirt revealing his chiseled body. Damn.

"Are you drunk? It's a Wednesday night?" I ask a question I already know the answer to, his inebriated giggle confirming my suspicion. His eyes gloss over as he locks me in a stare down, his green orbs of organic beauty an irresistible sight.

"I just needed something to relaxxx. And then your brother fell asleep so I drank his stuff thingys as well. But now, imma drive home cause I'm tireddd. And I wanna nappp." My heartbeat rises as I comprehend his sentence, a scream leaving my mouth as his fingers wrap around the front door handle.

"Wait! You are not drinking and driving Casey. Just crash here on the couch ya idiot." His tired eyes blink slowly, hazily processing my command. Sluggishly, he turns back around, a thud following him as he bodyslams onto me on the couch, laughing as his weight crashes down on me.

"Get off me, ugh you're such a fat ass. I meant that couch over there." I yell out as he locks his arms around me, his giggling chest vibrating through the duvet. His scent floods my nostrils - the familiar mixture of fruits, with an added wisp of alcohol.

"I've got a nice ass actually." His whisper just meets my ears, our faces inches a part - our lips inches apart. The silence an eternal length. He rolls his tongue over his bottom lip, but freezes - doing nothing; saying nothing - teasing me. My eyes are unable to withstand his unbuttoned shirt, gradually dropping lower and scanning over his body; his chest; his pecs; his naval; his showing underwear band; his jeans zipper; his...stuff.

"I really fucked up didn't I?" He whispers out again, pulling my eyes back up to his.

I nod slowly, my silence capturing the impact of a plethora of words in a simple gesture. The passion draining from his eyes - the drunken confidence gone.

"Does he treat you good?" I repeat my nod. He repeats his sad expression. The sexy silence now an awkward tension, his eyes darting around trying to find something - anything - to distract him.

"Well then," He pushes up, drifting away from me - the pressure of his hold releasing from around my arms. "I'm really happy for you two. I'm happy that you've found a guy that can actually treat you right...I guess I better go to the other couch then." He smiles and pushes away. Pushing away physically; pushing away sexually; pushing away emotionally - pushing away full stop; the intoxicating bubble of passion we've surrounded ourselves with - popped.

He huddles up on the spare sofa, his eyes fighting against the weight of sleep as they flutter closed, the T.V. screen casting a light radiance over his face - like a sleeping kitten. I flick the T.V. off, casting the room into a silent darkness, and drag my duvet across the floor, laying it over him.

"Goodnight Casey." I mumble out, his brows furrowing as he nuzzles his head into the couch cushion. I peck his forehead - quietly wishing him sweet dreams. My gaze lays on him as I retreat back up the staircase to my bedroom.

**********

My eyes flick open, the scarce beams of light peeking through my blinds - hazing my vision. I roll over, lopping my arm over onto the empty side of the bed, half-expecting Casey to be there greeting me.

I swing my legs over the bed, walking out into the chilly hallway - my eyes scanning over the empty lounge; the blanket folded neatly on the couch. My eyes dart to the loud whirring sound in the kitchen, Harvey blending his daily breakfast shake.

"Hey Harvey." I greet as I near the island, the blender tuning off as he nods in acknowledgement. "Did someone crash here last night or something?" I motion to the couch duvet, trying to subtly manipulate the conversation.

"Oh yeah. Me and Casey had a few drinks, well a lot of drinks, last night and then when I woke up he had just finished spewing. He's way more hungover then me, and he looked like shit. You just missed him actually, by like 10 minutes or so."

"Oh Casey was here? I saw him come in but I must've been asleep when he left...anyways...why were yous drinking on a Wednesday? And how do you not feel like shit?" He laughs as he chugs down his milkshake, emptying it in one rapidly swift slurp.

"Well I barely drank anything, he drank like both of our boxes and then some basically, I don't even know how he's still alive to be honest. But he just had some stuff on his mind, he's been like that for a few days now. Annabelle cheated on him...again...so he broke it off, like actually broke it off, cussing her out in front of the whole team and her latest conquest." I feign a laugh, the idea of Casey flipping his shit triggering something inside of me. Fuck Annabelle.

"And yeah. Apparently he had a thing with someone else like a few days ago, I don't know who, and he was gonna ask them out cause he said he loved them or whatever, and was gonna like ask them to homecoming and introduce them to the bros or something like that. But when I saw him the next day, he said it didn't end up how he wanted, so he's been a crybaby since to be honest." He lets out a giggle at the end of his explanation, his laughter shattering my heart - Am I the reason he's been so sad? Was he going to ask me out...was he going to stop me from being his dirty little secret?

My attention's snapped away by the dinging of my phone, my eyes darting to the notification.

Morning Sunshine. Wanna ditch school altogether and come to mine? xo

I bite my lip, reading over the message; my fingers hovering over the keyboard. My mind tries to comprehend the immense amount of new information, flinging around aimlessly. I place my hand on my heart, calming my pulse - receiving a strange look in return.

"Bye Harvey. I'll text you later. I gotta go." I yell out as I dash to the front door, his response fading into the distance as I run outside.

I slide into the car. Click my seat belt. Take a deep breath. Turn the key. Ignite the engine. Reverse onto the main road. 2 point turn. And drive off.

A/N

Hello! Thank you so much for reading the chapter, and also keeping up with the book so far! In this chapter I really tried to develop the character arcs and I can feel the story coming to completion, which is both happy and sad for me.

Anyways, I read all the comments on the last chapter and I'm glad you guys are just as inconclusive about the relationships as I am - however, I have finalised the ending in my head...and some of you aren't going to like it sorry.

Also, I saw more #teamthreesome..and you know what...I ain't mad about it. Imagine if that's the ending, what a plot twist! :P

I hope you all had a good New Years celebration, and I can't wait to read your thoughts and opinions about the chapter.! :D

- YOP