Magic or Madness (The Wreck Me Duet #1)

FALLON

I was warned, but I still wasn’t prepared for the absolute chaos that is Camila.

She blows through our night like a small, dark-haired cyclone, and God damn , I’d be worshiping at her feet if she didn’t immediately attempt to sink her claws into Ozzy.

One of the first things I notice is how tan her skin is, a stark contrast to the way her white dress hugs her curves, and how her curly hair flows down her back in waves.

She looks like a fucking beach Goddess, and I suddenly feel inferior next to her, but oddly interested in every move she makes.

“You all look amazing! I’ve missed these faces,” she says, squeezing all the boy's cheeks as she makes her rounds.

We’re in the middle of the club, almost drawing attention to ourselves because of the circle formed around us, but the second her tan little manicured hand reaches for Ozzy’s cheek, I go into protective mode.

“Oh, Oz, you’re still as handsome as I remember,” she gushes, and I step between the two of them with purpose.

“Hi, I’m Fallon,” I offer my hand, blocking her access to my man, and snapping hers back into place.

“Fallon. Okay.” She nods, a small smile creeping across her face as her eyes scan my body.

When her sea-green specs flicker back to mine, there’s a hint of respect behind them, like she understands the reasoning behind my possessive attitude.

“Ozzy’s girl, yes.” I stand my ground, and she smiles again, something that I decipher as genuine.

“ Fallon. Ozzy’s girl . Alright then. Nice work, Oz.” She laughs, moving on to Lex and Max during her reunification tour.

“Relax, Bambi,” Ozzy whispers in my ear, but I shake my head, my claws still fully out and ready to kill.

“Nobody touches you but me.” I wrap my arms around his neck and the rest of the crowd melts away when his eyes meet mine.

“I know, my beautiful girl . Cami is harmless, though,” he says, his hands pressed against my waist.

“No she isn’t. She’s gorgeous, smaller than me, and radiates confidence,” I argue, but he shakes his head, a look of disbelief on his face.

“Wait, are you jealous , Bambi?” His lips curve into the tiniest smile as if he’s enjoying this, and I feel a pang of sadness in my chest as I realize we’ve never dealt with this kind of thing in our relationship before.

Usually, I’m confident standing next to him, proud to be his, but the second Cami came along I felt less than, like a false sense of security had been stolen from me.

I clear my throat and shake out of my thoughts, not letting my self-doubts get the best of me.

“Not jealous. You’re mine, and what’s mine doesn’t get touched.” I sip my drink, attempting to channel the confidence I usually carry, and he pulls me closer.

“She’s a rock next to a fucking diamond, Bambi. Don’t you ever forget that,” he whispers in my ear, sending shockwaves through me.

“Thank you, baby. Maybe I was a little jealous,” I confess, and he swipes the pad of his thumb across my cheek.

“It’s you and me, Fallon. You’re my whole world. I’d never give you a reason to be jealous.” He kisses my forehead, a small gesture of affection that I’ve grown to love, and crave from him.

Whenever I need a bit of reassurance, Ozzy is there, and his gentle touch is my clarity.

This homecoming trip is breathing new life into everyone, and we’ve only been here for a few hours. My only objective is to help these damaged souls find some closure and peace, absolving them of their guilt over what happened to Masha.

Tomorrow is her anniversary, and we’re going on a hike to watch the sunrise on the cliffs overlooking the beach. I’ve spent the last week collecting every piece of information about Masha that I could pry from the boys, and I’ve gathered enough to know what her favorite things were.

Now, we’ll be spending the day doing those activities as a way for them all to feel close to her.

We’ll watch the sunset at her memorial, and stay as long as they want. It’s the best I could do without knowing her personally, but I have a feeling that they all need this more than they’ve realized.

A drunken club night wasn’t a part of the plans, but Ozzy seems so happy to be back in his element. A few of their old friends came over to us, introducing themselves and catching up before giving us our space.

Everyone I’ve come across has a slight reservation about the crew as if they have a reputation around here. One guy warns Max and Lex that there is a new crew in town, but Max makes it clear that we’re here on vacation, not a job. Still, that doesn’t stop said crew from following us out of the club.

Pepper and Lex are stumbling together down the sidewalk, laughing at each other’s terrible jokes, while Cami and Oliver hold hands, walking in sync.

Max is on alert, and Journey’s not far behind, except he also has a friend of his own, who looks to be older than all of us. She’s dressed business casual, with a pencil skirt and a tucked-in blouse, but it’s the first time I’ve seen Journey with his hands on a woman – besides me – so I mind my business.

Ozzy’s hand rests on my lower back, escorting me back to the van as his eyes scan the alleyway and his free hand rests on the pistol in his waistband.

Just as the streetlights end, a voice travels in the distance, echoing off the surrounding buildings, and every one of the guys stops in their tracks.

“Fallon, stand behind me. Now .”

I don’t hesitate, ducking behind him while Pepper and Cami do the same, and the boys create a wall in front of us.

Journey’s girl runs for the hills, darting behind a building before disappearing into the night.

“You’re Doc’s crew, right?” A voice asks, and the others erupt in a sarcastic chorus of laughter.

“We’re not here for work or trouble, alright? Just visiting a friend for the weekend,” Max says, taking a few steps forward.

“This is our turf. You nearly destroyed any chance of work within a fifty-mile radius when you assholes left town. Why should we let you walk our streets?” A man in a dark hoodie and jeans meets Max halfway, his voice bellowing in the otherwise silent night.

“Like I said man, no trouble. Anything that happened after we left is on Doc, take it up with him.” Max cocks his head to the side, holding his hands up in a neutral stance, but their crew inches closer, and our guys are visibly on edge.

This could get dangerous, and all I can do is close my eyes and hope we all make it out unscathed. Ozzy was worried that this would happen, and he didn’t want me anywhere near the fallout, but I’d never back down from a challenge. If this rival crew wants to spill blood, I’m more than ready to get down and dirty.

“Funny thing is, Doc’s nowhere to be found. Folks think he was taken out.” Their leader counters, and Ozzy steps up next to Max, while my desperate tugs on his arm become shaken off.

Oliver slowly walks backward, filling in the space left by Ozzy and keeping our shelter in place. Now that he’s front and center with danger, my heart rate speeds up, and I feel like I’m on the edge of a cliff. If anything happens, or anyone challenges him, I may turn into something that’s uncontrollable. One thing is for sure, I won’t stand by and watch him get hurt.

“We don’t know shit about Doc. What we do know is that we haven’t stepped on toes, or come through disrespectfully. We used to run this town, and instead of cashing out on that, we came in quietly, looking to enjoy a short vacation. You don’t want to make this anything more than it has to be,” Ozzy says calmly, but the rival crew laughs obnoxiously and continues to escalate the confrontation.

The bickering goes back and forth, with insults being lobbed left and right, and the tension is becoming so thick that something is bound to cross a line.

I’ve never witnessed a standoff before, but I’m smack in the middle of one, and admittedly, I’m not afraid. I should be running in the opposite direction, taking cover behind a building, or begging for something beyond our realm to spare my life, but instead, I feel alive in the face of danger.

I’m high off the adrenaline streaming through my veins, and my heart is hammering in my chest, anticipating who will raise the stakes next.

“How about for your trouble, we take your girls for a spin, let them know who really runs this block?” Someone from the opposing crew jokes, and that sets everyone off.

In a split second guns are drawn, each person is daring their counterpart to take the first shot.

“Come over here ladies, we’ll keep you safe. What do you think boys, can we show them a good time? I bet those sparkly little dresses will look even better on the floor.” One of the guys snickers, testing his fate with each word that comes out of his mouth.

In a move that I barely see, Ozzy dashes across the battle lines, straight to the loudmouth, bringing the butt of the gun down over his head with force.

The sudden chaos distracts everyone, and Max charges toward Ozzy, with the others following right on his heels.

Oliver hangs back, keeping the three of us huddled behind him while we crouch down, watching the madness unfold. Suddenly, Max, Lex, Journey, and Ozzy have the upper hand and have disarmed the other crew, holding them at their mercy.

They speak in hushed voices, too far away for me to hear, but it sounds like they are negotiating and bartering for the events that took place tonight.

“What’s going on?” Pepper asks, but I tell her to stay quiet.

“We’re alright, Pep. It’s me and you, just breathe.”

I hold her hand, easing her fears just as Cami makes eye contact with me, offering a slight nod, and taking Pepper’s other hand signaling that we’re in this together.

The guns have been dropped and concealed, but this fight is far from over. I know how these guys settle their beef, and it’s about to get bloody.

Oliver helps us to our feet, shielding us as we get closer to the imminent brawl.

“Stay here, Fal. Please. Don’t make Ozzy kick my ass, too.” He stares into my eyes, not turning away until I agree.

As much as I want to dig my heels into those idiots for talking about us like we’re objects, I let the crew handle their business, and instead, I choose to console Pepper’s panic attack.

I know my role, and instead of becoming something else Ozzy needs to worry about, I take care of the people around me.

Pepper is terrified, and Cami seems numb, almost as if this is something she’s been through before and uses that shield as a way of navigating her in-the-moment emotions.

Either way, I keep them both close to me, holding them together like glue, and I refuse to let go, stuck in the middle until this is over.

Pepper starts to cry, and I shush her, promising her that Lex and Ozzy will never let anything happen to us. She’s skeptical, but she doesn’t know the extent of what goes on in her boyfriend's professional life. She's seeing it in action for the first time, and I’m unsure if she has the stomach for it.

“This is so … hot ,” Cami whispers, and I glance in her direction, shooting her a small smile.

She seems to have the same instincts that I do, and her calm demeanor tells me that she shares the love of the thrill, too.

It’s a brutal street fight, no rules apply here, and I watch intently as these men quite literally pound into each other, taking their anger out on the faces of strangers.

Each one gets their shots in, and by the time it’s over, everyone helps one another off the ground, shaking hands as if it were a friendly game.

“First rounds on the assholes with more blood!” Lex shouts, and the guys make their way back to where Cami, Pepper, and I sit perched on the hood of a parked car.

Just like that, the fight is over.

“Come here.” I pull Ozzy into my arms, almost unable to keep my hands off him in this state.

He has a small cut above his eyebrow, and scrapes on his knuckles, but otherwise came out unscathed. Watching him in a bare-knuckle, all out brawl, flips a switch in me that I never knew was there, and even though he’s barely got a scratch on him, my adrenaline is pumping straight to my pleasure center.

“Are you okay, Bambi?” He whispers, gently kissing my neck and checking every space on my body that he can reach.

“You’re the one who was in a brawl and you’re worried about me? I’m fine, baby. I knew you guys would handle those punks.” I push the hair from his eyes, lightly brushing my finger over the slit on his skin.

It’s not deep enough for stitches, thankfully, and it makes him look even sexier – something I didn’t think was possible.

“You’re fearless, aren’t you?” Cami laughs in my direction, hopping down off the car with ease.

“What do you mean?” I raise my eyebrow at her, still not fully sure where we stand, or what her intentions are.

“You didn’t even blink when shit hit the fan. I’ve never seen anything like it, you’re a badass bitch.” She flips her hair over her shoulder, winking at me so quickly I don’t think anyone else even notices.

“That’s my Bambi.” Ozzy slaps my ass, placing a kiss on my hand as he guides me off the hood of the car.

“ Bambi is the motherfucking queen, all hail!” She shouts, and I feel my cheeks blush, like her words are dancing through my belly, igniting tiny butterflies.

I shake it off as adrenaline from the fight, mixed with drinks swirling through my body.

“I’m not the Queen. I just want everyone to come home whole,” I counter, but Cami’s personality completely overtakes the night, and I’m the hero in her eyes.

Ozzy wraps his arm around my shoulder, keeping his promise to hold me close all night.

I catch a glimpse of Pepper, who has tears streaming down her face, and I feel terrible for her, it can’t be easy getting tossed into the middle of your boyfriend’s life when you’re clueless as to how brutal it can be.

Pepper is such a sweet girl that this lifestyle may not be for her.

Cami and Oliver lead the way to a bar around the corner, walking hand in hand down the street like they’re on a runway.

Max has blood coming from his nose, and Journey suggests that it’s broken. His lady ran the second shit popped off, and I relish in that bittersweet fact, knowing he’ll be sleeping alone.

The rival crew follows us, and it makes me uneasy knowing we’ll be occupying a bar with them. Not because of the guns, or the fight, but because of their complete disrespect toward me, Pepper, and Cami.

Men like them disgust me, and I won’t be greeting them with any pleasantries. My smart mouth may very well get us all in trouble if they even look at me in a way I find offensive.

The bar Cami chose is nearly empty, and we crowd inside, filling the bar top and tables instantly.

Ozzy takes the liberty of ordering my drink, which is being paid for by one of the guys from the other crew.

“Pepper, are you doing okay?” I ask as she slides into the booth next to me.

“That was so scary, Fal. I thought they were going to shoot us,” she whispers, a slight tremble in her voice.

“We made it, we’re okay.” I gently rub her shoulder, and she nods, but her smile doesn’t meet her eyes.

I decide not to press her anymore and hope she can move forward at least for the rest of this weekend. Unfortunately, being with one of these guys requires a bit of tough skin, and I’m worried that Pepper’s fragility may come crashing down on all of us.

We watch as the guys mingle, everyone laughing and high-fiving as if there weren’t guns drawn and fists flying less than thirty minutes ago.

“A perfectly made Long Island iced tea.” Ozzy delivers my drink with care, and I watch as he returns to the group at the bar.

He’s not too far, keeping a watchful eye on us from across the room, and if any one of these guys takes a step in my direction, I know he’d be beside me in a second.

“Where’s Cami?” I ask, but Pepper shakes her head and shrugs, sipping on her pink drink.

“I’m going to find her, make sure she’s okay.” I nod my head toward the bathroom, ensuring Ozzy knows where I am, and he gives me a quick thumbs up.

The jukebox is playing, something I didn’t realize from across the room, and it looks like something from an old movie. You actually have to flip through the tracks to pick a song, and they’re all from the early eighties. I brush my finger along the brightly colored machine, admiring how well taken care of it looks, and making a mental note to play a few songs later.

I follow the signs leading to the restroom and lightly tap on the door before entering.

“Cami, are you in here?”

There’s no answer, so I slowly push the door and stop dead in my tracks when I see her bent over the sink. She’s holding a rolled-up dollar bill to her nose, sniffing thin white lines off the screen of her phone.

She tips her head back, pinching the bridge of her nose and wiping small tears from under her eyes. She nearly jumps when she realizes I’ve been watching, and she swipes her dark hair over her shoulder.

“Shit, Fallon. You scared me. Want some?” She giggles, holding out the makeshift straw to me.

“What is it?”

“Cocaine, silly. Ya know, nose candy?” I stare in awe as she uses a credit card to push the powder into another line.

“Uh, I’ve never done that before. Any drugs for that matter,” I say nervously, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

I fluff my hair, inspecting my roots and realizing it’s time to touch up my hair. I’m distracting myself, hoping Cami will rescind her offer, but there’s something that keeps my eyes on the cocaine as if it’s tempting me – calling for just one little taste.

“It’s harmless. You’ll just be wired all night like you drank a few extra cups of coffee. Maybe lose feeling in your face.” She smirks, making it sound like a blast, and I make my decision in the moment.

Fuck it, there’s no shame in trying something just once.

I take the dollar bill from her, putting it up to my nostril in a way that mimics her movements, inhaling as I drag the bill over the line.

Immediately, I feel it burn as it goes through my nose, and I attempt to blink the tears away.

“Like a fucking pro. That’s my girl. One more for the other side?”

“Let’s do it,” I say, already feeling a slight buzz.

Cami dumps more powder on her phone, tucking the small baggie into her bra, and motioning for me to go for it.

My eyes water even more as I snort it, and it’s like a reward, feeling my senses instantly speed up.

“Wow,” I whisper, wiping the stray content from around my nose, and handing the bill back to Cami.

She slides her finger into the small pile that’s left, swipes it onto her gums, and tells me to do the same.

“It just heightens the experience, I promise,” she assures me, and for some reason, I trust her.

I mimic her movements, instantly feeling my gums tingling, and my body feels electrified.

“See? Not so bad, right?” Cami smiles, touching up her lip gloss in the mirror.

A loud knock on the door startles us, and we both freeze.

“Fallon? Are you alright?” It’s just Ozzy, and we both let out a sigh of relief. The idea of getting caught has my heart pounding against my chest, and my eyes are the size of saucers when I catch a glimpse of my reflection.

“I’m fine, Ozzy!” I call out, but he pushes the door open before I can finish my sentence.

“Oh shit, I thought you were alone. Sorry, Cami –” he stops mid-sentence, staring at the small bit of coke on Cami’s phone, and the rolled-up bill in her hand.

His eyes flick to hers, then back to mine, and he rakes his hands through his hair.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Camila. Who’d you buy it from?” He asks, still standing in the doorway with concern plastered all over his face.

“A new guy on the block. It’s not stepped on,” she defends herself, taking the baggie out of her bra and handing it to him.

“How do you know?” He sternly asks, inspecting the contents like he’s looking for something to prove her wrong.

“I watched him cut it off the brick.” She laughs, sipping a small bottle of vodka from her purse, and passing it to me.

“Fallon, how many lines did you do?” He turns his attention to me, and my shoulders stiffen at his tone of voice.

His urge to protect me is bursting at the seams, and I suddenly feel small, like I’m about to be lectured.

“Two. Two, right?” I verify with Cami, and she giggles at my obvious amateur attitude.

“She did two small ones, a little on her gums. I kept ‘em light for a beginner.” She spins nonchalantly, watching her reflection in the mirror.

I sip from her bottle, enjoying the buzz streamlining through my body. This shit makes me awake, and I just want to keep moving.

“You’re not mad at me, are you baby?” I question, slipping my arms around his waist and staring up into his dark eyes.

“Never, Bambi. Go have fun,” he whispers, slapping my ass gently and I jump at the sudden movement.

“You know I love you, right?”

“Yes, my beautiful girl . I love you, too.” He places a kiss on my forehead, encouraging me to let loose.

“God, you two are so fucking cute. I need to know how you met, like right now,” Cami says, linking her arm through mine.

“Oh, girl. It’s a helluva story, but first, there’s a jukebox out there,” I tell her, and her eyes light up.

“Let’s fucking go!” She cheers, pushing us past Ozzy and dragging me straight to the music.

“No, wait. We need Pepper!” I exclaim, and she laughs, turning to face me with her eyebrows raised.

“Salt, too?”

“No, Pepper! Lex’s girlfriend. The blonde.” I point through the crowd until my finger indicates my target.

“Her name is fucking Pepper ?” She covers her mouth with her hand, grabbing onto me and nearly knocking us both to the ground.

I cackle along with her, completely out of breath as I try to explain myself.

“Ozzy called her Paprika for the first few weeks,” I say, wheezing in between words.

That does it, and we’re both on our asses, a heap on the floor as we laugh so hard I nearly pee myself.

“You’ll love her, I promise,” I bargain, attempting to pull us both back to our feet.

Ozzy reaches his hand down, helping me and Cami up, and shaking his head.

“You come and get me if you start to feel like shit, understand?” He orders, grabbing my chin with his thumb and index finger.

“Yes, amore mio .” I bite my lip seductively, and he can’t fight the smile creeping across his face. “Get Pepper to dance with us?”

He does as I ask, walking back to the booth and grabbing my drink, helping Pepper down.

“Last drink because of the coke, okay, Fallon? I don’t want you to get too far gone since it’s your first time.” He hands it to me, and I sip it slowly, the room beginning to spin, but in a way that I lean into.

“Let’s dance, Pepper!” I yell, and she squeals, bouncing with excitement.

Cami is bent over the jukebox, attempting to make it work, when finally, a song starts playing, and we all jump up and down.

‘ Eye of the Tiger ’ blasts through the speakers, and we scream-sing, stumbling through the lyrics and making complete idiots of ourselves.

I feel like I could take on the world, my body is moving so fast, and I’m just at the right mix between high and drunk.

My mind is scrambled, and all I can focus on is what is right in front of me. I’m fucking high, and I’ve never done anything compared to how this cocaine feels streaming through my body.

We dance until the bartender rings the bell for last call, and I’m a stumbling mess, with Ozzy trying to keep me from eating shit on the sidewalk.

“Bambi, you’re killing me. Just hold my hand and look forward,” he says, guiding me like a toddler.

Cami is worse off than I am, and Oliver isn’t the best at keeping her upright. She’s got scraped knees and opted to take her heels off to avoid another fall.

This feeling is called crashing, and it’s more like flying off the edge of a cliff, facing the ground head-on.

“I can’t feel my legs anymore,” I slur, and Ozzy lifts me off the ground, carrying me the rest of our walk back to the rental house.

“You need water, and sleep.” He carries me up the stairs and drops me in the center of our bed, my body bouncing as I hit the mattress.

“Help me out of this dress,” I whine, burying my face in the sheets and smearing mascara on the pillowcase.

“That, I can absolutely do.” He sits me up, unzipping the delicate fabric and sliding it over my skin.

I watch as he unbuckles my heels, gently slipping them off and tossing them on the floor.

I throw my hair into the worst messy bun imaginable, snuggle under the covers completely naked, and wait for sleep to take me away. I toss and turn, waiting for Ozzy to come back to bed, but it feels like ages until he climbs in next to me.

“I can’t sleep.”

“That’s the coke, Bambi. You’re still coming down. Drink some water for me, please,” he whispers, handing me an ice-cold glass.

“I’m sorry, baby. I think I learned my lesson,” I confess, resting my head on his chest, feeling the comfort only he can provide.

“I’m not upset with you, Fallon. Let’s just try to avoid doing drugs with strange girls in bathrooms. You never know what sick people mix that shit with, and it’d break my heart to see anything bad happen to you.” He strokes my hair, and I feel the vibrations in his chest when he speaks.

His heart beats against my cheek, and I’m hyper-aware of the smallest noises around me, making it nearly impossible to settle down.

Every sense is heightened, and suddenly I feel panic rising through my body, flooding me with heat, stealing the breath from my lungs.

“Ozzy, I think I’m having a panic attack. I can’t breathe.” I sit up, scrambling to make this feeling go away, but Ozzy pulls me right back down.

“Shhh. You’re okay. Let’s talk about tomorrow. You planned such a perfect day, and I want to hear every thoughtful detail you came up with to honor Masha.” His arms cocoon me, keeping me safe against his soft skin, and I list everything I can remember that we’re doing tomorrow.

It settles me, distracting me from hearing every small sound and feeling things so deeply.

Eventually, the drugs wear off, and my mind doesn’t feel so alive anymore, but I’m still struggling to keep myself from panicking. When I was in the moment, the high felt incredible, like something had been missing from the way I was previously living my life. Now that I’m back in a familiar environment, the weight of what I did tonight is crashing at my feet, and the repercussions are hitting hard.

Ozzy’s right. I could’ve died, overdosed, or developed a fucking addiction. I’m my toughest critic at times, and this is no different. That was my first and last time doing cocaine, and as fun as it was, thinking of a world where I’m not with Ozzy is enough to scare me straight.

He’s fast asleep underneath me, and I take a moment to count my lucky stars that this man puts up with me daily. He’s my world, and I’m so helplessly in love with him that I’d follow him anywhere.

Our connection hasn’t wavered since day one in the diner, and every choice that I’ve made since then has changed my life in the most magical ways.

I feel like I have a family now with these misfits, and nothing has felt more like a home in my life than a beaten-down car dealership in the middle of nowhere North Carolina.

Still, we’re not the perfect couple.

We don’t argue, or fight, but there’s been a few rough patches since I moved in.

Between his nightmares and constant reminders of Masha, things have taken a darker turn recently, but I think we’re moving past that honeymooner's bubble and forging our way through shit together, for better or worse.

Instead of tossing and turning in this bed, I decide to throw on some clothes and find myself a late-night snack.

Now that I’m sober, I’m fucking starving.

Someone else is rummaging through the kitchen, and I close my eyes and silently hope that it’s not Journey. Anyone but him.

To my surprise, it’s Oliver, and he’s reheating leftovers from the dinner we cooked last night.

“Got enough for two?” I call out, making him jump out of his skin.

“Fuck, Fal. Can’t sleep?”

I shake my head and sit at the kitchen island, watching as he scoops extra ziti onto a plate for me.

“That’s because you’re a newbie. Hits you harder the first few times.” He laughs, tossing me a water bottle from the fridge.

“First and last time, that’s for fucking sure,” I say, resting my head on the counter.

“You and Cami seemed to have hit it off,” he muses, and I wince at the mention of her name.

The reminders of thin white lines going up my nose come flying back, and it takes everything in me not to crumble into another panic attack.

“She’s a ball of energy, but she handled herself well after what happened tonight.” I fidget with my fingernails, keeping my eyes focused on something other than my thoughts.

“She’s different. Like you. If I ever needed her, she’d be there in a second. I love her, could probably marry her one day,” he says casually, running his hands through his dark hair.

Oliver is young and has a baby face, but his muscles and chiseled jaw make him seem older than he is. He’s cute in a way that isn’t my type, but I can see why women fall all over themselves for him.

“So fucking be with her, Olly. It’s not as hard as you might think,” I tell him, and he shrugs, passing me a plate.

“I don’t know. When we fight, it gets fucking crazy. It’s the Latina in her, or whatever the fuck she says.”

“So don’t fight with her? Ozzy and I never argue. Makes things a lot easier.” I smile, taking a bite of food and instantly feeling nauseous.

“You and Ozzy are … I don’t even know how to explain it. You’re like mom and dad, the role model parents we all wish we had. Embarrassingly in love, and unafraid to show it around your kids.” He mumbles with a mouthful of food, but his words hit me like a semi, and I had no idea he was so in touch with his emotional side like this.

“That’s the dream, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, absolutely. You two have raised my standards.” He adjusts the chain on his neck, clearly uncomfortable with how fast this conversation took a turn.

“What Saint is that?” I ask, pointing to his necklace.

“St. Anthony. It was my father's before he died. I have no idea what it means, but he swore by this chain, said it saved him many times,” he whispers, smiling at the memory of his father.

From what I’ve gathered, Oliver’s father was a firefighter in New York and battled through 9/11. The memories, shit he saw, and grief over fallen brothers were too much to bear, and he took his own life when Oliver was ten.

He doesn’t talk about him often, but when he does, he lights up like a Christmas tree. He’s proud of who his father was, and the legacy he left behind, and I admire that most about Oliver.

“I want to get one for Ozzy. Something to help him remember Masha, but I didn’t grow up in a religious family. I don’t know enough to pick one,” I say, scrunching my nose and attempting another bite of ziti.

“I’ll take you downtown tomorrow, we’ll find something. I know a guy,” he offers, and I solidify the plans with our handshake.

It’s nothing special, just a few high-fives when we nail something in the kitchen, but it’s become our own little thing.

“You’re the best, Olly.”

“Anything for you, Fal. You’re like the little sister I never wanted,” he teases, throwing a napkin at me.

“I’m six months younger than you, Oliver,” I argue, shaking my head since he thinks he’s so damn funny.

“Exactly. Little sister.” He rolls his eyes with a smile, popping open a beer and offering me one.

I shake my head and toss my plate in the trash. There’s no way I can get this food down, and I can’t stand the smell anymore.

“Alright, I’m going to try and sleep. Busy day tomorrow.” I narrow my eyes at him, knowing he’s the one who’d miss the morning hike I’ve planned.

“I know, I know. We’re leaving at the ass crack of dawn. We’ll be awake.”

“We? Cami’s coming?” I raise my eyebrow, and he holds his hands up in surrender.

“She knew Masha, too,” he says softly, and I immediately change my tone.

“Of course, I should’ve realized, I’m sorry. We’d love to have Cami join us.” I smile, waving goodnight.

“Thank you, Fal.”

I climb the stairs with a smile on my face that always seems to be permanently stuck when I have moments with Oliver. He’s my confidant, my best friend in this crazy family, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I never expected to form connections with any of the guys when I moved in, but they accepted me instantly, making me feel like family, and I made it a point to get to know every one of them on a more personal level.

I have a different relationship with each guy, but Oliver has a special place in my heart, like an annoying brother you can’t help but love, no matter how stupid they are.

I thought Ozzy would be jealous, laying claim to me and keeping me all to himself, but he’s the one who encouraged me to get close to them all. His brothers are the most important thing to him – besides me – and it was essential to him that I became a seamless part of the family.

I fit right in like this is where I was meant to be all along, and I’ve never regretted this chosen family for a split second.

I slip back under the covers, sliding under his arm and he reacts to me, pulling me closer and kissing my forehead.

“I love you, Bambi.”

“I love you too, Ozzy.” And I do. I love him with my whole heart. I never knew it was possible to feel so much in my soul for one person, but I fell lucky in love.

My twenty-first birthday is coming up in a few weeks, and when I reflect on the last year of my life, I can’t believe this is where I ended up.

One look, one moment, and one chance landed me exactly where I want to be for the rest of my life.