French Vanilla

I peaked around the corner and saw the entire band making small chat in the living room. "Oli?" I whispered, entering the room.

Their conversations were cut short, all eyes locked on my own. Oli smiled meakly before standing up and wrapping his lanky arms around my body. "Yes, Skylah, love?"

I took a deep breath, taking in his smell. "I just wanted to say thank you."

His hand ran along my spine, tangling my purple hair in his fingers. "Yeh don't have to fank me. Yeh like my sistah. Everyone was there for yeh. We all care."

I nodded, taking a step back from him. All the eyes in the room were still on me, and it made me slightly self-conscious. "Come 'ere," Lee finally said, motioning me. I walked over to him and he pulled me onto his lap, enveloping me into a hug. "I'm so glad yeh okay, lass. Yeh worried me."

I nodded into his chest, unable to speak words. Lee is amazing. He's always been there for me. I turned and looked at everyone in the room. Oli retreated back to his chair, and eyes were still warily on me. "What happened?" I finally managed to whisper.

Oli's eyes shot to Matty's, exchanging a weary glance. "I don't fink-" Matty began.

"Please?" I interrupted. "I just need to know."

Oli sighed. "Tommeh and I came to find yeh as soon as we found out Sam 'ad somefin to do wiff it." I nodded and urged him to go one. "When we came in the house..." Oli looked down and shook his head. He covered his face with his hands and shook his head again. "I'm not talkin' about this." Oliver's lanky legs lifted himself of the chair and carried him upstairs to his room.

"I just want to know..." I whispered.

Lee's hand stroked along my back. "If yeh realleh want to know, we'll tell, aye?" I nodded my head and looked towards the other three in the room.

Matt Kean began. "Well we walked in the house and saw 'im in his kitchen. Jona and Matty went lookin' fo' yeh while Oli, Tommeh, Lee and I went to teach 'im a lesson."

"Where was I?" I asked.

"Yeh were in the bedroom knocked the hell out. Scared me to bits yeh did," Matty chuckled a bit to lighten the feeling in the room.

Jona shivered. "It was the scariest fing I evah saw. He injected yeh wiff somefin. Yeh couldn't even stand. I nevah even want to fink about it."

I leaned into Lee's chest, his arms wrapping around my waist. "And what about Sam?"

All their faces simultaneously smirked. Matt Kean grinned, "I bet he's nevah leavin' his house again."

"Well it was four against one!" I laughed. "No wonder."

Lee shrugged. "Not realleh. We all got a hit or two in, but Tommeh's the one that beat him to smithereens. I'm not surprised if the bloke winds up blind. I had to practically rip Tom off of him."

I smiled lightly, trying to picture it in my head. I couldn't imagine Tom as anything other than a giant mush-ball. Jona chuckled, "yeah but he left pretteh quickly when he saw that Matty had yeh in his arms."

My phone buzzed from inside of my pocket. I plucked it out and saw one new text message.



I rolled my eyes and laughed before putting it back into my pocket. "Thanks guys," I smiled. "I can't even come up with a word that describes how grateful I am. I owe you-"

"No yeh don't," Lee interrupted. "Yeh don't owe us shit. We love yeh and Tommeh loves yeh. End of story."

I smiled and kiss Lee's cheek. "I'm going to-"

"-go see Tom," Matty interrupted. "He needs yeh anyway. We understand. Juss wanted to stay to makes sure yeh okay."

"You guys are-"

"-the best?" Matt Kean grinned.

"Will you let me-"

"-finish a sentence? Nope. Go see Tom." Jona laughed as I rolled my eyes and flipped them off.

"Love you!" I yelled at them all before leaving the room. I went upstairs and glanced at Tom's closed door before walking past it and knocking on Oli's door.

"Come in," he mumbled.

I pushed the door open and looked at Oli face down on the bed. "Hey," I whispered.

His head lifted off the bed. He smiled lightly. "Hey."

I sat down next to him and rubbed his back. "I love you, you know that?"

"Don't tell me my crazy future sister-in-law is turning into a mush ball."

I laughed. "Future sister-in-law?"

"Well duh. Tommeh can't live wiffout yeh and I don't fink yeh'd be able to leave either so, yea, future sister-in-law."

I rolled my eyes, "you're stupid. I just wanted to say thanks again." I got off his bed and headed towards the door.

"I'm designing yeh weddin' dress!" He yelled, again, earning an eye roll from me.

I left and entered Tom's room, crawling into bed with him. Without hesitation, his arms snaked around me and pulled me to his chest. "It was more than seven minutes," he mumbled sleepily.

"I had a lot of people to thank."

One of his eyes peaked open, "oh yeah?"

"Mhm, and my conclusion is that you're the one I owe the biggest thank you too so," I leaned in and kissed his lips gently, "thank you."

Tom kissed my forehead, "I would do it all ten times over if I had to. Yeh mean the world to me."

"I know. I'm still confused about that."

He chuckled. "What'd yeh talk to my brothah about? I heard yeh go in his room."

"I went in to thank him and he went off on a classic Oli rant."

He laughed, finally opening his eyes from his grogginess. "What was this one about?"

"Stupid," I laughed, biting my lip. Embarrassingly stupid.

"Tell me yeh silleh little bird."

"He was talking about... me being his future sister-in-law." I chuckled lightly, not looking in his eyes. I loved him yes, but this was still awkward.

I was taken off guard went I felt Tom's lips ghost across mine before pressing them gently. "Don't be nervous, little bird. Me and yeh have been through too much to be nervous around me."

My cheeks flushed lightly as his hand reached up to caress them.

"I love 'ow I can still make yeh blush."

Of course that only turned my cheeks a darker shade. "I can't help it. You do this to me."

He smiled lightly. "Yeh so amazin'." His lips met mine once more. "So... what'd yeh say to Olleh?"

"About what?"

"Yeh know... the future sister-in-law fing."

"I said that he was stupid."

Tom chuckled, enlacing his hands in my own. "Well we all know Olleh is a little off his rocker. But... what do you fink about it? About... marriage I mean."

"I never really thought about it," I answered honestly. "I mean, remember way back the first time we were on the beach, and I said that I didn't think I'd ever find someone who I'd want to be with and I wouldn't have to change for?" Tom nodded. "Well, I never thought I would... until I met you."

"...and?"

"And I don't feel the same anymore. I can be myself and I still want to be with you, and, for one reason or another, you love me. I never thought past that. Have you?"

"I nevah thought I would fly to another country chasin' after a bird. I nevah thought I would be in love. I nevah thought I'd be the living shi' out of a lad over a lass. I nevah thought I'd want to wake up every mornin' next to the same person. I nevah thought any of that...until I met you, Skylah."

His forehead leaned on mine. I brought his hands up, kissing his knuckles. He smiled lightly.

"I can't imagine spending my life wiff anyone else," he finally whispered.