Even the Sun Sets in Paradise

“How was last night?” I asked Layton and Cyrus as they wandered down the stairs one Saturday morning. They had been out on the town the night before, so I assumed Rowan and Ellis were still asleep.
“I don’t remember a fucking thing,” Cyrus laughed to himself, grimacing in pain. I rolled my eyes, sliding a glass of water and some tablets across the counter to him.
“What about you?” I asked, turning to Layton.
“He had a bloody amazing night, didn’t ya’?” Cyrus smirked, slapping him on the back.
“And why might that be?” I wondered.
“Listen to this; he pulled three girls in one night. Three fucking girls! Even I haven’t done that,” Cyrus explained. Layton cracked a smile, and for some reason, I felt a pang of jealousy. Why was I jealous? Maybe it was simply anger and disbelief, because I thought he would have learned his lesson after last time. Maybe I was just being selfish and wanted him running around after me all the time instead of being out fucking random girls.
“What about you?” Layton muttered, swiftly changing the subject, “How was your night?” It was almost as if he knew it pissed me off, but he did it anyway.
“Nothing special. I wasn’t feeling too well so I just did some quick revision before going to bed.”
“That’s shit. Are you feeling better now?” Layton asked, forcing a sympathetic smile.
“Yeah,” I mumbled, turning away because for some reason, I was unable to look at him without visualising girls with their tongue shoved down his throat. Why was this happening? Suddenly I felt arms snaking around my waist and someone’s head on my shoulder. I prayed that it was Cyrus instead of Layton, but the familiar scent of Layton’s aftershave proved otherwise.
“Whoa,” Layton laughed, “Why’d you tense up?”
“I didn’t,” I argued trying to squirm out of his arms, but he only tightened his grip.
“I’m not letting you go that easily,” he teased, planting kisses along my collarbone and up my neck to my cheek, purely because he knew it would annoy me. I couldn’t stand to be around him right now, and I wasn’t even sure why.
“Anyway,” he grinned, finally releasing me from his grip. He turned me around to face him, placing his hands on my shoulders and holding me at arm’s length. “Today is September 23rd; I believe it is one month minus two days until someone’s birthday.”
“Oh yeah, who’s that again?” Cyrus joked, and I elbowed him jokingly in the stomach
“What do you wanna do for your birthday?”
“Sleep,” I muttered, only half-jokingly. To be fair, since I was in the second trimester of pregnancy, the exhaustion had eased of a bit, but thanks to school combined with work, I still wasn’t exactly buzzing with energy.
“Nice try,” Layton laughed, “But what do you seriously wanna do?”
“I don’t know,” I shrugged, “Maybe just chill out here with you guys and Mel.”
“Oh come on, something fun, you’re gonna be sixteen,” Cyrus persisted.
“You know I don’t like parties.”
“Well it doesn’t have to be a party.”
“I’ve got an idea,” Cyrus smirked, and knowing him, it was a bad one.
“What might that be?” I asked.
“I’m not telling you,” he smiled to himself.
“Dude what is it?” Layton frowned.
“I’ll text you,” Cyrus told him as they both took out their phones.
“Oh come on, you can’t plan my birthday but not tell me what it is,” I sighed. Layton’s phone beeped, and he checked the message, his eyes lighting up. Both of them were smiling like teenage girls, Layton chuckling to himself.
“You’ve gotta admit, that is a good idea.”
“That is a sick idea,” he agreed. With that, they both rushed back up the stairs and into the study, acting like little kids.

Monday soon came, and school dragged. I was strangely hyper and fidgety, unable to sit still. I figured that while I was feeling so awake for once, it would be a good opportunity to get out the house. I knew Mel was busy, so I text Layton. He text back about twenty minutes later saying he had to do something else, but didn’t say what. For some reason, that made me curious, and it irritated me that he didn’t tell me where he was going. When did I turn into such a control freak? Thankfully, Rowan wasn’t busy, so him and Cyrus agreed to pick me up from school so we could do something.

“Do you guys know where Layton is?” I asked as Cyrus, Rowan and I sat in the coffee shop that evening.
“Umm…I think he’s going out with Maci,” Cyrus answered. I remembered Maci as the girl I had got in the fight with at the bonfire.
“Isn’t that his ex-girlfriend?” I puzzled.
“Err…yeah, I think they’re trying to sort things out,” Cyrus sighed, reaching across the table to hold my hand. I felt my heart sink, but I wasn’t even sure why. Maybe it was because I knew that if Layton got a girlfriend, him and I wouldn’t be as close anymore. From what I’d seen of Maci so far, I don’t think she’d even let him anywhere near me.
“Are you okay?” Rowan asked, a look of concern on his face.
“I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be?” I laughed a little too enthusiastically.
“Well I know you and Maci don’t exactly get on.” I forced a smile, sighing as I dropped my head in my hands.
“Is she always like that?”
“I don’t know,” Cyrus laughed to himself, “I personally get on with her but…” He trailed off.
“But what?”
“Let’s just say she can be bitchy to anyone that she sees as a threat.”
“How am I a threat to her?!” I gasped, suddenly shocked, “I’m like four years younger than Layton, she’s like a hundred times prettier than me, and everyone knows Layton and I are just friends.”
“I know, she’s paranoid,” Cyrus frowned, “But for the record, you’re way prettier than her.” I felt myself blush, and I looked down at the ground. I never knew how to respond to compliments.
“And you and Layton do have a child together. That’s pretty much a life-long connection,” Rowan added.
“Well yeah, but we’re still just friends,” I sighed, an empty feeling in my stomach. I don’t know; maybe I was just being paranoid but I couldn’t help fearing that I was being replaced. After having no one for so long, now that I had someone, I guess I got attached. The thought of losing him terrified me. Losing the one person I could tell everything to would be unbearable.