Darling | All16 | ✔

SIXTEEN

Sorry for the long wait! I just got back from a trip a couple days ago. 

Enjoy!

"Sang!" Luke shouts. "You're back!"

I nod, a smile dancing on my lips.

"Did you have fun?!" Wil asks from the other room.

"Did you ruin your clothes?!" Gabriel bellows.

"Did you eat your food?! Are you hungry?! I'm making dinner right now!" Yells North from the kitchen.

I giggle at their questions and reply, "Yes, I had fun! No, I didn't ruin my clothes! Yes, I ate my food, and I am a little hungry for dinner!"

"What's all the shouting for?!" Corey yells from upstairs. "I'm trying to focus!"

"Sorry, Corey!" I yell back, grinning widely.

"Sang?!" He exclaims. "When did she get back?!"

"Just now!" I giggle.

Owen walks in and remarks smoothly, "Why don't we stop yelling? Everyone who wishes to speak with Ms. Sorenson may come and speak with her at an appropriate volume."

I blush, slightly embarrassed. I shrug it off and decide to figure out what Corey is doing. Bounding up the stairs, I follow to where I heard his voice.

"Corey?" I call softly.

"In here!" He replies.

Turning, I feel for a doorknob and pull on it before realizing I need to push it open. Making a mental note of that, I push the door open.

"What are you doing, Sang?" Corey blurts out before rambling, "I mean, not that I'm not happy to see you. I'm super happy you're back. Wait, I mean, you're free to go and we had work to do, I'm just glad that we're together. Not together! I didn't mean to say that! We're—"

"Corey!" I laugh, cutting him off. "Don't worry, I understand what you mean and I think it is sweet of you."

Corey doesn't respond and I can feel his stare burning into me and setting my cheeks on fire. Ducking my head, I use my hair as a curtain to shield myself from his stare.

"What are you working on?" I ask, trying to break the silence.

"Oh! I'm working on an assignment for the Academy," Corey replies.

"What is it?" I ask curiously.

Corey hedges, "I can't really explain..."

"No worries," I laugh. "I get it."

Corey gives a small sigh of relief, barely audible. "I'm ready to take a break if you want to do something?"

I grin widely and nod. "What do you have in mind?"

"Um, I'm actually not sure," He admits. "Got any ideas?"

Biting my lip, I think it over. "You like coding, right?"

"Right..." Corey answers slowly.

"Well, I'm kinda okay at coding, if you want to do that," I suggest nervously.

"You can code?!" Corey exclaims. "How?!"

I grin, relieved. "I have the keys on a keyboard memorized, just like any good hacker and I have the computer read off the code on the screen to me."

"Wouldn't that take forever?" Corey inquires.

I shrug. "Not really. I start kind of slow and then pick up speed quickly. After a few minutes, I believe that it is faster than reading."

Corey whistles lowly. "I have got to see this..."

Smiling happily, I announce, "I'd be happy to show you the coding."

Hitting a string of keys, Corey adjusts the laptop to face me. I set my fingers on the keys, feeling for the F and J keys. I place my hands on the keys and start pressing commands. The computer begins reading out the code as I type commands to counter the original coding.

Soon, my fingers are flying across the keyboard and I am so focused and concentrated that I barely even know what I am doing, if that makes any sense at all. It's as if I am in the zone, not even thinking about what I am doing. The coding comes almost instinctively. With a few final strings, I am done.

"There!" I announce happily, before realizing that someone has joined Corey and I. "Wil?"

Wil breathes, "If I hadn't seen it for myself, I never would've believed it."

"Seen what?" I ask, tilting my head.

Silence falls before Corey finally says, "Do you even know what you were doing?"

I shrug. "Just coding. It was fun. Thanks for letting me use your computer."

"Coding? Just coding?!" Corey gasps, horrified.

"Sang, you—" Wil starts.

"Time for dinner!" North bellows from downstairs.

Smiling at the two, I lead the way down to the kitchen. As always, I keep careful track of my steps. The smell of fish greets me and I take a seat at the dining table, only to be pulled onto the lap of one of them. The scent of cut grass tells me that it is Gabriel who I am currently crushing.

"Gabriel!" I exclaim. "You can't just pick me up like that! I'm too heavy to sit on your lap!"

"You're right," Silas agrees. "Which is why Aggele should sit on my lap instead."

Before I can react, I am sitting on Silas's lap.

"Silas," I groan. "Put me down. I'm far too old to be sitting on people's laps."

"Yes, and I am the oldest on here," Axel says, plucking me up. "It only makes sense that you sit on my lap."

"How does that make sense?!" Gabriel exclaims.

"Besides, you got her all day while we were stuck working!" Marc complains, but it is clear that he is merely playing.

I try to stand up, but Axel merely tightens his grip. Not enough to hurt at all, it is more like a sitting hug.

Heaving the most dramatic sigh I can manage, I say, "Fine. Where's my food?"

Laughing, Luke places two plates in front of us and sets a fork in my hand. Hungrily, I tear into the fish and noodles, sighing with happiness as flavor explodes in my mouth.

"Didn't you feed her?!" North yells at Axel.

"He did," I answer quickly. "I'm just hungry again, North." Giving him a pointed smirk, I add, "Don't you ever eat and then get hungry again?"

"Sang!" North groans as Luke and Gabriel laugh at him.

"Yes, North?" I say innocently before cramming more food into my mouth.

"Just eat your food," He grunts out.

A giggle escapes me and I quickly finish what I can of my dinner. I wasn't able to eat it all; the boys expect me to eat double my weight. Taking a final sip of my water, I try again to get up. This time Axel lets me up.

Quietly, I take my dishes into the kitchen and start cleaning all the dishes while the boys continue talking with one another. Instead of listening to music while I clean, I am content listening to their voices, a symphony of laughter and playful teasing.

Grinning, I clean off the dishes.

These boys have already become a family of sorts to me. I just hope that I truly can trust them.