not in love! | THE SIDEMEN

xii. off-brand carol vorderman

LENNON WOKE BEFORE HARRY, the weight of an arm strung across her waist so foreign that she found herself struggling to remember where she was in her sleepy state. When she saw his expression, still dozing with his eyes closed, the memories of the night before came flooding back.

Although she had to think about it, Lennon decided that she didn't regret what happened between them, or what it meant for their friendship. They were two people, acting upon an attraction for each other.

Checking the time on her phone after carefully jostling out from underneath his hold, Lennon cringed seeing that it was only ten in the morning. Harry wouldn't wake up for at least another hour or two, and there was no way she was going back to sleep. Laying in bed waiting for him to rise would give her the chance to overthink, and overthinking was never good in Lennon's case. Deciding a stroll downstairs would pass the time as she was conscious of the biting hunger in her belly, she clambered out of bed as silently as possibly and teetered out of the bedroom until she was in the kitchen.

"Morning," Freezy greeted, a dribble of milk dripping down his chin as he spoke with a mouthful of cereal. "Where did you sleep last night? I heard the guest room is out of bounds."

"Harry and I shared a bed- no, don't give me that look," Lennon rolled her eyes as he widened his own, an onslaught of teasing comments practically bubbling on his tongue. "We were entirely innocent."

"Fine, all I'm saying is we have a couch you know," Cal shrugged with a sly expression. "Just in case you didn't want to sleep in his bed."

Lennon thought it was best not to answer as she darted her eyes away, lifting two slices of bread out of the packet and sliding them down into the toaster. Callux was next to enter the kitchen, his expression twisted in disgust as he heaved dramatically.

"I can't do it, we're having a household meeting and battling it out which one of us should do it because the smell of vomit makes me want to vomit," he groaned, leaning against the countertop and crossing his arms stubbornly.

"Are we sure it wasn't Lennon that soiled those sheets? The more I think about it, maybe she slept in the tub for a reason," Freezy raised his eyebrows comically, dropping his bowl into the dishwasher just as her slices of toast rose up.

"Nah," Lux defended, to her surprise. "Lennon strikes me as the type of girl that would just lay in her own vomit instead of moving away from it. I've woken Harry up he's coming now, he's a little cranky just to warn you both. Lennon must have rejected him, huh?"

"Oh shut up, nonce," the brunette rolled her eyes with a chuckle, sliding butter over the toasted bread just as the slaps of feet against the wooden staircase could be heard.

"Hurry up, Harold!" Lux roared, breaking into silent laughter thereafter when a response came from the approaching blonde in the form of a shout.

"Don't even fucking try it, Cal! I'm not in the mood for a prank!" was his answer, his tone clipped and not at all what she was used to hearing from the boy. Lennon's eyebrows furrowed in confusion by his mood, perhaps he regretted their kiss from the night before?