t h i r t y s e v e n

"Unbelievable."

Megan stared at the half passed out women sitting on the ground with disbelief. They were laying with their heads down on the table, mumbling incoherent words as they remained in their drunken state.

What was she going to do with them? There was a baffled expression on her face as she asked herself what she should do.

Thankfully, she had called for backup, so she wouldn't have to deal with all of this herself. She felt bad for calling them, but she had this itching feeling they would happily comply.

Because right now, she had no idea what to do.

This girl's trip to her family's beach house was one of the best weekends she's ever had. She was thankful that all three older girls had taken time out of their busy schedules to cheer her up. It was exactly what she needed and she felt a sense of healing within her.

Her bruises were starting to fade and the cuts were already healing. By getting everything off of her chest, she felt more free and happy.

The car ride to the beach house was loud as expected. They sang their hearts out to throwback songs from the 2010s. She particularly remembered them jamming out to some old Taylor Swift songs, which made her burst into laughter at how horrible their singing was.

After they arrived at the beach house, Stephanie, being the second-best cook in their family after their mother, made a nice brunch. Thankfully, with Maddie's warning, they managed to keep Aurora away from the kitchen.

The beautiful view of the ocean as they sat outside and ate their brunch amazed the girls. Even though the sisters had been there before, they were still in awe, which made Aurora's experience even more worthwhile since it was her first time. She definitely couldn't keep her inner architect at bay as she explored. Her favorite part of the beautiful modern beach house would probably be the open sitting area that opened directly into the backyard.

They spent the afternoon relaxing in the infinity pool that looked out onto their private beach. The way the sun's reflection sparkled in the beautiful blue ocean sea rendered each of them breathless. Just seeing the view completely uplifted Megan's mood.

They had gone out to a fancy dinner that night, which Megan was not prepared for. But her sisters knew and had brought a beautiful white floral babydoll dress for her.

It was flowy and comfortable— the sleeves long so they covered up some of the bruises on her arms. For once, she felt confident wearing something she only imagined her sisters or Aurora would wear. The looks of awe as the older women sent her only boosted her self-confidence.

She had to admit, her sisters and Aurora all looked beautiful in their dresses as well.

Stephanie wore a lilac floral maxi dress with a plunging halter neckline. There was a front slit that probably would've driven Ethan crazy and it definitely did when she sent him a group selfie the girls had taken. Stephanie was just excited to be able to go out for the first time in a while since her life revolved around her family.

Maddie chose a beige chiffon romper that showed off her long tan legs. It had a plunging neckline that made Lucas drool a little when she sent him a photo and he immediately called her, pouting while wondering why she never wore that around him.

Aurora decided to go with a simple black mini dress that accentuated her figure and paired it with a leather jacket, knowing that it was probably going to be a bit chilly by the beach at night. She had been FaceTiming Xavier when she was getting ready and seeing her all dressed up made him want to drive down to the beach house to steal her back from the girls.

After dinner, they spent the evening just simply talking as they enjoyed a strawberry. Cream cake they had gotten for no specific reason. Instead of slicing it into pieces, the girls just went in directly. After all, it didn't matter since it was for them anyways.

They all cried and laughed while having a heart to heart, which Megan was grateful for. She was able to learn more about the women and vice versa. For the first time, she was able to speak freely without being scared of being criticized or looked down for and they encouraged her to speak out.

Even today, they had an amazing time together. Their afternoon was full of laughter as they shopped til they literally dropped. Megan wasn't one to spend much money on clothing, but she had to admit, it was fun having her own personal stylists. The three older women had amazing taste and made her feel confident in her own skin.

Now, the older girls were drunk out of their minds as Megan looked at them, shaking her head. She'd let them have their fun since she had hers.

The doorbell rang and she immediately ran to the door. She let out a sigh of relief when she was met with her saviors.

"Thank goodness you guys are here."

"Hey peanut," Greeted Lucas, giving her a charming smile before stepping into the beach house. "Where are they?"

"Living room," Megan replied. One by one, the men entered the house, following after Megan as she led the way. They stood still at the entrance, not quite sure what to do.

"They're all yours," announced Megan, gesturing to the women who were still in a half-conscious state. She turned to leave before she was stopped by Ethan.

"Wait, Megan," Ethan pointed to the sleepy toddler on his shoulder. "Can you please take him for me?"

"Of course," Megan smiled, opening her arms. She loved spending time with her nephew. A smile immediately broke out onto Colton's face and immediately his sleepiness disappeared. "Come to Auntie Megan, while your papa handles your very drunk mama."

Colton happily obliged as Ethan breathed a thank you and handed Megan the baby bag.

"Good luck!" Called out Megan, disappearing with a babbling Colton in her arms. The men turned back to the scene in front of them with escaping sighs.

The three women were surrounded by shot glasses and numerous bottles of alcohol. Each of the men shook their heads as they tried to wrap their heads around what exactly happened. Xavier closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. He knew this was exactly what was going to happen— he practically sensed it even before they left.

As they approached the women slowly, Aurora lifted her head, a goofy smile spreading on her face. She slapped Maddie's arm, causing the woman to grumble with distaste as she, too, lifted her head.

"You see those guys who just walked in," Aurora drunkenly murmured. "The guy on the right is really hot."

Maddie shook her head before replying— her words also slurring due to her drunken state. "The one in the middle is way hotter."

Hearing this, Stephanie slammed her fist on the table, causing the men to jump a little at the abrupt sound. "You two have no taste at all— the last one to the left is the hottest."

Aurora made a sound of disapproval, pointing at Xavier. "No way— the one on the right is the best looking man I've ever seen in my entire life."

The two women stared drunkenly at Aurora, shaking their heads to disagree. Before Maddie could argue against her best friend, Stephanie spoke up again rather loudly.

"Don't look, but the one on the right keeps staring at you," Stephanie reached over Maddie to nudge Aurora on the arm.

Aurora looked in Xavier's direction but was immediately scolded by the older girl.

"I said don't look!" Stephanie sent Aurora a pointed look before slumping further down onto the table.

"Oh? But he keeps staring," Aurora smiled as Xavier's eyes never left hers. She brought her hands up to her cheeks. "My cheeks are so warm— I think I'm blushing."

Maddie gasped, slapping Aurora's hands lightly. "Don't stare back! It'll make you seem too desperate."

Hearing that, Aurora immediately turned to look away, whispering not so loudly. "Do you think he caught me?"

Stephanie and Maddie nodded their heads, making Aurora hide her face in embarrassment.

"Fuck," she slammed her head down onto the table repeatedly. "He probably thinks I'm a weirdo now."

"Well, I think he's into you," Maddie slurred, tapping Aurora's arm, causing the disheartened girl to raise her head. "You should talk to him— although he does look a bit like my brother, Xavier..."

Her voice trailed off, squinting her eyes to study Xavier. She gasped dramatically. "I think he is our brother!" She slapped Stephanie on the arm before whispering loudly to Aurora. "You like my brother?"

"I'm going to talk to him," Aurora shrugged, brushing Maddie off before turning her attention to Xavier. Leaning her cheek on her hand, she decided to make a move. Who said women couldn't make the first move? "Excuse me, do you come here often?"

She smiled, trying to look seductive, but to the men, she just looked liked she was drunk.

"Baby, I think you're drunk," Xavier chuckled, seeing how cute Aurora looked with her cheeks flushed bright red, an innocent look on her face. She was definitely more than drunk.

Aurora looked at him with her head tilted with confusion. "Huh? Do you know me?"

"Of course he knows you," Answered Lucas with amusement. "This man, right here, is your boyfriend."

Xavier rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to his drunk girlfriend.

"No way," She gasped, her eyes widening with surprise despite the drowsiness starting to set in. "You're my boyfriend?" She waved her in front of Stephanie and Maddie, trying to get their attention. "He's my boyfriend. He's good looking, isn't he?"

"I still think the one on the left is hot," Stephanie muttered before her head slammed back onto her arms, completely knocking out.

"Just how much did they drink," exasperated Ethan, as he looked down at his wife with a mixture of amusement and concern.

"Enough," grumbled Xavier, bending down so he was at Aurora's level. "Sweetheart? I think it's time for bed."

Aurora gasped before turning to look at Maddie. "He's trying to take me to bed!"

The girls giggled, as Xavier rolled his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her back and under her knees, lifting her up princess style.

"Wow, you're strong," she slurred, squeezing his bicep, causing him to chuckle.

"Alright, let's get you to bed, love."

Aurora waved goodbye to the girls to which they responded with winks, before slumping in his arms. He shifted his arms so she was more comfortable and began to head towards his room in the beach house that Aurora was using. He couldn't help but smile as he watched her drunk self mumble incoherent words.

"Woah," Aurora giggled as soon as she was set down onto her feet. She swayed a bit in her spot, as Xavier moved to change her clothes.

She gasped, pushing Xavier's hands away before covering herself. "I'm not taking my clothes off at someone else's house."

"I'm just trying to get you more comfortable, love," he gently pried her hands away, which she protested. He groaned. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought.

He tried again, only to be slapped away. "Are you coming onto me, sir? I'll have you know, I have a boyfriend!"

Xavier chuckled. "Alright, let's just get you changed first, sweetheart."

After a bit of a struggle, she finally relented, allowing him to change her out of the dress she had been wearing. He helped her slip on one of his t-shirts that she had sneakily slipped into her suitcase.

"Jesus," he grumbled. "Just how much did this woman drink?"

"Drink?" She slurred, climbing onto the bed as she began jumping. "Are we drinking again? Let's drink!"

Xavier rubbed his hand over his face. "No, sweetheart, no more drinking tonight. I think you've had enough."

"But," she sat down onto the bed criss-cross style and pouted, using her puppy dog eyes to try to tempt him.

"Even though you're really cute when you're drunk, that isn't going to work on me tonight, love," he stood his ground causing her to lay down and turn away from him with a pout.

Xavier sighed. "Baby?" He asked, getting closer when she didn't reply. "Sweetheart, are you-"

He gently turned her so she was facing up and there she was, fast asleep, with soft snores escaping her mouth. He chuckled, shaking his head at how ridiculous this whole situation was. Gently, he made his way to the restroom where, of course, all of her products were spread out across the counter.

He grabbed the packet of makeup wipes and made his way back to her side where he began to remove her makeup. He even finished her entire routine— one that he had seen every night and memorized it all step by step.

When he was finished, he tucked her in the bed, before slipping in next to her. He shifted her so she was in his arms, facing him, and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. He found himself smiling down softly at her sleeping face, knowing she was probably going to regret it tomorrow morning.

And indeed, she did regret it the very next day.

The sun shined through the floor to ceiling windows as a nice ocean breeze drifted through the room. Aurora grumbled, feeling a finger dance across the bare skin of her thigh.

Slowly she opened her eyes but immediately shut them because of her pounding head. God, why was it so fucking bright? She felt like someone dropped a million bricks on her head.

What the hell happened last night?

She tried again to open her eyes and was successful in her attempt. Lifting her head, she was met with a pair of familiar grey eyes staring down at her with amusement.

"Good morning, love."

"Xavier? What are you doing here?" She mumbled, immediately regretting it as her head pounded against her skull. She swore there was still one more day of the trip— unless she magically teleported home.

Xavier nudged her nose gently. "Who else would take care of you when you're drunk?"

"Shhhh, inside voices," she shushed him, causing him to chuckle. Her head seriously felt like it was about to explode.

"Baby, I'm already whispering."

With her eyes still squinted, she tried to remember what exactly happened. The last thing she remembered was taking shots. The harder she tried to remember the more her head was throbbing.

Jesus, just how much did she drink?

Aurora hid her face into his chest with embarrassment when her memories slowly began to return to her. She only remembered bits and pieces, but she recalled some of the things she had said.

"Remember now?" He playfully asked, causing her to slap his arm. He chuckled amusingly as she shifted her position so that she was now laying directly on him.

"Shut up," she grumbled, burrowing her head into his chest, wanting to immediately erase the memory of her embarrassing herself. "I hate you."

"You don't," he continued, rubbing her bum with a smile on his face. "I do recall you saying that I was the best looking man you've ever seen. And I'll have to admit, I agree with you— I am pretty good looking."

"I did not. This is why I shouldn't have let Maddie tempt me with drinks— now your ego's all inflated," Aurora grumbled with annoyance. "We will never talk about this ever again."

Xavier continued to snicker as he rubbed her back, lulling her back into a sleepy state. Her eyes were automatically closing due to how comfortable she was feeling. She barely felt him plant a kiss on her forehead.

"Whatever you say, sweetheart," he teased, knowing he was for sure going to bring this up again. His brows scrunched with confusion when she began pressing his nose, almost like she was pressing down on a button. "What are you doing?"

"Pressing the snooze button."

❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎

This was probably my favorite chapter to write. If you're a fan of Korean dramas, I think you'll know where I got my inspiration for the drunk scene ;)

I just read a book on here and it really fucked me up BAD. The ending was so sad the first time I tried to read the last chapter, I started sobbing and I couldn't finish it. Then that night I was like 'fuck it imma finish it', my emotional ass ended up sobbing all over again. I can't even get mad at the author because she's such an AMAZING author!!! I'm still so sad I can't.

Anyways, thank you so very much for the 50k reads! I can't even believe we've made it here this far holy shit. Yall are FLIPPIN' AMAZING!