Once their guests were in their rooms unpacking, Kat and Hale went into the living room where they found Gabrielle filing her nails. She looked menacing with the knife-like file.
"Hey Gabs."
"Hello Kitty," she said without looking up.
"I don't know if you've noticed, but we have guests."
"Oh I have. I am a thief, remember Kat?"
Kat rolled her eyes.
"Do you know who our guests are?"
"Well no, that I do not know. Tell me dear cousin, who has the pleasure of staying with us?"
"Don't you mean who do we have the pleasure of hosting?" Hale cut in.
Gabrielle glared at him.
"I meant exactly what I said, Hale."
Hale raised his hands in surrender and backed up a step.
"Anyway ...," Kat sang. "You will pleased to find that our other (italics) dear cousin is currently upstairs unpacking."
Gabrielle shot out of her seat.
"Cammie?"
"Cammie."
"Cammie!"
Gabrielle ran up the stairs, and a loud squeal echoed throughout the house. Kat and Hale grinned at each other.
"I guess she's happy to see her," Hale said.
"I guess so," Kat agreed.
Together they sat on the couch, Hale's arm around Kat's shoulders. They were silent for a minute before Kat spoke.
"I'm happy to see her, too."
Hale smiled down at her.
"Me too."
He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers. She kissed him back, only to giggle when a thought passed through her head. Hale pulled back.
"What?"
"Oh I was just thinking about what 'Mom and Dad' comment the twins would make right now."
Hale laughed.
"They do have a knack for those, don't they?"
"Yes, they do."
They sat in a comfortable silence again until Gabrielle and Cammie walked down the stairs with their arms linked. Cammie's roommates and Zach followed close behind.
"So, what's for dinner?" Gabrielle asked.
"Well we could have Marcus make something-" Hale started.
"-or we could just order pizza," Cammie cut in.
"Yes!"
"Pizza!"
"Awesome!"
"I'm in!"
Hale sighed.
"Pizza it is."
An hour later, the eight teenagers sat around the island in the kitchen with three open boxes of pizza between them. Bex smirked as she watched Cammie dab ice on Zach's newly bloodied lip, the result of an ... argument ... between the two over what type of pizza to get. Macey and Gabrielle were having a heated conversation about the latest beauty products, and Kat, Hale, and Liz were discussing the painting that hung on the opposite wall. Cammie replaced the ice with a wash cloth and turned to the group.
"It's not that late, we could watch a movie or something."
"Yeah, that sounds fun. What should we watch?" Kat agreed.
"We could make fun of James Bond movies!" Bex shouted.
Cammie, Macey, and Liz laughed while the boys looked amused.
"Okay, let's do that. I think we have popcorn, too," Hale said.
Fifteen minutes and five full bowls of popcorn later, the group was huddled in the theater room. They had gathered a mound of pillows and blankets on the floor and were propped up against them. Cammie sat between Zach's legs with her back up against his chest, his arms around her waist. Kat had her head on Hale's shoulder, and the other four girls were stretched out in front of them.
It was past midnight when the last movie finished, and everyone was exhausted. Hale effortlessly pulled Kat to her feet before helping Liz, Macey, and Gabrielle. Bex swatted his hand away. Gabrielle yawned.
"I think it's time to go to bed."
The girls nodded and made their way to the stairs before slowly walking up them, leaning heavily on the railing. Cammie was asleep on Zach's chest and Kat smiled at the couple.
"Goodnight Zach, make sure she gets to bed."
Zach looked up at her.
"I will," he promised.
Kat nodded, taking Hale's hand and pulling him toward their rooms.
Zach looked back at his sleeping girlfriend and smiled softly, gently twirling a lock of her hair between his fingers. He kissed her head and slowly moved to her side, careful not to wake her. He slid his arms under her and picked her up, settling her head on his shoulder.
He got to her room and placed her on the bed. He brushed her hair back and leaned close to whisper in her ear.
"Hey Gallagher Girl, wake up."
She stirred and opened one eye. Zach continued to stroke her hair. Cammie groaned and buried her face in a pillow.
"Really Zach? It's like two in the morning!"
Zach chuckled.
"Actually, it's only like 12:30."
"It doesn't matter what time it is, why are you waking me up?"
Zach laughed again. She definitely did not like to be woken up.
"You fell asleep during the movie. I carried you up here, but I figured you wouldn't want to sleep in the clothes you're wearing, so rather than changing you myself and signing my own death certificate, I decided to wake you up."
"Oh. Well, ok then. Smart move I guess."
She sat up and moved to the dresser, grabbing a t-shirt and athletic shorts. She went into the bathroom for a few minutes and came back changed. She walked back over to the bed, fell face first into the mattress, and groaned. Everything was quite for a moment as Zach stared at her unmoving form. Finally, he spoke.
"Do you want me to leave?"
He began slowly running his hand up and down her back. Cammie sighed.
"No."
He smirked as she rolled over onto her back, giving him room to lay down. He slipped his arm under her shoulders and pulled her head to rest on his chest.
"I love you," he whispered.
Cammie bent her head back and looked at him.
"I love you, too," she said softly.
Zach smiled, leaned down, and kissed her. His hand slipped into her hair, and the arm that wasn't already wrapped around her reached for her waist. Cammie ran her hand up his chest and onto his shoulder. Zach tightened his arms around her, deepening the kiss for just a moment, before pulling back and resting his forehead on hers. He removed his hand from her dirty blonde locks and smoothed them down.
"Go to sleep, Gallagher Girl."
She nodded and returned her head to his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Zach pulled the comforter over them and closed his eyes, still stroking Cammie's hair as they drifted off to sleep.
Bam! Chapter Three! Cute, right? Hope you liked it, stay shiny!
Luv,
Operative CG16