Chapter 10

VERA AND I both groan at the sound of more construction and while she rolls onto her side, I sit up and my hair falls in front of my face unceremonsionuly. I needed the get a brush through this thing. "What the hell is that?" Vera groans, her eyes still closed and attempting the savour the last few minutes of her sleep. I push the sheets from my legs, stand up and lazily waddle towards the large window where I pull back the sheer white curtain. I look down at the porch to see many bodies busying about. Some were setting up tables and chair and others were bringing in big leafy plants. Vera was right; what the hell is that? "I'll be back." I sigh before turning and my heels and heading towards the door of our bedroom. "Get me a glass of water?" Vera questions from where she was spreading out like a starfish on the bed. I laugh lightly at her position and nod, "Sure thing." Turning the handle, I walk out in the hallway to see Noah doing the same thing. He stumbles out of his bedroom shirtless and rubbing his eyes, his blonde hair was spiking up in all sorts of directions. "Did it wake you up too?" I question as we both stop at the sight of each other. He nods, "Yup and I was having the best dream too." He pouts in a child-like manner and I grin at his cuteness, "Penny's still asleep. She can sleep through fucking anything." I laugh as I continue my way to the stairs, "I'll report back to you." "Aye aye." Noah mutters behind me before I hear the door close, indicating he had returned to his bed. I continue my way down stairs and into the mayhem that was waking everyone up. People rush in and out of the front door and the entire living area was packed with people. I walk past them and outside, having a clear idea who's behind all of this. I walk past a young guy who was drilling together a chair and in my sleep-deprived rage I grab the drill off him. He looks up at me with a terrified look. "Go grab some plants." I order and he quickly scurries off. Too harsh? Eh, maybe. "Hayden, please do not interrupt my making of a master piece." Spencer walks over to me, dark sunglasses over his eyes and fanning himself with a floral fan. I roll my eyes as I spin around and fold my arms. "What the hell is all this?" I question as I gesture around the porch, my eyes landing on the same boy across the space who was currently reaching down to grab another drill, "Hey!" I point at him and he quickly glances up at me, "I told you to go grab some plants." Spencer chuckles at me as we both watch the guy run at the speed of light back inside. "Here, this might help." He grins as he hands me his half-empty mug of coffee and I take it gleefully. "Welcome to Beachside Haven or otherwise known as the most fabulous twenty first birthday party in the history of twenty-first birthday parties." I swallow the coffee, "You're having it here?" "Well since your mom and David are driving up to Sacramento to pick up his son, they offered it to me." Spencer grins as I roll my eyes and groan, "Perfect timing really." "And you decided to put all of this together at seven in the morning?" I say as I glance around, mostly to make sure the boy hadn't returned to grab the drill again. "It wasn't suppose to be set up until tomorrow but there's some celebrity wedding and apparently that's more important than my birthday!" Spencer shouts as he spins around, frightening the two young girls who were carrying in plants. I glance around at the mayhem of everything when my eyes fall on two familiar faces laughing together as they walk up the porch stairs from the beach. Chase and Levi come to a stop when they reach the top and his hazel eyes meet mine. Slowly, his gaze drops to my body or rather what was on my body. I glance down too, curious as to what he was staring at so intently, only to find that I was wearing one of his vintage t-shirt as a nightgown. I hadn't even thought about it when I through it on last night, but then again my subconscious is a traitorous bitch. "Oooh, hunny. That stare is enough to incinerate my panties." Spencer chuckles to himself while fanning him as I roll my eyes at him, "What, don't pretend you don't love it cousin." "I don't." I lie before yanking the shirt over my head, leaving me in a lace bralette and light blue cotton pyjama shorts. I wrap it up in my arms, press it to my chest and storm inside with the workers moving things into house. ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ "Did something happen between you and Chase?" Vera questions from where she sat in her deck chair, applying yet another layer of lotion to her exposed stomach. She had finally joined us at the beach and wasn't ashamed to show of her baby bump. "The awkward levels have sky rocketed." I pull my sunglasses down the bridge of my nose, "We just had a little argument." "About what?" Vera questions as I rest my chin on my folded arms. We had all come back to the main beach today and Vera and I were the ones currently guarding our spot. I was lying on my stomach, hoping to get rid of the tan lines I had. "He just...he was being too caring." I explain with a small shrug as Vera throws her head back and laughs loudly. I frown at her in confusion. "What? We had agreed to be just friends and he was ignoring that." "Just friends?" Vera pause to ask before throwing her head back and laughing again, "Oh my love, 'just friends' don't look at each other like the way you and Chase do." "What? We don't....he doesn't...." I mumble before sighing in defeat, "Fuck. Am I stupid, V?" "Yes." Vera says without hesitation and my jaw drops in offence, "I'm not being mean, darling, but breaking up with Chase was the biggest mistake you've ever made." I groan as I drop my head to the ground with Vera giggling at me. I feel her pat the top of my head lightly. "Hayden!" The sound of my name has my head perking up and I peer through the dark shades of my sunglasses. Emily walks towards us, waving her hand while struggling to hold everything in her arms, "Thank god I finally found you, I thought I was going to pass out from heatstroke." "Yeah, sorry, I'm not the best at giving directions....or following them." I laugh as I tie the back of my bikini and quickly sit up onto the knees. I pat the area of sand next to me, "You can put your stuff next to me."