I sprayed some of the sink water against him. He flinched and laughed, just as the door opened. Cearra and Oma walked in with cutlery from the dining room. They had done a few rounds now and were down to the last go. I went to help them just as Austin walked in with a hoover. He had finished up the dining room. Luke noticed Austin enter the room and turned the tap off. He made a small gesture with his head and the two boys walked towards each other, out of hearing. We pretended to focus on organizing the cutlery, but we were all eyes on them. I watched Luke speak to Austin and he reached for the towel in his back pocket to dry his hands. His tone seemed softer, that much I could tell. A few minutes later, Austin put his hand against Luke's shoulder. "They're going to be alright," Oma observed. It was heartening to see. I hadn't understood why Luke had lashed out at Austin like that. "It's kind of hot watching them talk," Cearra commented, chucking the forks into their compartment. I chucked all the napkins into the small washing machine that was only for napkins and tablecloths. Oma handed me the detergent and we set this machine going as well. "I saw Bianca go to her room," Cearra told us, "Being a b*tch sounds exhausting." I looked around and saw Chad fake dusting a photo frame. He had barely helped clean up. But then again, it was Chad. At least he was trying. Finally, this vacation was starting to feel better. We had all come out of this with a few wounds, but I felt closer to the group. Austin, Cearra and Oma had all come to my defense. Luke was back to being... well, Luke. And Chad? At least he was trying. ** ~8AM~ "Wake up, b*tches!" the door to my room burst open, "It's New Year's Eve!" Cearra went running down the hallway to wake Oma next, yelling out the exact same thing. I stared at the time in disbelief. 8.01AM?! I held onto my bed sheets in self-defense. I hadn't moved an inch when Cearra came back to my room. She popped her head across the doorway and said, "I know you missed the memo on the last couple events, so dress sporty for this one." "It's 8AM," I croaked, holding tightly onto my pillow. ** My motivation to get out of bed was tied to my bladder. I needed the bathroom, and after I accomplished that goal, I reluctantly showered. Thirty minutes later, I was in runner shorts and a t-shirt. I tied my hair up, put sunglasses on my head and black sneakers onto my feet. I was so prepared, it's like that time I wore a safari hat and full camo for our summer camp hiking trip. Luke had called me Crocodile Dundee. Those were the days. Little does he know, I brought the same fanny pack with me. "Morning," Chad pointed to the giant plate of eggs on a tray in the kitchen island, "No chef today so Luke made breakfast." "Thanks!" I exclaimed, sitting down to a filling breakfast of eggs and toast. Chad was less than pleased. I'd forgotten that this was 'punishment' for him. It was a treat to me. I heard Cearra's voice outside trying to connect to her mom on the phone. I'm not sure if she fully figured out the time difference. There was no way her mom was awake right now. But it felt nice having so many people in the same house. I enjoyed the company, even if they weren't talking directly to me. I sprinkled some crushed chilli flakes onto the eggs and continued to eat. I heard Luke and Austin's voices grow louder as they approached the kitchen area. "I like the orange ones too, but I don't want to get sand in them," I heard Austin say. "These ones are good though," Luke responded. "Yeah, that's what makes this so hard. It's a sacrifice either way." The boys walked into the kitchen and by now I knew they were talking about sneakers. They way Austin and Luke talk about their shoes, is how parents talk about their kids. Except for the sacrifice part. Luke chucked his snapback cap onto the seat next to mine and kissed me on the top of my head. Then his eyes landed on my fanny pack, lying unzipped on the table. He could see the compass and lip balm inside... "Why does this feel familiar?" he asked. While he stood behind me, he reached for the compass and the movement meant that he pressed his upper body against my back. He felt familiar. "Google maps not accurate enough for you?" Luke asked me, holding the bronze compass in his hand. "We might get lost," I answered, reaching for it, "We might already be lost." He opened the palm of his hand so I could take the compass back, but then he closed his fingers around mine. "You're getting deep, Millie," he warned me with a small smile. He leant down and kissed me again. Aren't we all lost in a way? We're all on our own paths, heading somewhere we don't even know. "I know where I am, but I might already be lost," I tried to communicate it, but I was getting lost in his gaze. Why does everything about him have to be so alluring? There's so much more about him I want to know. Our hands were still locked around the compass. Standing behind me, he wrapped his free arm around my waist and hooked his fingers over my belt buckle. I felt myself become distracted. The thoughts in my mind evaporated and all I could think about were where his hands were at this moment and where they were going next. So that's what I said. Sort of. "Where are you going?" I asked, sounding as distracted as I was. He seemed equally distracted. His soft lips brushed against my cheeks and lowered to my mouth. "No clue," he answered, his lips hovering over mine. "GUYS!" Chad slammed a magazine against the kitchen counter, "It's 8 in the morning!"