Paisley's POV

Spring break came and went. Most of my days were spent getting my ass kicked in various video games by Daxton and Preston, binge-watching random movies that were on TV, and scrolling through my social media feed that was packed with picture after picture of people on a beach getting sunburned and blackout drunk.

None for me, thanks.

Despite the invitation to do just that by my group of closest friends, I turned down the opportunity. Quickly. Firstly, I was a carbon copy of my mom - and that included being a complete lightweight when it came to drinking. Secondly, my ideal time didn't include getting so shitfaced I lose all motor function and start vomiting everywhere. Lastly, I had no interest in rubbing up against shirtless, sweaty men for an entire week. If I wanted to do any of the above, I could just find any frat house on campus on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night and let myself go crazy.

Besides, even if I was interested in that scene, my brothers would never allow it. Neither would my uncles. Or my dad. Or my grandpa. Really any male with Carmichael genes would lose their fucking mind. If I'd been born with an innate preference towards promiscuity, I would've been truly fucked - and not in a good sense. Quite the opposite, really.

I was two weeks into the last seven I needed to get through. Two more weeks and I'll be halfway there. I keep setting small goals hoping that it'll make time go by faster.

It doesn't, but one can hope.

I pulled into the driveway of my parent's house, wondering what it is they needed to talk to me about. After a day full of lectures, I just wanted to go home, shower, consume all the junk food in my cupboards, and then sleep like the dead. My phone pinged as I removed my keys from the ignition. Opening the notification, it took me to the pimple popping video Caelan had just sent me. He couldn't stomach them, but he knew it was a sick pleasure of mine. I'd always had a hard stomach - something that came in handy growing up with two older brothers.

I finally exited my car before my mom came looking for me. Pushing my house key into the lock and twisting, I proceeded to shove the front door open with my hip before dropping my purse and backpack onto the ground with a thud. I put my hands on my sides and stretched my hips forward to try and relieve some of the pressure on my lower back. I really need to go see the chiropractor Caelan suggested.

There was an unusual amount of chatter coming from the living room, immediately piquing my interest. Leaving the foyer, I entered the room in question. My eyes immediately caught his attention as a huge, beaming smile overtook my face.

"Caelan!" I squealed before running and jumping on him. My arms locked around his neck as my legs did the same around his waist. I could feel his body vibrate with laughter against my own as he set the beer he'd been drinking down and wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me back just as hard as I'd been squeezing him.

I hopped back down after a few moments, only then realizing that I was in the middle of a room packed with huge dudes.

"Preston are you guys organizing a book club?" I joked though I knew they were all players from their team. Single ones. They must've come down for the beach, bars, and better weather considering most of them live in Minnesota where their team is located.

"Very funny, shit head," he shot back with an amused smile on his face as a few of the other guys chuckled at my joke.

"Where's mom?" I asked, meandering my way over to the fridge before pulling out flavored water and taking a long chug.

"How am I supposed to know? She left for the diner ten minutes after everyone showed up," he informed me off-handedly. My nose and forehead scrunched up in confusion.

"What the heck? Why would she call and ask me to come over and then leave immediately after?" I asked no one in particular.

"Dunno, I'm guessing it was an emergency cause she kinda booked it out. Looks like you're SOL," Daxton answered with a humored smile.

"Don't you have a venereal disease to go catch?" I shot back while joining them in the living room once again. He just chuckled at my low blow before throwing a decorative pillow at me. I came to stand by Caelan, finally taking a moment to look him over.

"Don't even say it," he grunted.

"I'm gonna say it."

"Paisley-"

"You're in full bigfoot mode. Did your razor break or something? You can't possibly be getting laid looking like this," I giggled, reaching up to manhandle his beard while eyeing his severely overgrown brows.

"I haven't had time to make an appointment anywhere," he grumbled, pushing my hand away from his facial hair and finishing off his drink.

"Are you guys ready to go? The girls just texted me that they're at the bar," Preston chimed in, his nose buried in his phone.

"Hell yeah. We gotta make a pit stop at a drugstore on the way, though. I forgot to pack condoms," one of the guys commented. I made a noise of disgust and stuck my tongue out.

"I'll catch up with you guys later, I promised Paise I'd take her out for dinner next time I saw her," Caelan replied. Preston and Daxton's expressions morphed into ones of suspicion before they finally gave up and left with everyone else.

"C'mon, I can't go into public with you like this," I teased before grasping the front of Caelan's shirt and pulling him after me.

"Have you gotten your midterm grade back?" he asked as we climbed the stairs to the bedroom I had set up at my parent's place.

"Yeah. I didn't do as well as I thought I would, but I still got an A." He snorted shoving me playfully as we stepped onto the landing.

"Smarty-pants. Don't let anyone else in your class catch you complaining about getting an A. You'll probably get maimed." I laughed softly and shoved him back, but he caught my hand and pulled me into his body. He quickly wrapped his arms around me and picked me up in a restricting hold.

"Put me down, kale!" I hollered back, calling him the nickname I'd given him around the time we'd met. He hated it, but his name sounded so similar to the green veggie that I just couldn't help myself.

"Oh fuck no, not after that comment," he shot back, his tone one of faux anger. I could feel my face heating up as I continued to laugh my head off. When we finally reached my room, he tossed me on the bed. Unfortunately, he didn't anticipate how much I'd bounce, thus resulting in me popping up and tumbling right down to the floor.

"Fuck, my tailbone!" I groaned between remnant giggles. This time, it was Caelan's turn to laugh like a hyena. "I think it's bruised!" I rasped out, rolling onto my side to rub away the ache in said body part.

"I didn't expect you to be so aerodynamic," he joked, restarting my giggles back up all over again. I lifted myself onto my knees before grasping at my mattress and using it to help hoist myself up off the floor.

"Just shut up and sit down," I ordered, pointing towards the chair that sat in front of my vanity. He did as told, waiting patiently as I got out my pair of mini grooming scissors, multiple sets of tweezers, and thread. His face took on a look of apprehension - serves him right.

"It wouldn't hurt as bad if you kept them up instead of letting them get this bad," I lectured sternly.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Let's just get this over with," he hissed before squeezing his eyes shut and waiting for me to start. I unraveled the thread and twisted it about, shifting the point where they crossed back and forth a few times to test it out. Satisfied, I tilted his head back and began threading. I had to stop after every pass so the pain could subside. Halfway through, his hands came up and rested flat against my lower thighs, digging in when I reached a particularly thick patch. His coarse hair broke the string more than a few times. He cursed that I was being rough on purpose with each snap.

And they say men are the superior gender, I thought to myself with a smirk.

Once I was satisfied I'd done all I could with my thread, I tossed it in the trash and picked up my tweezers. I plucked the few stray hairs I couldn't get a few seconds ago. While I was in the midst of doing some final cleaning up, the door to my bedroom abruptly slammed open. I shot back, my hand going to my chest as I yelped in surprise.

"What the fuck, Preston?!" I yelled, my chest heaving up and down from surprise. His posture was tense as he scanned the position Caelan and I were in.

"I forgot my wallet and had to come back for it. You said you guys were going to get food," he spoke, his tone accusatory.

"We still are, but she won't let me go in public looking homeless," Caelan muttered, sending me a playful glare.

"Next time give me a heads up. You scared the shit out of me," I muttered before going right back to what I was doing. I picked up my spooley and brushed up the very front section of Caelan's brow hair and trimmed it short. I brushed away the fallen hairs off of his cheekbones before stepping back and examining my handy work. I fixed a few last hairs on his left brow that were making them slightly uneven before setting my things down and grabbing my bottle of soothing, cooling gel. Pumping a tiny bit on a cotton ball, I handed it to Caelan. He knew what to do with it, sighing with relief once it touched his pinkened irritated skin.

"If you're just going to continue standing there, would you mind grabbing me the electric razor from my bathroom?" I asked before making eye contact with Preston. I couldn't decipher the look on his face as his jaw clenched and unclenched. I rolled my eyes. "For Christ's sake, I'll just get it myself."

Brushing past him, I came back with what I needed to an intense stare-off between Caelan and my brother. Well, it was more one-sided than anything. Caelan seemed relatively unbothered.

"Don't you have some floozies to hang out with?" I asked Preston, hoping he would leave already. He didn't speak another word as he turned and left us alone. I just shrugged my shoulders and plugged the razor in.

"How do you want it trimmed?" I asked, eyeing the much too grown out beard with distaste.

"Surprise me."

"Can I give you a handlebar?" I snickered before schooling my face into a serious expression.

"Do it and we'll be eating at that Mexican restaurant that gives you the shits," he threatened. I snorted, turning the razor on and going to work. I trimmed everything down so all he was left with was his normal 5 o'clock shadow. Looking down, I realized I'd made a mess of my bedroom floor.

"We should've done this in the bathroom," I complained, dropping down to my knees to pick up the cut off hair as Caelan rubbed his hands over his face. It was at that moment that my dad decided to abruptly make his presence known, too. What the fuck was the deal with people interrupting my privacy today?

"The fuck is going on here?" he growled. My brows furrowed together in confusion as I held up my hand full of beard fuzz.

"A beard trim?" I answered dumbly, raising a single questioning brow at my dad. It wasn't until Caelan and I made eye contact did I realize we were in kind of a compromising position. I was now kneeling slightly between his legs as he looked down at me.

"Wait, you thought-!" I started before stopping myself. I pursed my lips trying to hold the laugh in, but I failed terribly. Caelan soon joined before pushing the chair back to give me room and offering me his hand to help me stand up. I tossed his trimmed hair into the closest trash can before meeting my dad's gaze once again.

"You're just as bad as Dax and Preston," I scolded with a scowl.

"How are you, Troy?" Caelan asked politely, standing and making his way to my dad. He extended his hand to shake. My dad accepted and pulled him in for one of those man hugs.

"Doing good, just trying to keep busy after retirement," he chuckled.

"By that, he means he's been annoying mom most days while she's trying to do paperwork," I joked. "We're gonna go grab a bite to eat. When you see mom, ask her what she wanted me to come over for, will you? She was gone by the time I got here," I remarked while passing by him to head back downstairs.

"You driving?" I asked as I heard Caelan come up from behind me.

"Like I'd ever get into your car with you in the driver's seat. Fuckin death sentence is what that is," he grunted.

"C'mon, I'm not that bad of a driver," I pouted while handing over my keys.

"You're forgetting I've known you coming up on five years now, sweetheart. You can't get away with that bullshit with me anymore," he commented while unlocking the doors as we approached my SUV. He opened the passenger door for me before shutting it behind me. Sliding into his own seat, he was comically scrunched forward. There was a significant height and size difference between Caelan and I. Sometimes I call him kitty because someone once told us we reminded them of Sully and Boo from Monsters Inc. Being as I stood at a measly five-foot-five and he had more than a foot on my height, it was pretty damn accurate.

"Where to, Pais?" he asked, starting the car up.

"I don't know. I'm not sure what I'm in the mood for," I murmured, pondering our options.

"What is today?" he asked.

"April 21st, why?" I questioned, confused.

"You're gonna get your period in about a week which means you're usually craving fried, greasy food. How about burgers from that place by the diner?" he asked. I started salivating the second the suggestion was out of his mouth.

"Hell yeah," I moaned, smacking my lips a few times for added emphasis. He just shook his head and laughed at me before putting the car in reverse and backing out of the driveway.

"No Spice Girls," he blurted as I picked up the aux cord that was plugged into the radio. I bit the inside of my lip to keep from smiling as I pressed play seconds after he said it. He groaned as his head fell back against the headrest as the sound of Wannabe filled the car.

"Tell me what you want, what you really, really want," I sang obnoxiously before thrusting my hand out towards his mouth as if I was holding a microphone.

"I'm not doing this," he grunted.

"Tell me what you want, what you really, really want," I repeated stubbornly.

"I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want," he sang back with a small half-smile. I continued to belt the lyrics as he sang along when I forced him.