❛ Give you the silence that only comes when two people understand eachother
Family that I chose now that I see your brother as my brother ❜
- peace, Taylor Swift

That evening was surprisingly peaceful, Lois was spent with all of the jetlag and had already been asleep when we got home.

Hal ordered us all pizza since no one was going to make dinner, and it was awesome. I had almost forgotten how good pizza tasted when it wasn't the frozen store-bought kind and when I could enjoy it with people I love.

Earlier, when Hal walked in and laid eyes on Reese, he erupted in a flurry of scoldings until he embraced his son so tightly I thought his eyes were going to pop out. At this point, the love/hate dynamics in this family are to be expected.

Now, Hal is dozing off in front of the TV. We're all getting done with eating and Malcolm and Dewey both get up from the table to do their own things, leaving me with Reese who is feeding Jamie little pieces of pizza.

I watch as Jamie giggles at his older brother. "It's good! I know," Reese says in a cute tone, which elicits a smile from me.

Reese sits back in his chair as Jamie clumsily shoves a couple more pieces of pizza in his mouth.

Now that we're pretty much alone, my mind begins to swim with all the emotions I've been feeling. As I stare at the boy's profile, I recall his confession earlier today—he doesn't just love me, he's in love with me. He had to clarify that to me, and I didn't even get the chance to tell him I felt the same way—although that kiss should've straightened things out.

"Reese?" My voice comes out as sort of a whisper. His head turns at it.

"Huh?"

His wide eyed gaze makes my breath catch in my throat. It hits me how out of place this is. Nonetheless, I regain my composure so that I can say the most important words I will ever say to him.

"I've been meaning to tell you... that I'm in love with you too."

I can make out his pupils dilating and his lips curving upwards under the kitchen light. He lets out a low laugh, and I can't tell why. It almost sounds like disbelief. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear that," he says.

I am rendered speechless by his sincere look and his words. I don't think I've ever been so nervous around him. The only thing I can muster out before looking away is, "I think I do." And it's true, because it's been well over a year that I acknowledged my romantic feelings for him. Though I'm a little surprised at the revelation that he has also held them for a while, it sort of adds up given his explanation of what happened before he left.

And just like that I circle back to him leaving—how horrible this past month has been. My eyes sting at the remembrance. "You know... I don't think I care about anyone like I do you," I tell him. I make sure my eyes are looking deeply into his, unwavering—I never want to look away again.

He nods, "Yeah... I know that while I was out there in the desert, fighting for my life, all I could think of was you. How badly I wanted to live so that I could be back here with you." My heart feels like it's going to explode. The thought of him out there so relentless and brave makes me proud, but I also know that must have been lonely and so, so terrifying.

"I can't believe you're barely turning seventeen and already a veteran. You're absolutely crazy, do you know that?" I smile to lighten the mood.

"I know... and what'd you say? Seventeen? Wow," he looks at the ground, trying to make some calculations in his head.

"Yeah, stupid, your birthday is next week."

He huffs, "Man, I can't believe I forgot about that."

"Me neither... You really have changed," I say as my eyes scan his features. Still pretty much the same-old, but with some hints of maturity. His shoulders are hunched, but still significantly broader and larger than before. I blush as my eyes go over his arm muscles. He's always been toned, but now there's just a bit more definition and size to him.

I avert my eyes back to his. After a few moments of relishing in admiration for each other, Reese turns to look at Jamie and his mess. We almost forgot he was there.

"We should probably clean up," I say, amused.

He agrees and we both get up to clean, him picking up Jamie to wash the smeared pizza sauce all over his face and hands, and me folding the pizza boxes to throw away.

I look over at the living room, the TV is off and the couch is empty, it seems like Hal had gotten up without us noticing. I look back and Reese is now holding a now clean Jamie in an awkward upside-down position to smell his diaper.

He scrunches his face, "I think this is revenge for what happened today. I guess I'm stuck with changing his diaper."

I giggle at the face he's making. "Well, good luck with that. I'm just gonna go get something from my house." I reach for the crumpled up note in my pocket—yep, there it is.

"Alright," he shrugs and turns away. I can hear him murmuring to Jamie, something about him paying for this later and how he's going to put him to bed wether he likes it or not. I laugh at his silly antics as I leave to go home.

I notice my father's car in the driveway before going in. I haven't spoken to him since that phone call with my mother two days ago.

"Hey, I'm home!" I say as I step in, spotting my Dad in the kitchen.

"Hey," he replies, scanning me over as I make my way into the house. "You look different."

I stop to reply, "Yeah, well, Reese is back, so," I purse my lips in a tight smile.

He nods in approval and takes another bite of his macaroni. "I'm glad they found him. That kid is trouble, I'll tell you. But its breathed some life back into you, I can tell. For that, I'm thankful." He smiles, and I smile back. I'm thankful too. Thankful that I'm feeling better and also that he hasn't brought up the phone call.

I give him one last nod before beelining to my room to find what I'm here for. I open my desk's drawer to reveal the Deftones CD I took back from him on the last day I saw him before he left, the day I saw him kissing that girl. My heart slightly aches at the memory.

I pick up the CD case. It belongs with him. With me, it's just a memento of that terrible day. I then take out the crumpled note from my pocket and neatly fold it to put it in place of the CD. I close the drawer with a sigh.

Everything will be exactly where it belongs.

I look out from my open blinds into the dimly lit Wilkerson's room. As if on cue, Reese walks in from his parents room. I guess he put Jamie to sleep after all. It doesn't take long for him to spot me through the window despite the darkness of my room.

He smiles and walks over to open his window, beckoning me over. A sheepishly excited grin makes its way to my face and I grab the CD case to sneak out of my room and into his.

I trip on a sock as soon as i enter, but Reese holds my shoulders to steady me. I grab his forearms for extra support and let out a muffled giggle into his chest.

"Shh, they're all asleep," He whispers, holding back a laugh.

I get myself together and present him the CD. "I wanted to give this back to you."

His eyebrows furrow, "But it's not just mine, we got it together, you can have it," he says.

"I know, but you like it more than I do anyway. I've never listened to it alone," I confess, "and that day, I just used it as an excuse to see you."

The realisation of what day I was talking about comes over his face and his eyebrows raise. His mouth makes an 'O' shape.

He takes it in his hands and goes to get a box from under his bed. I take a seat on the bed and he follows after me. "I'm so glad all my stuff is still here," he says as he blows some dust off of the box. That's when I notice the 'Tess' label on it.

"What's that?" I ask in a hushed voice.

I can almost swear that he's blushing. "Eh, it's just a box of stuff you've left. You know me, I like to stay organised."

I scoff at his reply. I notice a familiar pink object between all the CDs and papers. "Hey, that's my lucky scrunchie! I've been looking everywhere for that thing!" I reach for the box. If I'm not mistaken, there's also a shiny little thing in there as well that happens to look just like my lost earring.

He shuts the box hastily and moves it out of my reach. "Shh! You're going to wake up the entire house," he scolds.

I punch his arm jokingly. "I can't believe you just steal my stuff. At least now I know."

"I don't steal," he huffs at the accusation as he puts his precious box back in its place.

I suppress a giggle, "Sure."

He sits back down and yawns. It's so cute that I almost feel like crying.

"Do you wanna go get ready for bed?" I ask and he nods.

"Sleepover?" He says, it's more of a notice of approval rather than a question.

"Yep."

And so we both get up to brush our teeth. I change into some comfortable pyjama pants I have in their drawer for moments like these. Reese also changes into a pair of shorts and an old T-shirt.

When I leave the bathroom after changing, Reese is already laying on the bed. I blush when I sit down. We've slept in the same bed countless times before, but I can't help but feel a little awkward with all our feelings now out in the open.

As if sensing my hesitance, Reese yanks me down to lay with him. I muffle a chuckle and wiggle myself into a more comfortable position, on my side and nestled into his shoulder. The lack of space allows us to fit like a neat puzzle.

He turns his head to face me, his sleepy eyes washing over my dimly lit face so lovingly. His hand touches my face like a feather, I never knew that he could be so gentle. Butterflies erupt in my stomach.

"Can I kiss you again?" He whispers.

I smile, and instead of replying, I close my eyes and the distance between us.

This time, the kiss is tentative and careful. Unlike the two previous ones we've shared. This time there's no one running after us—literally.

This time I can focus on the tenderness of his lips and the freshly clean taste of his mouth and the smell of his skin and the sound of his breath. It doesn't last for long and I pull away to look at his soft face.

"I'm glad you're back," I whisper before nestling my face into his shoulder again. His arm wraps around my waist unabashedly and it doesn't take more than five minutes until I can hear his soft snores over his brothers'. And that familiar sound of all of them sleeping soundly eventually lulls me to sleep as it has many times before.

author's note:

Sorry for such a late update again. I hope you enjoy this chapter even though it's sorta uneventful. Tess and Reese will always hold a place in my heart and I'm working on completing this story asap. I've also edited the last 2 chapters so feel free to reread. I appreciate all your comments sooo soooo much, they're what keep me going, so please don't hesitate to comment things! Thank you all for your love.