Boys are weird.

When Liah and Vik got back from the store with the pancake mix, along with cereal and fruit and whip cream and sprinkles, the four of us got started on dinner/breakfast.

Liah and I sliced strawberries and bananas at the table while the boys had a pancake flipping contest. The Lahiri's kitchen had a high ceiling and they were determined to hit it. They hadn't gotten that high, instead hitting everything else in sight. The refrigerator, the floor, Liah's head. It was ridiculous, but entertaining.

My good mood was mostly because Corey didn't run. We had our first fight, if it could even be called that, and things didn't end in flames. That gave me hope for our eventual showdown with my brother. He would obviously be upset at first, but once he saw how much Corey and I really cared about each other, he'd see he shouldn't keep us apart.

"You fixed it." Liah commented, chopping a strawberry like some pro-chef. She had a cooking phase a few years ago after getting hooked on reality cooking shows. I chopped more slowly, trying to keep all my fingers.

I smiled at her. "I did. Now there's just the part where we tell Gray."

Her eyes went wide. "You're telling him."

"I want what you and Vik have. You're relaxed and comfortable around each other. We won't be there until we stop lying to everyone."

She set her knife down, hugging me. "Finally! After all these years of watching you get all emotional over those romance books you read, I want to see you swoon over someone non-fictional. Especially after all those bad dates you've had this year."

Warmth filled my chest. She was right. With all my brother drama, it hadn't really sunk in that I have a boyfriend. Someone real I could use when my imagination goes wild when listening to my favorite songs.

Glancing over at Corey, I decided I was taking full advantage of the next forty-eight hours. No brothers or parents--just us two having our well-deserved honeymoon phase.

● ● ●

When we finished cooking, we moved our midnight breakfast into the living room. We watched some show about people surviving alone on an island and ate our pancakes. I topped mine with whip cream, bananas, and Froot Loops. They tasted heavenly.

Liah and Vik crashed on the couch at around three in the morning. Liah curled into his side, softly snoring, while Vik had a plate of half eaten pancakes precariously balanced on his knee.

Corey and I were on the love seat, my head in his lap, as we talked about nothing. I was past the point of being tired, running on fumes and syrup.

"Why hasn't that fallen yet?" I asked, pointing at Vik's plate. "Do you think it's stuck to his leg?"

Corey vibrated under me as he chuckled. "The two of them did use an entire bottle of syrup."

I got up, even as Corey protested and tried to pull me back. Tip-toeing over to Vik, I nudged the plate. When it didn't fall, I looked at Corey, who started laughing. I tried picking up the plate, stopping when Vik's joggers started lifting with it.

A laugh escaped from me and Liah stirred. "Go to sleep, Sereya," she mumbled before snoring again.

My eyes went to Corey, who was just barely holding it together. Before either of us could wake them, I grabbed Corey's hand and pulled him into the kitchen. We laughed the way you did when you were too tired to make sense of anything.

"My entire body fells sticky," I said through a yawn.

Corey snorted, reaching up to stroke my cheek. Instead, he wasn't. He pulled a piece of cereal from my cheek. "Because you are."

"I was saving that for a snack."

That time when he touched my face, it was to pull me in for a kiss. He tasted sweet, like strawberries. I smiled, happily delirious.

"I'm happy," I said out loud, draping my arms over his shoulders.

He followed my lead, his hands resting on my hips. "You are?"

"Very." He looked pleased at my answer.

We swayed together in the Lahiri's messy kitchen to the sound of someone getting eliminated from the island. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation, but I felt like I was floating. I laid my head on his shoulder, feeling perfectly content for the first time since we started dating.

"Can I tell you something?" He asked after a moment.

"Yes, but I might not remember it because I'm half asleep."

He let out a soft laugh. "Even better."

● ● ●

The next morning, I woke up in a room I didn't recognize, under covers I'd never seen before. The only familiar thing was Corey's green hoodie that was currently under my head. Slowly, I realized the hoodie was still on him.

Raising my head slightly, I watched him. Listened to his even breathing and soft snores. How did we end up there?

I remembered the pancakes and the plate stuck to Vik's leg. After that...I only remembered pieces. Kissing, slow dancing. Lots of laughing. I think I remember him on top of me at one point. Quickly, I checked under the cover to make sure my clothes were intact. Though I'm sure I would've remembered sleeping with Corey. Everything was in order.

Almost. There was a bandage on my finger. It took me a minute to remember why. I cut it on a box of cereal. Paper cuts are bad, but cardboard cuts are worse.

There was a knock at the door and I pulled my eyes away from the bandage. Corey stirred under me, his eyes still closed.

"Hope you're decent. I'm coming in." Liah opened the door, a hand covering her eyes.

Corey was up now. Yawning and stretching and looking incredibly sexy even with his eye boogers. I sat up, still feeling like I could sleep for a few more hours.

"You're too peppy for this early in the morning," I grumbled through a yawn.

"First of all, it's almost one p.m.," she said, coming into the room and grabbing her bag from the floor. "Second, we have plans, so get dressed. We leave in two hours."

Corey and I shared a look, neither of us remembering discussing any plans.

"Maybe you forgot, but we can't leave the house," I reminded her.

"We can leave, we just can't be recognized by anyone we know. Which is why we're leaving town." She winked before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

"What did that mean?" Corey asked, sitting up beside me. His voice all groggy and cute.

It occurred to me that I just spent the night in bed with a boy. My boyfriend. And I hardly remembered any of it.

"What?" Corey asked, his brow wrinkled.

I must've been staring, but I wasn't embarrassed. "Aren't you supposed to be in the other room?"

"I tried to leave. You wouldn't let me."

More of last night (or this morning) came back. I tripped going up the stairs and he picked me up over his shoulder, carrying me the rest of the way. It was like I was drunk on sugar and sleep deprivation. When he dropped me on the bed, he was going to leave. I pulled him back. That's how he ended up on top of me.

"Anything else happen last night I should know about?"

"You get into some alcohol or something?" He chuckled. "How do you not remember?"

"I remember. I just need hints."

He watched me for a moment. "Okay. Taylor Swift."

"Taylor Swift? What, is she your celebrity crush?"

"That's the hint." Before I could question him further, he hopped out of bed and left the room.

● ● ●

Taylor Swift's latest album played while I showered and got ready for the day. I remembered bringing her up when we were dancing in the kitchen. Taylor writes a lot of songs about dancing in kitchens. But other than that...nothing.

Corey wasn't budging either. Not even when I pulled out some flirty moves I read about in some really old teen magazines from our school's library. He just laughed and called me cute.

Once we were all dressed and in Vik's car, Liah let us in her plans. "We're going to a concert."

I had to admit that was a little exciting. I'd never been to a concert. "Who's playing?"

"No idea," she said, turning back around to give Vik directions.

"You don't know?"

"I never heard of them, but the tickets were super cheap and it's highly unlikely anyone we know will be there."

Okay...that was a little less exciting. But it could still be fun. "What's their name?"

"Zero Glory, but they spell it GL0RY
With a zero."

I searched the name and pulled up one of their videos. The song started and I instantly fell in love with it.

"It kinda sounds like Almost Monday," Vik pointed out.

"It does!" I said, happy to find someone who shared the same music taste as me.

Liah looked between the two of us. "Who?"

"Almost Monday," I repeated, leaning between the seats to talk to Vik. "I didn't know you listened to them."

"Yeah, the first time I heard 'Only Wanna Dance' I was sold."

Liah turned, looking over her seat at Corey. "I feel like I just did something bad."

"You did." Corey agreed.

"Play some of their stuff," Vik said, glancing over at Liah. "Then you'll understand."

We spent the rest of the drive listening GL0RY and Almost Monday. Liah and Corey eventually relented, bobbing along to the music. We learned all the lyrics to the most of GL0RY's songs in that two hour drive.

When we got to the venue--a small bar that was open to all ages on Saturdays, according Liah--there was a small line. A bouncer with muscles the size of a baby's head stood at the door either stamping hands or giving people bracelets. The four of us got bracelets. They were a neon green sign that meant we weren't able to drink alcohol.

Inside, the bar was dark and smiled of stale beer. The floors were sticky. Layers of flyers and posters and stickers and graffiti plastered the walls. There was a small platform I guessed was the stage. The surrounding area was clear, like no one was particularly waiting in anticipation for the band.

We grabbed a table in front if the stage. The band was supposed to go on soon. At the moment, a new Paramore song played over the speakers. Most people hung around the bar or in booths at the back. It had the same vibes as a middle school dance where everyone was spread out in the cafeteria, bored. Maybe they were conserving their energy for the band.

Liah and Vik volunteered to brave the crowd at the bar to get us some sodas. The two of them were holding hand, heads bent towards each other as they whispered back and forth. It made the space between Corey and me feel like the Grand Canyon.

Reaching my hand up, I grabbed his, which was tugging at his bottom lip, interlocking our fingers. "This is kind of our first date."

He ran his thumb over my knuckles, his touch more anxious than anything. "You're not worried about anyone seeing us? If Gray found out before we had the chance to tell him..."

I shifted in my chair to face him. "Do you remember last night?"

His eyes snapped to me, his hand tensing around mine. "Do you?"

"I'm still trying to figure out the Taylor Swift thing," I admitted. "But what I do remember from last night was feeling like an actual couple. No looking over our shoulders or worrying about my brother. Honestly, it was the happiest I'd been a while."

"Me, too." He smiled and I matched it, momentarily losing my train of thought because, oh my gosh, he was perfect in every conceivable way.

"Good. Because this weekend is supposed to be stress free. So, until Monday, Grayson doesn't exist. Okay?"

His face softened, any left over tension melting away. He let out a soft laugh. "You were right that night in the tree house."

"What?"

"You really can be persuasive."

I grinned. "I know. Now kiss me in front of all these strangers." He did, making every inch of my skin buzz.

Liah and Vik returned with our drinks, setting them on the table.

"Get a room," Liah teased.

Screeching feedback from a microphone filled the bar. A chubby guy in a cardigan with a guitar strapped to his back stood on stage. "Sorry about that. Uhm, I'm Allister and we are GL0RY."

With that, they launched right into their first song.