(Edited)

"Want something to drink?" Jason asked, taking a carton of juice from the fridge. He looked up at me, expectantly and I stuttered slightly, leaning against the island.

"Uh, sure. Thanks." I blushed and looked around the kitchen.

I didn't expect him to actually ever speak to me, but here he was making eye contact and everything. Jason handed me my juice and put everything away.

I looked around the big kitchen while sipping my juice. It looked like the type of kitchen you would find at a grand palace with fifty kitchen staff members walking around. The cabinets were a light brown, matching the wooden floor. I leaned against an oval island with a marble top; it stood in the centre of the room. The stove was centred right in the middle of the island with a ventilator hanging above it. There stood a white double door fridge was in front of me; six feet of space in between. The kitchen had Bay windows which created a lot of open air. Behind me stood the sink and the dishwasher on its left. You could see their backyard if you stood in front of the basin. That was my favourite part.

Jason must have seen me looking around, shocked at the size of the kitchen, and chuckled. *Michaels Mom loves cooking!" he waved his hand around, explaining the size of the kitchen.

"Clearly."

Jason opened his mouth to say something but got interrupted by Mason and Ashton running into the room, swearing at each other. Mason pushed Ashton, and he landed on the floor with a loud thud.

"Give it back!"

Ashton swore at him and tackled Mason to the floor. I looked away from the crazies on the floor and stared at Jason expectantly. He shrugged carelessly like this was a regular daily activity and took a sip of his drink. Jason typed away on his phone while Mason and Ashton brawled on the floor.

"Guys come on, stop. You're going to break something." I pleaded with them since Jason couldnt care less. They mumble profanities at each other and run out of the kitchen.

"Idiots," Jason commented, while still staring at his phone.

I stood there, awkwardly sipping my juice. I opened my mouth to attempt a conversation but got interrupted by the sound of glass shattering in the other room.

"Shit," Jason swore and looked at me. "Stay here." He ordered and ran towards the noise.

I picked up my juice and stared at it. "Sure, because I was going to waltz around the house and snoop in every single room," I mumbled sarcastically.

"Are you talking to yourself?" Jason asked, startling me.

I jumped around and put my hand on my chest. "Bags! You scared me." I was slightly out of breath. When did he come back?

Jason stood by the door that connected the kitchen and the lounge. Jason smiled slightly, nodding his head towards the room and disappeared. I finished the rest of my juice and put the cup in the sink.

"Lets play twister." Mason and Ashton said, simultaneously when I entered the room, I shrugged and took a seat on the couch.

"Michael, you tool, come join us," Mason yelled, damaging my eardrums. Michael walked into the room a view minutes later with a gorgeous smile on his face. For a guy with a rotten personality, he sure was handsome.

"Where the f-" Mason started to say but cut himself off when he saw a little girl's head sticking out from behind Michael. "frick have you been?"

Michael glared at Mason for almost swearing in front of her and urged her forward to greet everyone. She walked up to the three boys and kissed them on the cheek, making them smile.

The little munchkin walked up to me next and stuck her tiny hand out for me to shake. "Hi, I'm May-C."

Her smile confirmed my suspicion that she was Michaels sister; they both had the same dimples. She resembled him a lot, the only difference being her eyes; they were clear blue in contrast with his jaded-green.

I took her tiny hand in mine and shook it. "Hello, Im Autumn, nice to met you." I smiled at her, and she blushed.

"You have long hair like princess Rapunzel." She looked up at me and giggled. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Michael grinning at how happy his sister was. It was clear that he had a lot of love and adoration for May-C.

"Can I call you that?" she asked with her dimpled smile and her big blue eyes so deep and full of innocence.

"Of course you can, munchkin." I pinched her cheek and smiled.

May-Cs face lit up with pure joy; she hugged me and ran out of the room. As soon as May-C was out of sight, Ashton bent over with laughter. I smiled, the memory resurfacing. The rest of the boys looked at me, expectantly, but I shrugged and pretended to be clueless.

Ashtons constant laughter made me think back to the day I told him that I was Rapunzel. I looked over at him and smiled. So much had changed in the short time since he boldly decided to befriend me, and I accepted, against my better judgment. But to be frank, I had not come to regret it so far; even with all the slip-ups, I had made.

When Ashton calmed down and got his laughter under control, he winked at me and helped the others with the gaming mat. The boys moved the table away, making room for the mat and laid it in front of the couch.

"You guys can start, I'm sitting this one out. I'll spin the wheel for you." Michael walked over towards me, taking a seat very close to me.

"So am I."

'Why dont you just sit on her lap, buddy boy?' Lilly commented for the first time today. Michael might just as well; he was sitting so close it felt like there was no oxygen flow between us. I could feel him breathing on my neck.

"Are you going to be their cheerleader?" Jason asked, smirking at Michael. The boys laughed, and Michael flipped him the middle finger.

Ten minutes into the game and Michael already took over the wheel from me. "Ashton right foot on green."

I wanted to complain about the fact that he started to micromanage the game, but it looked like he was enjoying himself and the smile on his face was persuasive enough.

"My leg can't bend that way!" Ashton yelled from his uncomfortable position. I laughed at how comically he looked and received a scowl from him. "Stop laughing Boo, help me."

I felt Michael tense up next to me from the endearment Ashton called me. Why it would be disturbing to him was unknown to me, but the theories my brain was making couldnt possibly be true. The idea of Michael having feelings for me was utterly ludicrous, a wondrous feeling but definitely ludicrous. I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind to processed it later. So much had happened in such a short time span that I felt my brain was going to combust.

I playfully stuck my tongue out at Ashton. "You're on your own." The scene in front of us certainly was worth laughing at, and I wasn't going to stop that.

Mason stood bent forward like a dog on four paws; with his butt in our face, his hands on blue and red- two dots in between them- his legs three dots behind the hands. Now here was where things got interesting. Ashton was in the same position as Mason except his face was towards us. Ashtons hands were on either side of Masons left foot. His next move was his right foot on the green, and the green dot was next to Masons right hand. So, Ashton had two choices; either to go over Mason or under him. If he went over Mason, both of them would fall and lose. That left, the option of going under, but by going under he would have to turn his lower body upwards which left his face in a very compromising position; facing Masons private area.

Ashton successfully completed the move and yelled at Michael. "I hate you, you green-eyed Barbie. You did this on purpose."

Michael scoffed, "Get over yourself, I didnt cheat. Autumn has been watching me this entire time." He smirked, letting me know he caught me. I looked away blushing.

I was looking at him more closely than I probably should have, but could you blame me? Carpe diem and with him sitting so deliciously close, I was not passing on that opportunity. I guess I had to work and my subtleness and not be so blunt about my staring techniques. Michael surprised me by putting his hand on my bare thigh, giving it a small squeeze. I froze, a tingling sensation erupted all over me, overpowering the fear in my stomach. This exact feeling pulled me back to last nights almost kiss and how bad I wanted it to happen. I looked at how perfectly his hand wrapped around my thigh and blushed crimson. So many different thoughts ran through my head, but none of them stayed long enough for me to focus on one.

I looked up just in time and saw Michaels face coming closer towards me. My entire body heated up from embarrassment or whatever else it might be, and I bit on the inside of my cheek. His face was very close to mine, his mouth brushing against my ear. "Thank you," he whispered, his breath hit my face; something minty and sweet.

I wasn't sure if I heard him correctly or if his close proximity was messing with me, but my thoughts were all jumbled up, so I stared up at him with a puzzled look on my face.

"For being nice to my sister," he explained. "Even though you hate me." I leaned away from him to create some distance between us.

"She's adorable, and I would never take our problems out on her," I reassured him. "Oh, and hate is a strong word, I just don't particularly like you." I winked at him.

Michael smiled, his dimples prominent. "Oh, so you go around kissing people you don't like." He smirked. I couldnt help but appreciate his boyish charms.

"Almost kiss, don't get your story jumbled up," I replied with sass, trying to hide how nervous he made me feel.

We stared at each other with smiles on our faces. To my utmost surprise, we just had a moment, but of course, nothing good lasted for me, and we broke away because of Ashton and Masons bantering.

"Get your junk away from my face," Ashton exclaimed rather loudly, starting to lose his position.

"Get your face away from my junk." Mason snapped back.

Jason, who was sitting on the floor next to them, started laughing for the first time since we started playing. Michael and I looked at each other and burst into a guffaw of laughter. Ashton was about to start swearing at all of us, but May-C and an older woman interrupted him by walking into the room.

"Mama Woods, I've missed you," Ashton said, smiling like a goof. His irritation with us forgotten. The blond woman moved her head sideways, staring at the awkward position that the boys were in. She shook her head with a smile, ignoring it.

"If you want me to miss you, Ashton, then you'll have to leave my house sometime." Ashton pouted and nudged Mason to tip him over.

Michael stood up to greet his mom, leaving me alone on the couch- an unexplainable coldness filled me. I just realized that his hand was on my thigh the entire time and to me, it felt natural, like it belonged there. Michael kissed his mom on the cheek and turned to me.

I stood up and introduced myself. "Hi, I'm Autumn."

She looked at Michael sceptically, then smiled at me. "Hi Honey, I'm Amanda. This idiots mother." Michael playfully glared at her, and we both chuckled. I looked at Amanda and immediately found some similarities between them. Michael got his eye colour and skin tone from her. She looked laid back in the sweats and flowy top she had on.

"I just came to greet. I'm going to be in the kitchen baking with your sister." She announced and headed for the kitchen. "I'll make some for you boys as well."

"Micky, can I bring your girlfriend with me?" May-C asked.

Mason, Ashton and Jason fake coughed to mock Michael, and he glared at them. He bent down on one knee and smiled at her. "You'll have to ask her, cupcake." He looked up at me and winked.

I looked at him, surprised and confused. Ignoring the butterflies in my stomach, I smiled down at May-C, and we headed to the kitchen, leaving the boys behind. My heart felt lighter, the ugly tension between Michael and I forgotten. I knew he wasn't going to drop the subject of me fighting, but I was going to take advantage of this.

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