Chapter 9

The following morning for Una felt like waking up in paradise. Sleeping in a proper bed with Gus was the most comfort she ever found herself in and waking up was so easy being as well rested as she was. She decided not to wake Gus sleeping soundly beside her when she rose from the bed, the warmth of the heated apartment wrapping around her and she let out a small sigh of happiness.

She exited the room, the warmth following with her and moved along the floor quietly. She didn't want to wake anyone else up considering she wasn't sure of the time and all she wanted to do was look at the view the apartment offered. Every piece of furniture, every canvas that took residence on the wall seemed to catch her eye as she looked around the apartment in more detail, finding words to describe it other than a perfect dream seemed to fail her and she simply couldn't process how lovely everything was.

She turned at a sudden noise, almost frowning when she caught the sight of River standing from his place on the couch. He was already dressed, very formally she could add, in a deep blue suit that looked almost black, and she wondered if it was just the normal attire.

"You don't need to leave because I'm here," she said. As much as it was clear that River didn't like her, and she wasn't entirely fond of him either, it was his home and not hers and she didn't wish to rush him out of it just because he didn't like her.

She hated the thought of comparing herself to people she didn't like but she understood his position. When her mother brought home men she wished to have her way with, Una was livid - of course, it wasn't the exact same, but she was a stranger in his home and she was a stranger in Rivers.

Her eyes wavered from the back of his head and to the view out of the window, "I know you don't like me, but this is your home."

She hated silence when it was awkward, and it was very awkward and when she turned back around from the sight out of the windows, he was gone.

"Alright then," she grumbled, running a hand through the knots in her hair in order to look somewhat alright when the others woke up. Delilah and Elysia last night after they came home from a small restaurant on the same street had made sure to tell Una where everything in the house was, and whilst she had forgotten most - she remembered where the tea was.

She thought she heard something moving but she ignored it knowing it was just one of them waking up for the day ahead. After her nap with Gus last night they had to move quickly as their friends had booked a table at the restaurant she wished to return to.

It was just as beautiful as the rest of the city, with locals laughing over wine and the kindest smiles she had ever seen resting on the waiter's lips, and the food was to die for. She wanted to order everything and take it home but Elysia made sure to tell her that it was her least favourite place to eat.

Of course, Una was shocked at that.

"I wouldn't drink that if I was you." she almost jumped at the voice and spun to see a tired looking Ferris leaning against the island, "Delilah's speciality...well that's what she calls it," he scoffed, "the one next to it - that's a good one."

She offered him a smile and a thank you and pushed herself back up to reach the box, "did you have fun last night?"

Ferris had left the group on their walk back to the apartment to meet some of his party goer friends further into the city. He went on and on about taking Una one day and whilst it wasn't her thing, she liked how much Ferris wished to spend time with her - he really was lovely.

"Oh yeah," he shrugged, "same old same old. Quite boring sometimes."

"If it's boring why do you go out?" she laughed, offering him a cup of tea and he nodded, "I've barely seen the city and I can tell you there's plenty of other things you could spend your time doing."

"It's fun at the moment," he waved her off, "what about you, did you have fun last night?"

"It was brilliant," she pushed his tea in front of him, sitting on the island stool just across from him, "I've never seen anything like this place."

"What's your town like?"

"Boring, really. I'm talking true boredom, not living it up at parties boring," he laughed at that, and she smiled too, "I wasn't really a sociable person, my sister is, but it's just not my thing so whilst everyone else my age was off partying at the beach and drinking and dancing the night away, I would be in Gus' family tea shop reading my books."

"Bloody hell your life is just so interesting," he joked, earning a push of his arm from Una whilst he laughed loudly, "so that's all you did, just sit and read?"

"And drink tea," she added, lifting up her cup with a grin, "I liked it. I mean it was normal, isn't it, no change just my life. Maybe that's why you party because you're used to it, it's what you do. I was sheltered by the town; my worries weren't even my own because I had nothing I had to worry about.

Course everyone goes through stuff and we all have to deal with it whether we want to or not but mostly I worried about my brother's job, or the tea shop, or what horribly bad thing my mother was going to do. I didn't need to worry about me, or anything I did because it was the same every single day."

"You're right," he nodded, "we all go through stuff. We all have our secrets."

"That we do," she agreed.

"Morning!" her focus was lifted from Ferris and to a cheery, already dressed Flynn who bounced into the kitchen, "how is my favourite new friend this fine day?!"

"I'm great," she laughed, "how is one of my favourite new friends doing?"

"I'm happy!" he nodded, reaching into the fridge to get the orange juice stored in a carton in the door, "we're all going shopping today for you and your new room!"

"Delilah said something about that," Una nodded, stifling a yawn, "It's not really my room...though, it's just a spare room."

"Oh no," Ferris shook his head, patting her arm, "we have plenty of spare rooms. That room is yours," his lips twisted into a smile, "and Gus', apparently."

Una's head turned to see a very sleepy Gus shuffling along, rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes whilst his hair stuck up in all sorts of places. She laughed softly at the state he was in, and he moved behind her to wrap his arms tightly around her, his head on hers and his arms around her shoulders.

"Morning," he grumbled whilst she leaned into his bare chest, lifting her head back to stare at him amusedly.

"Morning," she giggled whilst the two boys said their greetings, "so I take it you're not the morning person out of everyone?"

He scowled, though he soon dipped his head to her ear, brushing her earlobe as he whispered, "I remember being very awake that morning in my car."

Her eyes narrowed into a glare at his teasing, and she even went as far to elbow him whilst he let out a loud laugh, pressing a sloppy kiss to her cheek and moving to the fridge, "so what happened on your road trip then?" asked Ferris completely innocently, or so, that's what Una thought.

"We drove in a car for days." Una shrugged, "but it was great."

"Oh, I bet," the blonde boy nodded, "do anything fun?"

Her eyes drifted to Gus who was leaning against the counter glaring at a widely smirking Ferris, "we had lots of fun, yes," he spoke calmly.

Flynn had turned from preparing some toast to stare curiously at the three, taking small sips of his juice whilst Una shared a look with Gus.

"You know," Ferris shrugged, "car sex is the biggest trend right now."

Flynn choked on his orange juice whilst Una's eyes widened and Gus moved as though he was ready to smack the boy, and with a small squeak, Una let out, "you told him?!"

"What?!" Gus exclaimed, giving Ferris a hard glare, "I didn't tell him a thing!"

"You all look happy," Una's eyes trailed to Elysia as she wandered into the kitchen, her hair sticking up in every direction and a yawn leaving her lips just after she spoke, "Fly- what have I told you about drinking my orange juice!"

Flynn gave her a sheepish smile, winking as he spoke, "that I can do it?!"

She merely glared, grabbing the carton he had failed to put back in the fridge and poured herself a glass.

"Where's Del?" asked Una, once again leaning against Gus who was whispering apologies in her ear because of Ferris.

"Del is the exact opposite of a morning person," Elysia laughed, jumping onto the counter and crossing her legs, "she'll be awake in a few hours."

"I'm awake now!" an excited Delilah exclaimed as she entered the kitchen, pressing a kiss to Una's cheek as she passed her, "I set an alarm to get up!"

"You did?" Elysia's eyes had widened. Getting Delilah to wake up was like getting River to trust...well, Una, meaning that it was next to impossible.

"We are going shopping today!" she exclaimed, "with Una, and Gus is back and everything is great and I couldn't be happier, of course, I set an alarm!"

Elysia bit back her smile, shaking her head at her excited friend whilst Una let it known that she was smiling from ear to ear. It was a great feeling to feel wanted, and Gus' friends and well, her friends had made her feel that since she arrived just yesterday.

"When are we going?" she asked, taking the last sip of her tea and lacing her hand with Gus'.

"As soon as we're all dressed," Elysia said, "River is coming too much to his own annoyance, but he shouldn't be too much trouble."

"He does mean well, by the way," Ferris sighed, shaking his head, "too much has happened in his life for him to trust people easily - course it's no excuse for his little remarks but that's just how he always is."

"It's alright." Una waved him off, "I understand. This is you guys' home, and it's his too and I'm a stranger."

"Well not to us," Elysia beamed, "it might take him a while, but you're our friend and you are always welcome here, Una."

The conversation had fallen short after that and Una couldn't keep the smile off of her lips even if she tried. She was in her room thinking of what to wear for the day ahead whilst Gus lay on her bed and judged every item of clothing she brought out.

"You're gonna look great no matter what you wear," he scoffed, "maybe you should just wear nothing, clothes don't do you justice."

She snorted, throwing a jumper at him whilst he let out a loud laugh, "I'll keep that thought for later."

"Oh yeah?" he smirked, moving to the end of the bed whilst she pushed herself between his legs, her hands cupping each side of his face and her lips slowly moulding with his own.

"Depends." she shrugged, biting his lip and his hands ran all over her body.

"On what?"

"Oh well," she tutted, taking a seat in his lap, "what if we go out today and you spot a beautiful girl and instantly fall in love with her?!"

"That'd only work if I was looking at you," he mumbled into her cheek, tightening his grip on her whilst her heart sped up drastically.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Their short walk to the restaurant last night didn't even remotely do the city justice. Even as darker clouds rolled by in the sky above, it was still bright and beautiful and every single thought of it being magical filled Una's head. The car ride to the apartment didn't allow her to capture everything as they all walked down the street and all of them greeted locals as if they knew them all, smiling brightly and happily and waving at everyone they passed.

It was incredible, absolutely incredible and she couldn't think of any words to describe it other than flawless. Her eyes caught something in the distance as they walked down one of the streets, it was on a hill and she could barely make it out but it was so incredibly out of place, it hardly looked as if it should be part of such a city and yet it was so close it just had to be.

"What's that?" she nudged Gus who kept a tight grip on her hand as they walked, thinking that she wouldn't think twice about running across the road if she saw something she loved, and she knew that he was most likely right.

"The worst place you can ever think of," Delilah mumbled quietly beside her, a frown on her lips, "Gus' dads...castle."

"Castle?!" Una repeated loudly, "who the bloody hell needs a castle in a city like this?!"

"He's a bit...dramatic," Elysia snorted, shaking her head with disgust at the thought of the vile man, "doesn't care much about the city and yet he wants to run it."

"More like ruin it," Ferris piped in, squeezing Una's shoulders, "if he continues to run the city then it'll be the city of nightmares."

"Oh," Una frowned. She couldn't think of anyone who would want to change a city like this, it was beautiful, simply amazing and she realised that Gus' dad was the exact opposite if he wished to ruin the lives of the ones who lived here.

"Let's not think about that right now!" Delilah grinned, clapping her hands excitedly and twirling in the dress that Una had picked out for her when the girl asked her to, "there is so much you have to see and we have barely done anything at all. We aren't going to ruin this day by talking about him, we're going to have the best time!"

"Yeah!" Flynn agreed excitedly, "this is Una's day today, we're going to buy her anything she wants."

"Oh no," Una shook her head furiously, "I have my own money, I can buy it!"

"It's our treat," Elysia smiled, squeezing her free hand, "for making Gus so happy."

"Can we buy her new clothes?" River piped in, and Una thought for a split second that he was actually warming up to her, until, "I don't think I can bear the sight of those horrid jumpers anymore."

"Maybe we can buy you a new personality," Una snapped, her eyes narrowed to a glare when she turned to the boy.

"I can't be the only one to find this highly amusing," Ferris grinned, patting River on the back whilst Flynn slung his arm over his shoulder with a laugh and soon messing the brooding boy's hair, "River has finally met his match!"

"Yes, and he's not happy about it in the slightest!" Delilah giggled, moving Flynn out of the way to wrap her arms around River who looked completely unfazed. Una rolled her eyes, moving her attention back to Gus who was biting back his own amused smile and looked down at her when she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Those horrid jumpers look like diamonds on you," Gus whispered, "and they're not horrid, to begin with."

"I like my style," she shrugged, looking down at the grey knitted jumper she had on over a patterned dress, "it doesn't bother me what anyone else thinks."

"Well regardless of what anyone thinks, you look gorgeous," Delilah beamed, "I wish I could pull it off."

"You definitely could!" Una gasped, looking at the dress she was wearing, and soon pulled the grey jumper over her head and handed it to her, "put it on, you'll look incredible!"

"Una!" Delilah laughed at the girls suddenness, eying the jumper in Una's hands and slowly letting it tumble over her body. It was a slightly cropped jumper that sat just at her waist, showing the bottom of her dress as though it was a skirt and it did look lovely on her, "it's very comfortable."

"I think you look amazing," Una grinned, "you can keep it."

"What about you?!" she asked, wide-eyed and seeing Una shrug. She felt odd without a jumper on, she always wore them with every outfit regardless of what it was but she liked the feeling of the city breeze on her arms that showed off the multiple dotted freckles, and she didn't mind that anyone could see her without it on.

"I have plenty of jumpers," she said, rubbing her arms and sighing contently in the breeze, "consider it a gift for being so lovely."

The others had walked on in front of them when Delilah stopped to put on the jumper, and her smile couldn't possibly have widened as she linked arms with Una, "you know the thought of you having no friends made me terribly sad, and I didn't really understand why you had no friends because you're so incredible, but I'm glad to have met you, Una, I'm glad that we are friends and they are all glad too."

"Everything happens for a reason, I say," Una whispered, feeling completely happy to call Delilah her friend, "so maybe I was meant to come here, and we were all meant to be friends."

"I think that's definitely true."

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Una was sure that her new friends had gone terribly overboard when they thought to buy her new clothes. All of them - including River, much to his own dismay - was carrying at least two bags each all filled with clothes and accessories and anytime Una said that it wasn't necessary and that she didn't need all this stuff, one of them would wave her off.

"Think of it as the stuff you can wear here!" Elysia grinned. She had five bags hanging over her arms all filled with clothes that she had picked out for Una. River had a slight say in what she picked out, making sure that he didn't see a jumper in sight because it was summer.

But she quickly shut him down when she walked over to them both with a mountain of jumpers in her hand and a remark, "excuse me, but at least I am not the one wearing a suit!"

"The suit isn't knitted!" he snapped.

"It's still a suit, and I'm wearing a dress!" she exclaimed, kicking her legs out to show her bare legs, "you're probably warmer than I am!"

He looked at her for a long time, eyes narrowed and a scowl on his lips, and with the same bored tone he always had, he spoke, "yes, I'm definitely hotter."

She wished to throw every jumper in her hands at his head when he walked away, and she even scowled at the amused smirk on Elysia's lips when she dumped the clothes down.

"Where to now?" asked Una as they all walked down the street in the warmer air. It was very obvious that the city was much warmer than her village somehow - she didn't know, and she was thankful that she had given her jumper to Delilah before because there was no way she would make it known how warm she was.

"The park!" Flynn suggested happily, and Delilah nodded in agreement, muttering something about wanting to show Una the gardens.

"No," Ferris moaned, slinging his arm around Una and attempting to pull her away, "I'm starving!"

"You always are!" Elysia rolled her eyes, "why don't we go for food and then go to the park?"

"What about that café?" River piped in. His voice quiet and Una hardly heard him, and she sure she wouldn't have if he wasn't standing beside her, "Hidden Paradise."

"Yes!" Delilah grinned.

They decided to take the bags back to the apartment to free their hands and to seem less crowded before going off to the café. She was rather excited to see it, it was the same café that inspired Cassia and Raymond to open their own little tea shop in her town that when Gus had told her about it when they were walking there, she felt a tug on her heart.

She missed her town already, of course, she didn't want to leave the city and if the opportunity to go home rose before she had to then there was no doubt that she would say no, but she liked the city air, and she liked sitting in the café reading until the sun went down.

She wondered if the café would be a place she could do that, to go and forget about everything for a few hours and to just read. To allow Gus to catch up with his friends on his own and a place for her to seek the peace she knew she would need.

There was so much she needed to see, but any worries of that left her when River held open the door to the café and the rest walked through. She stumbled slightly when River needed past and he didn't think to wait for her. She had just stopped dead in the middle of the café, struck with awe and fascination much like when she saw the rest of the city.

It wasn't in the slightest similar to the tea shop back home but it had the same feeling of home that hugged her heart and she had instantly fallen in love. Different smells filled her nose of tea and coffee and cakes and pastries and she was in her element, she didn't even need to sit down to know that this was a place she wished to come to in order to read.

Gus had slipped his arm around her waist when she didn't think to move, guiding her over to one of the tables and into his lap as her eyes fixated on every piece of décor that the cosy café had to offer. Hidden Paradise was a good name for it, she thought, because it was small and it stood out in a different way, it was hardly noticeable in contrast with the different modern buildings that stood around it.

It was on the corner of two streets, and the small sign showing the name had a tiny coffee cup beside it. The walls were painted a lovely colour of blue, it was slightly pale but it was lovely and brightened up the shop much like the large windows did, too.

Una told her order to Delilah, making sure she remembered that it was two and a half sugars and not just two, and Delilah - though highly amused - made sure that Una knew that she got it. Gus' fingertips traced over her legs as she stayed put in his lap, her arm lazily hanging around his shoulder and her attention far away as she soaked up all that she could.

For a few moments, her attention was on the people hurrying past outside, on the cars and the laughs and bright faces and her mind thought back to their words on Gus' dad. She didn't think someone could be so evil...so cruel to turn such a city into what they said would be a nightmare, everyone was so happy and the city was so bright that she longed to stay forever.

She really wished she could, she didn't know what her time here would bring but she knew that going home would be the hardest thing she'd have to do. Her new friends made her feel at home even on the second day, and she wished most of all that she didn't have to leave them and go back to her life of complete and utter normalcy in the village.

She wasn't the best when it came to academics, she didn't get into the colleges she wished to and after summer she had no idea what she was going to do - what she wanted to do. She was completely stuck, a crossroad in her life and she knew there was always time to learn but she wanted to find something to do here, in the city, she wanted this to be her home.

She longed for this to be her home.

"What are you thinking about babe?" asked Gus, nudging her cheek with his nose and she turned to him with a smile that could only be described as sad.

"I don't want to go home," she admitted, leaning her forehead on his own, "to the village, I mean. I've only been here for what...barely two days?! And I don't want to go home, I want this to be my home."

He kissed her slowly, only for a moment and when he pulled away he had a wide smile on his lips. He had tightened his grip on her, happier than he thought he could possibly be to know that Una liked his home because the city was his home, he would move back in a heartbeat and he really wished to and to know that Una wished for it to be her home too made his heart swell.

"Strong, mixed thoroughly, two and a half sugars!" Delilah sat down Una's tea in front of her, "oh! And hazelnut."

Una grinned, thanking the girl brightly and taking the warm mug into her hands. She relaxed into Gus' arms when she took the first sip, humming with content whilst Gus drank the coffee Delilah got him from his own mug.

"I can't believe you prefer coffee," Una sighed, clicking her tongue as though she was very disappointed, "I feel...betrayed."

Gus let out a laugh, watching Una kick her feet up over Ferris who grinned at her. Elysia was lying with her head on Flynn's chest, terribly tired from the amount of walking they all did, and Delilah sat between River and Ferris, her head leaning on River's shoulder and her legs on Ferris too, both her and Una trying to get more space and ending up tangling their legs together.

River's head was leaning on Delilah's, muttering to her about the barista who was eying Delilah with every chance she got, which of course allowed Delilah to become very flustered at the thought. She spared a glance at the barista who was staring at her and Una swore she saw the hint of a smile on River's lips when Delilah hurriedly looked away.

"I say," Elysia spoke, but soon after yawned, "that we skip the park today and all just go home and sleep."

"We could watch a film?" Flynn suggested, running his fingers through Elysia's lengthy hair. Una nodded at that, as well as almost all of them except Ferris who told them he agreed to go out again.

"I don't know how you do it," said Una, stifling her own yawn, "I'm completely exhausted already. How can you possibly go out tonight when you went out yesterday and have been walking all day!"

"It's just what I do!" he shrugged, "and don't think you're getting out of coming with me one day, you need to see the nightlife of Somnium."

"Maybe some other time," she chuckled, "I'm far too tired tonight to do anything."

"Even me?" Gus teased, whispering in her ear whilst she scoffed.

She turned to him with a glare, rolling her eyes at his words, "especially you," she said, nudging him whilst he let out a laugh.

It wasn't very hard to realise just how close they all were. They all loved each other very much and Una didn't need to think much to know that, they all cared so much for each other that it was lovely for her to be a part of it, even if it was in the smallest way.

She knew that they cared about Gus more than they cared for her, of course, they did, and she knew that there was also a possibility that they only were nice to her because she was with Gus. The thought sent a bubble of sadness into her stomach until she felt someone squeeze her leg and lifted her eyes to see Ferris smiling at her with a smile on his lips as though he had just heard everything she had said.

She almost frowned, but she didn't bring herself too, instead, she smiled back at him and somehow her previous thoughts had drifted from her head to be replaced with happy ones, of her day, spent with them all and her happiness and how good she felt sitting in Gus' lap.

She made a note of the café, of the name and where it was and even went as far to ask if there was a bookshop near, which, of course, there was. She had so much she wished to explore and she was ecstatic to do it all.

"You look awfully deep in thought," Gus whispered, reaching for her hand that was resting on her thigh and brushing the skin of her leg as he intertwined their fingers together, "how do you feel, babe?"

"I feel happy," she nodded, turning to stare at him with a smile that reached her eyes that tugged on his heart and the sides of his lips, "I feel really, really happy."

"Good," he nodded, "actually, perfect. That's perfect."

She cupped his cheek, swiping her thumb across his cheekbone and kissing him and she couldn't help her muffled laughter when their friends groaned around them.