I wake the next morning and roll out of Charlie's guest bed groggily. I brush my teeth with the extra toothbrush Charlie lent me, washing my face with the soap bar next to the sink. I tie my wavy hair up into a high ponytail since I don't have a brush. I slept in Thorne's hoodie and a pair of Charlie's shorts that she was kind enough to lend to me.

Wandering into the kitchen, I'm not expecting anyone else to be up. It's about eight in the morning, which is pretty early for a Saturday. Jay and Wells left around one AM, promising we'd all hang out again soon.

I'm surprised to find that Charlie's already awake, sipping from a mug by the kitchen counter.

"Hey!" she says brightly when she notices me, grinning. Charlie gestures to the coffee machine by the sink, handing me a mug. "Please," she says kindly. "Fix yourself some. Did you sleep well?"

"Thank you," I say politely, pouring some of the black coffee into the mug Charlie gave me. "And yeah, I did. Thanks for letting me stay over. I really didn't want my mom to catch me sneaking out."

"It's no problem," Charlie assures me. "Whenever Thorne comes over, that room is usually his."

I don't know why my heart leaps at Charlie's words. Thinking about the fact that Thorne basically gave me his room for the night makes me smile. Plus, thinking about Thorne sleeping in that bed and then me doing the same thing makes my heart pound the slightest bit harder. Suddenly, it's really hot in here.

"The Princess himself is still sleeping," Charlie tells me, grabbing a pair of headphones off of the counter. "I'm gonna go off on my morning run, so you're welcome to watch TV or whatever. I'll be back in a few." How is it possible for a human to be so genuinely kind?

Charlie heads off, and I can hear the front door closing behind her. I wander into the living room, leaving my mug in the kitchen. I find Thorne laying on the couch, a blanket strewn over his body messily. One of his arms hangs over the couch, his hand touching the ground. I can't help but smile at how he looks right now, his dark hair all messy and a peaceful expression on his features.

"Ugh," Thorne groans, his eyes fluttering. "Turn the lights out."

"That's the sun, stupid," I tease him, flicking his hand with my foot.

"Did you say the sun is stupid?" he asks groggily, his eyes still closed. "Because I respect that."

I roll my eyes, my grin giving away how I really feel about him. As I walk past the couch, heading for one of the recliners, Thorne grabs my wrist and pulls me back. He doesn't stop pulling until I'm next to him on the couch, and then he's wrapping his arms around my body, pulling me into his chest.

"Thorne!" I cry as I realize that he's basically cuddling me. And I don't mind being wrapped around him like this, don't get me wrong, but I don't like not knowing where I stand with him. Friends—what he called me last night—don't cuddle with each other.

"Shh," he mumbles dazedly. "There's no one around, Mia."

My heart betrays me by doing a gymnastics routine at the sound of my name rolling off his tongue, unable to stand being this close to him.

"Thorne, that's not the point." I start to sit up, but his arms just pull me against him tighter. He shifts, one of his legs curling over my own, trapping me in his hold.

"Just lay with me for a minute, Sunshine," he mutters into my hair, burying his face in the crook of my neck. "Please?"

"One minute," I say sternly, not wanting him to know how badly I don't want that minute to end. Thorne's sweatshirt that I wear pulls up slightly as I shift, revealing the bottom half of my midriff. Thorne's hand rests on my bare skin, his touch shocking me. I can feel his breath as he exhales on my neck, my head resting on his arm that lays beneath my body.

Before I know it, I'm slowly drifting off, too. I lose count of how many seconds we've been laying together, my eyes betraying my body by becoming too heavy to keep open. My breaths become light and even, and before I know it I'm completely out of it.

"What are you two doing?" I hear a loud voice cry, waking me up. My eyes pop open, and I'm suddenly awake. Checking the time on the clock on the stand next to the couch, I read that it's 8:30 already. How long was I out? It felt like seconds.

Thorne groans, shifting next to me. "Shut the fuck up, Charlie," he growls, burying his face further down in my neck. "I'm trying to sleep, dammit."

"He gets grumpy in the mornings," Charlie tells me with a smirk. "Not a morning person."

"Huh. I couldn't tell," I say sarcastically, a yawn escaping my lips.

"Didn't mean to wake you two up," Charlie says, raising an eyebrow at the position Thorne and I are in. For two people who aren't dating, we probably look pretty suspicious to her. If she thinks that, though, she doesn't say anything. "But it's almost nine, Thorne."

"Do I look like I give a flying fuck?" Thorne mumbles almost incoherently. Charlie just rolls her eyes, like she deals with this all the time. Then again, maybe she does.

"Thorne," I say softly, sitting up slowly. "I have to get home before one. My mom will freak if she knows where I really was all night."

Thorne is quiet for a moment. Finally, he stretches, letting out a sigh. "Fine," he mutters. "I'll be up in a minute."

"Oh, so you'll be nice to her but not me—the girl you've known since the second grade?" Charlie teases, throwing a pillow at Thorne. Thorne immediately wraps the pillow in his arms, replacing the pillow as his cuddle buddy.

"It's different with Sunshine," Thorne says after a minute. I don't know if he means to, but he makes me incredibly happy with just that one sentence. I think I could die right now and not care. Seriously.

"Couldn't tell," Charlie grumbles, though she winks at me. Charlie disappears into the kitchen, leaving me and Thorne in silence. I still sit next to him on the couch, his head resting in my lap.

"All right." Thorne's deep green eyes suddenly open, meeting mine as his lips slowly form a genuine smile that drives me crazy. "Let's get you home, Sunshine."

★★★

Thorne parks his car three blocks away from my house, just so my super-strict mother won't be able to tell that I'm a) not with Saige, like I'm supposed to be, and b) with a boy. I don't know how I'm supposed to explain the fact that I'm a mess and I'm wearing the clothes I left in, but I'll worry about that later.

I don't want to get out of the car. I find that I want to stay with Thorne with an intensity so strong it physically hurts. I'm not ready to go back to my good-girl life. I want to stay with the boy who infuriates yet fulfills me, if just for a few more seconds.

"Here," I say, realizing that I'm still in Thorne's sweatshirt. "You probably—"

Thorne pulls my hand off of the hem of the sweatshirt, holding it in his own for a second. "You keep it," he tells me. "I don't need it."

I hesitate. I don't want to say what I'm thinking, which is that I was kind of hoping he'd let me keep it. If I have to depart with the real Thorne, at least I'll have a memento to remember this whole experience.

"You sure?" I ask finally. He just gives me that signature smirk of his as he nods, squeezing my hand.

"Positive. You look good in it, Sunshine."

I try not to smile too wide at his compliment. "I had a lot of fun last night," I tell him, pushing my ponytail behind my shoulder. "Thanks again. For . . . you know."

"I had fun too, Sunshine," Thorne assures me, smiling faintly. "We should do it again sometime."

"Definitely," I agree, returning his smile. "I already miss Charlie."

Thorne chuckles, running a finger over the steering wheel. "I'm glad you two like each other. Charlie can be a little . . . much sometimes."

I shrug as I say, "I liked all your friends. I kinda wish the night didn't have to end."

"You and me both, Sunshine," Thorne says with a sigh. Turning to me, he pokes my side. "Now, stop stalling. I don't want your mom to fuss at you."

I bite my lip to hold back my smile, rolling my eyes. "I'm going, I'm going. Thanks for the ride."

"No problem," Thorne tells me. I pull on the door, pushing it open and forcing myself to climb out. Before I can think better of it, I fall back in the seat and give Thorne a quick kiss on the cheek—in a totally friendly way, before you have any thoughts—climbing back out afterward and slamming the door shut.

I don't look back as I walk off. Looking back would mean regretting what I just did, and—thanks to Thorne—I'm starting to learn that life is too short to have regrets.