“I’m teaching you my tricks, kid. Take notes.”

That made her laugh even harder, the top of her head peeking up at the bottom of the screen. Slowly, she sat up, her dark skin pink and flushed as she wiped at her eyes. “I have my own tricks. The damsel in distress works every time.”

I'd always thought that Laila's self-confidence was one of the greatest things about her. That girl knew she was something special.

“Did you tell him about Lucy and Ethel?” she asked.

The memory of that conversation was still fresh. “Oh yeah. He didn’t even blink. Later on, he told me he’d thought I was just being modest—”

That had her screeching. “Modest? You?”

“Shut up,” I hissed with an amused snicker. “So I like to wear shorts, leave me alone.” My brother started bellowing my name out from down the hall, so I sighed. "I need to get going. Eli is hollering for ‘Doctor Flabby,’ and he sounds like he’s dying. I'll email you soon, okay?"

She nodded and blew me a kiss that I blew back before we each logged off Skype. I was putting the computer to sleep when two large hands curved over my shoulders.

"Have fun talking to Laila?" Sacha's voice was low as he spoke.

I looked up at him, grinning. "Always. I miss her."

He smiled back at me before bending over to plant an upside-down kiss on my lips. "Your brother's looking for you. He has a splinter he can't reach, and he refuses to let anyone else try to get it out."

Of course. "Doctor Flabby is on her way."

He snickered. "If you were a doctor and your picture was online, I'd probably become a hypochondriac," he chuckled, taking a step back.

Getting off the chair and slipping the laptop under my arm, I smiled at the guy in front of me who was too good looking for his own good. "Thank you?” I blinked. “I think."

He slipped an arm over my shoulder and pulled me to him a little roughly. "I'd even let you give me a rectal exam."

We both laughed so loud it echoed down the hallway. Honestly, I’m surprised I didn’t fall on the floor but that was probably because we were side-by-side.

"Let me go sign up for medical school right now," I told him, slapping his stomach with the back of my hand.

“I’m ready to spread them whenever you are.”

Oh my God. I burst out laughing again, slapping my hand over my face. “Let me invest in a good flashlight then.”

He dropped his arm and kissed my cheek all sloppy, wet and perfect as he laughed. "Where have you been all my life, huh?"

"In Texas?" I offered with a stupid face.

Sacha just shook his head, grinning, before squeezing my wrist and linking our fingers together. "In that case, I'm glad you got out of there."

* * *

It wasn't until we got to Zurich that we were able to stay in a hotel. The hostels we'd stayed in while the bands played Frankfurt and Stuttgart were fine, except I'd been stuck sharing a room with my brother, Mason, and Gordo both nights. The first day I woke up, they'd drawn whiskers on my face with a marker. The second night, I made sure to sleep face down with a sheet over my head. Assholes.

"I have my own room," Sacha informed me when we were in the van heading to the hotel.

I raised my eyebrow at him, grinning. "Oh, really?"

He nodded, narrowing those gray-blue eyes in my direction. "Stay with me. I've missed your big butt up against me."

"Of course you have." I leaned into him. "I'll get Carter to share a room with me so I don't have to listen to Eli singing about you and me sitting in a tree tomorrow morning."