Everyone says being friends with your ex is an extremely bad idea. Hell, when I called Sierra and Luke earlier, I could see the concern on their faces as I updated them on everything that's happened since my reunion with Jamie. They were worried for me, scared I'd get my heart broken again and be put right back in the dark place I was in for so long after Jamie cut me out of his life.

   But honestly, so far... it was kind of great.

   Things finally felt right again, like they used to be. I didn't realize how much I missed Jamie's smile until I received it again, his impossibly blue eyes relaxing me, much like they used to when we were teenagers. It's been years, and yet, it feels like no time has passed.

    It feels like we've been given a second chance, and I, for one, intend not to mess it up this time around. Sure, I've thought about our kiss in the pool; it was impossible not to. Every time I closed my eyes, I could feel Jamie's hands lingering on my bare skin, calloused fingers running up my sides. I could see his eyelashes fluttering closed as he leaned his forehead against mine and tasted the remnants of his morning coffee, a bitter taste somehow made sweet, addicting.

    I've thought about it more times than I can count, the ramifications of Jamie and I trying us again, longing to kiss him and never stop. Longing for him to be the only boy I ever kiss for the rest of my life, and it sounds nice in theory, but it's not real life; Jamie and I being together is a farfetched fantasy.

    We're friends... and I'm okay with that.

     "Okay, Lils," I watch Bailey smirk, scheming. It's far past 2 am now, and none of us had bothered to try and go to sleep, all cherishing our time together. Trinity was the only one who'd left, even though we'd all protested that she should stay; but, my sister is somehow more mature than all of us combined and claimed she wanted a goodnights rest before her flight tomorrow to a new city where she's filming something new. "Truth or dare?"

    The rest of them all fly out tomorrow too, but that wasn't stopping us from staying up, throwing a mini party in Jack and Lilly's hotel suite, where the two of them are now lounging on the king-sized bed, his arm lazily wrapped around her shoulder.

    Lilly hums, taking a swig of the white mango claw in her hand before answering, "Dare, obviously."

    "I dare you to film a video of you singing and post it to Instagram."

     If Lilly were sober, she'd refuse, singing has never really been one of her strong suits, but tipsily, Lilly crawls off the bed and over to her cell phone. I have to cover my mouth with my hand as she begins singing one of my own songs, offkey and somehow completely off-tune.

    Beside me, Jamie nudges me with his leg, a smirk dancing across his lips as his eyes connect with mine. We're both sitting on the small couch. I squished between him and Jasmin, who was currently filming Lilly's acapella-styled performance of my song.

    "Is this one about me too?" Jamie asks so quietly I almost miss him.

     I duck my head slightly to whisper back to him, not wanting Lilly's camera to pick up my voice, "What do you think?" I ask him, quirking my brow; my tone is teasing, almost flirtatious, as my brown eyes connect with his, and Lilly's singing is drowned out.

    "I think I'd hate you writing songs about anyone else, Trouble."

     My heart flutters at the use of his nickname for me, "Even the angry ones?"

     Jamie laughs, his head tilting back slightly at my question. I don't even realize Lilly's stopped singing until someone clears their throat, breaking my gaze off of Jamie for a moment. Mason sits on a loveseat with Amenah tucked under his arm, cuddled into his side, "do you two need a moment?"

    "W-what?" I ask, broken out of the trance Jamie put me under. It's only now that I'm aware of just how closely I've scooted over to him, my leg wrapped over his, intertwined as we talked with our heads tucked together.

    I scoot away slightly just as Jamie's cheeks turn bright red, a familiar blush rising to his face. God, I missed his blush. When we were teenagers, I always imagined what it'd be like to prop myself on my tiptoes and kiss his blushing cheeks, longing to feel the warmth beneath my lips and now, years later, I feel the same urge.

    "Typical Jamie and Eden," Bailey playfully rolls her eyes, looking around at the others, "always off in their own world."

    "Give us a break," Jamie mumbles, "we've got two years to catch up on."

     "Oh, I'm sure you do," Jasmine says beside me, smirking. Rather than responding, I raise my middle finger in her direction, "classy."

    "Okay," Lilly claps her hands, breaking everyone's attention off of Jamie and I. She's crawled on the bed back over to Jack, back to sipping her third mango-flavoured drink of the night, "enough teasing. Jamie, truth or dare?"

    Jamie looks over at me as if wanting me to tell him what to answer, "don't be a wimp, flatters," I say, loud enough for the others to hear, my brow quirked teasingly in his direction.

    Jamie's eyes squint at me before he looks back to Lilly, "Dare."

     She must have been waiting for him to say that because she blurts out the dare without taking a breath, eager to get the words out, "I dare you and Eden to swap outfits for the rest of the game."

    "Absolutely not," I speak up before Jamie can object, my eyes growing wide at the thought. I'm wearing a short black slip dress paired with the folklore cardigan Trinity got me for Christmas ages ago, "he'd rip it."

    "Are you calling me fat, Trouble?" Jamie asks, holding his hand over his heart, mocking hurt. He's wearing a pair of grey sweats and a faded band tee, which looks ridiculously comfortable. When we were dating, I constantly stole his clothes, especially after spending a night together; Jamie always loved when I wore his t-shirts as a dress.

    I roll my eyes as Jack cuts in, "Don't be a wimp, Eden."

     Everyone's looking at me, expectant, not letting me back out of this. I can't believe I've somehow got roped into Jamie's dare; this is ridiculous. "Fine," I say, standing up, "let's get this over with; I'll throw my dress out for you."

    "Where's Jamie getting changed?" Bailey asks, raising her hand as if she's a student in a classroom.

    Jamie's eyes are wide as he looks from me to Bailey, the familiar blush beginning to coat his cheeks once more, for the second time in the past few minutes. I don't know if I could survive being in that close of proximity with Jamie, swapping clothes. We were making out in a pool in our bathing suits days ago; that's basically the same as our underwear.

    And yet somehow, it feels different.

     "I can wait," Jamie says, noticing I'm uncomfortable.

      "C'mon, it's nothing you haven't seen before," Mason encourages, and I shoot him a glare, one he merely reciprocates with a middle finger and a swig of beet, "just go change so we can continue playing."

    "Fine," I say, motioning for Jamie to step into the bathroom before following behind him. Lilly is smirking, proudly knocking her fist against Jack's, who clearly was scheming with her about this dare, happy to put Jamie and I into this uncomfortable situation.

    "They're the worst," Jamie says once the door is shut, quiet enough so only I can hear, "here, I'll, uh, turn around." Jamie turns so he's facing the shower, his back to me. Somehow, despite Jack and Lilly's hotel suite being massive, this bathroom is tiny, with a large tub that takes up almost off of the space, leaving little to no space between Jamie and myself.

    "Okay," I whisper, and despite him not facing me, I turn around to face my reflection in the mirror; I slide my cardigan off my shoulders first, carefully placing it on the counter before reaching for the zipper at the back of my dress, which of course is impossible to reach. Behind me, Jamie remains respectful as always, not even attempting to peek over at me. "J," I sigh, after struggling for a minute, "can you unzip me?"

    Through the mirror, I watch as Jamie hesitantly looks over, his eyes connecting with mine through the reflection, "uh, yeah," he nods, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat as he swallows harshly, "Of course."

   He's unzipped my dress for me many times before, always rushed and rapid, wanting to get me out of my clothes as fast as possible. Right now, it feels like an eternity as Jamie's hand rests on my shoulder, where the spaghetti strap rests on my shoulder, his other reaching for the zipper that I was unable to reach.

    Our gazes remain connected through the mirror as he carefully moves the zipper down, knuckles grazing against my back, moving lower. His touch sends a shot of electricity up my spine, and I can't help but notice the slight tremble in his touch. "Normal friends don't really do this," Jamie says, clearly trying to break the silence.

    "We've never been normal friends," I say almost solemnly. Going back to friends makes my soul ache. All I wanted right now was to turn around and close the distance between us. Instead, I want Jamie to help slide the dress off my body and put his t-shirt on for me. I want his hands everywhere, accompanied by his lips.

    But we don't work as a couple; this is for the best.

     "You're not wrong," Jamie says, stepping back slightly once the zipper is fully down, my back now chilled by the air conditioning and his touch, goosebumps littered across my skin. I can't help but frown when he turns around again, not wanting to lose his gaze on me.

    Sliding my dress off, I step out of it, placing it on top of the cardigan. Behind me, Jamie slowly peels his t-shirt off, giving me a perfect view of his back, his shoulder blades sharp, inviting me to run my fingers along his muscles. Next, he reaches for the waistband of his sweatpants and despite knowing I should look away, I don't.

    "You know it's rude to stare, right?" Jamie questions, somehow feeling my gaze on him. I don't have to be looking at his face to know he's smirking; I can sense it in his tone.

    "It's nothing I haven't seen before," I shrug, repeating Mason's words from earlier, "now hurry up. I'm cold."

    Jamie holds back his t-shirt to me first, which I quickly tug over my head, the shirt falling just below my underwear; then he passes back his sweatpants, which are swimming on me, so big I have to roll the waistband up a few times to help them stay up. "I'll let you-"

    Before I can leave, Jamie speaks up bashfully, "I think I'm gonna need your help, Trouble." He turns to face me, and it takes everything in me not to let my gaze leave his. He's wearing boxer shorts, and despite seeing him in swim trunks at the pool, it feels different.

    It feels more intimate.

     "Okay," I nod, grabbing my satin slip from the countertop and leaving the zip undone; I help Jamie slip it over his head, giggling as he slides the material onto his body. Somehow, with my help, he's able to get it over his body, his boxer shorts peeking through the bottom, the zipper wide open, "wow," I giggle, as he puts my cardigan on, "you look so..."

    "Pretty?"

     "I was gonna say ridiculous," I admit, laughing as he moves to stand beside me, our arms brushing as we look at our reflections. Jamie tugs at the bottom of the dress uncomfortably, which only makes me giggle more, "but that works too." I turn to face him, dramatically waving to his oversized outfit on me, "What about me? How do I look?"

    I wait for Jamie to crack a joke or laugh, but all he does is let his gaze swim down my body, eyes taking me in, "beautiful," Jamie says; I wait to see a playful glimmer in his eye or a teasing smirk, but it doesn't come. His expression remains completely genuine, "You always look beautiful, Trouble."

    "Friends, Flatters," I remind him with a sigh, my cheeks growing warm as his gaze reaches mine, "remember?"

    Sighing, Jamie nods, moving past me to walk out of the bathroom, "unfortunately." He leaves me no time to say anything else before walking out of the bathroom, the room of our friends immediately erupting with laughter at the sight of him in my dress, phones out to record us as I strut out past Jamie, plastering a smile on my face.

    "Okay, this is unfair," Jenna says, arms crossed, "why does Eden still look hot?"

      I laugh, shaking my head at her, "Me? Look at Jamie," I gesture to the Brit beside me, nudging my hip against his in a playful manner, "I can't believe he looks better in my dress than me."

    Jamie and I take our seats, and the game proceeds. Jenna phones room service asking for a bowl of only red and yellow M&Ms, Mason has to let Jasmin post on his Instagram while we force Jack to tell us his least favourite song of mine. My stomach hurts from laughing so hard, my arms brushing against Jamie's, not bothering to care if we're sitting too close to one another.

    "Okay, Eden," Devyn's gaze falls on me, smirking evilly, "truth or dare?"

     Beside me, Jamie ducks his head, warm breath fanning over my neck as he whispers, "Don't be a wimp, Trouble."

    I felt lightheaded for a minute, and I knew it was not because of the alcohol I'd consumed; Amenah had been handing me white claw refills all night, and those things are dangerous; as the night went on, I began growing giggly, and more comfortable sitting close to Jamie.

    And thankfully, everyone else was tipsy enough not to make a comment about it.

     "Dare."

      "I dare you to kiss the hottest person in the room," She declares, smirking as she crosses her arms, "good luck."

    "Devyn," Melissa slaps the other girl's arm playfully, "I'm a married woman."

     "Obviously, it's gonna be me," Jenna corrects, confidently smirking.

      Lilly raises her hand, probably the tipsiest of us all, "I hate to break it to you, but clearly, it's me."

    Jack laughs as his girlfriend brushes her hair over her shoulder cockily. I can't help but crack a smile as he adds, "Please don't kiss me, E."

    "Ditto," Mason raises his hand, his face wincing disgusted, "you're like a sister. That's weird."

     "I can't believe you've sat me in a room with the hottest people I know and forced me to do this," I sigh, finally breaking my silence. I know who I want to kiss, though, my gaze refusing to look over at him and make it obvious. "Can you all close your eyes at least?" I say, "I don't wanna hurt anyone's feelings."

    If I kiss Jamie in front of everyone, they'll never let me live it down. They'll try to convince us to get back together, and then we will be right back to where we were. Things will get too hard again.

     "That's fair," Devyn nods, covering her eyes with her hands; slowly, everyone follows her lead. My gaze wanders over to Jamie, who's the last to close his eyes, gaze lingering on me for a moment, curiously before closing his eyes.

    I stand from my spot and walk around the circle, making it seem as if I'm debating choosing someone else. I can't help but giggle as some of my friends pucker up their lips, and Mason and Jack cringe at the thought of me kissing them.

    To be fair, I would also cringe if someone told me I had to kiss Jack or Mason... their like brothers to me.

    But I land in front of Jamie, leaning down so we're face to face. If he can sense me standing in front of him, he doesn't say anything, eyes pinched shut, not breaking the rules. I'm sure Devyn wanted me to kiss on the lips, knowing I'd pick Jamie. Known of them knew we'd kissed earlier, and I intend on keeping it that way.

   But I can't just kiss Jamie and be done with it. His kisses are all-consuming.

    So, instead, I tilt my head, cupping Jamie's cheek in my hand as I lean in, pressing my lips against his stubbled cheek, basking in the way his warm skin feels under my lips, his blush spreading across his face. I let my other hand linger on his cheek as I pull away, revelling in the perfect smile on his face.

    God, he's perfect.

    Then, I sit back down, announcing to the room, "Okay, done."

    All of my friends open their eyes, all looking toward Jamie, who, despite his blotched red cheeks, is acting nonchalant, his expression unreadable. "Wow," Amenah nods, smirking knowingly, "I know I'm supposed to be keeping it a secret, but that was incredible."

    The entire room erupts in laughter, attention off me and Jamie as Amenah shoots me a knowing look. Beside me, Jamie nudges me, "Friends, Trouble." He reminds me quietly, "Remember?"

I'M BACK!! took a brief break to go on a much needed vacation where I had no wifi, but I'm here. All of our chapters from now on will be set in the present, so no more jumping back and forth!!

Things are wrapping up soon, and I am SO excited for you all to see what I've got up my sleeve.

jami3flatters I hope this was worth the wait