The Chateau living room was a disaster, a monument to the end of summer freedom.

Sunlight, already too bright for this early hour, streamed through the dusty windows, illuminating the chaos. Pope, bless his organized soul, was halfway into a shirt, a look of mild panic on his face.

Ten minutes. Ten minutes till the first bell. Ugh, first day back.

And then there was JJ. Totally sprawled on the pull-out, king of the deep sleep. Oblivious. And get this - you were snuggled up against him, head pillowed on his bare chest, just as oblivious and comfy as he was. Arm draped casually across him and everything.

You and JJ. Everyone saw it. The way you two were always together, laughing, touching each other... and those touches always lasted a little too long.

Best friends since forever, yeah, sure. But everyone knew there was something more there, this mutual pining thing you guys were both ignoring.

Kiara burst into the room like a whirlwind, a human alarm clock set to "Code Red."

"Up! Up! Up!" she yelled, her voice echoing through the still-sleepy house.

She made a beeline for the couch, shaking JJ’s shoulder with surprising force. He groaned, burrowing deeper into the cushions, his arm tightening instinctively around you. He was clearly not ready to relinquish the comfort, especially with you snuggled against him.

"JJ! Seriously!" Kiara’s voice was laced with exasperation. She glanced at you, a small, almost fond smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Then, her focus shifted back to the impending school day. "John B! Van! Twinkie! Now!" she shouted, sending John B scrambling out the door.

He knew better than to argue with Kiara when she was in "get-everyone-to-school-on-time" mode. Kiara turned back to you and JJ, her expression a mix of amusement and urgency.

The task of waking you two was clearly going to require more than a gentle nudge.