Talia's pov.

It feels so incredible to be this close to my guys. They all make me feel cherished and loved, and in the heat of the moment, I can’t help but let out soft sighs of pure happiness.

I felt Levi’s lips trailing from my jaw down to my neck, finding that sensitive spot he knows I love. His touch was firm yet filled with a tenderness that sent waves of warmth through me. As we moved together, the intensity of our connection reached a peak that left me breathless.

He matched my rhythm, and before I knew it, we were both lost in a world where nothing else mattered but the two of us. I rested my head on his shoulder, and he held me tightly against his chest, his heart beating a fast, happy rhythm against mine.

"Amore, I have never felt anything more perfect than this," he whispered, then captured my lips in a kiss filled with so much love it made my head spin.

After we pulled away, I rested my forehead against his. "Babe, you guys are seriously the best thing that has ever happened to me," I said, giving him one more kiss on those sweet lips I can never get enough of.

After that, he helped me clean up in the shower, and I did the same for him. We were just finishing drying off when the other guys joined us in the bathroom.

"Figured we could help you with your lotion before Elaina and Emma get here," Carter said with a smile. The others all nodded with matching grins, making me chuckle.

"Of course, I would love the help," I smiled at them while Levi finished drying me off.

They spent the next few minutes carefully massaging the strawberry lotion into my skin, their touches light and affectionate. Once they were done, the rest of the guys headed into the shower while I brushed my teeth and went through my skincare routine.

I walked into the closet with Levi to get dressed for the day. Today, I chose white lingerie, light gray skinny ripped jeans, a white off-the-shoulder top from Lauren Ralph Lauren, and my white sneakers. When we walked back into the bedroom, Emma and Elaina were already there, tidying up.

I sat at the vanity, and Elaina began to blow-dry my hair while Emma applied a light, natural makeup look. Today, Elaina styled my hair in a neat, elegant bun. Once everyone was ready, we headed down for breakfast.

Before we knew it, we were at school. Our homeroom teacher, Mr. Campbell, gave us an assignment to work on in groups of five. I ended up with Camilla, Aurora, Austin, and Jake, which was perfect.

We were allowed to work anywhere in the school, so our group—along with Kyle, Theo, Declan, Carter, and a girl named Lisa—headed to the cafeteria since lunch would be right after. We settled in and started brainstorming.

We had to choose a famous writer for a biography, and we decided on Edgar Allan Poe. After divvying up the research, we opened our laptops and got to work.

"Is it okay if I put on some music while we work?" Aurora asked. We all nodded in agreement.

"You know, I still can’t get over your amazing piano skills, Talia," Jake said suddenly.

"I know, right! And she doesn’t even look at the keys," Austin added, looking up from his laptop. I just smiled and shook my head at them.

"Can you please play again today after dinner?" Camilla asked with a hopeful look.

I looked from her to Carter. We needed today and tomorrow to make sure we were fully prepared for Saturday.

"I'm sorry, but we have to borrow her expertise to get ready for Saturday. We’ll be practicing all evening today and tomorrow," Carter said. Camilla looked at him with a mock-sad expression.

"But I'm sure she’s helped you guys enough by now! She doesn’t need to hold your hand through it all, right?" Aurora pouted.

"I'm sorry, but we really do need her," Carter insisted, focusing on his laptop this time.

"That is so unfair!" Jake lamented.

"Yeah, welcome to our life. They’ve stolen our sister away from us," Declan whined playfully. Carter and I shared a smile before looking back at my brothers.

"It’s going to be forever before I can hear you play again!" Camilla sighed, fake-wiping a tear, which made me smile at her silliness.

"Do you play an instrument?" Lisa asked curiously. I nodded, and the others chimed in immediately.

"And she is incredible! She only needs to hear a song once and she can play it perfectly. She makes it look so easy!" Camilla said excitedly.

"Well, why don't you play a little on the piano here in the cafeteria? There aren't many people here now, I’m sure they won’t mind," Lisa suggested. I looked at her in disbelief.

"Oh my god, that is an amazing idea!" Austin said, his face lighting up.

I looked at him with wide eyes and pointed to my laptop, indicating we had work to do.

"Well, we can work a little longer, and then you can play for us? Please, Talia, I really want to hear your music again!" Aurora begged.

I looked around at all of them—even my brothers and Carter had hopeful eyes. I finally gave a short nod and shrugged.

"Perfect! Let’s get this work done then, honey. I can't wait," Camilla said, diving back into the assignment with renewed energy.

While we worked, I listened to the music Aurora was playing, memorizing the melodies so I’d have something to play for them later. Soon, a few more people started trickling into the cafeteria. Camilla reached over and closed my laptop.

"Alright, girl. I want to hear you play now, please!" she begged. I let out a deep breath and nodded.

"Is it okay with everyone if we use the piano for a bit?" Austin asked the room. No one objected, so I stood up, walked over to the piano, and took my seat.