A banging sound on the restroom door startles me. Dayton looks over me one more time before standing up and helping me to my feet. He unlocks the dead bolt and pushes the door open.
Savannah is standing there, eyes wide with concern. “Is she okay?” she asks.
Dayton steps out. I sway behind him. I’m still drunk, but emptying my stomach helped with the nausea. I’m sure my mascara is a mess after the sobbing and vomiting.
“I wanna go home.” My voice is small and scratchy.
She nods. “I’ll find Axel, and we can go.”
She grabs my hand, leading me through the bar crowd. We make a full circle and still don’t find my boyfriend. I’m beginning to feel embarrassed when we start looping around a second time. I feel Dayton’s presence trailing behind us.
“I just saw him over here five minutes ago. He can’t be far,” she says.
I take a seat at an open barstool. “My feet are killing me,” I tell her.
She nods. “Just chill here. I’ll go look in the men’s bathroom.”
She disappears. I fold my arms on the bar, resting my forehead down and closing my eyes. The next thing I know, Savannah is tapping my shoulder.
“Come on. Let’s go. I got us an Uber.”
“Where’s Axel?” I climb down off the stool. My limbs feel like Jell-O.
“He’s gonna come later.”
“What? Why?”
“Dayton said he’d bring him.”
I turn to look back. I don’t see either of them. The world is still spinning, and I have no choice but to follow her and wonder why on earth he’s being so nice tonight. It’s raining steadily, and the water makes me feel marginally better. Water always calms me.
It has to be guilt. He’s finally feeling bad about my mom dying and forcing me to sell her dream house.
The Uber is waiting for us when we get out to the parking lot. I climb in behind Savannah. The drive back to the cheap hotel pitches my stomach around like waves in a tropical storm.
I think I’m going to vomit three different times, but the thought of the two-hundred-dollar cleaning fee gives me Herculean strength to hold it in. Once we get to the hotel and make it up to the room, I immediately jump in the shower. I take advantage of the moment alone, crying softly and watching all my sorrows swirl down the drain.
I’m so sick of crying.
I towel-dry myself off and brush my teeth before stepping out into the room with the towel wrapped around myself. A knock sounds at the door. Savannah goes over to open it, gasping at whoever is there.
My eyes widen when I see Dayton carrying a very drunkAxel inside and depositing him roughly onto the floor despite the two empty queen beds. Axel groans, twisting over onto his side. They’re both soaked from the rain.
“Hey! Was that really necessary?” I lean down to check on my boyfriend, but he’s passed out. I stand up, whirling toward Dayton. “What was that for?”
He turns back, sneering down at me. “Just returning him for you, as promised.”
I fold my arms over my chest. “You could have hurt him.”
He pops his knuckles. “Now, there’s an idea.”
My mouth drops open. “What is your problem? Nobody forced you to bring him back!”
“You’re right; nobody forced me to do it. Guess I just felt like being a nice guy tonight.” His eyes are bright with rage.
We’re both pissed off, ready to take out our anger and grief on our favorite punching bags—each other.
“You’re anasshole,” I hiss. “And Ihateyou.”
