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Right as I stepped out of the bathroom she said, “When I used to kiss James, I would imagine it was you.” I stopped abruptly, not yet in her line of sight. My heart dropped to the floor with a thud.
Who is James?
“I always imagined it was you,” she added in a lighter tone. Almost sleepily. She hadn’t seemed to notice that I wasn’t in the room with her or that I hadn’t responded.
I waited a few more minutes before reappearing, allowing her words to settle inside me. I wasn’t sure how I should interpret them– if there was anything to interpret, even. She was drunk and saying things she didn’t mean. Or maybe, things shedidmean. Words she’d never utter in a solid state of mind, words she’d never intend for me to hear. As much as I wanted to ask her what she meant, probe her for further confessions, make confessions of my own, I didn’t. I turned out the bathroom light and set a pair of pajamas on the nightstand next to her with a note and a glass of water.
I planted one more quick kiss on her forehead, afraid it’d be the last kiss I’d ever get. As I laid down on the couch, she whispered my name quietly in her sleep. I knew just then that she would ruin me, and I looked forward to it.
? ? ?
“Shit, shit, shit.” Her stammered words echoed through the small space as I heard her stumble around. “Where is my–” She tripped over something. “How did I–” She tripped again. “Fuck!”
Clearly, my plan to sneak to my parents before she woke up had failed, and any attempt I made at sparing her embarrassment at this point would fail too as she stumbled around my apartment in the dark. I opened my eyes, noticing the black fade to blue as dawn approached outside the window above me. I sat up and yawned.
“Pep,” I started, catching her glance as she jumped back startled. “Are you good?”
“Shit, Carter. I didn’t know you were here.” She stared after me with a pillow clenched against her chest, eyes wide.
“Sorry.” I noticed she must’ve gotten up sometime in the night and changed because my high school gym t-shirt and sweatpants hung off her body. I swear she’s never looked better than she does in my clothes. I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my cheeks.
“I need to go home,” she said, glaring at me through narrowed eyes. Even in the dark, her green eyes glimmered.
“You don’t have your keys or your phone.”
Her limbs dropped at her sides, and she tilted her head back. “Dammit. Is that why I’m here?”
“Didn’t you see my note?”
“No?” she questioned. I pointed at the nightstand as her eyes followed my arm to the note beside her. She picked it up and read it before letting out a sigh.
A change of clothes in case those jeans get uncomfortable.
P.S. You left your keys and your phone in your jacket at the bar. I already called them and made sure they kept it safe until you could go pick them up.
P.S.S. You wouldn’t let me wake up your parents to get you inside the house. This was my backup plan. Don’t get mad.
– C
“You don’t remember anything?” I asked.
She closed her eyes tightly as if she was concentrating. “Not since my third drink.” She huffed, “I think.”
“Do you want me to give you the briefing?” I chuckled.
“Do I want to hear it?”
“Probably not.”
She closed her eyes and nodded. “Well, my dad is on the early shift this week, so he may be up by now. What time is it?”
I grabbed my phone off the desk and checked the time. “Five-thirty.”
She let out a breath. “Yeah, he’ll be up. I’ll think of some excuse to tell him so I can get inside the house.”
I wanted to ask her why she was so afraid to tell her parents she had been drinking, but I decided not to press. “Alright, what time do you want me to come by?” Her brows furrowed. “Your car is still at the school. I’ll give you a ride to work.” I could tell she was embarrassed, even with so much she couldn’t remember. I tried to stay as casual as possible, as if it was no big deal, something that happened all the time.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and nodded. “Seven-thirty, I guess.” I dipped my head and turned to set my phone back on the desk behind me as she opened the door to the studio. “Thank you,” she murmured as she slipped out.
