I turned to him, his head resting on Drake’s shoulder. The scene was so utterly adorable, igniting twinges of jealousy.
Why couldn’t I have a shoulder to rest my head on? Why didn’t a guy look at me the way Drake looked at my little brother? And why was I whining?
I took a hearty swig of booze, scooting closer toward the sozzled line.
“Then goodnight,” I announced theatrically, strutting out of the living room.
Riley caught up with me at the foot of the stairs. “Hold on.”
I grabbed the banister, the inside of my skull lurching inside a storm of bubbly giddiness. “What’s up?”
He gave me a little smile. “Fancy having a sing with me?”
My brother loved him some karaoke. So did I, even if my caterwauling sounded like a cry for help.
I chuckled, feeling my cheeks heat in the booze-afflicted way. “Sure. Lead the way.” I bowed to him, then threw back the rest of the champagne.
Riley cocked his head. “Are you okay?”
Icy doom licked up my spine, a reminder of the dark possibilities ahead of us. “Not really. I’m trying to not be freaked out.”
“I’m sorry.” He reached out to pat my arm. “Blue Orchard sounds so awful.”
And dying must have seriously sucked for you.“I…fuck…” I swayed, a wave of emotion coming at me. My legs wobbled, the hallway beginning to spin.
“Isaac?”
This wasn’t the alcohol, but something else. Something with the raw power to knock me off my feet.
I collapsed awkwardly onto the bottom step, tears pricking my eyes like hot needles. Slumping forward, my walls came down. A series of sobs tore out of me, my body shaking like jelly.
I covered my face with both hands, heat crawling up my neck.
“Isaac?”
A full-scale attack unleashed itself upon me, firing off recent pains to take out the remains of my collapsed walls. Cannon balls of fear set loose, bullets of anguish forcing a banshee-like wail to burn out of my throat.
Great. Just what I needed, to fall apart like an absolute tool. But the tears came hot and fast, coupled with plenty of sniffling.
Darn it!
Riley joined me on the step, throwing an arm around me. “I’m here.”
I leaned against him, my head finding his shoulder.
Interesting. Just when I’d wished for such a spot to rest my skull, there it was. But the brotherly kind. And it made me cry harder.
See? You do have a shoulder.
I shouldn’t be crying. There were people out there with worse problems. Much worse. At the same time, my feelings were valid. I’d seen my brother die, briefly, I’d been attacked by some crazy fae hag and a crystal shade, and my family situation was super complicated.
It’s my life and I can weep if I want to.
Riley gave me a squeeze. “It’s okay. Everything will be okay.”
I’d never met anyone with his sunny disposition before. No matter what, he always saw the bright side of everything. A real optimist with a heart of gold who’d been through some seriously hard times, and such a comfort blanket.
I sniffled, lifting my head. “I drank too much too quickly.”
