I would’ve told Lainey to switch to water over an hour ago if I had any say in what she does, but I don’t. So she’s stumbling in her heels and dancing like she’s Jello.
She probably doesn’t even realize how much alcohol she’s consumed in the short amount of time that has elapsed, but I’ve kept track. She’s had three glasses of champagne, five shots of who knows what, and I haven’t even seen her drink a sip of water since we arrived.
I’ve been drinking, too. I think I may have had a few too many beers to be honest, but I’m sober enough to make sure Lainey’s safe.
The only thing keeping me from going over there and throwing her over my shoulder is the fact that she’s dancing with my sister and her friends. I don’t care what my sister thinks about us, but Lainey does.
I know that’s one of the reasons she’s holding back. It’s obvious by the way she kissed me that she wants more, but I have to give her time to get acclimated with the feelings she’s having.
She’s the kind of girl that gets spooked by commitment, which usually wouldn’t be a problem for me. However, since I realized that the feelings of annoyance were actually feelings of attraction, I haven’t been able to get her out of my fucking head.
When the song begins to fade and a slow song comes on, Lainey and the girls stop dancing. Lainey leans over to say something in Ellie’s ear and walks out of the room and into the hallway.
My curiosity spikes as I watch her leave, her dark curls bouncing as she walks. My eyes find her ass as her hips sway from side to side, and my god, she is stunning. If she’d let me, I’d devour her.
Before I can stop myself, I’m following after her. She’s looking down at her phone, her brows pinched together as if she’s just seen something upsetting.
Walking over to a small bench against the wall, she sits and stares at her blue painted toes. Her delicate features look so sad, and I wonder what could have made her mood shift so quickly.
I take a seat next her, and I can feel her body stiffen slightly. She doesn’t do feelings, especially her own. She’s going to act as if everything is just peachy when it’s obviously not. That’s when she starts making questionable decisions.
I’m not one to tell anyone what to do or how to deal with their shit because I have my own shit that I can’t deal with, but Lainey has made some questionable decisions over the years to deal with her pain.
Instead of simply talking about her feelings, she bottles it up and eventually it explodes, and she does something reckless or crazy. Ellie’s tried to talk to her in the past. She’s tried to get Lainey to open up about how she’s feeling, but the stubborn girl refuses to let anyone help her.
I wouldn’t exactly consider Lainey and I to be friends per se, but we’ve known each other forever, and my sister would kill me if I knew Lainey was upset and drunk and I left her alone.
Honestly, I don’t know if I’d even be able to walk away at this point. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to.
“Can you go?” Lainey asks without looking up, her voice soft but with a hint of annoyance.
I shrug, leaning back against the wall and crossing my ankles. “I like it here. It’s… relaxing.”
Lainey scoffs. “It was.”
“What’s wrong?” I ask, hopeful that she’ll just tell me the truth, but knowing she won’t.
“Nothing. Did you follow me out here?”
“Yep,” I say, completely unashamed. She still hasn’t lifted her head to look at me, and I have to stop myself from placing my finger under her chin and turning her to face me.
“Okay… well I came to be alone. So, leave,” she demands, but I don’t move, and I have no plans to. Not until I know what’s going on with her.
Chuckling at her forwardness, I sit up a bit straighter and watch as she fiddles with a loose string on her gown.
“Damn Barkley. It’s a public space,” I tell her, gesturing to the empty hallway.
“Fine. I’ll go,” Lainey states, standing from her seat and wobbling slightly. As she begins to walk away, I reach out and grab her wrist. Her face twists in what looks like anger.
“Holland… let me go,” she orders, trying to look intimidating, but I can’t take her seriously with that red hot lipstick and her pouty expression.
“Tell me what’s wrong.”
Rolling her eyes, she shifts toward me, her knee hitting mine, and the small touch makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
“Why do you even care?” she inquires, her gaze narrowing on me as if I’m the last person she wants to be near right now.
“Believe it or not, Lainey Bug, I don’t like seeing you hurt,” I tell her, and I mean it. I don’t know what happened or what’s making her upset, but I do know I would do anything to take the pain away.
