She doesn’t answer, but the look on his face has me a little confused as he walks up.
“What’s the matter, Ab?” He picks up her empty beer bottle and shakes his head. “Let’s get you home. Let me say bye to Mia and we’ll go.”
“Hey man, I’m heading out anyway so I’ll make sure she gets back home safely.”
Chase eyes me, and I can tell he’s unsure, but he nods hesitantly before saying “Alright. Yeah. Thanks, man. Text me when you’re home, Ab.” He kisses her cheek and I let her lead the way out the door.
It’s only a few blocks from Mia’s to where Abby and Chase live. But truth be told, Abby doesn’t look like she’s in any shape to be walking.
“Here, let me help you.” I crouch down in front of her and gesture for her to get on my back. This is probably a fucking sight to be seen for any onlookers, Captain America hauling Black Widow down the sidewalk.
We don’t make it far before Abby stops me. “Ford,” she says with a sharp edge in her tone. “Ford. Stop.”
I stop where we’re at and slide her down my back. “Are you okay? What’s the matter?”
“I think I’m going to be sick.”
Sure enough, Abby lets all of the alcohol out of her body and into a bush along the sidewalk. I stand behind her, blocking her from the view of anyone walking by. Once she sits back on the pavement, my finger reaches for her chin and wipes the corner of her mouth.
“Oh my God. This is so embarrassing. Just pretend you didn’t witness any of this.” Her hands cover her face before she attempts to stand up.
At this moment, all I’m thinking about is just taking care of her. “It's okay, Abby. I’ve got you.”
I help her up to her feet, into her building, and up to her apartment. She slides the key in and turns to me, staring at me with those puppy dog green eyes. “Thank you, I’m going to go lay in the shower now and wash all of this alcohol and vomit stench off my body.”
She walks through the door and starts to close it, but my hand stops it.
“I’m not leaving you alone like this. I’m coming in.”
“I’m really sorry.” My throat is dry and it comes out more like a croak. Ford steps out of the bathroom and walks over to where I’m seated on the bed.
I feel so stupid. It’s been so long since I’ve been sick from drinking, I guess I just wasn’t paying attention tonight. After the shower and chugging two glasses of water, I’m already feeling so much better. Reaching for my brush, I start to comb through the strands of wet hair.
“Let me.” Ford places his hand on mine and takes the brush from me as I kneel on the bed in front of him. “And you have nothing to be sorry for, Abby.”
He gently strokes the brush through my hair, every so often running his fingers through it and softly massaging my scalp. My eyes close, allowing myself to just appreciate the moment happening between us. He places the brush on my nightstand and cups my cheek in his hand tenderly as he leans down. “Let’s get some rest.”
I don’t know why I let him come in, especially now that I’m feeling better. I should tell him he can leave. We’re not a couple, we’re strictly friends. Friends who sleep together, but he isn’t obligated to stay and I need to remind myself of that.
“I’m feeling better now, you don’t have to stay, but thank you for bringing me home.” But Ford’s big body starts to break free of the Halloween costume he’s been sporting all night and he’s down to just his boxers when he pulls back the comforter on my bed.
“I’m staying, Abby. Get in.”
He snuggles up behind me, placing his hand over my stomach, and pulls me close. We’re stepping into dangerous territory here, the only time we’ve ever been in a bed together is during sex and we haven’t had any sleepovers, keeping this strictly casual and nothing more.
His breath becomes more and more shallow as we lay there in silence and I’d bet he’s probably fallen asleep. Shifting my body so I’m laying on my back, his arm falls to my lower belly. His eyes are closed and his lashes are flickering every few moments. I take the moment to study his face, the bone structure, and I notice a scar on his chin. It’s so faint, but being this close, I can see it well. He smells a little like coconut tonight and it makes me smile, realizing he probably used one of my lotions while he was in the bathroom. A few minutes pass and he stirs awake.
“Shit. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I was just admiring the view.” The smile stays on my face a little longer than I’d intended before settling back into his embrace.
He kisses the top of my head and we lay there a few more moments not saying anything, not moving, just simply existing with one another. There are so many thoughts racing through my mind. One being, I’m really hoping Chase doesn’t come home any time soon. And two, I’m just thinking about how different my life is right now compared to just a few months ago and it causes a smile to form on my lips.
“Talk to me.” Ford nudges me seeing the smile on my face, he starts tracing circles on my lower belly as my t-shirt rides up.
“Andrew never would’ve stayed with me.”
“What?” Ford’s confusion is written all over his face.
