“Dude, you must have really needed to get something out of your system,” Bobby said, somewhere in the room beyond the pillow. “I’ve never seen you that hammered.”
Someone shifted on the bed next to him. “Are you sure he’s awake?” Danielle asked.
“He moved and he groaned.”
“Could be a nightmare.”
“I’m awake,” Benji said. “Can someone please shoot me in the head?”
“Poor baby.” Danielle patted his back over the covers. “We have coffee, aspirin, and a McMuffin ready to do battle with your hangover.”
He grunted. With a little help from the mother of the group, he got up and into the shower without his brain squeezing out of his ears. The hot steam helped a bit with the throbbing in his temples, and after he’d dried and dressed, he settled in with coffee and food to ease the aspirin down. Everyone was stillputtering around the room instead of heading out to explore Providence, which was weird. And a bit alarming.
“What?” he asked, when he caught even Bobby staring. “Do I have egg on my face?”
“How much do you remember about last night?” Danielle asked.
I remember my boyfriend calling and telling me he kissed another guy. Fun times.
“Getting those first shots at the bar,” Benji replied. “Dancing. Not much else. Why? I didn’t climb onto the bar and embarrass myself, did I?”
“No.” She twisted her fingers in her lap. “We were all trying to keep an eye on you, but during last call you got lost in the crowd.”
His heart fell through his feet. “Shit, what did I do?”
“You were wasted, so it wasn’t really anything you did. Someone who looked a hell of a lot like Joshua had you cornered by the wall. He was kissing you, and he had his hand down the front of your pants, and, um, you were calling him Joshua.” Danielle’s face was a mix of embarrassed and worried, which only made him feel worse.
Benji covered his face with both hands, unable to shake a new sense of wrongness. He’d gotten totally wasted and let another guy grope and kiss him. Fantastic.
The bed bounced, and Danielle wrapped herself around him from behind in a firm hug. “Are you okay?” she asked. “I’m sorry we didn’t keep a better eye out. We’ve never seen you get wasted before, but we shouldn’t have let that guy get his hands all over you.”
“Did I kiss him back?” He had to know.
“Well, I guess, but you really seemed to believe he was Joshua. I gave the guy a piece of my mind, for sure, aboutscrewing with guys who are too drunk to know what’s going on. Asshole.”
Danielle had defended his drunk, dumbass self. Benji wanted to crawl back under the covers and hide. “I’m never drinking again.”
“There’s more,” Bobby said.
Benji’s head snapped up. Bobby was standing by the other bed, arms crossed, not happy, but also not exactly angry. “How can there possibly be more?”
“Some photos ended up on Instagram.”
“What?” His stomach pitched, and the food he’d eaten started crawling back up. “Photos of what?”
Bobby sighed. “Of that guy with his hand in your pants and his mouth all over you.”
“Fuck!” Benji launched off the bed, but he didn’t have anywhere to go. The small hotel room wasn’t big enough to pace very far. Maybe he could hide in the bathroom until it all went away.
“Eddie is trying to do some damage control,” Danielle said, “but the pictures have been shared and re-shared, and they popped up on an indie gossip feed this morning.”
Benji clutched at his hair, needing the bad news to stop. One epically stupid mistake had created an avalanche of bad publicity. God, if this ruined the band’s upward trajectory, he’d never forgive himself.
What about Joshua? What if he’s seen the photos? He’ll think it’s some sort of revenge over his kiss with Van.
“I am so sorry, you guys,” Benji said. The gentle throbbing in his head and the roughness in the back of his throat was nothing compared to the pain squeezing his heart.
“Hey, we’re not mad at you,” Andy said. “None of us.”
