Let’s go for a run together then cuddle up and watch every Fast and Furious movie…
Huh… that one's kind of intriguing.
I check the time and realize it’s nearly one in the morning. Deciding it’s quitting time, I send off a few pings to the girls who stick out and toss my phone to the floor before curling up for a long, painful sleep.
CHAPTER NINE: HANGOVER FOOD
RYLEE
Ughhhh…I feel like I got hit by a truck filled with tequila. My head is throbbing and I have the worst case of dry mouth. At least I’m in a bed with a soft pillow to cushion my skull as it’s slowly being crushed.
God, what happened?
Slowly, I manage to peel my eyes open and am not surprised to find Gizmo sitting on my pillow, gazing down at me with judgement in his feline eyes.
“Shut up,” I groan at him. “Don’t look at me like that.”
He growls low in his throat before turning and hopping off the bed. Moaning, I push myself up so I’m sitting in bed. I immediately get dizzy and squeeze my eyes shut, but that only makes the spinning in my head worse. Fuck. There’s a pounding headache behind my eyes, and… ooph… my stomach. My body is so mad at me. Kill me now.
Grabbing my phone, I see that I have several text messages from various people, mostly asking if I’m still alive.
Grace: Good morning Sleeping Beauty! Make sure you drink water. Not tequila!
Skyler: Please send proof of life. Just want to make sure you didn’t drown in your toilet.
Skyler: By the way, who the hell is Kodiak?
Oh, fuck. Was I talking about him last night? At least it doesn’t seem like I let it slip that he’s Zander, so that’s something. I guess. There’s one more message from my mom, which is really just the nail in the coffin of this delightful morning.
Mom: Hey sweetie! Just checking in to see how things are going. Give me a call when you can! Love you!
I drop my phone on my bed. I’m not in the mental state to respond coherently right now, and I’m always careful not to talk to Mom if I’m drunk or hungover. She’s not a fan of alcohol. Rubbing my hands over my face, I try to remember what all happened last night. I was hanging out with the girls, having a great time… there were shots at one point… why did I do that?
Oh, right. I couldn’t stop thinking about Zander. That’s why I started going harder with the liquor. I wanted to put him out of my head, and since I couldn’t force my thoughts away from him, I decided to drown him out.
How could I have been so stupid to not remember him? To not remember that he was Kodiak? I mean, sure, my breakup with Miles hit me harder than any break up before and I wasn’t exactly in a good head space during the wedding. It’s just that I was so certain Miles was it… he was going to be the perfect guywho I built a life with. The one my mom always told me to hold out for.
I can’t help but think back on that night we ran into each other at that bar in Nashville. He was just as handsome as he’d been in high school, with his dark hair and golden brown eyes. He’d been a football player with aspirations to go pro, so he’d been built too, and I’m a sucker for a big man with broad shoulders.
Things between us were… goodish. Admittedly, I was a bit blinded by his heart-thumping smile and above-average kisses. He ended up not being quite as perfect as I’d hoped. When he’d disappeared with his friends for a week-long “bro-trip” without telling me, I’d dumped him immediately… but he managed to weasel his way back into my good graces. I never give second chances, but Miles was different. I’d had a crush on him in high school - had thought he was almost godlike in my stupid teenage girl brain. For him to actually be interested in me - well, that made even my adult brain a little stupid.
When I caught him cheating, though, that was it.
Dumped. Over. Finished.
So, I did what I always do after a break up - got drunk.
God, I remember feeling so low that night. So inadequate and hopeless that I’d never find the perfect guy. Then, that orgasm…
A shiver runs through my body.
Those green eyes… strong arms… skilled tongue… it was all Zander.
Zander!
Fury pulses through me, pushing away my irritation. How dare he! How dare he give me such an incredible night and disappear like it never happened! He knew who I was. He knows my friends. He wasn’t at the wedding with anyone, but he still had the nerve to fucking ghost me!
I’ve never been ghosted before. I’ve been cheated on, but not ghosted. Fuck Miles and fuck Zander! Fuck all the guys not good enough for me! They had their chance with me and blew it, and I refuse to settle for any kind of mistreatment.
