Content with my answer, she snuggles closer, her head settling on my shoulder.
I wish there existed a reality in which I could be her first, to show her how she should be worshipped and cherished. Birdie deserves the world, and I want nothing more than to be the one to give it to her. For tonight, though, all I can do is get her home safely, holding on to the hope that one day I’ll be able to tell her the truth about how I feel.
Hungover with a Heartthrob
Iwake to sunlight streaming through my curtains, my head pounding in protest. I cover my eyes, squinting as I attempt to sit up. I groan as the room tilts violently, then flop back onto the mattress. There’s a reason I rarely drink, and I think my body is punishing me for believing I could toss back shots like water and not face the consequences—namely, the jackhammer rattling my skull.
Fun times.
My memory is hazy, but flashes of my misguided quest to lose my virginity play on a loop in my head. The elbow to the nose. The blood. The shattered glass and spilled whiskey… Gosh. And just when I thought my night couldn’t get worse, Walker showed up. Why is he always around to witness my most embarrassingmoments? Everything after that is still a blur, reduced to disjoined flashes refusing to line up.
I roll over to get more comfortable and notice my phone charging on the nightstand.
Huh, that’s odd.
I figure I would’ve crashed hard when I got home and not have thought to plug it in. That’s when I notice a glass of water and two white pills sitting beside it. Apparently, drunk me is far more responsible than I gave her credit for. I prop myself on one elbow, pick up the pills, and wash them down with a long sip of water.
My only complaint is that I didn’t think to take my bra off before getting into bed. I’m wearing an oversized tee that reaches my thighs. Normally I’d just pair it with underwear and skip the bra. Hard to complain when I somehow managed to make it home in one piece without any recollection of how I got here.
I check my messages to see that I have multiple missed calls and dozens of unread messages. I open the group chat first, expecting updates on whatever the girls got up to last night while I was busy drinking myself into oblivion.
Backroads & Bad Decisions Group Chat
Charlie: Word on the street is Birdie left Blue Moon with Walker.
Briar: He was probably giving her a ride home.
Wren: It’s no secret she’s a lightweight.
Charlie: My source says they were getting pretty cozy.
Briar: I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation.
Charlie: The whole town has already shipped them as Balker.
I sit up in bed, fighting back the wave of nausea washing over me.
Briar: They’re not even an item and have a couple name? So unfair.
Charlie: You and Jensen have one too.
Briar: How do I not know this? What is it?
Charlie: Brensen.
Briar: Aww. That’s so cute!
Wren: Birdie, I have to come right out and ask…
Wren: Are you dating Walker?!
Briar: You two would make a cute couple.
I blink at my phone, convinced I’ve slipped into an alternate reality where my friends have turned into overzealous paparazzi.
Charlie: Have you forgotten your brother only has one-night stands?
Briar: You’re right. Birdie is too good for him.
