11. Chapter Eleven - Summer
Summer
I wake up to the feeling of a jackhammer hitting my skull from all sides. Seriously? This is the second day in a row I woke up with pain. I just hope there won’t be a third.
My mouth is dry, there’s a disgusting taste left on my tongue, and I feel like a bulldozer ran over me. Twice.
Then, suddenly, the memories of last night come rushing back. Adrian—if that was even his name. How he evaded all of my questions and instead lulled me into meaningless conversation, how insistent he was on me finishing that second drink.
How relieved I was when Tanner got me away from him, and panic rushed through me when cops and paramedics started to question me from all sides.
I hear shuffling and it sends a surge of panic through me. Fuck. Who is in this room?
Well, I guess the only way to find out is look. So I blink my eyes open slowly, sighing in relief at what I see.
Millie has somehow folded herself into one of the armchairs sideways, knees pulled to her chest, and leaning sideways against the headrest, eyes closed and breaths calm. So it wasn’t her who was shuffling.
Taking a careful breath, I turn my head slowly to the other side, where Luca is trying to get comfortable in the other armchair.
A tired glance at the clock on the wall above him reveals it’s already late morning, but I feel like I could spend another two days sleeping.
“You can climb in, you know,” I whisper and lift my blanket. Luca’s head whirls to face me, surprise etched into his face.
“You’re awake? Sorry, did I wake you?”
“You didn’t,” I assure him and pat the mattress next to me.
“Are you sure?” he asks, and I roll my eyes, regretting the movement instantly when it sends a piercing pain through my skull.
“Hurry up before I change my mind,” I whisper and close my eyes again. Almost immediately, I feel the mattress dip as he climbs in.
“You scared us, you know,” he mumbles, settling in.
I blink my eyes open again, shooting him an unamused glare. “Trust me, that was not my intention.”
“I know,” he assures me. “Sometimes, I just forget how much people suck. I wish I’d been there.”
“Nothing you could have done that the Walkers didn’t.” I close my eyes again, willing the pounding in my temples to go away. “I was in the next best hands. Plus, if it were you, we’d probably have to post your bail and deal with a PR nightmare, so really, the situation worked out for the best.”
“You might have a point,” he admits in a whisper. Even though we lie in silence, neither of us manages to go back to sleep. I can tell by the way his fingers twitch from time to time, the way they always did when he was stressed.
“You don’t need to stay here, you know,” I assure him, but he vehemently shakes his head.
“Not a chance, Summer. You scared the crap out of us. And according to Adam, the paramedics said to keep an eye on you today. So, guess what?”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re not letting me out of sight,” I say and hide a yawn in my pillow.
“Do you remember anything?”
I hum instead of nodding, since it’s easier on my head.
“I remember going to the bar with Adrian.” I blink one eye open to look at Luca. “He seemed charming on the bus, and I agreed to meet up with him. But when we reached the bar, something just seemed off.”
There was a heavy pit in my stomach, but I couldn’t quite place it. I mean, the conversation flowed easily, even though he evaded most of my questions about him. He seemed really nice in the beginning.
I had noticed Tanner and Reed in the corner of the bar almost immediately. How could I not, the way Tanner’s stare felt like it was drilling into my skin. And while I was so definitely annoyed in the beginning, wondering what I’d need to do to get some privacy here, I’m so fucking thankful they decided to keep an eye on me.
“The first drink seemed normal,” I mumble, taking a deep breath. “But the second one… he was weirdly insistent on me drinking up, so I faked drinking it.”
Luca starts stroking my hair, like he used to when we were children and I had a bad dream. Only this nightmare was very real.
“Then there were Tanner and Reed, and they got me away from him when I started feeling loopy, then cops and paramedics…” I mumble as memories pop up in my head like lightning. “Yeah, I think I got a pretty good picture of what happened.”
I hide a yawn behind my hand and rub some sleep from my eyes. “Just another turd in the shit show that is my life,” I mumble, feeling a sting behind my eyes as emotions crash over me at once.
The feeling of helplessness as my body didn’t listen to me anymore. Fear when I started to feel out of it and Adrian got more touchy. Relief when Tanner and Reed came to my rescue.
“I’m sorry,” Luca mumbles, still stroking my hair. “I wish I could un-do it.”
“I’m just thankful nothing really happened,” I whisper back. “This could have gone so much worse.”
“So much better too, though. You know, I was kind of a hard-ass about getting you to come here…”
I hear Luca gulp and blindly pat to where I think his face is, silencing him with my hand over his mouth.
“Shut up, Luca. I’m not going to play this game with you.”
“But if I hadn’t made you come here—”
“This could have happened back home too,” I interrupt him. Well, if I’d gone out to a club it could have. But I keep that little add-on to myself. With another yawn, I open my eyes.
“In fact, I’m sure it would have probably been more likely to happen at a bar back home. And there, I wouldn’t have had any of you there to keep an eye on me. So really, if this is something that had to happen in my life, I’m glad you all were close by.”
“You’re really good at this optimism thing when you want to be.” The corners of his mouth lift, but his smile still seems forced.
“Well, it’s a talent.”
I hide another yawn behind my hand and close my eyes again, my breath evening out as I try to catch some more sleep.
When his phone buzzes with an incoming message, I don’t bother opening them. I’m pretty sure that he’s going to tell me if it’s something important.
“Are you okay with someone else staying with you?” Luca asks, voice a whisper, probably not expecting me to still be awake.
“Depends,” I mumble back, sleep tugging at my consciousness. But I know exactly that if Mom and Dad are taking over the ‘keeping an eye on Summer’ shift, they’re going to be fussing. And although I know they mean well, I’d much rather catch more sleep than have Mom in here, keeping me awake with worried questions and remedies she’s read about on the internet.
“Take your pick.” Luca sounds amused. “All of them are offering.”
“Tanner?” I whisper his name before I even realize, but when I do, my whole body tenses.
“Sure,” Luca says with a shrug, taking his hand out of my hair to answer a message.
There are no questions, no confusion about me asking for Tanner. Maybe, considering he swooped in like my knight in shining armor yesterday, that eliminates any questions about me asking for him.
“He’ll be right over.” Luca softly strokes my hair again, and I’m almost asleep when I hear him get up and sneak his way over to Millie and wake her up with a whisper.
They exchange hushed words in a whisper so soft I can’t make out any of their words. They only stop once there’s a gentle knock on the door.
My consciousness is holding on by a thread as I hear them in another hushed conversation before the room door falls closed.
I hear the familiar click of the lock. But there’s no fear.
It’s Tanner. Tanner is safe.
Without a word, I hear him take off his shoes and before I can even offer, he’s climbing into bed with me.
His movements are careful, slow, in order to not wake me up. But once he’s stretched out on the bed next to me, I mobilize all my willpower to force myself awake and scoot closer to him.
Immediately, he opens arms and envelops me in a careful hug.
And it’s only now that emotions sweep over me like a storm, and I bury my face in his shirt.
“You scared us there, Darling,” he mumbles, and I find it harder to swallow past the lump of emotions in my throat.
“Sorry,” I whisper, trying to blink away the tears threatening to overspill. He tightens his hold on me and presses his lips against the top of my head.
“Not your fault,” he whispers back and, for some reason, that’s what makes my emotions overflow. Sobs wreck my whole body and I fight for each breath, my fingers digging into his shirt, holding onto him like he’s a lifeline.
“I was so fucking scared,” I press out between sobs, and he holds me even tighter.
“I know,” he mumbles, his hand tracing soft circles on the small of my back. “I got you, Darling. Let it out.”
“Thank you,” I mumble once I’ve caught my breath, sleep threatening to pull me under.
He presses his lips against the top of my head in answer and before I know it, his steady breaths have lulled me to sleep.
"Are you sure you want to go out?" Dad asks me way later, worry etched into his face as I pull on my jacket.
Tanner stayed with me until noon, waking me up to let me know that my parents insisted on taking over.
I love my parents. I really do. And I appreciate their worry. But it's like everyone's walking on eggshells because of me, like they’re touching me with kids’ gloves, and it’s driving me crazy.
"I'm okay," I tell my dad. "I’m going mad in my room. I'm just taking a short walk, get some fresh air."
"I should really come with you," he insists, and I sigh, linking my arm with his and letting him guide me out of my hotel room.
"If it makes you feel better." The tight smile on his face is tainted with sadness, and I pinch the bridge of my nose. "If," I quickly add, "you'll grant me some alone time once we're back."
He opens his mouth to object, but I immediately shake my head.
"I'm fine, Dad. I did a little research earlier, and apparently, these drugs don't stay in your bloodstream for long. It's afternoon already. I'll be fine." Luca had called Adam to ask if he knew about the drugs the police found and luckily, he at least remembered part of the name so I could check.
His eyebrows knit together in worry. "You don't seem too steady on your feet yet, Love."
"I also haven't eaten today yet," I remind him, realizing too late that it's not really an argument in my favor.
"We should really get you some food," he fusses, and I exhale a deep sigh and shake my head.
"I'm well, but not that well yet. I feel like I would puke it right back out. Really, Dad, relax, I've had hangovers that felt worse."
To be completely honest, I haven't. Even hangovers that kept me bedridden for the whole day didn’t feel as icky as I do right now.
But if it takes a bit of worry off his shoulders, this little white lie is well worth it. And contrary to Mom, Dad doesn’t catch me in all of them, though he does shoot me a sceptical look.
Once the elevator doors open in the lobby and we step out, my dad spots the Walker brothers sitting on two couches right next to the entrance, talking animatedly and bursting into laughter that quickly dies down once we approach. I grimace. Like I was saying, eggshells.
"I can't thank you enough," my dad says as he approaches them, and they jump to their feet. "Seriously, guys. Thank you."
"Of course," Adam quickly assures him, taking his outstretched hand and shaking it with a firm grip.
"Thank you, guys," I add, sheepishly scratching the back of my neck, embarrassment making my cheeks burn. It feels so dumb in hindsight. How na?ve was I to go drinking with a stranger? How could I let jealousy over Tanner’s admirer get the best of me?
“I really don't want to imagine what would have happened if you hadn't stepped in.”
"Well, thank God we'll never find out," Adam says and squeezes my shoulder reassuringly, a kind smile on his face. "You know, we have a sister too, and just the thought of—" All four of them take a sharp breath. "You're more than welcome," he finishes.
"Are you guys on your way out?" Reed asks, looking at Dad and me curiously.
"Yes, we’re going on a little walk," I say, swallowing a sigh. Even though I try really hard, my eyes keep jumping back to Tanner. And without fail, I always catch him looking right back at me, making my heart race whenever our eyes meet.
"That's a good idea," Adam says.
My stomach growls and all of us burst into a chuckle, the tension from our heavy conversation slowly dissipating.
After thanking them again, I turn around to finally get that fresh air.
Because how has it suddenly become hot in here? Or does it just feel that way because of Tanner's stare burning into the back of my head?