Chapter 36
THIRTY SIX
RUELLA
“So, he tied you up and accused you of being the one behind Piper’s kidnapping, Not even staying to help you clean up your own vomit off the floor, and you still have heart eyes for him?
” Corden asks bewildered as I paint his toenails.
Piper snorts from beside me as she starts to make the margaritas.
Before Deena gets here, I am filling in everyone so there are no longer any secrets between us, we need each other more than ever.
“Well, yeah when you put it like that, I sound a little deranged. I barely understand what is going on between us let alone try to explain it to someone else,” I finish his pinkie toe and blow to dry it.
“What is between you, is his massive shlong and a ravenous appetite for a certain short, white-haired psychopath,”
“Eww,” Piper shouts as she throws a pillow at Corden’s head. She misses by a lot. “That’s my brother,”
“And your brother has a mahooosive trouser snake,” He shrugs admiring his pink polish. “Just saying. Also,” He peers over his shoulder at the cushion three foot away. “It’s a good thing you’re a ballerina and not a rugby player,”
We all end up in a fit of laughter broken by a knock at my door.
When Deena arrives, we switch up the vibe and put on some episodes of my favourite tv show while we sip margaritas and gossip. The normalness of the whole night in stark comparison to the heavy shit going on. But Piper needs this. I need it.
It’s almost 9:30pm Deena is asleep on the left of me, Corden is snoring with his mouth open as he lays across the bottom of my bed and it’s not surprising seeing as he drank nearly a whole jug of the cocktail to himself.
Piper yawns from beside me as another episode begins. I turn to face her as we share a pillow.
“How are you doing with everything?” I whisper. “Have you spoken to Jacob at all?”
She shakes her head, eyes heavy with sleep. “Not yet. I can’t look at him right now. It hurts too much,”
“I get it,” My hand rubs up and down her arm. “You take all the time you need,”
“What about you?” she closes her eyes. “What are you going to do with Asher?”
I yawn myself my mouth feeling furry from the tequila.
“I don’t know. I can make light of the situation now, but at the time he brought everything I feel about myself back to the surface. Like I am not good enough to love, that he could remove it and his feeling from me with a click of his fingers,”
“I know he was probably very convincing at playing the heartless big brother trying to protect me. But I know it wasn’t easy for him.
There is no doubt in my mind that he loves you, I can see it when you walk into the room.
You light each other up and it’s a beautiful thing to witness,” My head feels heavy.
“But that doesn’t mean you should take it easy in him.
Make him sweat a little. He deserves it,” I chuckle as Piper goes silent.
Her chest rising and falling in an easy rhythm.
I turn onto my back, completely squashed by the collection of bodies surrounding my bed and I let exhaustion consume me, completely content. I had such a fun night.
I am almost out when I hear a shuffle and my door open, but my eyes don’t respond when I try to open them.
“Fucking finally,” A male voice I don’t recognise speaks as my heart starts to pound. I try to open my mouth, but nothing moves. “You mustn’t have given them enough,” He speaks, the voice getting closer.
“I did, but Corden nearly drank the whole jug. I had to sit and listen to bullshit all night like I don’t have better things to do,” That voice. I know that one. My hearing is muffled as I fight to stay conscious. The voice in my head screaming to anyone to help, but it meets nothing but silence.
“Grab that one there and bring the others in to get Ruella. Even though she’s small she’s feisty. We can’t afford any more mishaps.”
As the darkness finally takes me, I recognise the voice.
Deena.