Chapter 17 #2
Pearl shook the shot glass to get the last drops into her mouth. “Any of it. All of it. Going for it with Luca. His face gets so fucking dopey when he looks at you. Or at pictures of you. Or talks about you.” She made a blech face.
Olivia burst out laughing. “I think it’s time to talk about Allison.”
“Wrong!” Allison and Pearl said at the same time. They all burst out laughing, and Olivia spent the rest of the evening making two new girlfriends.
A short while later, they stumbled into Allison’s car. Her first stop was Olivia’s house, and Olivia was mortified to see that Luca was on the front porch fixing something on his front door handle with his toolbox.
“Ooh, Lucaaaaa,” Allison and Pearl teased.
“Shh, stop, guys. Oh my gosh, shut up,” Olivia hissed as she attempted to get out of Allison’s back seat.
She slowly, elegantly, tumbled ass over tea kettle onto the grassy sidewalk, clutching the car door as it swung open. The wheezing of her laughter went silent with how hard she was laughing.
“Gonna pee my pants,” she gasped.
Pearl stumbled out of the front seat, crying with laughter.
“You’re so drunk,” Pearl said, slurring her words.
But she also misjudged the curb and tumbled next to Olivia as they laughed on the grass.
That wheezing, high-pitched, can’t-get-a-sound-out laughter.
It felt so fucking good. Why didn’t she go out drinking with new friends more often?
A large shadow stood over them. “You guys are a mess,” Luca said with a laugh, pulling Olivia to her feet. She giggled as she stumbled against him.
“I beat Pearl in a drinking competition,” Olivia said, hiccuping.
“Pffft,” Pearl said as she stumbled getting up. Luca steadied her. “I’m drunk, not her. Wait.” Pearl paused. “Backwards from that. That’s what I meant.”
Luca rolled his eyes as he opened the car door. He poured Pearl back into Allison’s car. “You’re a saint for dealing with these two.”
Allison got out. “Olivia, want me to help you?”
Olivia waved her off. “Luca can help me,” she said, patting his shoulder. “He’sagentleman. Text me when you get home!” Olivia said as she waved at the car.
Olivia walked across the grass and would have tumbled face first onto the sidewalk if Luca hadn’t caught her around the waist.
“Thanks, the sidewalk is wavy.” Olivia put her hand on her forehead.
Luca grabbed her elbow. She weaved to the door, and he caught her around the waist again right before she teetered into the bushes. “I take it Dave was running his two-dollar-shots special tonight?”
“Your sister is so fun,” she said, leaning on Luca’s arm as they walked up the sidewalk. “Avoid the first step.”
He scratched his ear. “Oh, I fixed it, actually.”
She stopped and felt like she was about to cry, overwhelmed by her feelings for him. “You’re so nice.”
Such a handsome face.
Luca held out his hand and looked like he was trying not to smile. “Keys?”
“Pfft, I’ll get it.”
She tried for a full thirty seconds, missing and scraping the lock of the door before she gave up and handed them to him.
In a flash, he had the door open, and she stumbled inside, kicking off her shoes.
He stood in the doorway. “You guys have a good time?”
“Yes!” She turned around, dumping her keys and purse beside the staircase.
“Need some water or a bucket, maybe?” he said, grimacing at her.
She fought her coat to twist it off. “I hate outerwear.”
“Here.” He gently pulled it off and hung it on the coatrack.
She was tugging off high-heeled boots, and the next moment, they were off somehow. Luca had helped.
She was still registering how fast he’d done that as she saw him searching through the cupboard until he found a glass and ran some water from the faucet.
“Why does it feel weird you’re here?” she said, staring at him as she sipped the water he’d handed her. She gasped in panic. “Annabelle!”
He held up his phone. “Monitor. It’s fine, but I should go.”
“You’re so smart.” She grabbed a banana that was on the counter. “I’m not that drunk; I’ll be fine.” She stumbled over to the stairs. “I just need some sleep, and then I’ll wake up fresh as a daisy.”
Her foot kept missing the bottom step.
“Step, why won’t you stay still,” she said, getting frustrated and hitting the wall. “Whatever, I’ll just sleep on the couch.”
Luca walked out of her downstairs bathroom, holding a bottle of aspirin and an extra glass of water.
“How are you so fast? Are you, like, a sex demon and this is where I find out?” she muttered as she lay down on the couch.
He grabbed a blanket from the basket beside the couch to drape over her.
The blanket was tucked carefully around her. She used all her energy to open one eye. “Are you tucking me in?”
He laughed. “No, I’m just making sure you won’t freeze down here,” he said, tucking her feet underneath the end of the blanket. He then lifted her up and put a pillow under her head.
“Liar.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him down so he sat beside her on the couch.
“Can I get you anything else?” he said. His hands brushed the hair from her eyes.
Your face between my thighs.
She nuzzled against his hand, wanting more. His thumb traced the top of her cheek, and she sighed.
Want him.
With all of the savoir-faire of a drunken elephant, she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down. She kissed against his lips, but he just smiled, not kissing her back, as he gently pulled away. “Liv, you’re way too drunk.”
“Urgh,” she moaned, smashing her face against the couch cushion. This is so embarrassing.
“No need to be embarrassed, we’ve all been there. I’ve lost a drinking game to Pearl on occasion,” he said, a smile in his voice.
“Fuck, that was supposed to be an inside thought.”
Merriment danced in his eyes.
“Stay,” she whispered.
“I can’t.”
She sighed against the hand that was the size of her face. “I like the way you smell. I lied the other day,” she said, her eyes closed, cuddling against his hand.
“Hmm, what’d you lie about?” His fingers stroked the apple of her cheek.
“I wasn’t cold,” she said, pulling at his sleeve.
“Are you…taking my shirt? That I’m currently wearing?”
“Mm-hmm,” she said, tugging at the flannel shirt with closed eyes. “I wasn’t cold. I just wanted to smell you. But that’s weird, so I couldn’t say it.”
She sighed, cuddling up against the flannel shirt that smelled like a sexy house.
“That’s what you are,” she murmured. “A sexy house.”
She felt a gentle kiss on the top of her head. And somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard him murmuring something about a key and locking the door. She heard the sound of the lock clicking and something being scooted underneath the door.
With a long, sleepy sigh, she smashed her face into the best smelling piece of fabric in the world and dreamed about having it wrapped around her forever.
* * *
Allison (new friend)
I’m home! Are you feeling okay Olivia?
Pearl (AB CONTACT)
or is my brother smashing his face into yours right now?
Bestie Lil
probably not all they’re smashing.
hey-ooooo
Pearl (AB CONTACT)
GROSS
but also you know, do your thing girl.
Allison
She didn’t answer. Should we be worried? Should I call her?
Pearl (AB CONTACT)
relax, mom. she’s probably just passed out.
Allison (new friend)
Hopefully not on her face!
Bestie Lil
hopefully on HIS face!!
Pearl (AB CONTACT)
so we’ve learned tonight lily gets horny when she drinks
Allison (new friend)
That was *quite* the show in the corner Lil.
Bestie Lil
guys my husband is so hot
Did you know he’s getting me a special cake for my birthday??
He won’t tell me what it is but I think goats might be involved. I’ll probably cry and then fall to my knees and then
Olivia
omggggggggggggg
shuuuutttt uppppppppppppppppp
I need to make phone sleep
Like quiet
But not off
Pearl (AB CONTACT)
hahahahahahhahahha oh damn. ballerina is a lightweight.
Bestie Lil
She’s *gone* gone. I’ll ask her mom to bring The Hangover Cure to the fall festival planning tomorrow.
Olivia
see yu mrnings
Allison (new friend):
See yu mrnings, guys
Bestie Lil
See yu mrnings!
Pearl (AB CONTACT)
see yu mrnings weirdos