Chapter 30 #2
Stevie laughs and follows me as we line up with the large group of people that have seemed to gather in the middle of the room. Brian points to one of his frat bros who’s next to a laptop.
“Fake ID” by Big & Rich blares from the two large speakers in the room, and we all start dancing in unison.
Some are better than others, and most are better than Stevie and me, but neither of us pays much attention to how well we’re doing, as long as we’re trying our best to keep up and just having some plain old fun.
My mind has been so occupied since last night when I texted Grayson, and he didn’t text me back until this morning with just a short message. I know that’s how he texts when he’s busy, but we haven’t had sex in a week, and I’m embarrassed to admit that I miss him…and I’m horny.
Shaking my head, I refocus on the dance and kick my foot out before switching to the other and doing a one-eighty, impressed with myself and Stevie.
I lose myself to the music and let go of the week’s stress.
It might’ve been a good week, but it was exhausting nonetheless.
Stevie and I are laughing until the song ends, and I fall on my ass.
Tipping to the side while cackling, I end up lying down on the hardwood floor, giggling like an idiot. I should line dance more often.
Stevie and Brian rush to my side. “Are you okay, Em?”
I gasp between laughs. “Yes,” I manage to say. The shots I drank half an hour ago are doing their job. “I’m fine.”
Large arms reach around me from behind, and I’m lifted into the air by a six-foot-five man.
“Don’t fall on me,” Cameron says, handing me over to his girlfriend and my roommate, who pushes the hair away from my face and picks my hat up.
“Is everything okay, Emma? You usually don’t get drunk this easily,” she whispers.
I stop laughing and tilt my head to the side. “I didn’t eat much today.”
My best friend rolls her eyes and asks Brian if they have any snacks, but I shake my head and tell her I need to go to the bathroom.
“I’ll go with you.” She grabs me as if I’m at the point where I can’t walk on my own.
I shrug her hand off. “Kami, I may not have as high a tolerance right now, but I’m more than capable of walking by myself. Thank you, though.” Besides, there’s something I want to do, and I need to be alone for it.
She narrows her eyes at me. “Fine, but use the bathroom that only we know about upstairs.”
I nod and exit through one of the two doors on the left side of the room. Seeing the grand staircase, I head to the second floor and walk down the hall, passing another multitude of doors. When I enter the clean, spacious bathroom, I whip my phone out and hold it to my ear as the line rings.
“Hello?” His gruff voice sounds raspy with sleep.
“Shit, you were asleep.” I slap my forehead. It’s past midnight, and we’re all due to leave in an hour because the soup kitchen is at ten a.m. tomorrow. So stupid. “I’m sorry I woke you up. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Even in my drunken stupor, I feel bad for waking him.
“Emma?” He clears his throat. “Are you okay?”
“No, I mean yes, I’m great. I’m at a party and had a couple of drinks. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”
There’s a pause on his end. “Why did you call?”
“’Cause I’m drunk.” I laugh, stating the obvious.
He huffs out a long breath. “My sister always says that when a drunk girl calls you, it’s because you’ve either done something really right or really wrong.” I snort at the truth of his sister’s statement. “What did I do?”
Leaning on the double vanity’s counter, I check my hair and makeup. The alcohol keeps me from overthinking my next words. “Your text was dry, and we haven’t had sex since last week.”
Grayson’s raspy chuckle sends shivers down my spine.
“My text was dry because I was at a very early breakfast with some work colleagues, and I knew that if we spoke for too long, I’d get hard just thinking about you and the hot make-out session we had on Wednesday in my office before we were so rudely interrupted by your editor calling. ”
So, I was right about him being busy. I don’t suspect he’s lying. He did text me back at eight a.m.
“Would you have fucked me on your desk if we weren’t interrupted?” I giggle, thinking about it.
“Would you have let me?” he asks me, voice low.
“What do you think, Professor?” I reply with a flirtatious tone.
He lets out a strained groan. “Where are you?”
“Why? Are you going to pick me up?”
“Where are you, Princess?”
My insides warm. “At the Kappa house.” I give him the exact address as I hear him get off the bed and put on clothes.
“I’ll be there in less than ten minutes.”
“See you soon.”
I smile when I hang up and look at myself in the mirror, eyes widening as it gradually sinks in that this will be the first time I’m at Grayson’s house.
Oh, I need some liquid courage for this occasion.
Opening the door, I run downstairs to the kitchen and see a couple of people doing Jell-O shots. I tap one of the frat brothers on the shoulder and ask him to pass me two. He happily complies, and within a few minutes, I start to feel them kicking in, but just barely.
Okay, now I’m a little more comfortable going to Grayson’s place.
All that’s missing is my jacket, so I can leave, but it’s in the room where all my friends are.
All my friends who will ask me questions about where I’m going, and that is the last thing I want to deal with right now, with this much alcohol in my system.
I head to the VIP door, where a guard stands. He recognizes me and dips his chin as I crack the door open, looking for the friend who’s in closest proximity to me. Which turns out to be Levi, one of my three closest friends.
I can work with that.
“Pssttt.”
Levi sets his dark blue eyes on me as he pushes his black hair back, narrowing his gaze. I signal for him to come over. He raises both eyebrows before stepping away from the conversation he’s having with some guys.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you coming in?” he asks, grabbing the doorknob and pulling, but I stop him by pulling it back in my direction.
“I need my jacket, no questions asked.”
He sighs. “You’ve been demanding a lot of things with ‘no questions asked’ this semester, Em. Eventually, you’re going to have to tell us who he is.”
My eyes widen for a fraction of a second. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Uh-huh.” Levi leans over to where the coats are and hands me my brown, fluffy jacket.
“A year ago, you pressured Kamila into telling us about Cameron. Last semester, you gave me advice about Stevie and were part of our wedding party. You and Jake hang out without us, just like Kami and I do. You have no reason not to tell us. You need to get over this fear of not talking about your personal life with anyone, at least with your closest friends who won’t judge you. ”
My head shakes at his words. “You don’t get it.”
“What don’t I get, Ems?” He looks at me with pleading eyes.
“I trust you guys with my life, but my love life is a different story. I’ve always been unlucky in the romance department, so I’m not the best role model.
I’ve only ever wanted you guys to be happy with your partners, and telling you my boring, sad stories might make you see me differently.
I’ve never wanted to take attention away from your amazing love stories by sharing my depressing ones.
” My jaw drops at the first time I tell any of them that. I take a step back. “I gotta go.”
“Emma, wait!” he yells, stepping out of the room, but I don’t stop running until I reach the edge of the sidewalk and see Grayson’s pickup truck at the end of the block, away from any prying eyes.
I jog to his car, Levi’s words filtering through my mind, and my response back. I know I’ll get shit for it tomorrow at the soup kitchen.
“Crap,” I mutter to myself before reaching the passenger door of Grayson’s truck and opening it. He looks at me—messy hair, glasses, a smirk on his lips, and one leg already out of the door to help me get in.
I smile at him before a wave of nausea hits me, and I turn around just in time to throw up on the sidewalk.
“Fuck,” I hear him say as a second wave hits me. Hands wrap around my hair, pulling it up when the final wave hits.
“Grayson, I’m sorry.”
Then I feel myself falling, eyes shutting, everything fading to black.