She takes it from me and begins drinking. “I feel like death.”
“Yeah, well that’s what happens when you drink and take shots all night.” I wrap a hand around my shoulder, squeezing my neck. “What the hell were you thinking anyway?”
She closes her eyes. “You don’t want to know.”
After several silent moments, I pick her up off the floor and walk her back to her bed. My fingertips press against her bare skin, cool to the touch.
Once she’s covered up, I can’t bear to leave her alone again. I decide to grab an extra blanket from Drew’s closet and sleep next to her on the floor. Then just for good measure, I place a trash can next to the bed in case she gets sick again.
I smile and put my hands behind my head as I listen to her even breathing. I walk to my room, grab her clothes, and put them back where I found them. I’m half tempted to crawl in bed with her, but I lie back on the floor instead.
An hour later, I still haven’t been able to fall asleep. The memory of her lips on mine is still present in my mind, and I know when she wakes up, she’s going to have my head for kissing her.
I’m dead.
Oh God. No, I can’t be dead because I feel fucking awful.
I manage to crack open my eyes and notice Travis is nowhere to be found. I have no idea what time it is, but I remember him being in here last night. At least, I think he was.
Shuffling around for my phone, I finally find it in my clutch on the floor. 11:18 AM.
I haven’t slept in this late since the last time I…oh shit. I grab the nearby trash can and empty my stomach again.
Once I finally feel like I’m safe to sit up, memories of last night surface in my mind. I look down and realize I’m only in my bra and panties. And Travis King saw me in them.
Just great.
Then I remember the kiss and how his face hovered above mine.
Did that really happen? Maybe the alcohol and puking made me imagine the whole thing because there is no way I kissed him. If anything, I would’ve slapped him.
I mean, probably would’ve anyway.
My fingers reach up and touch my lips. It all rushes back to me, and I definitely remember his mouth on mine. Soft, deep, intoxicating.
Fuck. I’m almost certain that kiss is going to ruin me more than him, but I can’t let him know that. How the hell am I supposed to handle him now? He’ll think he won.
And I’m not about to let him think that. Getting close to Travis is bad news. Nothing good could ever come out of it, especially letting him stomp on my heart again.
Needing a distraction, I decide to text Drew.
Viola: Your roommate stripped me down to my bra and panties last night. Where’s the coffee?
I smile as I hit send.
It flashes seconds later with his response.
Drew: He’s a dead man. It’s in the cupboard above the sink.
I chuckle to myself, but soon realize it hurts my stomach to laugh. It’s completely empty and growling. I’ll need to face him sooner or later, but I just wish it could be much, much later.
I finally manage to crawl out of bed and smile when I see my clothes, but I grab one of Drew’s long T-shirts to wear until I can take a shower. First, I need to eat something.
Peeking out the bedroom door, it’s completely silent in the house. Thank God. I step out into the hallway and make my way to the kitchen, searching for any sight of him. When it looks clear, I grab a granola bar and look for the coffee. Just as the coffee maker starts steaming, I hear him in the distance.
“VIOLA!” His voice makes me jump but not enough to be scared. I conceal a smile as he storms into the kitchen.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Please tell me you’ve experienced some kind of head trauma or something.”
“It’s possible.”
“Cut the shit.”
I still don’t face him. I’m not sure if I can, but then I remind myself we’re playing a game. I’m not going to make it that easy for him.
“Calm your tits, King.” I turn around and lock eyes with him. “I haven’t even had my morning coffee yet.”
“This shit ain’t worth it,” he mumbles before walking away. Good. Point for the away team.
After taking a shower and feeling slightly human again, I dress in my favorite pair of blue and green leggings and pair it with a red tank. I throw my wet hair up in a messy bun, grab my book, and curl up in bed for an official lazy Saturday.
Just when the Crown Prince meets Cinder, his Cinderella, I hear commotion in the hallway. I sit up, trying to listen for what the hell it is, and when I hear a woman moan outside my door, my worst nightmare comes alive.
The click of his bedroom door is followed by a loud crash against the wall. More moaning. More banging against the wall. More noise.
Is he serious right now? He brought some chick back to the house in the middle of the afternoon.
Fucking bastard.
I shake my head, refusing to let it bother me. I put my nose back into my book, re-reading the last paragraph.
“Oh, Travis…yeah baby…” Yeah, baby? How original. She continues moaning and screaming his name while rocking the fucking walls.
I clench my jaw, knowing exactly what he’s trying to do. He’s spent the last decade getting under my skin. But no matter how much I hate him, there’s an undeniable chemical connection. Even if I acted on it, the way he shattered me and everything I believed in will never be enough to fix all the years of torture and mutual hatred for one another.
Being the mature twenty-two-year-old that I am, I hook my iPhone up to Drew’s stereo system and blast the soundtrack to Mary Poppins through it. If that doesn’t make a hard-on disappear, I’m not sure what will. However, he did say to turn music on to avoid hearing his sexcapades. So technically, I'm only following his directions.
I turn it up as loud as it’ll go, drowning out the noise of them next door.
The music works, and soon I’m able to get back to my book where the prince is surprised to find out Cinder is the best mechanic in the land. Figures. Lying back against my pillows, I nearly jump out of my skin when Travis blasts through my door, completely naked and hard. He doesn’t look at me as he grabs my phone and begins messing with it.
“What the hell are you doing?” I yell over the bass of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” “Get out!”
He ignores me, holding the phone above my head as he figures out how to shut the music off.
“I’ll just turn it back on,” I snip.
“Not if you don’t have it.” He turns and walks toward my door.
“Give it back,” I demand.
“No.” He walks out into the hallway and back into his room. I follow but am too late when he locks me out. Wait…is he fucking her up against the wall because his bed still has no sheets? Or to secretly taunt me?
Probably both.
But Travis has underestimated me once again. If he wants to break all the house rules and wall-bang a girl, fine.
Going into the kitchen, I grab a chair on my way and carry it with me. I grab a lighter from the junk drawer, a paper towel, and stand on top of the chair, directly under the smoke detector. They’re all connected and wired together throughout the whole house. If one goes off, they all go off.