Page 27 of Somewhere Between Falling

“Whoa,” I exclaim, bracing myself against the nearest chair.

Alex rushed to my side. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, I just feel…off.” And then it occurred to me what this feeling was. “Um, what’s in the punch?”

Noah let out a boisterous laugh. “That would be vodka and rum.”

“What?! But I’m the DD,” I complained.

“How much did you drink?” Alex asked.

“One. No, two. Yeah, two glasses.”

She laughed. “Lightweight. But you should be fine in a few hours, and if not, it’s okay. I haven’t drank anything but diet soda.”

“Phew,” I said, feeling relieved.

“Come on, you lush. Let’s finish watching Edward get his ass kicked by a girl.”

“You know, I’m still really angry about this scene. As if Edward would ever get his ass kicked by anyone. The director was definitely Team Jacob. It’s no wonder Rob hated making these films. Have you ever watched the first one with Rob, Kristen, and whatever the director’s name is talking over each scene as you watch the movie? It’s hi-larious. Rob is so self-deprecating and adorable, and Kristen is annoying, but that’s beside the point,” I ranted.

Alex laughed. “Oh my gosh, Drunk Tamsin might be my new favorite Tamsin.”

“Am I talking too much?” I asked, hiccupping.

She just laughed and went back to watching the movie, but it was no longer holding my attention, so I texted Tobias: These movies don’t do the books justice but sparkly vampires are still my favorite.

He replied: I’m watching too

This could be fun. After that we texted back and forth about the movie—the cringey dialogue, the background music we liked, funny lines that made us laugh.I wished that I was with him so I could see the expression on his face whenever he made a joke. Would it be how I imagined, or would he surprise me? I didn’t know if it was the rum or something else, but I suddenly felt very bold. So I texted him again: I want to see you

He immediately responded: Where are you?

I sent him the address, and he replied: See you in ten minutes out front

I snuck out of the apartment before anyone could notice and made my way down the rickety stairs to wait for Tobias in the parking lot.

He pulled up just moments later, and I ran over to him before he even got out of the car.

“You’re here!” I threw my arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around my waist and held me tightly to him. I never wanted him to let me go. He leaned his face in toward my own, and for a split second I thought he might kiss me…and I realized there wasn’t anything in the world I wanted more than that. I thought that maybe he felt it too, but suddenly, he pulled back.

“You’re drunk.”

“This is true.” I nodded solemnly, but then I felt a smile form on my lips.

“I should take you home.”

“Your house or mine?” I tried to make my voice sound seductive, but I wasn’t sure if it worked or not.

“Yours, of course.”

“But what if I want to go to yours?” I asked, running a single finger down his chest.

“Tamsin, no. Not like this. You’re drunk.”

“I’m not that drunk.” I put my arms out in a T and touched the tip of my nose in a swift, repetitive motion. “See? I can probably recite the alphabet backward, too…Z, Y, X, V…”

“Tamsin...I,” he started, but I didn’t let him finish. I threw my arms around his neck and pressed every inch of my body against his. There was no space between us, yet it wasn’t nearly close enough. I stood on my tippy toes and gently pressed my lips to his neck, then slowly I moved up to his jaw, and finally up to his ear.

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