Page 49 of Something Like Sunflowers

Aloud buzzing wakes me from my sleep. I groan, snatching the pillow from under my head and shoving it over my face and ears. But the buzzing doesn’t stop, meaning it’s not just one or two texts, it’s calls or something too.

What the hell? I just want to sleep.

I reach to the bedside table, but realize it isn’t my brother’s guest room bedside table. It’s a dresser. And it’s just now registering to me how thick this pillow smells of—

Pine and sandalwood. Shit.

I shoot upright, throwing the covers off to ensure I am in fact clothed. Whew! And then I look to the left and confirm there’s no other body in the bed with me.

Okay. You just stayed the night, I tell myself as I scan the room for my shoes and purse.

Just like Katie’s dare implied. You stayed the night and slept with Hunter. But not sexually.

I think.

But then again, with the way we were under the booth at Cowboy’s Paradise, I’m not gonna say it would be out of the question if we did end up doing…everything else.

I fall back on the mattress, groaning as I feel how hungover I actually am. I’m groggy and gross and my head is pounding. I stare at the ceiling. It’s tall. A raised, slanted ceiling with a sunroof that takes my breath away. That must be where all the warmth is coming from…the light that spills in with the sun.

How romantic.

I scold myself, clearing away my daydreams. It’s time to get up and get the day started. Once I’m up and have some food and water, I’ll be fine.

I don’t entirely remember last night, so while I’m pretty positive, based on my fully clothed body and lack of, you know… soreness…down there, that we didn’t do it, I still feel the need to clear the air on what did actually happen. After the kiss, that is.

Because that’s all I remember. Kissing him. In his lap. And then…okay, there was more than kissing. But nothing aside from some handsy stuff.

And then we played Truth or Dare. I jump straight to my feet and stumble to catch myself on the large oak dresser, my brain instantly pounding against my skull.

Yep, still hungover.

I grab for my phone and fumble with the unlock screen for far longer than seems reasonable. But once I’ve got the stupid thing open, I realize something most definitely did happen.

Thirty-six calls? From Dustin, Mom, Shana…

My heart races as I scroll my call history.

Oh, my God, what happened? Is someone hurt? Shana’s dad, maybe?

But no, it can’t be. Because I’ve also got missed calls and texts from people entirely disconnected from Pine Forrest. Dad, the Miss American Rodeo Council…Molly from Classy Country?

Holy shit. Holy shit. What has happened? I scramble to pull up my social media and find something that can help me figure this out. I have one hand manning my phone and the other pulling on my heels…the same ones I wore to the bar last night. Because yes, even among all this chaos, I will still be doing the walk of shame today.

I stall, curling my fingers around my phone. I’m not sure I believe what I’m reading right now. Shoving my foot in my other heel and taking a quick seat at the edge of a…is this a vanity stool? Does Hunter have an elegant as hell vanity made of matching deep oak that goes with the beautiful dresser… that matches a certain booth I got very familiar with last night? Furniture I think my brother made?

I am so totally fucked if I’m not supposed to fuck him when I see stuff like this. I bite my lip, clenching my thighs together, as I will the ho inside me to calm down just a teeny bit while I figure out why I’m getting blown up with notifications all of a sudden.

Also, where is Hunter?

I read a few texts that make no sense whatsoever:

CHAD: Congrats, girlie, I’ll always remember our special time.

Ew. Why do some men seem super attractive at one point in your life and absolutely disgusting the next? I shiver and scroll on, trying not to get hung up too long on why Chad is even congratulating me in the first place.

SHAY BAE: OH MY GOD, DEVYN…Call me, please. I’m not even mad about last night. Lemon told me you guys are cool. BUT WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS HUNTER THING!!!! OMG CALL ME!!!

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