Page 54 of Embracing Trust

All eyes are on me again.

“What the hell, man?” Kevin asks.

The live band breaks into a loud song with drums, guitars, and vocals.

“Nothing,” I shout over the music.

Where are the exits?

Kevin bumps me again.

Damnit. Kevin, stop crowding my space.

When the drummer pounds out a relentless solo, the crowd cheers, and girls scream.

Stop screaming. Where’s the exit?

The waitress shows up with shots.

Fuck. Hand one over.

After several shots with Mark, things get blurry. When they talk about getting me home, I remember insisting I wanted to be with Julia. I didn’t want to be alone, and she would keep me safe.

Chapter Twenty-five

Julia

I startle as my cell phone rings on my nightstand. I don’t get many calls—mostly texts. The sharp ringtone interrupts my sleep and I squint to look at the clock.

Who calls me at one in the morning? It has to be a wrong number. I sit up in bed and pull the covers to my chest.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Jules. It’s Brad.”

I rub the back of my head. “What’s going on?”

“We’re just leaving a bar in Collingsworth and Ryan is pretty messed up.”

“Messed up? Like drunk messed up?”

“You could say that.” He chuckles softly. “I’ve got my folks coming first thing tomorrow morning, so he can’t really stay at my place. I’m not sure about taking him to his brother’s. Besides, he insisted on coming to your house.”

My feet hit the hardwood floor. “How bad is he?” I stand up and search for my robe as I balance the phone on my shoulder.

“He just needs to sleep it off.”

“He can sleep it off here.”

I drag my hand through my unruly hair and hold in a yawn. I’m a bit surprised by Brad’s phone call. Ryan’s never been a huge drinker, but maybe things have changed since he’s been in the military.

“Are you sure?”

“It’s no problem.”

Thirty minutes later, Brad and Mark’s cousin Isaac help Ryan into my front door. A stumbling Mark and Kevin come into my living room arm-in-arm and singing some song I don’t recognize.

Good grief. Theyaredrunk.

---