Page 106 of Finding Delaware

I’m no good for him.

We’re no good for each other, and yet

I

Can’t

Let

Him

Go.

Juanita announces last call, which means it’s somewhere around one in the morning. I don’t even remember the hours passing—where did the night go?

Royce wipes his eyes as he laughs after we finish a terrible karaoke rendition of Cher’s ‘Believe,’ pushing outside into the chilly night air.

“I’ve got my man coming to pick me up,” he says as we lean against the outside of the bar, sharing a cigarette. “Want a ride?”

Wait, why am I smoking? I don’t even smoke. This stuff tastes like shit.

Huffing a cough, I hand him the cigarette and shake my head. “I’ll call an Uber.”

“You sure, babe? He won’t mind.”

“Yeah,” I grin at him, having difficulty focusing on his face. “S’all good, man. Thanks for hangin’.”

“You’re fun as hell, Huck. Let’s do this again.”

I think I agree, even though I don’t ever want to drink like this again in my life. Can’t seem to think straight. Eyes hurt.

Royce’s ride pulls up, and after a tight hug, I’m alone, leaning against the building. So I slide to the ground, squinting down at my phone as I pull up the Uber app and try to get my hand to stop moving for five seconds so I can fucking see. When the Uber is ordered, I lean back while waiting. The wall is cold against me, cooling my heated skin, and a breeze dries the sweat on my neck. It feels so damn good that my eyes sink closed, only for a minute.

Just for one minute.

I’m so exhausted that I’ll just close them until my ride shows up.

Just a minute…

“Wake the fuck up, Huckslee!”

Next thing I know, I’m being shaken violently, and I peel my lids open to glare up into two blue-green eyes.

“Ah, what the hell?” My head is pounding so hard I can feel it in my ears. “Stop shakin’ me!”

Taylor stands above me with his hands on my shoulders, brows pinched. His teeth are sunk into his bottom lip, gaze bouncing around my face in a panic-stricken way, and hell, if that doesn’t sober me right up.

“Why are you sleeping out here?!” His voice is shrill, loud enough against the quiet night that I flinch. “Where the fuck did Royce go?”

“Wasn’t s-sleeping.” Frowning up at him, I lift my phone to his face. “W-was waiting for my Uber.”

He looks at it for a few seconds, reading the screen, before his expression hardens.

“Jesus Christ, Huck.” Grabbing my phone out of my hand, he turns it around so that I can see. “Your driver called and texted twenty minutes ago looking for you. Pretty sure they’re gone by now.”

“What?!”Shit. Does that mean... I’ve been sleeping against this building for almost half an hour, looking like a homeless person? In the cold? “Fuck, dude.”

Now that I notice it, my teeth chatter as my body shivers violently.

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