Page 103 of Until You

“He can come too, if you want. Or not.” She grinned at Tyler then turned her attention to his brother. “It’s up to you.”

“Yeah. He can come.”

Tyler’s glare suggested he thought this was a terrible idea. Was it because Eric was divulging his secrets? Or because Eric had a fifty-fifty chance of barfing?

“Let’s go to IHOP,” Lanie suggested.

“Yeah,” Eric mumbled as he closed his eyes. “IHOP sounds…”

She turned back around, and it was apparent Tyler wasn’t happy. “He needs to sleep it off.”

“Where he’ll either wake up alone with a massive hangover, or we’ll sober him up and take him home, and he’ll wake up knowing two people gave a damn about him.”

His mouth parted.

She grinned. “You’re good with helping me work through big decisions. I’m good with the touchy-feely stuff. We make a good team.”

He reached over and grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers and squeezing. “We do.” He looked at her. “But have you given any consideration to what we’re going to do when he throws up his guts?”

“One problem at a time.”

That problem was solved when they parked in the IHOP lot. Tyler opened the passenger door, and Eric leaned out of the car and threw up all over Tyler’s shoes.

Lanie alternated between giggling and gagging on her own urge to vomit.

“It’s not funny, Lanie,” Tyler said as he shook off his foot.

“Sorry, man,” Eric said. Then he threw up again.

Tyler looked at Lanie over the top of the car. “We need to call this.”

“No. Let him get it out of his system, then he needs to drink water. I’m sure you’ve had plenty of drinking binges. You know the drill.”

Tyler helped Eric out of the car and walked him around the parking lot, and when they met Lanie on the sidewalk outside the restaurant, Eric didn’t look as pale and sweaty.

“Ready to get some pancakes?” Lanie asked.

Eric nodded, then threw up in the bushes.

“Lanie.”

“Fine,” she said. “I’ll walk him.”

But Tyler grimaced, then hauled him around again. Eric was ready to go in when they returned, but when the waitress led them to their table, she scrunched up her nose at the smell on Tyler’s shoes.

“Can we get our waters right away?” Lanie asked as she sat down.

“Yeah.” The hostess seemed in a hurry when she walked away.

Tyler still stood next to the table and thumbed toward the restrooms. “I’m going to perform an act of public service and wash off my shoes.”

A sheepish look washed over Eric’s face. “Sorry.”

“No harm, no foul.” Tyler cracked a grin. “At least they weren’t my new shoes.”

He took off, leaving Eric and Lanie alone.

Eric folded in on himself, hanging his head in embarrassment “You must think I’m an idiot.”

---