Page 19 of Acid

I laugh and slide the drink down to her. The concentration on her face is hilarious. She grabs the drink in her hand and holds it above her. “Yes! Champion!” she cheers.

“Yes!” I cheer with her. She downs the shot and sways a little too far to the right. “Oh, shit,” I mutter as I dive behind the bar tocatch her before she hits the floor. I stumble as I catch her, but I fall as I take the brunt of the force. We both land on the bar floor with a hard thud.

“Whoops.” She laughs. I laugh with her, holding her in my arms. She yawns, resting her head on my chest. “Man, your man chest is comfy.” She sighs.

I laugh, stroking her hair. “Thanks for tonight. I needed this. Just to forget. It’s nice to forget,” I sigh. She doesn’t answer. “Rhea.” I try lifting my head to look at her, but I can’t. A small snore comes from her, and I smile. I lay my head back down and close my eyes. “Night darlin’.” I yawn, holding her close.

CHAPTER SEVEN

RHEA

My first thoughtis why does my body hurt so much just to blink? I groan and slowly lift my head, squinting my eyes to look around. “Morning,” Acid’s deep voice greets me. I cast my eyes down and see him beneath me. It’s then that I realise I am only in my bra and shorts. I roll off him, groaning with each movement.

“Oh my god,” I complain, now laying on the floor beside Acid. He leans up on his elbow, looking down on me. His eyes appear tired and bloodshot, yet he still has a playful smile across his lips.

“I warned you that it would hurt the next day.” He laughs.

“It’s like I’ve cracked them all over again,” I complain.

He gets to his feet and holds out his hand to help me up. “Come on, let’s find your top and get you some water and painkillers.”

I lift my hand to him, and even that feels like a monumental effort. He pulls me to my feet, and I practically sob in pain. “What was I doing?” I groan.

“You were rocking out, head-banging, and then you climbed up onto the bar and fell off it,” Acid informs me.

My eyes go wide, and I cover my face with my hands, mortified. “Oh my god, I didn’t?” I gasp.

“Oh yeah darlin’, you sure did,” Acid says as he hands me my T-shirt and his hoodie that he lent me.

The fresh morning chill was causing me to shiver, so I quickly put them on. He takes my hand in his and leads me to the kitchen, where he hands me a bottle of cold water and two painkillers. I knock the tablets back and down the entire bottle, cringing at how my mouth feels as dry as the desert. He goes about putting the coffee machine on, but the smell makes me retch. I cover my mouth with my hand.

Acid turns his attention to me. “You going to hurl?” he asks.

I shake my head no, but then I retch again. My eyes wide as I run out of the kitchen to the bathroom quicker than the roadrunner. I make it to the toilet just in time. As I shove my head down it and empty my stomach, I feel Acid grab my hair in his hands and hold it back for me.

“Don’t look at me,” I groan. I inhale, taking deep breaths. He doesn’t say anything. He just continues to hold my hair back from my face and soothingly rub my back. When I think I can’t bring up anymore, I sit back against the wall. Acid takes a towel and wipes my face before flushing the toilet. I look up at him with tears in my eyes. “I’m sorry.” I sniff.

He squats down in front of me and tucks my hair back behind my ear. “It’s my fault for making you drink with me. I knew you weren’t a big drinker. I shouldn’t have pushed those drinks on you,” he states.

I frown at him. “You didn’t force them into me. I took them willingly. You needed a blow out, and I was there supporting you. It’s what friends do.” I smile.

“Come on, you need to get back to bed and sip some water. You’re really dehydrated.” He hooks his hands under my arms and lifts me to my feet before he leads me into his room.

“Hey, you trying to take advantage of me in my vulnerable state?” I ask as I climb into his bed.

“Oh damn, you’ve caught me. That was my plan. Get you completely wasted then wait until the next morning when you’re chucking your guts up to make my move,” he teases as he pulls the covers over me.

I flip him my middle finger. “Fuck you, but thank you,” I mumble, snuggling in.

He smirks. “It’s only 6 am. I didn’t want to disturb Olly. Get some sleep and I will bring you in some water.”

I feel myself drifting off to sleep, despite the incessant throbbing in my head.

I’m not sure how long I was asleep for. I blink my eyes awake, cringing when my head is still throbbing and my body still aching. I sit up and rub my face. Looking at the bedside table, I see a note from Acid.

Painkillers, and sip water. Olly is good. I’ve taken him for a ride and to probably a few titty bars. Don’t worry, I promise it will just be the classy ones.

Xx

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