Page 78 of Sorry, We're Closed

He signals to Gwen as her body spreads practically lifeless across the sofa. Shit. Shit, shit! I don’t even remember telling Avory about my decision, we rushed out of the door and that’s the last thing I remember.

My phone, where is it?

I bring myself to my feet and in front of Xander, forgetting how small I am in height and build compared to him, and begin to scan across the room, the side tables, and the TV unit. Xander helps, and I eventually find it face down under the coffee table, and of course, it’s completely dead. My eyes float across the walls and land on a clock with roman numerals littering the edges. This is the completely wrong time for me to struggle to tell the time as each number feels as if it’s blending into one another. After blinking hard a few times, I finally figure it out.

“Nine forty-five, it’s nine forty-five. They’re leaving at ten. Shit!”

The sheer volume of my curse forces Gwen to stir enough which wakes her up.

“What’s up, you two? Can’t a girl suffer in peace?”

Her hair curtains her face as she brings herself to sit up.

“Sawyer, grab your bags from Gwen’s room! A spare toothbrush, hairbrush and painkillers are all in the bathroom. Use them, trust me!”

I nod to Xander as my wobbling legs carry me as quickly as they physically can throughout the flat, from room to room. Xander speaks to the grumbling Gwen who struggles to rise from the sofa, but we eventually crash into each other in the bathroom as we both rake our hair into something somewhat presentable and brush the lingering alcohol taste away from our mouths.

My mind races faster than my baby deerlike legs for the entirety of the morning. I could lose Avory, my Avory, over a drunken night, my first and only drunken night if they all feel like this afterwards. The man that taught me so much, that made me realise so much, that made me feel so much more than I thought I could ever feel.

Losing him is not an option.

By the time Xander is ushering us out of the door, the van keys clinking in his hand as we race down the stairs and to the van, the fear of losing Avory claws from my chest and now, throughout my entire body. Everything burns while simultaneously feeling numb. Gwen’s hand never leaves mine as we all pile into the van.

“If I have a rough idea as to where they’re heading, then I know how to cut them off.”

Xander leans down the middle of the front seats as he reverses out of the lane and speeds the van towards the high street.

I’m not losing you, Avory Bright.

Thirty-Four

Avory

“So, to sum up, it’s all my fault for getting your Sawyer absolutely smashed, and I apologise for causing you emotional turmoil on this lovely morning.”

Gwen holds her hands up in shame as her head falls to the floor, her ponytail falling over one shoulder. It really is a struggle to be annoyed at Gwen, because I can’t stop a giddy smile from forming across my face.

“I’m sorry, hold on, you’re telling me thatyougot absolutely shitfaced?”

I turn to Sawyer who has turned that perfect shade of scarlet once again, while Gwen and Xander pinch their lips together to stop their laughter. You really can see how similar they are when they do the same thing at the same time.

“Yes, okay? Never again, just so you know.”

Sawyer rubs his temple with his sleeve before finally looking at me, and I can’t help but quickly kiss him. Only quickly since the Sweets are standing within a couple feet of us, yet our smiles press against each other’s for a moment.

“I just can’t fathom the idea of you, Sawyer Sombre, drunk. I will need to see this one day.”

“No!” Sawyer abruptly shouts, and we can’t help but all burst out in laughter.

A part of me aches knowing I am taking him from a family, his family, who have been the only people in his life to ever show him love, compassion and a whole lot of patience for the people who hurt him, however, Sawyer made that decision himself, that decision to join us on our journey around the country, and that causes my chest to swell.

Xander’s deeper voice brings us all to attention with something we aren’t ready to admit just yet. “I guess we just need to rip the Band-Aid, huh?”

My eyes pass between everyone, but Sawyer leans himself towards my ear and whispers, “My love, can you give us a minute?”

His soft lips meet my cheek briefly as I nod to his request. His soft smile causes his cheeks to meet his glasses, and I can’t stop myself from thinking about a lifetime of that. I let go of Sawyer’s hand and open my arms to Gwen, who throws herself into them, her arms wrapping tight around me.

Her voice muffles into my hoodie since she’s slightly smaller than Sawyer. “Now, you better message us whenever you’re performing, even when you guys are all big and famous! Cocktail drinking is now our thing, okay babes?”

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