Page 10 of Give Me Love

I look at Claire.

She grins.

Grabbing the aspirin from the basket on top of the fridge, I pop the bottle open and throw four back.

“Gimme,” Claire says, holding out her hand. I toss the bottle to her, noticing she has on navy nail polish. My mind jumps back to last night and the guy in the blue suit standing on the staircase. I bite my lip, feeling the frown between my brows.

“I’m shocked you’re here and not in some girl’s bed,” Claire says to Austin as I lean back on the counter.

“You calling me a whore?” Austin replies like she offended him. I grin at their playful banter, but as I take a gulp of my drink, I wonder who that guy was on the stairs last night. Those eyes and the way he was looking at me. It was as if no one else was around. The full club of people vanished, the music slowed, and it was only us.

Strangers in a trance, daring the other to take the first step.

Chills run up my back, and I shake them off as I rub my temple and stare down at the floor. Geez, my brain feels like it could roll out of my head onto the black and white tile.

“I’ve got to go.” He hits the wall, snapping me out of my reverie.

I look over at him. “What’s the hurry?”

“Headed to the shop to start on another car for Bryce,” he says, taking his smoke from behind his ear.

“Who’s Bryce?” I follow him into the living room so I can lie down on the couch.

“Guy whose club we were at last night.”

“Why didn’t you introduce us to him?” Claire says, following behind me. I flop down on one end of the couch as she does the other.

“You got sick.”

“Oh yeah,” she groans.

“No liquor holding ass,” he says playfully, resting the cigarette between his lips. I grin.

“I can hold my liquor just fine. I didn’t eat anything.” She tosses a throw pillow at him, and he laughs as he catches it against his chest.

“You two are going to run out of pillows eventually.” He lets it land on the floor along with the one I threw. “Do y’all remember anything?”

I look at Claire, and she shrugs. “Fireball makes you forget shit.”

“Like how you begged the bartender to get you a can of beer so you could shotgun?” Austin says.

I scrunch my face up at her. “So redneck.”

“Hey, you can take the girl out of the country.” She shrugs.

I turn and lie back so my feet are in her lap.

“Dude, you have major grocery store feet. Go shower.” She moves them off and they hit the floor as my body sluggishly does, too. I groan as I lie there.

“I’m never drinking again.”

“Hey, I said that last night.” Claire laughs. “At least I remember something.”

Austin smirks. “I’m gone. Call me later.” He opens the door, and we say bye from both of our resting spots.

After the door clicks shut, we stay quiet. I close my eyes and try to recall more from last night. After walking into the club, I remember Claire taking my hand and heading to the bar. I open my eyes and sit up on my elbows.

“You didn’t happen to see a guy standing on those stairs last night, did you?”

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