Page 8 of Here's to Now

She’s backlit by the dingy lights in the lot, her head thrown back in quiet laughter. She looks gorgeous.

“No, Cailee. I’m fine. I’ll just grab a cab.”

Or Ithinkthat’s what she says. I can’t be certain—her words are a slightly slurred, her drunken state now painfully obvious.

I see her shake her head and retreat as they all go their separate ways. She begins digging around in her purse, mumbling to herself over and over. After a few seconds of searching, she lets out a squeal and holds up her phone. Then she drops it. I chuckle as she bends over, only to have to catch herself before she faceplants.

“You’re gonna hurt yourself.”

Haley sputters at my words, popping up and spinning around to see where the voice is coming from. I grin as she looks out into the empty parking lot, taking steps farther into the darkness. It also makes me feel uneasy enough to push myself off my car and walk toward her. I bend down, grabbing her phone.

I’m just a few steps behind her when she spins around again, a loud shriek leaving her throat.

“AHHH! Holy shit!” She grabs at her chest, her mouth hanging open, eyes wide with terror. I reach out to steady her as she wobbles backward again. “You scared the bejesus out of me.”

I offer no apology, keeping a firm grasp on her bicep, worried she’ll tumble over again.

“Whadareyoudoingoudhere?” I have to listen closely to what she says, as it’s still slurred together and sounds like a single word.

“I was heading home,” I tell her, hoping I got her question right. “Are you going to be okay? Do you need a ride?”

Why did I say that? Why would I offer her a ride? I don’t know her, and she doesn’t know me. I could be dangerous, or a criminal. Oh, hell—Iama criminal.

Not anymore, Gaige.

Right. I was, but not anymore. Now I’m just a normal guy offering a normal girl a lift home. There is nothing wrong or harmful in that. If anything, it’s friendly and gallant.

Gallant. I can be that.

Haley snorts and pulls from my grasp. She reaches into her small purse again, searching for something. “Nah…cab…phone” is all I can make out as she digs around in her purse again.

I hold her phone out to her, only to have the nice gesture met with angry eyes.

“You stole my phone? Thief!”

What? Thief?

“Thief!” she yells again spinning around, her voice carrying through the quietening night.

I grab her again, turning her back to me. “Haley, shush. You dropped it. I didn’t steal it.”

She pouts, her eyes bouncing from the phone still in my outstretched hand to my face and back to the phone. “Oh. I knew that.”

“You’re a mess. Look, let me take you home. You don’t need to be waiting out here by yourself.”

Her refusal is instant, head shaking back and forth furiously. “Nope. Stranger danger,” she repeats over and over.

Even though I shouldn’t, I laugh. “No, I’m not a stranger, remember? We’re acquaintances. You know my name and I know yours. If anything were to happen, you’d at least have that information.”

She rolls her eyes, the gesture wildly exaggerated. “Oh, please. That’s so easy to fake. I could have told you my name was Nikki and you’d never know the difference.”

Her words are slow and clear, like she’s paying extra attention to each and every one coming out of her mouth.

“Nah,” I tell her. “You don’t look like a Nikki.”

“Well I am.” She’s adamant, and I kind of love how stubborn she is when she’s drunk. It’s cute.

“Haley—”

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