Page 3 of Fall Hard

“No?”

“No, I’m not going to sleep with you.”

“Oh, sweetheart. I doubt you could even locate a boob right now—I’m taking you toyourhome, not mine.”

Without thinking, I reached out and placed a hand on her chest. She was wearing a gauzy silver mesh top that sparkled prettily and I instantly coveted it, especially because it managed to feel silky rather than scratchy. We both looked down at the hand that cupped her left breast. It was full, bigger than my palm could comfortably cover, and Bryn looked bemused as she reached out and gently tugged my hand away.

“Come on.”

I didn’t argue. I would probably feel a thousand shades of embarrassed about this tomorrow, but right now I couldn’t deny that the thought of my bed waiting for me sounded like bliss. Well, that and maybe some fries. Salty, greasy, goodness.

“Yes, yes, fine, we can stop for fries if somewhere is open.”

I blinked, not realizing I’d said the last part aloud. Whatever. As long as I got my fries, I didn’t care that I’d touched Bryn’s boob. Plus, Sun City was a student town—of course someone would be selling fries at… I checked my phone and hissed as the brightness seared my eyes. Wow. Three AM. Not bad. Not bad at all.

I didn’t think I’d gone out partying by myself in, well, ever and tonight I’d actually had a good time. There weren’t many times in my life that I’d been able to just feel… good. Carefree.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Bryn said as she steered me around a bush that had appeared out of nowhere and I blinked at her in confusion.

“Am I still saying all this to you out loud? I thought I was just thinking stuff.”

Bryn snorted. “Jesus you’re wasted. What did you even take?”

“A pill.”

“Of?”

I shrugged and the pinched look on Bryn’s face reappeared again but I tuned out before she could try and lecture me some more.

Fingers snapped in front of my face and I waved my hand in protest. “What?” I glanced around us, confused. “Where are we?”

Bryn’s hand cupped my jaw, tilting my face up to look into her eyes and for the first time I realized she was slightly taller than me. I tugged my face free from her grip.

“You mean you don’t remember the part of this very,verylong walk home where you whined and complained until I agreed to go toPaulieswith you to get fries?” She shook her head, somehow still managing to look good even under the gross fluorescent lights in the diner.

“I think these lights are giving me a hangover.” I grimaced as I tried to shield my eyes with my hand but a second later the pain was forgotten as a carton of hot fries was pressed into my palm. “You are beautiful,” I moaned, shoveling two in my mouth and wincing slightly at the burn. There was only one thing ruining this.

I thrust the fries into Bryn’s arms and she fumbled slightly as she caught them.

“What are you—”

I reached down and unclasped my shoes, sighing in relief as my toes touched the cold tiled floor.

“Liv, no—”

I grabbed my fries back out of Bryn’s hands and spun for the door, the world whirling around me as I moved too quickly.

The night air was cool and still smelled like heat from earlier in the day. It was late—or early, depending on how you looked at it—but plenty of people still milled around. Bryn caught up to me a second later, my shoes dangling from their straps in her hands as she muttered under her breath.

“Your feet are going to get cold.”

“They’re fine,” I said absently, munching on a fry as I started away from the town and down the path that led through the park. Despite it being paved, the twigs and errant rocks immediately stabbed into the soles of my feet and I hopped a little as I walked, trying not to drop my food. “Ow.”

The trees were bushy and full, though it was too dark to see the lush green they’d turned a little while back, and the moon just peaked out from between branches. For a second I just stood there, staring up at the sky as I continued to eat my fries, the stars swirling around my head and the night air barely touching my skin. My hand scraped the bottom of the box and I frowned as I stared down into it.

A sigh startled me and I turned wobbily to see Bryn watching me. “You want to stare at the stars some more or can we get you home? You must be cold.”

“It’s the summer.”

---