Page 99 of Outlier
“Ugh, barf,” snapped Claire, before grabbing a shot from in front of her. “You guys are gross. It should be a hard no on the carrying you around thing. You’re not bloody toddlers. Now, do your shots.”
“Yes, darlings,” slurred Margot, who had her arm around my mother. “You mustn’t let them carry you around. Bad form.”
“I wouldn’t mind it,” said Mum, who then, to my horror, gave Jimbo a slow wink.
“My little boy!” cried Bianca when she caught sight of Felix.
Felix was well over six foot; little, he was not. But then her smile dropped as she squinted up at us all. “But you’re naughty boys. This is only girls tonight. Only for hens. No cockerels.”
Lucy giggled into her shot glass. “Yeah, nocockerels, boys.” She then turned to Felix and winked sloppily. “Until later,” she said in another loud stage whisper.
“Barf again,” said Claire. “Right then, one, two, three…”
“Alla salute!” shouted Bianca. All three of us rushed forward as they lifted their full shot glasses—other than Lottie who lifted her can of coke instead—repeating Bianca’s words, but we were too late to stop them downing the lot, except thankfully for Vicky, who was still asleep on Claire’s shoulder.
“I think I’m gonna throw up,” Claire said after a moment, her face going an unnatural shade of green as she bolted away from the table.
Vicky started to topple over when her human pillow disappeared, but I shot into the booth to hold her up before she could face plant onto the chair beside her.
Then I had her soft weight in my arms; her lavender scent mixed with tequila around me. I heard her let out a small sigh as she snuggled further into my chest. Her small hand fell into my crotch, and I gritted my teeth. I did not want to be hard, sitting at a table with my mother and sister.
“I need to get you home, love,” I muttered into the hair at the top of her head.
“I love the cabin,” she whispered, and I froze.
The others were trying to get the rest of the women up.
Mum was arguing with Felix about what time it was.
“Hetty,” Felix said with extreme patience. “It’s three in the bloody morning. Jimbo wants you and that pony out of here. Why on earth did you bring Legolas anyway?”
“Weirdest hen party I’ve ever seen,” said Ollie as he and Lottie tried to extract Margot from her chair.
Lottie was giggling too hard to be of much use.
I knew I should probably help Felix, who was dealing with both my mum, his mum, and my sister, but I ignored them all to focus on what Vicky had just said.
“You like the cabin, love?” I asked in a soft voice.
“Love it,” she told me, her voice fading as she relaxed more into my side. “Love you.”
My heart felt like it was beating outside of my chest. I had to swallow against the lump in my throat before I could speak again. “I love you too, sweetheart.”
Then, to my horror, I felt wet through my shirt.
Vicky was crying.
“Hey,” I said, gathering her closer. “Why are you sad?”
“I miss you,” she whispered.
“Christ, I miss you too, love. So much.”
“Not for me.”
“What’s isn’t?”
“You’re not.”
