Page 76 of Away With You
NATHAN
I want to die.
This is the first thought to make its way into my pounding brain as the early morning light streams into the room and pulls me from my deep, drunken slumber.
Death. Number one priority.
Number two?
If I don’t die, I’m never drinking again. I blame George and his insistence that I attend his Stag Do, knowing how uncomfortable it would be for me. Did I need to drown my sorrows in one too many tequila shots?No.Did I want to?Clearly, I did.
With difficulty, I peel my eyes open and swallow, blanching at how dry my mouth is. How thick my tongue feels.
Death. Never drinking. Water.
Water is number three.
With a whimper, I roll over, my thumping head rejecting even this slight movement.Death. Never drinking. Water. Then, shower.
I nod and groan, my muddled mind taking stock of the situation around me. The empty spot in the bed next to me, to be specific.
“What—?”
Headache forgotten, I bolt upright and let out a sigh when I find Katie curled in a ball on the couch. She’s alright. She’s here.But why is she on the couch?
Frowning, my relief at finding her turns to consternation, and I rummage through my hazy memories from the night before. There was the dimly lit, cigar-smoke-filled bar, shots, many shots, Theo grumbling to stop doing shots, more shots and then…nothing.What did I do after that? And why is Katie scrunched up on the couch instead of lying in the bed next to me?
“What did your drunk arse do last night?” I mutter, stumbling out of bed, grabbing a bottle of water and finishing it in a gulp while standing and staring at the sleeping beauty before me. The idea that I did something in my intoxicated state to make her uncomfortable sits heavy in my stomach, and I’m anxious enough to wake her up and fix it.
If it’s fixable, that is.
“Katie,” I whisper, sinking to my knees in front of the couch so my face is in line with hers. She’s beautiful as she lies peacefully, her masses of dark hair spread out around her, her face soft with sleep. “Kitty Kat, wake up.”
She stirs, grumbling under her breath before her big, honey-coloured eyes open. “Nathan?”
I pause to gather myself. It’s always this way when Katie’s eyes are on me; I need to take a beat, a breath to get my stumbling heart together.
“What are you doing down here, beautiful?”
Her eyelids flutter closed, and she rolls onto her back, letting out a pained exhale that has my stomach clenching.
More nervous now, I run a finger over her soft cheek. “Tell me.”
“It was nothing,” she says in a tone that says it was definitely something.
I smooth a few tendrils off her forehead. “Did I do something? Please tell me.”
She groans. “Youdidn’t do anything.”
Huh?
“Okay. But something happened that had you choosing to sleep here instead of over there?”
She peers over my shoulder, her lips turned down as she stares at the bed. “You could say that.”
I sit back on my butt with a thump. “Kitty Kat, I’m going to need to buy a vowel or something because I have no idea what’s going on. But I’m worried I’ve done something to make you not trust me. Is that why you didn’t want to share the bed last night?”
The urgency in my voice must get to her, because her eyes dart from the bed and lock with mine.Eyes filled with…regret? Dread? What is it?
