Page 38 of Ever After

My phone pings, and I get another text message from Jay. All he texted was my name. He’s definitely trying to get my attention.

A throbbing painthumps in my eyes as I try to pry them open. I squint and look around. Lia's room is where I'm at. I don’t remember coming here. Actually, I don’t remember much of last night after our dinner. My head is pounding with every move I take. Peeling myself off the bed one bone at a time, I head over to the bathroom and splash some water on my face. I’m in my clothes I went out in last night. Fuck, I feel like death. Wine hangovers are the worst. It makes me feel like my brain is going to pop out of my eye sockets. I work my way over to the kitchen and find Lia cooking.

“Lia! What the hell happened?” I ask as I slump my ass into a chair.

Lia turns around and her eyes go wide.

“What?” My hands are holding up my head like it’s a bowling ball. It feels like one. It’s so heavy, like my wrists are going to snap at any second.

“What do you want to know first?” she asks.

My face drops. What the hell did I do? Please don’t say I drunk called Aiden. I grab the Tylenol Lia had waiting for me on the table. I chug it down. Please revive me. “Just start from the beginning,” I say.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” She turns a little to the side so she can see me and the food she is cooking.

I try to think. “My mind goes blank about the time we left the restaurant.”

“Sounds about right.” Lia laughs.

I roll my eyes and put my head down on the table.

“You insisted we go bar hopping. So we went, and you kept taking shots with random people saying, ‘I’m free!’”

“What! Free of what?”

“I don’t know. I assume from Aiden, but you never really said, and no one asked. They were having fun taking shots with you. I let you be. I figured you needed it or something.” She walks over to the coffeepot and pours some into a cup.

“Did I do anything stupid?” I grab the coffee from her and take a sip.

“No, but you started talking about Jay and how much you like him. You kept saying how he was texting you and you haven’t texted back because you didn’t know what to say. You kept asking people what you should do. At one point, you called him but couldn’t make out many words. The only thing I understood is you saying that you needed him. I grabbed your phone and told him we will have to call him back.”

Lia comes over and brings me a plate of breakfast. Eggs, bacon, and toast. I give it a disgusting look.

“Eat. It will make you feel better,” Lia demands.

I grab my fork and start picking at it. “So, is that all? That doesn’t seem terrible?” I pick up a piece of bacon and nip at it. Lia gives another look. Oh, no, what else is there? I chug my coffee. I need to be more awake for this.

“Jay is on his way over here.”

I freeze and drop my bacon. “What? Why?”

“You made Jay worry. He was blowing up your phone. I told him everything was fine, and I could take care of you, but he was more worried because you told him you needed him.”

I put my face into my hands. What have I done? I keep embarrassing myself. Can’t he see I’m a wreck? I know I told him I was from Utah, but never any specifics. How is he going to find me?

“Lia, how does he know where I’m at? What else did you tell him?” She stays quiet. “Lia!”

“I told him,” she says in a hushed voice.

I can’t believe her. “I’m already embarrassed and now this. How much more embarrassed can I get? This is terrible. I’m a damn mess.”

Lia comes up and takes a seat at the table with her plate full of food. “Lilah, he really likes you. I don’t see the harm in giving him a chance. And he seems nice. You deserve that.”

Jay is nice. I’ve never met someone like him. It’s not like I had a lot of chances. Aiden and I met when we were so young. I hardly dated.

“Look how much he is proving to you he likes you. Where is Aiden? He says he messed up and wants to work on things, but he’s not the one coming over here to see if you’re okay. Jay is,” Lia says.

“Because I didn’t call Aiden. I called Jay. If I had called Aiden, I’m sure it would have been him coming.”

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