Heartburn (Love By Design 3)

“Where did you get this shit?” I reached around them and grabbed the bowl bringing it to the sink to stick under the faucet.

They both eyed me with vacant expressions swaying on their feet. “Jesus sit down both of you before you fall on your faces.”

“Lia, your boyfriend is a real stick in the mud.” Dinah rolled over on the couch leaning into Lia. That girl annoyed me, and more than that, she was dangerous to my girlfriend if I thought through the potential consequences of getting caught.

“Do they even say that anymore?” I asked tossing my hands up in the air.

“Damien called Chase one.” My girl wheezed a giggle. I closed my eyes hoping this was a bad dream. I opened them. Nope. Still happening.

“Whit, you’re being an old farty-face.” Lia pouted and tried to drink the remnants of the margarita with her tongue hanging out.

“Drinking too.” I grumbled. “No way, give me that.” I snatched it from her hands watching her frown.

“Booo! Hisss!” She called out pointing at me. She was a terrible drunk so far, moody and demanding.

I pointed out the obvious, “And you’re drunk.”

“Am not, okay maybe a little.” She sunk into the couch waving her hand at me with pinched fingers showing me. She’s definitely drunk.

Of course I couldn’t let it go and pointed out the second most obvious fact, “And stoned like an irresponsible kid.”

“A what?” She gave me side eye and I didn’t know if I wanted to spank her to discipline her or fuck her into next week.

My hands clenched and I rubbed one against the back of my neck to keep myself from grabbing her and shaking her until the stupidity I felt left the apartment. “You never answered my original question. Where did this shit come from?”

/> “Ummm?” She pursed her lips and tapped them with her fingertip.

“Is that your final answer?” I pressed.

Her eyes blankly scanned toward the window and she shrugged non-committal, “We went to the grocery store in Kingston. That organic market with the really cool outdoor booths.”

Well, there was no telling what that place had with hippies traveling back and forth from Vermont and Canada selling their wares at the weekend market. Sketchy place really, unless you were buying oranges and even then they were the weird ones not from Florida that tasted like cherries. I learned that shit after a few dates with the organic girl.

I huffed out a breath, “You girls know you bought pot, right?”

“Whoa? Pot? For real forest ranger?” Dinah said before dissolving into giggles and rolling off the couch to the floor. She probably knew it was pot from the beginning. Lia I wasn’t too sure about, but what college student reached the age of twenty having never been exposed to it at one time or another. I wasn’t born yesterday.

Lia swung down, “Are you hurt Dinah-saurus?”

“Nope, Beadle-bug!” Dinah snorted.

“Damn it.” I growled watching them both.

“This is pot?” Lia said looking increasingly green.

“Yes, babe. What did you think it was?”

“I thought it was sage. We wanted to get rid of the bad juju now that Ryder dumped Dinah.” Lia crumpled leaning into the couch. Her skin took on a green pallor that worried me. Last thing I wanted to do was take her to the emergency department unless it was absolutely necessary but God only knew if the crap had been laced with something.

I kneeled down to her level on the floor. “Are you going to be sick? You look sick?”

Before I can move to help her she rolled crawling toward the bathroom shutting the door loudly. I knocked on the door. All I can hear on the other side are a combination of pants and dry heaving that didn’t sound healthy.

I knocked again tentatively, “Babe? Amelia, you okay in there?”

The retching commenced and then nothing else but silence. I glanced back to Dinah who was throwing popcorn kernels up into the air from her spot on the floor. She’s attempting to catch them with her mouth and muttered about butterflies being made of butter.

“Fuck.” I murmured to myself.