“Acacia, just take the guy home. He can’t even sit on his stool properly, what is he going to do?”
“You’re a bad friend for forcing me into this, but okay. Happy? You go and have fun while I babysit a weirdo,” I huff.
“Don’t overreact, Sia. You’ll be fine, and he is hot,” he chuckles and places another kiss on my cheek before leaving the bar with his new interest.
Yes, he is hot… and this makes everything weirder than it already is.
Well… it was a bad day from the beginning anyway.
CHAPTER FOUR
ASHTON
I feel myself being heaved from the stool, a sweet-sounding voice lingers in my ears. “Come on, let’s get you up.”
“April,” I try to look for her, but she is nowhere to be seen. I try again, “April?” My tongue is thick in my mouth, and my words are slurring.
“Ummm, no. Acacia, remember? Come on put your arm around me.”
Acacia… where have I heard that name?
I feel her put her arm around me, trying to move me, but she can’t. I try to move my legs, but they’re not really any help either; they’re heavy like my whole body. Dragging my body from the stool and stumbling along, I let her guide me out. The motion is making me feel sick.
Are we in a car? Either that or I’m floating. How much did I drink?
“Come on you, let’s get you inside. I don’t even know your name, how stupid is that?” I can hear her talking, but my drunken brain can’t comprehend what she’s saying. I drop down on the sofa as she picks up my legs and puts them on the cushion so I can lie down. Feeling the warm blanket covering me I drift off into a comatose sleep.
“Ashton, what are you doing to yourself?”
I open my eyes in panic; I swear I see a vision in front of me.
Am I dreaming?
Looking around the room I try to find the source of it, I swear I heard something, but there was nothing, maybe it was her - Acacia. Feeling the familiar cold, I pull up the blanket to cover me, but it doesn’t keep out the chill that has set in.
“April, is that you?” I reach out a hand to where the image was, hoping I’ll touch or see her. “April… I miss you,” I murmur, closing my eyes in defeat and drift back off into a deep sleep.
~*~
Shit, my head! It feels like a stampede has taken place over it.
I lift my hand to soothe the throb in my head and massage my temple. It takes more than it should for me to open my eyes, the sunlight isn’t pleasant for my situation. One eye opens, and I see her sitting in the chair opposite me, watching me, but she seems a little nervous - like she doesn’t know what to expect.
“Hey,” she says timidly.
Where the fuck am I?
I look around the room - this isn’t my place. I try to get up, but the throbbing in my head stops me. I hold my head to stop myself making any sudden movement.
“Where am I?” I say a little croaky.
“Let’s say you were a little drunk last night. Your car wasn’t outside, I had no clue where you lived, so I brought you here. It was the best option,” she rushes out before my hungover brain has even had a chance to catch up.
“
I don’t even know your name. You’re rude to me every time we speak, and I put up with it when I don’t have to. I don’t even know why I do that, though. Jeez, this has been the longest twenty-four hours of my life, and that’s saying something…”
“Jesus, slow down!” I rub my temples to see if it will ease the pain. “Ashton Kennedy.”