A Sticky Situation (Awkward Love 7)

Are you fucking kidding me? What the hell do I have to do to learn the time around here? I stalk over to the coffee table and pick up the remote, aiming it at the TV. It turns on, the time flashing up in the bottom, right hand side of the screen. It’s after nine, which means there’s no chance of getting back in there unnoticed.

Which means I’m fucking dead.

Or at least, Brix is.

“…that Brix Wilson is embroiled in yet another scandal.”

My head shoots up. I stare at the TV, listening in shock as the reporter reveals what really happened to land Brix in rehab. I stare at the TV in shock. I take the stairs two at a time, my heart pounding. I’m even more worried about his mental state now.

How the hell did it get out? Has he seen this?

“Hannah,” I say, stalking into the room. “Wake up.”

I walk over to the window and look out. It’s my worst nightmare, because there would have to be at least a dozen reporters out there, microphones poised, ready to interrogate me,

How the fuck do I handle this?

And where the fuck is Brix?

“Hannah,” I bark.

I walk over to her and give her a little shake. She cracks open an eye and gives me a sleepy smile as she rolls over and snuggles back into the blankets. Then she stretches out, rolling back over, so she’s facing me again. She sits up when she sees my expression.

“What’s wrong?” She rubs her eyes and looks around, a frown on her lips. “Where are…” Her voice trails off, like she’s just remembered where we are.

“The story broke,” I explain, making her morning even worse.

“What story?” Her eyes widen. “Brix?”

I nod grimly. “It’s all over the news. There’s reporters camped outside... ” I laugh and run my hands through my hair.

How did everything get so fucked up in the space of a few hours?

“Luke is going to kill the both of us. I’ll get my ass thrown in jail and fucking Brix will let it happen—”

I stop when Hannah takes my hands and forces me to look at her.

“Nate. Calm down. Okay?” she looks me in the eye. “Just take this one step at a time. The first thing we need to do is get out of here and back to the clinic. Then we can deal with the rest.”

“Okay.” I nod. “How the hell are you so calm?” I add, frowning at her. She’s just as fucked as I am if this all goes to shit.

She smiles at me and then kisses me, a smile forming on her lips as she pulls away.

“I’m a nurse, remember? Staying calm is what I do.”Chapter 19HannahI’m not calm.

I’m anything but calm. How can so much have gone wrong in the space of a night?

Not getting Nate back to the clinic after Luke informed me he’d been lying? That’s unacceptable. Falling asleep after sex and staying out all night? That’s inexcusable. I’m going to be fired. There’s no other possible outcome. Not only that, but Brix could end up in jail because of us, unless by some miracle I can convince Luke not to tell the authorities.

I feel sorry for Brix wherever he is. Having the world talk about you can’t be fun. I just hope he doesn’t do anything stupid.

I finish getting dressed and then I hunt around for my phone, because I can’t find it anywhere. I try and think where I had it last, but my head is too much of a mess for me to think about anything clearly. Maybe losing it is a blessing, because I can just imagine how many missed calls I have from Luke, Lou, and probably Sasha.

I race downstairs and over to the couch, tossing aside the cushions. I finally find it wedged down the side of the seat. I go to turn it on, but I’m distracted by the TV. Or rather, the person being interviewed by a TMZ reporter. I stare at the screen, confused. Where do I know him from? Then it hits me.

Why the heck is the bellboy from the hotel on TV?

The show cuts to a break before I get any real answers. All I can gather is that they were talking about Brix.

“Nate?” I call out.

He walks out of the kitchen carrying coffee. I rightly assume it’s for me and eagerly take it from him. He gives me a sheepish smile.

“Actually, I made that for myself.”

“Oh.” Well, that’s awkward.

He chuckles. “I’m kidding. I figure you’ll need it when you hear what I have to say.”

“You’re not going to like this,” he warns.

“Just tell me,” I snap, on the verge of losing control. “I mean, it can’t get much worse, can it?”

“You might retract that statement once I tell you—”

“Nate,” I yell.

“Okay,” he protests, holding his hands up in defense. “After it broke about Brix and the male hookers, the bellboy at the hotel came forward with his story.”