I couldn’t believe I’d led myself on and started to fall for him when he didn’t even kn
ow who he was holding. I knew he was drunk, but how could he not know it was me? I felt like absolute shit. I closed and locked his front door and walked dejectedly toward my car. Once I got in there, I gave myself a moment to collect myself. I wiped my tear-streaked cheeks and turned the engine. I took one more look at his house and tried to hold onto those last moments before my best friend broke my heart.
Chapter Seventeen
Parker
I woke the next morning with a blasting headache. I kept my eyes closed, unsure how much worse it was going to get if I tried to open them. I groaned and reached out next to me. The other side of the bed was empty.
Good, I didn’t go home with some stripper. The rest of the night came back to me in bits and fragments, but it turned blank right around the time Sienna and I sat down at the booth. How the hell did I get home? I cracked open one eye and realized the room was still shrouded in darkness. I blinked a few times, even though each time I did, the movement radiated in my brain.
There was something on the side table. I scooted over and the sheets against my skin were like sandpaper. It was going to be one of those hangovers.
I grabbed the glass of water and chugged it. I opened the pill bottle and took two aspirin and swallowed them dry. The chalky taste mixed with the aftertaste of the alcohol was a disgusting combination. I really needed to brush my teeth.
It took me a while to get into a seated position. The right side of my body ached, and I promise myself I wouldn’t drink again for a while. I rested my head in my hands and tried to recall more of the night before. I worked my way through from start to finish. I remembered the strippers. Then I ate with Sienna and had a good conversation with her. Tony had his own lap dance and then was talking to the strippers across the dining room. Sienna had come to my side of the booth to sit with me and then…nothing.
I came up against a roadblock; no matter how I tried to get around it, my brain wasn’t allowing me to remember. It was incredibly frustrating.
I reached down to retrieve my pants. I pulled my phone from my pocket. I didn’t have any messages and my battery was almost dead. And I was surprised to see it was already four in the afternoon. Holy shit, I’d slept all day. I’d drank a lot more than I realized. Once the liquor had started flowing, I didn’t remember not having a glass in my hand. Why didn’t I drink any water? How did Sienna let me do that?
She did want me to have a good time. And by getting me drunk, there were sure to be moments she could make fun of me for. Hmm. I’d have to get her back for this once I was able to move without wanting to throw up.
I flipped through to find Sienna’s number so she could fill me in on the details.
Before I could press the call button, someone knocked on the front door. I smiled and placed the phone on the bed. Sienna was here. At least I could ask her face-to-face. And maybe she would have some coffee for me. Or possibly some greasy hangover food. No matter how bad I felt, I was always up for her food.
I stood up and the room tilted. Once I got my bearings, I pulled on a pair of sweatpants and headed out to answer the door. She banged on the door again, and it sounded like a hammer in my head.
“Coming,” I croaked then cleared my throat. I must have had more whiskey; it always made my voice hoarse.
I opened the door and was prepared for Sienna to bust my balls about something stupid I did last night, but instead, I was surprised to see Rachel standing there.
“Rachel?”
“Hey, babe,” she said and pushed through the door, lugging her bags. She rolled them to the middle of the room and stood them up. She turned and crossed her arms, looking me up and down.
I must have looked like a wreck. I raked my hands through my hair. “What-what are you doing here? I thought you were staying another couple of days.”
She looked like perfection, a deceiving quality. She walked over to me and rubbed her soft hands over my chest. “Can’t a girl come home and see her fiancé?”
I glanced outside the door before I kicked it closed behind me. “Sure, but I’m just surprised is all.”
She smiled. “I want to tell you about the whole thing!” She started unloading every single detail of the trip.
“Please don’t yell,” I said, rubbing my temples. “Sienna and Tony threw me a bachelor party last night.”
“I hope it wasn’t at her disgusting diner. You could probably get a disease from there.” She stuck out her tongue and made a gagging noise.
If anything, I would get a disease from the strippers. Sunny’s was the cleanest diner I’d ever visited. Besides, I wasn’t going to get into this with her now. I had no patience and no energy.
“Anyway,” she said. “On the plane ride there, we were sitting behind a child. In first class! I made them move the family across the plane by telling the flight attendant that I wanted a refund if I was going to have to listen to a screaming child after paying so much for the ticket, then…”
For the lack of us speaking while she was gone, she was certainly making up for it now. I fought hard to pay attention, but what I really wanted to do was call Sienna and figure out what the hell happened last night.
Rachel tagged along with me all around the house, even while I showered. She was never this attached before. I should have been grateful—I was marrying her, after all—but today was not the best day for her to be clingy. I just wanted to get in touch with Sienna and find out what I had missed out on.
The shower felt refreshing and offered me a chance to drown out Rachel for a few minutes. Her muffled words weren’t discernible in the stream of water cascading over my head, offering me a small moment of peace. Guilt pressed on my chest so I took a quick shower so Rachel wouldn’t have to repeat herself. It was one of her pet peeves, and I didn’t want her voice to get even more high-pitched than it already was. I wasn’t sure my throbbing head could take it.