Just Friends(11)

She turned to them with a smile on her face. “See. True love does conquer all in the end.”

“It was a movie, sweetheart.” Mitch unfolded his arms.

Chase stared into her eyes. She looked so happy.

“I guess you’re ready for bed.”

“Nope.” She giggled covering her mouth.

He frowned, staring at her suspiciously. “How many cocktails have you drunk?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Too many to count. Let’s play something.”

Leah jumped to her feet. This was the problem with a semi-drunk Leah. She became very energetic whereas he and Mitch tended to become relaxed.

“Come on, guys. I’ll make it worth your while,” she said.

Chase was always a sucker for her begging. He relented first, and then Mitch followed suit. They really were in for it tonight.





Chapter Four





Her head was pounding. Leah opened her eyes, moaning as the world finally came back to her in one long rush. She couldn’t remember anything past the romantic movie they had watched. Putting a hand to her head, she tried to roll over. A male arm covered her stomach. She froze.

Shit. What happened last night?

It was Friday night. She never went out on a Friday. Turning her head she saw Mitch was in the bed with her. She squealed and jumped out of the bed. Mitch yelled, and Chase crashed into the room holding a baseball bat.

“What the fuck is going on?” Chase asked. He held the bat high over his head. Leah stared down to see she was butt-naked. Squealing, she grabbed the quilt and did her best to cover herself.

“Leah, what’s going on?” Mitch asked.

“I don’t know.” She shouted the words, then touched her head as the pounding increased. “What happened last night?”

“What do you mean what happened last night?” Chase asked.

Wrapping the duvet over her body, she looked up at her two friends. Her whole body ached, and she was sure they’d done something last night. “I can’t remember anything.”

Mitch and Chase looked at each other.

“Nothing?” they both asked together.

She took a step and winced as her body protested the sudden movement.

“Oh crap,” Mitch said.

Chase whacked him with the bat.

“Why do I feel something did happen last night?” she asked, feeling uneasy.

“I think you should go for a bath and get freshened up. We can all talk in the kitchen when you’re done,” Chase said, sounding the most logical.

Leah felt tears spring to her eyes. Something had happened, but she didn’t know what. She was terrified. They were her best friends. Why couldn’t she remember what they’d done together?

“Please, don’t cry, Leah,” Chase said. He put the bat down, going toward her and wrapping his arm around her.

“I’m scared,” she said, staring at Mitch as he glanced at the floor. They were in Chase’s room. What the fuck had she done?

“Go and get freshened up. There is nothing to be scared about. You’ll see. We’ll still be here.”

Taking a quick glance between them, she nodded her head and then made her way toward the shared bathroom. Leah locked the door. It was the first time she’d done that in all the years she’d known them. She dropped the duvet wrapped around her and filled the bath with steaming hot water. While the bath was filling up, she walked over to the sink. Her mouth tasted awful. Opening the cabinet with the mirror on, she pulled out some painkillers and took two with the tap water. Leah washed her teeth before she even dared stare at her reflection.

She gasped. On either side of her neck was a love bite. They were purple, and the skin showed the shape of two different lips.

“Fuck,” she said, then covered her mouth so neither Mitch or Chase could hear her. “What the fuck have I done?”

She’d never been good at holding down alcohol. It was one of the reasons she avoided drinking out. Closing her eyes, she tried to will the night before back to her. No memory resurfaced. She was all alone.

A chill filled her body. Gazing down the length of her body, she saw other little signs of love-making. The most basic came with the unmistakable sore feeling between her legs.

Biting her bottom lip, she climbed into the water. She loved Mitch and Chase, and she felt like they’d finally crossed that line last night. Only, she couldn’t remember a thing.

She dropped her head into her hands, feeling like the world’s worst friend.

****

Chase watched her go waiting for the sound of the bathroom door closing. When the sound came followed by the lock sliding into place, he felt like a complete shit.

“She doesn’t remember, Chase.”

He turned to his friend seeing the look of concern on his face. On the outside Chase tried to remain calm, but on the inside he was falling apart. Last night had been the best night of his life, and now the woman he loved more than anything didn’t even remember it.