“Friend?”
“Yes, you’re my friend.”
This was the moment I could choose to cross that line. But once I did, there would be no turning back. “Do you get this close to all your friends?”
“Fine.” He sighed. “You’re my best friend.”
“Nate . . .” I moaned his name.
“Shh.” He lowered his face to the crook of my neck. The tip of his nose ran up my skin and toward my cheek.
I was high.
Intoxicated by him.
He had this power over me, over my heart. He was mere centimeters from my mouth. One small movement and his lips would capture mine.
One kiss.
One kiss was all I desperately wanted.
My heart pounded so hard in my chest that I heard it in my ears. I silently begged him to kiss me. With each second that passed, I became a ball of nerves. And then all the alcohol in my system decided it wanted to ruin the moment.
“I think I’m about to be sick.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, my body bent over and the contents of my stomach splattered all over the grass. Nate pulled my hair back, his hand running up my back as I continued to heave.
Talk about the worst buzz kill.
Once I felt I was done, I straightened. My high had vanished and I was left drunk. Not the kind of drunk where I want to dance it off, either. This was the “I want to go to bed right now” drunk.
“You okay?”
I shook my head. “I want to go to bed.”
“Come on.” Nate brushed my hair away from my face. Squinting my eyes, I tried to un-blur his face. He chuckled and tucked me under his arm. “Let’s get you home.”
I woke up the following morning in my bed with my head pounding. My covers had been draped over my body but I was still in my dress. Sunlight peeked in through the curtains and I could tell it was very late morning. I rolled onto my side and held my temples. It felt as though my brain was pounding against my skull. When the throbbing subsided, I noticed a bottle of water and a small packet of Advil on the bedside table. A little Post-it was stuck to the bottle.
Drink this in the morning. The Advil should help with the headache.
Love, Nate.
Memories of the previous night flooded my head. Nate had taken care of me. I puked in front of him. Where did Del go? How did I get into my room?
I popped the two pills into my mouth and drank the water, laid my head back on the pillow and noticed that Dell's bed was untouched. Though I should have worried about my missing roommate, I needed a few more hours to recuperate.
Sometime later, I heard the room door open. Delaney appeared with her coat covering her dress and last night's makeup still on her face.
“Morning,” she greeted me. She dragged her feet across the floor and kicked her heels off.
I looked over at my clock.
“You mean good afternoon.” My voice was hoarse but my headache had subsided a bit.
She plopped on the bed next to me. “I feel like shit,” she complained.
“Where did you go last night?” I sat up on the bed.
“I wasn't feeling well and I bumped into Chloe, so she took me home. I couldn't find my keys so I crashed at her place. Then, this morning, I found them in my purse.” She pulled the blanket off her bed.
“You just left me?” Anger began to build. Not only had Julian been a complete douche, but my best friend, who begged me to go to the party with her, left me there by myself.
“Nate was there.”
“That's beside the point.” I shook my head. “I was lucky he was there because I got really sick and he's the one who brought me home, because you were gone and Julian was gone and I didn’t even want to go to this party to begin with.” My voice grew higher as my rant continued.
“Brie, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to leave you. I was really, really drunk and I asked Chloe to tell Nate I was leaving and to keep an eye on you.”
I shook my head. “It’s fine.” I dropped the conversation. Some of the pressure in my head was relieved, but I still wasn't feeling well.
Delaney discarded her dress then threw her UNC sweater over her body and climbed under the covers. “I need to sleep for a little bit,” she informed me.
I kicked my covers off, undressed and put on my bathrobe, and grabbed my toiletry bag. “I'm gonna go take the longest shower possible. I'll be back later.”
I let the scalding water pour over my head as I pushed out the memories of Nate, but they kept invading my thoughts.
I remembered him coming to my rescue when I couldn't find Del. I remembered how he held me on his lap. I remembered the way his hands rubbed up my spine and how it caused my skin to ignite. I remembered how I needed air and he dragged me outside. I remembered how his lips were mere inches away from mine.