by Alexa Davis
He was too sweet, too nice – it was crazy. It made me need to lean forward and kiss him all over again. I wanted those lips pressed up against mine once more. I didn’t, though, mostly because my head felt too heavy and I was afraid I might actually throw up. I simply smiled at him instead and allowed my eyes to flutter closed.
“Goodnight,” he whispered before I heard the floorboards creaking and him creeping away. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Night,” I groaned in reply.
“Hey, before I go,” he hissed, causing my eyes to snap back open. “Who is Josh?”
Oh, God, did I talk about Josh? How embarrassing. Why the hell would he have picked me if I chatted drunkenly about some other guy? “Oh, he’s someone I dated for a while ages ago. I... I didn’t even like him, not really, not like...” No, God, don’t say “not like you!” “We drifted apart, then I saw him kissing someone else on New Year’s Eve. Like, right in front of my face. I don’t care; it just sucked, that’s all.”
I watched his face break out into a bright grin. “He sounds like an asshole. I thought that when Laynee mentioned him.” Damn, Laynee! What the hell did she do that for? “You deserve so much better... and you’ll get much better, trust me.”
As he closed the door behind him, I wished it could be him. He was incredible, much better than I could have ever wanted, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Once he was gone, I allowed my imagination to take control, and I pictured all the things I wanted to happen. It was much easier than thinking about how sad I’d be when he was gone. I imagined him staying with me, touching me, tasting me all over again, and those images filtered into my dreams, giving me the most pleasant night’s sleep that I’d ever had.
Well, until about five a.m. rolled around and I had to jump up to finally be sick. Then it became one of the worst nights ever. I was sweaty, shaky, and hot all over. The hangover I was about to suffer would be horrific. Luckily, the salon was closed all day, so I could just sleep it off.
Chapter Nineteen
Milo – Sunday
It felt good to wake up fresh faced after a night of drinking. After seeing how drunk Eliza was getting, I had decided to pace myself so that I could be there to look after her. I sat up in the bed, remembering her drunken words to me as she lay on the bed in a near state of sleep. Did she actually think that I’d be considering having sex with someone so soon after her? Did she assume I thought that way? Had I not done enough to show her I wasn’t that kind of guy? Did she honestly believe there was anywhere in the world I would have rather been than with her? No other possible scenario even came close!
I might not have managed to learn too much from Laynee, but at least I now knew there wasn’t anyone who had her heart. Clearly, it was the betrayal from her ex that got to her, more than the actual guy, which was fair enough. No one wanted to see someone they’d spent time with hooking up with someone else.
That I could work with.
Not that I knew exactly what I planned to do with that information, but it was nice to have it all the same.
She was jealous last night, though, actually affected by the thought of me with someone else, which spoke volumes. I felt like that meant something. It made me grin to myself, at any rate. It made me feel like she saw me differently than anyone else – and liked what she saw.
As I walked through the front room of the cabin, I noticed the place was a mess. At some point in the night, Eliza must have staggered through, probably racing to the toilet to throw up, and she’d knocked everything everywhere in the process. While I couldn’t make up for sleeping through her sickness in the night – which I now felt terrible for – I could tidy up a bit. Self-inflicted pain was awful; if she’d been sick, then she wouldn’t be in the mood to clean up, so at least I could help her in the respect.
I set about getting everywhere neat and tidy for her, the entire time smiling happily to myself. Eliza was an unexpected adventure, a treat I enjoyed. Even without everything else, her company was amazing. She made me recognize that I didn’t need to spend forever among the same kind of people. She reminded me that there was so much else to the world. She just made me see things in a whole different light.
Once everything was done, and I surveyed the place with a sweet satisfaction, I flicked the ancient coffee pot on to go and wake Eliza up with something to drink. She undoubtedly felt like a dehydrated mess, even with the water that I left for her, and I wanted to be the one to help her out.
As the water boiled, I thought about my own coffee machine, back at home, that would have me a hot drink completed in seconds. I realized I didn’t miss it even one bit. I wouldn’t have minded waiting forever for a substandard brew to stay here...
I knocked lightly on her bedroom door, but got no reply, so I peeked around the door. She looked like death warmed over, but somehow still cute. Despite knowing that she’d been throwing up, I still wanted to kiss her. She was just that lovely.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” I said quietly. “I just brought you in a coffee. I’ll leave it on the side so you can have it when you wake up...” I wasn’t sure why I was talking to her when so was obviously crashed out, but I felt a little weird about being in her room without a solid reason.
“Milo?” she eventually grunted, without even opening one eye. “I think I’m dying.”
“Have something to drink. That will help,” I reassured her. I sat on the bed beside her and pulled her into a sitting position. As I handed her the mug, I noticed that her hands were trembling a little, so I gripped onto it with her to prevent her from any unnecessary spills.
“Maybe we went a little overboard last night,” I teased, chuckling lightly while rubbing her back tenderly. I would have sat there all day doing that if I thought it would help.
“Ugh, you don’t say,” she moaned, rubbing her forehead. “I’m sorry if I was a nightmare or a massive idiot.”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for – it was a lot of fun. Laynee is great, too; you have a good friend in her.”
Her eyes flickered to the floor, and I noticed Veil curling up in a ball by her hand. She allowed her arm to roll off the edge of the bed so she could pat him while she recovered. No wonder Veil loved her – she seemed to absolutely adore him! I cocked my head to one side as I watched him lapping up the attention, noticing it was more than that. He actually looked like he wanted to look after her because she wasn’t well. He was protecting her.
“So, I think I’m going to pop to the supermarket,” I told Eliza tactfully, recognizing that she still needed more sleep. “I’ll pick up some stuff for dinner...”
“Oh, no, don’t talk about food!” she cried out, clutching her stomach dramatically, making me laugh.
“Dinner isn’t for hours yet. Trust me, you will be hungry by then! Anyway, is there anything else you want while I’m gone?”
“No, thank you. I think I might just sleep for the rest of my life.”
I had planned on taking Veil out with me, but as soon as it became obvious that he didn’t intend to go anywhere, I accepted that and went out by myself.
It made the drive quiet and peaceful, but it also gave me some time to remember how amazing Eliza looked last night. As the night started, and she was all dolled up, she looked incredible, but as things went on and she became disheveled, she somehow managed to look ever better. Less anxious, happier, more carefree. Messy, sure, but adorable with it.
As she drank, I wanted to slide my hand into hers; as she danced, I wanted to wrap my arms around her waist; and as she slid next to me in the cab, I wanted to claim her as my own forever. This whole being friends thing wasn’t going to work out for me. I had no idea how I was going to do it.
“Hey, Milo!” I heard a voice calling out my name as I moved out of the car. “How you doing?” I turned around, and much to my surprise, Landon was waving back at me. “You still on for tomorrow?”
The tour, of course. I nodded enthusiastically at that. “I’ll be the
re at seven a.m. sharp. I’m looking forward to it!” It amazed me that Landon remembered me so well. Florence might have been a small place, and face-to-face customer skill were essentials, but this was on another level entirely. This guy had his priorities right – every time I saw him, he impressed me more.
“Great, can’t wait.” He grinned happily, before shifting his shopping bags in his arm. “Anyway, I better get moving, but I’ll see you in the morning.”
Saying our goodbyes, I felt all positive about his company again. I might have been dubious about the whole thing, I did still have doubts, but he was such a great guy who knew what he was doing. There had to be something in that.
***
“So, you are hungry now, right?” I teased Eliza as I placed the plate down in front of her. “You better be, I’ve been cooking all day!”
“Sure, all day,” she laughed weakly. “Thank you for this; it’s very needed.” She chewed in silence, her expression thoughtful. “You know, this is why I never get drunk. I hate the whole not remembering thing the next day. I can recall small flashes, but that’s about it.”
“Well, you had a lot of fun and you didn’t totally embarrass yourself; what more is there to worry about?” I shrugged, trying to remain evasive. I wasn’t sure if she could remember being jealous, and I couldn’t bring it up. “It was good.”
“Okay, as long as I didn’t do anything that people will be talking about in the salon, that’s the main thing. Laynee once danced on the tables and everyone kept coming in for a blow dry, just to tell me the story.”
“Well, there you go, there’s your new business model!” I exclaimed jokingly. “Do crazy stuff all weekend and embrace the financial benefits throughout the week.” That brought a smile to her face. “Got to be worth it, right? Got to be easier than renting the cabin out to crazy guys like me.”
Unfortunately, that statement got to us both. It reminded each of us of the situation we were in and led to a short burst of silence. It made me feel good that she didn’t want me to go, but also bad. Why couldn’t time stand still, just for a little while longer, so that we could explore what this could be? Maybe it wouldn’t be anything, maybe we would quickly recognize that we weren’t meant to be, but the not knowing was damn near killing me.
“Anyway,” Eliza interrupted my thoughts as she finished up her food. “I know that I’ve spent most of the day in bed, but I’m still exhausted. I better get some sleep so I’m fresh for tomorrow.”
She moved closer to me, and for a heart-stopping moment, I thought she was going to kiss me. My body froze, my lips tingled, my heart lit up on fire... but then her lips connected lightly with my cheeks and the illusion shattered around me. Of course, a friendly kiss on the cheek. Why would I expect anything else?
“I’ll see you in the morning, okay? Goodnight.”
“Night,” I replied sadly behind her, watching her walk into her room. I wanted to grab her, to pull her onto my lap, to kiss her and forget all the being sensible nonsense – but I didn’t. However challenging it would be, if friends was what Eliza wanted, that was what I needed to do. I had to wait until she wanted me, until she made it obvious, and if that never happened, then so be it. It would be difficult, but that was that.
When I thought about my past, and I considered how Eliza made me feel, it was obvious now that things with Veronica had been ridiculous. I had clung to her because she’d told me what I wanted to hear, and then she became taboo and even more attractive. I was glad, though, for what she’d done because it made me that much smarter, that much better around Eliza. If it hadn’t been for her bullshit, I might not have had it in me to be so respectful and sensible.
I would just have to see where that newfound attitude got me. So far, I wasn’t too sure it was going to work out, but if I had a little faith, maybe things would turn around.
I had an early morning myself, so I needed to get some rest myself. Sighing sadly, I gathered up my things and brought Veil into the bedroom with me. Alone... for another long and lonely night.
This is fine, this will be okay, I will get through this.
We both will.
Chapter Twenty
Eliza – Monday
I crept out of my bedroom, a cold, fearful shame washing over me. Yesterday I was too hung over to think about my drunken behavior, to remember it properly, but now it had all come screaming back: the jealousy over Phoebe, the crazy dancing, the drunken rambling... I’d even told him about the pathetic nature of my thing with Josh.
What the hell does he think of me now? I desperately hoped he didn’t think I was still hung up on that idiot. I wasn’t sure how well I’d managed to put that across.
“Hey, there, boy,” I stage whispered to Veil, who came racing over to me. “How’s it going?” I patted him, tickled him under his ears, and he responded by giving me a loving look. I didn’t care how insistent Milo was – the dog understood every damn word I said. I could just tell; it was written all over his face. “Where is daddy? Is he here?”
Of course, he could only respond with a bark, which didn’t get me anywhere. His expression might have told me everything, but I couldn’t understand his words just yet.
As I moved over to the coffee pot, I spotted a note from Milo that made my heart sink. I had been holding out hope that he was in his bedroom and that I’d get a chance to speak to him before I went to work, just to apologize again, but no such luck. Never mind, maybe this was good. Maybe some time apart would dispel any possible awkwardness.
Hi, Eliza,
Gone out on a fishing tour with Landon – it’s all to do with the investment – hopefully I’ll see you tonight.
Milo
It seemed like the investment opportunity was a real thing after all; I must have been wrong on that part. I knew Landon the fishing guy well, everyone in Florence did, so it made sense that Milo was thinking about putting his money in there... Though I never saw him as a small-town investor.
“Okay, well, I guess I’ll get some breakfast then, Veil.” I smiled wistfully at him. “I know that you’ve probably been fed already, but... Well, you know that I can’t resist your adorable face.”
To think that Veil was almost the reason that I’d turned Milo down when he called about renting the cabin. I’d had the horrible image of a dog tearing around the place, wrecking everything. If I had said no based on the dog...
Well, things would have been very different. If he hadn’t offered to pay me triple the asking price, I wouldn’t have ever gotten to know him. I would have ended up with someone else in the cabin, and I’d have spent every penny they paid me on a hotel while my apartment got fixed. I’d have ended up in an even worse position than before.
It was a good idea that I’d let Veil come for so many reasons!
I hated to leave him alone once I’d eaten and gotten dressed, but I did have to get to the salon today. Laynee and I actually had quite a few clients booked in, and I couldn’t turn anyone away, not when I was so desperately trying to grow things.
“Sorry, boy,” I whispered to him as I clicked the door behind myself. “I’ll bring you back something later.”
I had to be early. I needed to get everything organized for the long day ahead of me. Judging by the fact that Laynee’s car was already there when I arrived, she’d had the same idea.
I expected to walk through the door and see her sweeping the floor or cleaning the mirror, but she wasn’t. She’d come in for the gossip, and she pounced on me right away.
“So? Oh, my God, what happened the other night? Did you and Milo have sex again? You were so close; it was adorable. The pair of you made my heart melt.”
“No, we didn’t,” I shot back, annoyed, tutting crossly and shaking my head. “Now will you get up and clean this place? We have a busy day today.”
“It doesn’t need it!” she exclaimed, gesturing around her. “Look at this place; it’s immaculate.” I followed her eye line, slowly realizing that she was right – we had be
en running a pretty tight ship, so it seemed that my anxiety was misplaced. “Now come on, spill the beans. I tried to call you yesterday, but your phone was off.”
“I know,” I sighed, sliding into one of the chairs. “I felt like I was dying, I had to sleep off the hangover. I was even puking throughout the night.”
“Not in... the middle of things?” She burst out into laughter at the mere suggestion of the idea, leaving me smiling bemusedly at her. “Ugh, how awful.”
“There were no things,” I jumped in quickly before she got carried away. “He just put me to bed, asked me about Josh – thank you very much for that one, by the way – and then I went to sleep.”
“Oops.” At least she had the decency to look guilty. “I did bring up Josh, but only to let him know that you were single. I didn’t know you’d already hooked up by that point, did I? I wanted him to get the hint if that was holding him back. Clearly, I was wrong. You can’t blame me because you totally should have told me all about it much sooner. It was practically my idea!”
Hooked up seemed like such a crude term for what had happened between me and Milo, but I guessed that was all it had been. There wasn’t any commitment, any expectation, and I’d raced away to my own bed as soon as it was over...
It just felt like it’d been so much more than that. The whole time, I felt like we were building something, even if it was only false.
I shivered lightly, the memory of Milo’s hands on my back giving me chills. His touch was so expert, so incredible… I did want to experience it again. Maybe I should have just jumped his bones, however drunk I was. At least I could have woken up with some good memories in among the embarrassing ones!
“Anyway, he seems to me like a nice guy. I like him,” Laynee continued, oblivious to my thoughts. “It’s a shame that he doesn’t live here. I think that you two would be great together.”
“Yeah, me, too,” I told her wryly, giving up on trying to keep something to myself. She knew enough now; it was time to just be honest about it all. “And that’s the issue. I don’t want to fall for him, and then have to say goodbye. I just don’t know if we can keep this casual.”