Saving Ever After (Ever After #4)

by Stephanie Hoffman McManus

  At one point, my partner, whose name I couldn’t even remember, pressed up against me from behind. He tried to guide my toss by using me as his human puppet while his other hand snaked up and down the front of me. I ignored the way his touch made my skin crawl, because I was too far gone to care, but after we lost that round, I stumbled away from the table.

  I wasn’t even sure what direction I was headed in, maybe toward the kitchen, or had I just left the kitchen? To say I was a little disoriented would be an understatement. I just wanted to find Jillian or Heidi or Dawn so one of them could get me the hell out of here. Using the wall for support, I stumbled down the hallway searching for them.

  I reached a door I was pretty sure was the bathroom and, thinking I could use a minute to pull myself together, I pushed it open. It was not the bathroom. It was a bedroom. An occupied bedroom. A very occupied bedroom. I knew the people occupying it.

  Heidi must have skipped a lot of classes in grade school because she didn’t know shit about past and present tense. There was no “used to” about the hooking up her and Leland were doing. She and Leland were very presently screwing in the bedroom. They didn’t even look up to see that I’d walked in on them. I stood there, somewhat stunned, just long enough that the image of the two of them was burned into my mind, and then I got the hell out of there. Again, I wasn’t even sure what I was supposed to feel. I searched for the jealousy, but it wasn’t there. I think I was more upset to learn that Heidi was a fake friend. Not altogether surprising, but it still sucked.

  I continued down the hall, just wanting to get out of there. I came to another door and just as I pressed my hand against it for support, the door fell inward and I went with it. I would have ended up sprawled on the tile, probably with a head injury, had the person inside not caught me.

  I’d found the bathroom.

  “Woah there,” a male voice said softly, “I’ve got you.” And he did. Have me, that is. His strong arms were wrapped around my body, holding me up, because my own legs weren’t doing a very good job of it. He tried to steady me on my feet, but when it became apparent to him that I couldn’t get myself upright he left one arm tucked around my waist. I looked up and got my first real glimpse of my rescuer.

  Damn. I knew I was drunk, but I was pretty sure that even if I wasn’t, he would still be beautiful. He was like a prettier, younger version of Legolas, all fair hair and skin, with sharp, but stunning features. His pale blonde hair fell softly around his face, curling at the back of his neck, and I had to fight the urge to run my fingers through it to see if it was as soft as it looked.

  “Shit, you’re priddy for a guy,” I mumbled, eliciting a low laugh from Legolas.

  “And you, my dear, are wasted.”

  “You, pridddy boy, don’ miss anythin’ doya?” I was having trouble getting my words out, but he seemed to be able to understand me, which meant I was doing a better job than I thought.

  He laughed again. I liked the sound of his laugh. It was nice. Not as nice as Chris’ laugh, but it was still nice. I sighed and leaned my head into his chest. He smelled good too. Not Chris good though.

  Mmmm Chris.

  I wished he was here.

  “You just a fan or have we met before?” Legolas asked me.

  “Huh?” I frowned up at him.

  His chest vibrated with low, soft laughter. “I feel at a slight disadvantage that you know my name and I don’t know yours.”

  “Shit, your name is Legolas?” Had I said it out loud on accident, and no way was that really his name. I wasn’t quite drunk enough to not call bullshit on that.

  He laughed again. “What? No. You called me Chris.”

  I shoved off of him, “Woah, buddy, you are not Chris,” I told him, jabbing my finger into his chest.

  “Uh, yes I am,” he said slowly, as if he thought I was a little challenged, which at the moment I was, but still, I knew this was not my Chris.

  “Noo,” I said adamantly, or more like slurred loudly. “You listen here, I know Chris. You can’t tell anyone I know Chris, but I do. And you . . . Are. Not. Him.” I jabbed him again. “Because he is not here,” I sighed. “He is . . . he is . . . he left. He went to her place.”

  “Oooh kaay,” Legolas said. He looked partially amused, and partially afraid that he was talking to a lunatic. “How about we go find your friends? I think it would be a good idea to get you out of here.” He kept his arm around my waist and helped me out of the bathroom.

  “I was looking for them, but I can’t find Jillian. Do you know Jillian?” I asked him.

  “Actually, yeah, I do, but if that’s who you came with, we better find you a new ride home.”

  “Why, did she leave me too?”

  “No, but she’s not in any shape to take you anywhere, darling.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah, so is there anyone else here who can take you home?”

  “Just Jill, and Heidi, but she’s naked and on top of Leland right now. Dawn is here somewhere too, but I can’t find her either.”

  “Yeah, you won’t. They’re having their own little party in another room. We don’t want to go in there.” His face wrinkled in disgust and I could hear disapproval in his voice. “So there’s really no one else here that you know?”

  “Nope. Just Jill and Heidi and Dawn, and Leland, but he’s a douche monkey, ass face, jerk hole, and last time he said he was going to take me home, he did not take me home.”

  He stopped suddenly and looked at me, “Did Leland do something to you?”

  I sighed. “No, well, it was just a mistake. I don’t want to talk about him.”

  “Okay, then we won’t, but you’re completely right. He is a douche monkey, ass face, jerk hole.”

  I giggled because it just sounded silly when he said it. “Yes he is. A big ass face,” I agreed, getting myself all fired up again. “In fact I’m going to go back in there and give him a piece of my mind. I’ll show him he shouldn’t mess with me.” I started bouncing back and forth on my heels, throwing fake jabs, or at least trying to, but my balance wasn’t so good. “I’ll merc his ass.” I started to shove past Legolas to get back to the bedroom where Leland was, but Mr. Hot Elf Guy, grabbed my arm and pulled me back into him.

  “Woah, killer. How about we go outside and see if we can both sober up a little bit instead? Then we’ll figure out how we’re getting you home.”

  “Okay, I guess so.” I nodded and went along with him, a little disappointed I wouldn’t get to use my jab on Leland’s pretty face. We were half way out the door when I remembered the incident that had led to me wanting to mess up Leland’s face. Following a hot guy out the door hadn’t turned out so well for me then. I planted my feet firmly, digging them into the floor, halting suddenly. “Wait, you’re not going to take me back to your place are you? I don’t want to do that again,” I whispered.

  His eyes regarded me carefully and almost sadly, “No sweetheart, I’m not going to take you to my place. I promise you can trust me. You’re safe with me. We won’t go anywhere you don’t want to.”

  “Okay.” I smiled at him, glad that I had someone I could trust.

  He tugged me to his side again so he could get us outside and down the stairs. Once we made it, we dropped down onto the bottom step. There were only a few other people outside, smoking and drinking. It was much quieter than inside.

  “I still don’t know your name,” I told him and he chuckled.

  “Yes you do, I already told you, it’s Chris.”

  Oh, he was back on this. I turned and looked at him sternly. “You’re not Chris.”

  “Yes. I. Am.”

  He wasn’t going to give up, so I slid my phone out of my pocket. “No. I’ll prove it. We’ll call him right now.” I started scrolling through my contacts, looking for the number Chris had put in my phone last night.

  “No, wait Mia. You don’t have to call anyone. I swear, my name is Chris.” I ignored him though, because it was already ringing. Oh, I like this
song, I thought as I listened to the ringback. It stopped when a familiar deep voice answered. It reached right through the phone and inside my chest, warming everything up. “Hello.”

  “Chris,” I whispered airily, completely forgetting why I’d called him, only that I loved the sound of his voice.

  “Mia?” Oh, I loved the sound of his voice saying my name even more. I wanted him to say it again. “Mia, are you okay?” Now he sounded urgent. I looked over to see the imposter smirking at me and I was reminded that I had called Chris for a reason.

  “Chris, tell this guy that he’s not you. He keeps trying to tell me that he is, but he’s a phony.” I thrust the phone at phony Chris and giggled at my thoughts. Phone. Phony. Woah, my stomach rolled. I tried to stand so I could find some bushes in case I needed to hurl. I thought it would be rude to get sick right there on the walkway, but as soon as I did, my head started spinning.

  Oh, shit.

  Everything was getting a little blurry and I was pretty sure the walkway was slanted because I felt like I was going to tip over. I could hear someone talking. Legolas. It was Legolas. He was on my phone talking to Chris. Chris. I wanted to talk to Chris. I spun to try and take my phone back, but instead ended up tripping and falling on the steps. My shin smacked one step. It hurt a lot, and I couldn’t make myself get back up.

  “Shit, she just fell,” I heard someone curse, pretty sure it was Legolas again, but I couldn’t be sure because he was a little fuzzy. I needed to lie down. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea. I lowered my head to one step. The cool surface felt good on my clammy skin. I just needed a little nap, then everything would be better. I shut my eyes and tuned out the voice that kept saying my name.

  Chapter 13

  Chris

  “Is she okay?” I asked the guy on the phone. The other Chris, as he’d informed me when Mia handed the phone over to him.

  At first I’d been annoyed when my ringing phone woke me just after midnight. Then I heard Mia’s soft voice whispering my name and it was like everything in me instantly relaxed. I don’t know why, but then she didn’t speak again and I was afraid something was wrong. When she did finally say something, I knew she was drunk. I quickly transitioned into angry and irritated with her, but she’d handed the phone off before I could find out where she was. As soon as that guy said that she fell, worry had overtaken everything else I was feeling.

  “I think so. She’s just really drunk. I’m pretty sure she just passed out.”

  “Passed out? How is that okay?”I asked angrily.

  “Well, I don’t think she hit her head when she fell.”

  “How much has she had to drink?”

  “No idea, but I’d guess a helluva lot. She was pretty smashed when I found her a few minutes ago.”

  “Found her? Was she by herself?” I was starting to panic.

  “No, well yeah. I mean, we’re at a party. She came with some people, but they’re not around now. I brought her outside so hopefully she could sober up and I could get her a cab home, because I’m not in the condition to drive either, but now she’s sleeping on the steps.”

  “Shit. You sure she’s okay? Could she have alcohol poisoning?” I was already throwing on my jeans and searching for a shirt and my car keys.

  “I don’t think so. She was slurring her words a little and she couldn’t walk straight, but she was still with it enough to carry on a conversation and argue with me, and she didn’t get sick. Well not yet, anyway. I’ll try waking her.” I heard him talking to her. I slid my feet into my shoes and, keys in hand, hurried out the door to my car, climbing inside and starting it up while I waited.

  He came back a minute later. “Okay, she kind of woke up. I got her to talk to me, but then she went back to sleep. I think she’ll be fine, but what do you want me to do with her? I can’t really just shove her in a cab, and I don’t trust anyone else here to get her home safely.”

  “Tell me where you guys are at. I’ll come get her.”

  He spouted off the address and then I hung up, plugging it into the GPS on my phone. I wasn’t too far away, just a ten minute drive from Ace’s neighborhood. I was worried about Mia though, and I made it less than that.

  When I pulled up outside the place, I could see a guy, presumably Chris, sitting on the stairs, with a passed out Mia beside him, her head resting on a step. They appeared to be the only ones outside. I jumped out and made my way over to them.

  “Oh shit,” the guy exclaimed, quickly rising to his feet when I stepped up into the light shining from the porch. “You’re –”

  “Yeah, I am. Has she woken up again?”

  “No,” he answered, still struggling to get over his shock. “Wow, just shit. Now I get why she was so insistent that I wasn’t you.”

  “Can you help me get her into my car?” I bent down, scooping her up into my arms. She barely stirred, just enough to rest her head against the crook of my shoulder. She was so small, and looked incredibly innocent and fragile in her sleep. It was easy to forget why I was so mad at her for doing this to herself. Almost.

  The other Chris picked up a purse from the steps and then hurried to open my car door so I could slide her in and buckle her in the passenger seat. I turned to see him digging in her purse. I was about to grab it from him when he pulled out a pen and a slip of paper, proceeding to scribble something across what looked like an old receipt. He then handed both the purse and the paper to me.

  “Will you give her this?” I looked down and saw that he’d written his name, Kris, with a ‘K’ and a phone number under it.

  I frowned and raised one eyebrow at him, “Seriously? You want me to give her your number?”

  “Not like that. I just didn’t figure you’d give me hers. I want her to call me tomorrow so I know she’s okay.”

  I snorted, “It’s you assholes she was partying with that let her get in this state.”

  “Hey man, I’m not the one who brought her to this party and then ditched her. I’m the one who got her out.”

  I let out a heavy breath and then slid the paper into my pocket. “Yeah, I’ll give it to her.”

  “Thanks.”

  “No, I guess I should be thanking you for getting her out of there.”

  “You could tell me how it is that you know Mia.”

  I chuckled and shook my head, walking around to climb in the driver’s side, but he called after me.

  “Hey, can you also tell her I’ll keep her secret.”

  “What secret?”

  “If I told you, that’d make me a liar now wouldn’t it?”

  “Whatever. I’ll tell her.”

  I was a few blocks away when I looked over at sleeping Mia, and tried to decide what to do with her. I didn’t feel right just dropping her at her dorm, and I wasn’t even sure that I’d be able to get her inside at this hour. My only option was to take her back to Ace’s with me, so that’s what I did.

  I carried her inside, depositing her right on the bed in the guest room she’d been using. I made sure she was on her side, and then leaned down, brushing my hand over her cheek to push her hair out of her face. My knuckles traced over her clammy skin. I sighed and rested my palm on her cheek.

  “Mia, what are you doing?” I softly asked her unconscious form. She stirred slightly, her eyes blinking a few times before opening and focusing on my face that was lowered to hers.

  “Chris,” she sounded breathless and slightly confused, and then her face twisted and she started to sit up. “Oh God, I think I’m going t be sick.” Then she was. Thankfully I stepped back in time and cleared it, but she vomited all down the side of the bed and her clothes in an attempt to get up and rush to the bathroom. I helped her make it to the toilet before the next round, and then she continued to heave, emptying her stomach into the porcelain bowl, as I held her hair out of her face. I could see tears running down her cheeks in ugly black streaks.

  “Go away,” she cried in between heaves. She attempted to bat the hand that was wrapped
around her hair away, but I didn’t let go, and then she moaned and both her hands gripped the seat again as she let loose with another round of vomiting. When she was finally done, and even the dry heaving had ceased, she collapsed, sliding all the way down to the floor. I released her hair, and let her head gently rest against the floor. I grabbed the cup that was sitting on the counter and filled it with cool water and the forced her to sit up enough to drink the contents.

  When she had downed it all, she handed it back to me and then laid down on the floor again. I stared at her sympathetically for a moment before going to retrieve stuff to clean her up. I grabbed a large t shirt from my room and then returned to the bathroom and dug a couple wash cloths out of the cupboard, wetting them under the faucet.

  When I dropped down beside her, she appeared to be asleep again. I sighed, hesitating a moment before accepting that I didn’t have much choice, and pulled her shirt over head. Next I struggled to strip off her vomit splattered jeans, cursing the damn skinny jeans that were practically painted on. Once I had her clothes off, I refused to let my eyes drop from her face. The pungent smell of vomit served to keep things in perspective for me as I used one of the damp rags to wipe down her face, tossing the disgusting thing in the hamper when I was done, along with her soiled clothes. Then I used the remaining wet rag to wipe down the rest of her clammy skin, unable to avoid her almost nakedness any longer.

  I squeezed my eyes shut. She was beautiful. There was no use in trying to deny it. Even the mess that she was couldn’t take away from all that beautiful.

  I hurried to finish cleaning her up so I could get her covered again, but she started to come to again and then tried to sit up and protest. “Don’t. I don’t need you to take care of me. You should have just left me.”

  “Maybe I should have,” I said tightly. “But I couldn’t do that, and right now I’m all you got, Mia, since you clearly can’t take care of yourself.” The fight left her then, and another tear ran down her cheek. Her body sagged, and she lowered the back of her head to my lap. Her eyes were closed tightly, but the tears still escaped the corners and slid back into her hair.