The First Steps (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 1 of the Hardships Saga)

Chapter Forty-Seven

❝drunk (pronounced drʌŋk or druhngk), adjective

affected by alcohol to the extent of losing control of one's faculties or behaviour.❞

He rolled over again, trying to get comfortable, and ended up falling off the couch for the eighth time. He muttered darkly to himself, getting up and brushing himself off. He decided to grab himself some warm milk- that used to help him sleep when he was younger. Maybe some sleeping pills would do the trick, too.

He walked into the kitchen and heard someone staggering around. He saw Lilly, and approached her, assuming she was sleepwalking. "Lilly?"

"Go back to the couch, fool!" she slurred, then giggled.

Hunter frowned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm great. I'm wonderful," she said, stumbling. Hunter smelled alcohol.

"Have you been drinking?"

"What- what gives you that idea?"

"Are you drunk?"

"Shh, don't tell!" she said, holding a finger up to her mouth, then giggling again. Cole wandered into the kitchen and Lilly nearly tripped over him. "Ooh, a puppy!"

"How much have you had to drink?" asked Hunter, sounding apalled. She had never been drunk before, he knew that much. "Where did you even find enough to drink? I didn't know we had any alcohol in the house."

"Remember... remember that time that Parker came over with all that whiskey? And the wine, we have lots of wine!" She hiccupped. "Well, had."

"You drank it all?!"

"Not really... well, maybe a little," she said, giggling drunkenly. "Don't you worry your cute little head, Hunty," she continued, pinching Hunter's cheek. He squirmed out of her grip, wrinkling his nose at the weird nickname.

She stumbled again, before going green. Hunter managed to push her towards the sink, where she threw up quite spectacularly. "Eww, it smells like you," she said.

"You're drunk," he muttered, sighing. "C'mon, let's get you to bed."

"Ooh, bed? You're very forward, aren't you?" she asked, winking.

"Please stop flirting with me, it's weird," he said.

"Okay, then let me kiss you," she whispered, trying to push him up against a wall.

"No, darling, you're drunk, it's not right," he said gently.

"I'm not drunk," she slurred.

"Yes, you are, now come on."

He managed to tuck her into bed, but before he could leave, she whispered, "I don't like being alone."

"No, me neither," he murmured.

"Stay?" she breathed.

"Of course," he said. He was worried to leave her alone anyway. Cole curled up on the pillow on the floor, and Hunter quickly rolled into the bed and closed the curtains.

"You're so beautiful," said Lilly, stroking Hunter's face and snuggling into his body. He gulped, moving back as much as he could. He couldn't kiss her, not while she was drunk- his parents had raised him better than that. Plus, being drunk would mean a kiss would lead onto other things, and other things would trigger her PTSD.

"Lilly, sweetheart, you should sleep," he murmured, trying to keep her away from him.

"First you forget our date and now you try to avoid kissing me?" asked Lilly drunkenly. "You're a douche."