You Know He's A Keeper When He Quotes Bruno Mars

Chapter 8

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I opened my eyes and groaned as the sudden brightness pierced my brain. I slammed a hand to my forehead as if it would slap the hangover out of me and I rolled over, burying deep into my covers.

"You're awake!" I heard Effy say softly from beside me. She was sitting on the floor where she slept, snuggled into her sleeping bag with some aspirin and a glass of water in her hand. She was an expert when it came to the morning after a drunken night with too many teenagers and loud music that felt like it was still pounding in my ears.

"I'd thought I'd be sleeping much longer than you, seeing as you were konked out here before the party even started. And I got some pretty shitty sleep seeing as she put me on the fucking floor. I mean, what sort of person makes a guest sleep on the floor? And then the two of you are in that double bed as if you own the caravan!"

I rubbed my hand over my face and tried to avoid eye contact with the window. That sun outside was just too painful. "Effy, she sort of does own the caravan," I remarked.

She threw her pills into her mouth and chugged the water back as I said this and then slammed the glass down on the floor. "So?! You don't! It's just not fair. She never liked me. As if I've done anything wrong!"

"It's hardly like you like her either," I commented.

"Well I haven't any reason to!"

I closed my eyes and stretched my back out. I could hear Beth making coffee in the kitchen with her dad, the boiling of the kettle and the clinking of cups, and then her laugh that could cheer anyone up. "I like her," I said softly, more to myself than to Effy. Effy would only argue with anything I said.

I rolled over so my back was to the window and dared myself to open my eyes again. Ahh, it wasn't so bad this -

I jerked upright in the bed, my eyes fixed on the sleeping figure in the chair right across from me, less than five feet away.

"Effy? Why is he here?" I asked, smoothing my hair slightly.

She followed my gaze to him as if he were a homeless person. Or a freak. It was hard to tell.

"The boy stayed here all night! He was asleep when we got in and Beth insisted it would be rude to wake him and make him leave. I wanted to beat him up cos he had a better place to sleep than I did. Fuck sleep, he has his whole life for that!"

She continued talking but I blanked out and just watched him. One of his legs was folded underneath him and the other was sprawled out so his foot was on the bed, almost touching me. His arms hung limply over the arms of the chair and his chest rose and fell heavily. His mouth was half open and I smirked as I caught some drool on his chin. It all looked awkward and uncomfortable, but there wasn't anything about it that wasn't adorable. His hair was ruffled up and pieces of it were standing up and I wondered what he was dreaming about. How far away his mind was right now, even when he was right next to me.

"Man, he can sleep, huh?" Beth said cheerily as she nudged the door shut behind her, two cups of coffee in her hand.

"This is ridiculous," Effy huffed and she rose up and stomped across the room towards him. She leaned forward and rose her hand up. I flinched, knowing from far too many sleep ins at her place what was coming next. She slapped him across his cheek. Hard.

"Effy!" Beth gasped, but his eyes were wide open now, his whole posture awake as his foot jerked off the bed and he sat upright. He groaned and put both hands to his cheek, wiping the drool off his chin sheepishly on the way.