Tangled Up in Blue

The Rest of the Story

Keegan

"Keegan. Wake up."

My eyes are closed, but I hear Blue's ragged whisper. 

He's holding me, just the way he was when I fell asleep last night. His breath touches my cheek.

"Keegan."

For some reason, I don't want to open my eyes yet. 

I want to stay like this, cocooned in Blue's arms, warmed by his touch.

"Keegan, please. I have to talk to you." 

His voice is urgent and shaken.

I look up into his agonized eyes and then sit up too fast, groaning at my bone-dry mouth and the headache pounding behind my eyes.

I so should not have touched that tequila.

"Blue," I croak, touching my throat, like that's going to help, "of course."

I press my hands to his face. "Talk to me."

He wraps his hands around my wrists and closes his eyes briefly. Then he gently pulls my arms away, squeezing my hands for a second before getting off the bed.

"Let me get you a bottle of water first," he says, his voice speaking volumes more than the simple words coming out of his mouth.

He walks quickly out of the room, and I flop back on the bed, listening to his steps pounding down the stairs and wondering if I really want to hear what he's got to say.

Unbelievable, Keegan.

I've bugged him over and over to tell me and now that he's about to, I suddenly don't want to know.

He's back in a few minutes with a cold water bottle, and I down about half of it, wishing again that I'd stayed away from the damn tequila.

What was I thinking?

Blue starts walking in tense circles, hands cupping the back of his head. 

He's wearing only the pants that he wears rappelling, the ones I'd teased him about having fashionably ripped knees.

Playing along, he'd archly informed me his pants got their holes the old-fashioned way, by clawing up cliffs and scrambling over boulders. Soldier-style.

He takes a deep breath and slowly exhales it.

"I know you're exhausted," he says. "But if I'm going to tell you this, I have to do it now. I can't put it off anymore. It's making me crazy."

I nod, shifting around uncomfortably on the bed.

He's finally going to tell me. 

But right now, all I can think about is how badly I need to pee.

"Sorry," I say, awkwardly getting out of the bed, "just give me a minute."

I start to slide on the jeans that Blue must have taken off me last night, then decide not to bother. 

It's unlikely anyone is in the hall to see me in just my T-shirt and panties. Everyone's probably still asleep.

I emerge from the bathroom a few minutes later and crawl back on the bed, propping up the pillows and tucking my legs under the covers. I can feel my heart pounding.

Blue is still pacing.

Max curls up next to me, and I run my hand over his head and back. Then I give Blue an encouraging nod.

But the look on his face sends a prickle of dread over my skin.

"Do you want to sit down while we talk?" I ask, hating the trepidation in my voice.