Rumor Has It

Part 37

He didn't remember when he fell asleep. His head pounded when he sat up, his stomach churning at the movement. He looked around the room, recognizing the guest room he stayed in before. There was a faint memory of how he got here and the rest was slowly coming back to him.

He knew that he had messed up, that he had let his emotions get the best of him and turned to alcohol to cope. Cooling his head off would help, so he shuffled to the bathroom with careful steps, his head spinning as he pieced together the events of the night before.

Not much was coming together until he splashed some water on his face, trying to shake off the fog in his mind. The cool numbness took over and he knew this was it, another turning point. The night before came back to him slowly, his old friends, the bar, his fingers tapping on the table rapidly every time he let his imagination run free. The enticing numbness wrapping around him. Idly wondering if this was all it took.

His attempts to be quiet had to have failed, because Stefani's familiar figure was waiting in the room he had slept in when he returned.

She looked even smaller than usual, her hand holding onto her own wrist, and she didn't have the judgment in her eyes he expected.

"Hey." she said softly. "How are you feeling?"

Bradley groaned, a wave of embarrassment washing over him at the sound of her voice before letting his weight drop to the bed again. She had been there yesterday, dragged him upstairs somehow and he must have looked bad enough for her to retreat instead of staying with him.

"Better again, a lot better." He said, putting on a solemn expression that covered the thumping in his head. It wasn't a lie, he felt more alert now and her presence reminded him of all those important things in his life that weren't only his.

"I'm so sorry, Stef. I shouldn't have had anything to drink...or dragged you into this."

"Don't." She stopped him with a sigh and sat down next to him, wrapping her arms around him and resting her chin on his shoulder. She was dressed like she was ready to go out and smelled of grass and her garden. "I'm glad you got me involved. I would've really hated for you to go home alone."

"That would have been worse. I don't know..." His voice drifted off and he thought back to all those times he had not made it home.

"You're okay." She whispered into his neck.

"I've messed up."

"Everyone does, you'll be fine."

He felt a sense of relief and smiled at her with more confidence than he had. This was what he meant when he had called, that she would be the person most likely to understand.

"Thank you. For getting me here, for being there." He took a deep breath and hoped they hadn't run into Emily at some point. "But I'm not like this. I'm not ever like this anymore." He assured her.

"Was there something...are you okay, otherwise?"

Stefani looked at him with questioning eyes, trying not to show how important the answer was to her, knowing the catalyst that caused him to spiral. Bradley shrugged one shoulder, the one she wasn't leaning against.

"It was a stupid argument with Irina. She was mad about a few things Lea had picked up..." He began and then the rest of what had created their fight wouldn't come out of his mouth. "But they really pick up everything!"

She let out a warm huff of air against his neck like she was laughing quietly. "I know! I forget about it sometimes. And then I have to remind myself that you always have to assume they're listening. And that the stove is hot. And that the dogs WILL eat whatever you just put on that table."